Nothing says college football is back like ESPN’s College GameDay rolling into town, with FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff trying to muscle in on the same spotlight every week. The two pregame shows have become part of the sport’s weekly theater, and with the 2026 season on the horizon, it’s time to play the guessing game again.
Some of the early stops are already locked in. Week 1 brings the battle for the Death Valley nickname, which is the biggest game on the board. Big Noon will also be in Bloomington to help the Hoosiers celebrate their national title.
Week 2 is set as well, with GameDay headed to Ohio State at Texas and Big Noon going to Oklahoma at Michigan. Those two non-conference showdowns stand above everything else on the schedule, even with Arkansas at Utah, Iowa State at Iowa and Alabama at Kentucky also on the slate.
By Week 3, the path gets a little more adventurous. Big Noon Kickoff is projected to cross the Atlantic for Arizona State vs.
Kansas in London at Wembley Stadium, taking advantage of the fact that football is being played abroad. GameDay, meanwhile, is expected in Oxford, Mississippi for LSU at Ole Miss, a game that would mark Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss.
Week 4 could send ESPN to Athens for Oklahoma at Georgia, though Texas at Tennessee is another real possibility. FOX, as usual, looks likely to chase the biggest Big Ten game of the week, which points to Oregon at USC.
Week 5 is where the ACC may get its moment. With the SEC slate light, GameDay is projected to choose between Miami at Clemson and Notre Dame at North Carolina, and the lean here is Chapel Hill. Big Noon, on the other hand, is expected to finally land at an Ohio State game, with the Buckeyes at Iowa looking like FOX’s first real chance through four weeks.
Week 6 brings one of the season’s biggest headliners: Georgia at Alabama for GameDay. Big Noon is projected to head to USC at Penn State, giving Beaver Stadium a chance to show off its new capacity. The rest of the Big Ten schedule doesn’t offer much else, which makes that pick feel pretty safe.
Week 7 is the rare week where both shows are expected to land in the same place. Ohio State at Indiana looks like the clear choice for both GameDay and Big Noon, and with both teams expected to be national contenders, it’s easy to see why. The rest of the week isn’t bad either, with Penn State at Michigan, Alabama at Tennessee and Notre Dame at BYU also in play.
Week 8 could force both shows to revisit familiar ground. GameDay is projected for Ole Miss at Texas, while Big Noon is expected at Indiana at Michigan. Texas A&M at Alabama, Ole Miss at Texas and Indiana at Michigan all point to places the shows would already have visited by then, but Ann Arbor still looks like a strong bet if Michigan is hanging around as a contender.
Week 9 is a little thinner than usual, even with Florida vs. Georgia in Atlanta leading the way.
That neutral-site matchup is the best game available, and GameDay may have to make an exception to its usual habits. Big Noon’s best option appears to be Ohio State at USC, which helps lift a pretty weak Big Ten slate.
Week 10 is loaded. GameDay is projected to head to Miami at Notre Dame, while Big Noon is expected at Oregon at Ohio State. The rest of the schedule is stacked too, with Michigan State at Michigan, Oklahoma at Florida, Alabama at LSU, Georgia at Ole Miss and BYU at Utah all adding to what could be the best slate of the year.
Week 11 is where the projections get a little more speculative. Tennessee at Texas A&M is the pick for GameDay, assuming both teams are still in the playoff conversation by mid-November.
If not, ESPN could pivot to Texas at LSU or Michigan at Oregon. For Big Noon, USC at Indiana looks more likely than Michigan at Oregon, especially with FOX already expected to be at Michigan for The Game.
Week 12 is the kind of late-season week that usually makes prediction work messy. GameDay is projected for Arkansas at Texas, while Big Noon is slotted for Indiana at Washington. The other possibilities are Texas A&M at Oklahoma, LSU at Tennessee, Texas Tech at Baylor and Ohio State at Nebraska, but none of them jump off the page.
Then comes Week 13, and there’s really no mystery about The Game. It’s the most watched college football game every year, and Big Noon Kickoff is going to be there until hell freezes over.
GameDay’s options are tighter because several major rivalries have moved off Saturday, with the Egg Bowl, Nebraska at Iowa, Florida at Florida State and Texas at Texas A&M all taking place on Black Friday. On Saturday, ESPN can look at Auburn at Alabama, Georgia Tech at Georgia or Virginia at Virginia Tech, but it looks like The Game will end up with both shows.
In Other News...
Why This Michigan Transfer Matters More Than Fans Realize
Chris Bracys arrival gives Michigan another reason to feel better about the back end of its defense heading into 2026. The former Memphis safety is already ranked No. 15 on the Wolverines staff list of the 25 most important players for next season, a sign of how quickly he has gone from transfer addition to potential difference-maker. After a strong 2025 season, Bracy is expected to step into a major role in a secondary that needs dependable play and a steady presence.
Bracys value goes beyond just filling a roster spot. Michigan is counting on him to be a durable, reliable safety who can handle real responsibility right away, and his fit could matter even more if the Wolverines want the group to hold together over a long season. For a defense built on depth and versatility, a first-year transfer earning that kind of trust says plenty about where the staff thinks the room is headed. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Made A Defensive Staff Move That Could Shape The Secondary
Michigans defensive staff has a new face in the secondary, and the hire brings a rsum that suggests the Wolverines are looking for more than just another position coach. The program added Tyler Stockton, whose background includes more than a decade in defensive coaching and experience running units as a coordinator, along with a reputation for developing NFL-caliber talent.
Stocktons path has included stops at Ball State and Boise State, where he worked with multiple all-conference players and earned recognition around the coaching profession. For Michigan, the appeal is obvious: a coach with a track record of teaching the back end, building depth and helping defensive talent take the next step, even if the full impact of this move will take a little time to show up on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Missed On A Quarterback Fans May Regret
Trae Taylors rise has made him one of the more intriguing quarterback names in the 2027 class, and Michigan had a long look at the Omaha product before his recruitment came into focus elsewhere. The five-star, who transferred to Millard South High School, has climbed to the top of multiple rankings as both the No. 1 quarterback and Nebraskas top prospect in the eyes of Rivals and 247Sports, a reflection of the kind of arm talent and dual-threat production that has kept Big Ten staffs coming back around.
For Michigan, the frustration is less about missing on a random target and more about watching a player it evaluated repeatedly head to a rival program with momentum. Taylors path included a strong previous season, a heavy dose of offseason showcase attention, and a recruiting process that drew visits from several Big Ten schools before Nebraska landed his commitment. The Wolverines have since moved on with their own 2027 quarterback work, but Taylor is the kind of name that can linger if he keeps climbing. [Read more 🡒]