Week 4 of the 2026 college football season is loaded from top to bottom, and Saturday, Sept. 26 is the kind of slate that keeps fans parked in front of the TV all day. The headliner arrives early, with No.
1 Texas heading to Knoxville to meet No. 14 Tennessee at Neyland Stadium at 12 p.m.
ET on ABC.
That’s only the start. ESPN College GameDay will be on campus for the matchup, and President Donald Trump is set to attend, giving the opening window of the day a huge spotlight. From there, the schedule never really lets up.
There are ranked showdowns in every major timeslot, including No. 4 Ole Miss at No.
21 Florida, No. 17 Iowa at No.
18 Michigan, No. 23 Texas A&M at No.
10 LSU, No. 20 Oregon at No.
12 USC, and No. 19 Missouri at No.
24 Mississippi State. In other words, this is one of those Saturdays where the channel remote will get a workout.
The day opens with a crowded noon window. Along with Texas-Tennessee, FOX has Illinois at No.
7 Ohio State, TNT carries Sam Houston at No. 11 Texas Tech, ESPN has Wake Forest at No.
16 Louisville, and ESPN2 shows Colorado at Baylor. That same slot also includes Bucknell at Pitt, Virginia Tech at Boston College, San Diego State at Toledo, Colorado State at UTSA, UNLV at Akron, Ball State at Kent State, Presbyterian at Marist, and Wisconsin-Whitewater at Keystone.
A little later, South Alabama visits Kentucky at 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network, followed by another wave of games at 1 p.m. on ESPN+ and YouTube, including Lindenwood at Eastern Michigan, Monmouth at Dartmouth, Stony Brook at Fordham, Yale at Cornell, North Dakota at Indiana State, Lehigh at Penn, Drake at Davidson, New Haven at Merrimack, Kentucky State at Albany State, Edward Waters at Morehouse, Methodist at Apprentice School, Lycoming at Rowan, and Albion at Hope.
The afternoon builds toward another strong batch. At 1:30 p.m., UCLA travels to Maryland on Big Ten Network.
At 2 p.m., No. 3 Notre Dame is at Purdue on Peacock, while Northern Illinois plays Georgia State, South Dakota meets Youngstown State, Furman goes to Richmond, UT Martin visits Austin Peay, Butler is at Valparaiso, Chattanooga travels to The Citadel, and Colgate plays Villanova.
At 3 p.m., Central Arkansas visits Florida State on ACC Network, Hawai’i plays Wyoming on CW, and UAlbany is at Princeton on ESPN+. Then the 3:30 p.m. window hits hard: Oklahoma at No.
2 Georgia on ESPN, No. 4 Ole Miss at No.
21 Florida on ABC, No. 15 Utah at Iowa State on FOX, No.
17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan on CBS, TCU at UCF on FS1, William & Mary at Duke on ACCNX, Boise State at Western Michigan on ESPN2, UConn at Miami (Ohio) on ESPN+, New Mexico at New Mexico State on CBSSN, Robert Morris at Buffalo on ESPN+, Stonehill at Ohio on ESPN+, Gardner-Webb at Marshall on ESPN+, Western Carolina at East Tennessee State on ESPN+, and VMI at Samford on ESPN+.
The late afternoon keeps rolling with No. 25 Houston at Georgia Southern at 4 p.m. on ESPNU, North Carolina Central at East Carolina on ESPN+, Western Illinois at North Alabama on ESPN+, Lamar at Nicholls on ESPN+, and Olivet at Calvin on YouTube. At 4:15 p.m., Vanderbilt heads to Auburn on SEC Network.
At 5 p.m., Wisconsin visits No. 13 Penn State on Peacock, Nebraska is at Michigan State on Big Ten Network, and South Florida plays Bowling Green on ESPN+. Illinois State also meets UNI on ESPN+.
The evening slate is just as crowded. Delaware visits Virginia at 6 p.m. on ACC Network, UIW is at Texas State on USA Network, Long Island University plays Florida International on ESPN+, James Madison visits Old Dominion on ESPN+, Fort Valley State is at West Georgia on ESPN+, Northeastern State visits Stephen F.
Austin on ESPN+, and Trine plays at Kalamazoo on YouTube. Central Michigan then goes to No.
6 Miami (Fla.) at 6:30 p.m. on CW, while Louisiana visits Charlotte on ESPN+.
At 7 p.m., South Carolina is at No. 8 Alabama on ESPN, Kansas State visits Cincinnati on ESPN2, Oklahoma State goes to West Virginia on FS1, and a long list of ESPN+ games follows: Southern Miss at Tulane, Kennesaw State at Arkansas State, Mercyhurst at Western Kentucky, Middle Tennessee at Jacksonville State, Southern Illinois at Murray State, Cal Poly at Eastern Washington, Eastern Illinois at South Dakota State, SE Louisiana at Northwestern State, Prairie View A&M vs. Grambling at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Southern at Jackson State, East Texas A&M at McNeese, and West Florida at Southeast Missouri State.
Then comes the night’s marquee finish. No.
23 Texas A&M visits No. 10 LSU at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, No.
20 Oregon plays No. 12 USC at 7:30 p.m. on NBC, Arizona travels to Washington State on CBS, Troy is at Utah State on CBSSN, Houston Christian visits North Texas on ESPN+, and Appalachian State plays at NC State on ESPNU.
At 7:45 p.m., No. 19 Missouri heads to No.
24 Mississippi State on SEC Network.
The final stretch runs deep into the night. Tulsa visits Arkansas at 8 p.m. on SECN+, Florida Atlantic plays UL Monroe on ESPN+, Mercer is at Abilene Christian on ESPN+, Idaho State visits Southern Utah on ESPN+, Utah Tech is at Northern Colorado on ESPN+, Portland State plays Weber State on ESPN+, and Harding meets Ouachita Baptist on YouTube.
At 9 p.m., Missouri State visits No. 22 SMU on ACC Network and Oregon State plays at UTEP on MW+, while UMass visits Sacramento State on ESPN+.
Rice is at Fresno State at 10 p.m. on CW, Montana visits UC Davis on ESPN+, and then the very last games of the night arrive at 10:30 p.m.: Georgia Tech at Sanford on ESPN, Air Force at Nevada on FS1, and Northern Arizona at Montana State on ESPN2. Minnesota at Washington closes out the full schedule at 11 p.m. on FOX.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin's Latest LSU Comment Will Fire Up Ole Miss Fans
Lane Kiffins latest comments on LSUs loss to Ole Miss only add a little more fuel to a rivalry that already had plenty of it. After the game, Kiffin referred to the matchup as Ole Miss Super Bowl, then pointed to the Rebels quarterback turning in a strong performance and noted LSU had several chances to win anyway.
For Ole Miss fans, the part that may sting most is hearing Kiffin frame the game as something LSU now has to study and learn from. He said the Tigers need to take the lessons from the matchup and handle similar situations better next time, which only underscores how close the game was and why it landed as such a big one in Oxford. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Fraternities Turn Ole Miss Tragedy Into An Urgent Campus Warning
The news out of Oxford has rippled quickly beyond Mississippi, landing on campuses that know how fast one tragic call can become a broader warning. Two University of Mississippi students were found dead this week, and with the cause of death still unclear, investigators are looking at a case that has already prompted responses around the college landscape. Police answered calls of a possible overdose, and kratom was reportedly found at both investigation sites, adding another layer of concern for families and student leaders following the story.
At Missouri, the Interfraternity Council used the moment to push a blunt reminder about the risks tied to drugs and alcohol and the importance of Narcan in an overdose situation. The statement also offered support to the Ole Miss community, reflecting how events like this can move quickly from one campus to another as a warning shared among students who live with the same pressures and same risks. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Simmons Just Added Fuel To A Mississippi State Rivalry
Missouris trip to Starkville is already shaping up as one of the SECs more watchable ranked matchups, and Austin Simmons has helped stir the pot before the teams even take the field. The former Ole Miss quarterback, now with Missouri, weighed in on the noise level and the famous cowbell culture around Mississippi States stadium, adding an extra layer to a game that already has plenty of conference stakes. The meeting is set for the SEC Network, giving the league a tidy stage for a rivalry-flavored afternoon.
For Ole Miss fans, Simmons comments only sharpen the familiar edge around anything tied to Mississippi State, especially when the conversation turns to the Bulldogs home environment. Whether he meant it as a light jab or something more pointed, the takeaway is the same: one players view of the cowbell tradition has turned into another talking point around a game that already carries meaning in the standings. [Read more 🡒]