ESPN Announces College Football Opening Schedule, New Year’s Six Dates

College Football Playoff trophy

College football is a little over three months away, and ESPN announced its opening schedule for the first few weeks of the college football season. The network also unveiled the New Year’s Six broadcast schedule, highlighted by the College Football Playoff National Championship in January 2023.

ESPN College Football Opening Schedule

ESPN kicks off its college football coverage with the FCS Kickoff between North Alabama and Mercer on Saturday, August 26, at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Week 1 starts on Thursday, August 31, with Florida traveling to Utah at 8:00 p.m. on ESPN. Other notable Week 1 games include North Carolina vs. South Carolina, LSU vs. Florida State, and Clemson at Duke.

Many college fans already have their eyes on the Week 2 showdown between Texas and Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Last year’s matchup saw Alabama escape with a 20-19 victory in Austin.

The marquee game in Week 3 is the Backyard Brawl between Pittsburgh and West Virginia in Morgantown.

New Year’s Six Dates And Times

The New Year’s Six Games, including the College Football Playoff, will all air on ESPN.

The New Year’s Six begins with the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday, December 29, at 8 p.m. ET. The next day, December 30, will feature two News Year’s Six Games: Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at noon ET and the Capital One Orange Bowl at 4 p.m. ET.

January 1 will host three games, including the two College Football Playoff Semifinals. The Vrbo Fiesta Bowl begins at 1 p.m. Then, the four-team CFP takes center stage, with the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game set for 5 p.m. ET, followed by the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m. ET.

The College Football Playoff National Championship is set for January 8, at 7:30 p.m. ET, from NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas.

ESPN College Football Games 2023

Date Time (ET) Game Network
Sat, Aug 26 3:30 p.m. FCS Kickoff: North Alabama vs. Mercer
(Montgomery, Ala.)
ESPN
  7 p.m. UMass at New Mexico State ESPN
  7:30 p.m. Cricket MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff:
South Carolina State vs. Jackson State (Atlanta)
ABC
  7:30 p.m. Hawai’i at Vanderbilt SEC Network
Thu, Aug 31 7 p.m. Elon at Wake Forest ACC Network
  7 p.m. Saint Francis (Pa.) at Western Michigan ESPN+
  7 p.m. Rhode Island at Georgia State ESPN+
  8 p.m. Florida at Utah ESPN
  8 p.m. South Dakota at Missouri SEC Network
  8 p.m. Missouri State at Kansas Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  8 p.m. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Tulsa ESPN+
  8 p.m. North Carolina A&T at UAB ESPN+
Fri, Sep 1 6:30 p.m. Howard at Eastern Michigan ESPN+
7 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at Miami ACC Network
  7:30 p.m. Louisville vs. Georgia Tech (Atlanta) ESPN
Sat, Sep 2  Noon Virginia vs. Tennessee (Nashville, Tenn.) ABC
  Noon Arkansas State at Oklahoma ESPN
  Noon Louisiana Tech at SMU ESPNU
  Noon Northern Illinois at Boston College ACC Network
  Noon Ball State at Kentucky SEC Network
  2 p.m. East Tennessee State at Jacksonville State ESPN+
  2 p.m. Northern Iowa at Iowa State Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  2 p.m. Mercer at Ole Miss ESPN+/SECN+
  2 p.m. Akron at Temple ESPN+
  2 p.m. Long Island University at Ohio ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Boise State at Washington ABC
  3:30 p.m. UMass at Auburn ESPN
  3:30 p.m. Wofford at Pittsburgh ACC Network
  3:30 p.m. Eastern Kentucky at Cincinnati Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Gardner-Webb at Appalachian State ESPN+
  4 p.m. California at North Texas ESPNU
  4 p.m. SE Louisiana at Mississippi State SEC Network
  4 p.m. Western Carolina at Arkansas (Little Rock, Ark.) ESPN+/SECN+
  4 p.m. Colgate at Syracuse ESPN+/ACCNX
  6 p.m. UT Martin at Georgia ESPN+/SECN+
  6 p.m. South Carolina State at Charlotte ESPN+
  6 p.m. Monmouth at Florida Atlantic ESPN+
  6 p.m. Bucknell at James Madison ESPN+
  6 p.m. Albany at Marshall ESPN+
  6 p.m. The Citadel at Georgia Southern ESPN+
  6:30 p.m. Maine at Florida International ESPN+
  7 p.m. New Mexico at Texas A&M ESPN
  7 p.m. Alabama A&M at Vanderbilt ESPN+/SECN+
  7 p.m. Texas State at Baylor Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Southeast Missouri State at Kansas State Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Central Arkansas at Oklahoma State Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Alcorn State at Southern Miss ESPN+
  7 p.m. Stephen F. Austin at Troy ESPN+
  7 p.m. Bethune-Cookman at Memphis ESPN+
  7 p.m. Army at UL Monroe TBD
  7:30 p.m. Duke’s Mayo Classic:
North Carolina vs. South Carolina
(Charlotte, N.C.)
ABC
  7:30 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Alabama SEC Network
  7:30 p.m. Northwestern State at Louisiana ESPN+
  8 p.m. South Alabama at Tulane ESPNU
  8 p.m. Old Dominion at Virginia Tech ACC Network
  9 p.m. Western Illinois at New Mexico State ESPN+
  9 p.m. Incarnate Word at UTEP ESPN+
  10:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina at UCLA ESPN
Sun, Sep 3 3 p.m. Denny’s Orange Blossom Classic:
Jackson State vs. Florida A&M (Miami Gardens, Fla.)
ESPN
  7 p.m. Boeing Red Tails Classic: Fort Valley State vs. Tuskegee (Montgomery, Ala.) ESPNU
  7:30 p.m. Camping World Kickoff: LSU vs. Florida State (Orlando, Fla.) ABC
Mon, Sep 4 8 p.m. Clemson at Duke ESPN
Thu, Sep 7 7:30 p.m. Murray State at Louisville ACC Network
Fri, Sep 8 or Sat, Sep 9 TBD Houston at Rice TBD
  TBD Illinois at Kansas TBD
Sat, Sep 9    11 a.m. Vanderbilt at Wake Forest ACC Network
  Noon Notre Dame at NC State ABC
  Noon Utah at Baylor ESPN
  Noon Purdue at Virginia Tech ESPN2
  Noon James Madison at Virginia ESPNU
  Noon Ball State at Georgia SEC Network
  Noon Holy Cross at Boston College ESPN+/ACCNX
  Noon Texas Southern at Toledo ESPN+
  1 p.m. South Carolina State at Georgia Tech ESPN+/ACCNX
  1:30 p.m. New Hampshire at Central Michigan ESPN+
  2 p.m. Eastern Illinois at Bowling Green ESPN+
  2:15 p.m. Charleston Southern at Clemson ACC Network
  3 p.m. Southern Utah at BYU Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  3 p.m. Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky ESPN+/SECN+
  3:30 p.m. Texas A&M at Miami ABC
  3:30 p.m. Ole Miss at Tulane ESPN2
  3:30 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at UMass ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Southern Illinois at Northern Illinois ESPN+
  4 p.m. Kent State at Arkansas SEC Network
  5 p.m. SE Louisiana at South Alabama ESPN+
  5:15 p.m. Appalachian State at North Carolina ACC Network
  6 p.m. Duquesne at West Virginia Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  6 p.m. Lafayette at Duke ESPN+/ACCNX
  6 p.m. SMU at Oklahoma SoonerVision on ESPN+
  6 p.m. Ohio at Florida Atlantic ESPN+
  6 p.m. New Mexico State at Liberty ESPN+
  6 p.m. Fordham at Buffalo ESPN+
  6 p.m. Louisiana at Old Dominion ESPN+
  6 p.m. Morgan State at Akron ESPN+
  6 p.m. UAB at Georgia Southern ESPN+
  6:30 p.m. North Texas at Florida International ESPN+
  7 p.m. Texas at Alabama ESPN
  7 p.m. Middle Tennessee at Missouri ESPN+/SECN+
  7 p.m. Florida A&M at South Florida ESPN+
  7 p.m. Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech ESPN+
  7 p.m. Houston Christian at Western Kentucky ESPN+
  7 p.m. Jackson State at Southern ESPN+ (TD on ESPNU)
  7 p.m. UConn at Georgia State ESPN+
  7 p.m. Memphis at Arkansas State ESPN+
  7 p.m. Jacksonville State at Coastal Carolina ESPN+
  7:30 p.m. Wisconsin at Washington State ABC
  7:30 p.m. McNeese at Florida ESPNU
  7:30 p.m. Arizona at Mississippi State SEC Network
  7:30 p.m. Furman at South Carolina ESPN+/SECN+
  7:30 p.m. Grambling at LSU ESPN+/SECN+
  8 p.m. Nicholls at TCU Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  8 p.m. Lamar at UL Monroe ESPN+
  8:30 p.m. Southern Miss at Florida State ACC Network
  10:30 p.m. Auburn at California ESPN
  TBD Austin Peay at Tennessee ESPN+/SECN+
  TBD Texas State at UTSA TBD
  TBD Marshall at East Carolina TBD
  TBD Cincinnati at Pittsburgh TBD
  TBD Western Michigan at Syracuse TBD
Thu, Sep 14 7:30 p.m. Navy at Memphis ESPN
  7:30 p.m. Bethune-Cookman at Miami ACC Network
Fri, Sep 15 7 p.m. Army at UTSA ESPN
Sat, Sep 16  Noon Florida State at Boston College ABC
  Noon LSU at Mississippi State ESPN
  Noon Wake Forest at Old Dominion ESPN2 or ESPNU
  Noon Iowa State at Ohio ESPN2 or ESPNU
  Noon Kansas State at Missouri SEC Network
  Noon Long Island University at Baylor Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  Noon Central Connecticut at Kent State ESPN+
  2 p.m. Norfolk State at Temple ESPN+
  2 p.m. Indiana State at Ball State ESPN+
  2 p.m. UMass at Eastern Michigan ESPN+
  3:30 p.m. Alabama at South Florida ABC
  3:30 p.m. Oklahoma at Tulsa ESPN or ESPN2
  3:30 p.m. Minnesota at North Carolina ESPN or ESPN2
  3:30 p.m. Northwestern at Duke ACC Network
  3:30 p.m. East Carolina at Appalachian State ESPN+
  4 p.m. Tulane at Southern Miss ESPNU
  4 p.m. UL Monroe at Texas A&M SEC Network
  6 p.m. Georgia State at Charlotte ESPN+
  6:30 p.m. Villanova at UCF Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Tennessee at Florida ESPN
  7 p.m. South Alabama at Oklahoma State Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Tarleton State at Texas Tech Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Samford at Auburn ESPN+/SECN+
  7 p.m. Stony Brook at Arkansas State ESPN+
  7 p.m. Jackson State at Texas State ESPN+
  7 p.m. Prairie View A&M at SMU ESPN+
  7 p.m. Louisiana at UAB ESPN+
  7 p.m. Texas Southern at Rice ESPN+
  7 p.m. North Texas at Louisiana Tech ESPN+
  7 p.m. Murray State at Middle Tennessee ESPN+
  7 p.m. San Jose State at Toledo ESPN+
  7 p.m. Duquesne at Coastal Carolina ESPN+
  7 p.m. James Madison at Troy TBD
  7:30 p.m. Pittsburgh at West Virginia ABC
  7:30 p.m. BYU at Arkansas ESPN2
  7:30 p.m. Akron at Kentucky ESPNU
  7:30 p.m. Georgia Tech at Ole Miss SEC Network
  8 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Clemson ACC Network
  8 p.m. Wyoming at Texas Longhorn Network
  10 p.m. Colorado State at Colorado ESPN
  TBD VMI at NC State TBD
Thu, Sep 21 7:30 p.m. Georgia State at Coastal Carolina ESPN
  7:30 p.m. Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alabama A&M ESPNU
Fri, Sep 22 7:30 p.m. NC State at Virginia ESPN
Sat, Sep 23 6 p.m. Gardner-Webb at East Carolina ESPN+
  7 p.m. Sam Houston at Houston Big 12 Now on ESPN+
  7 p.m. Charlotte at Florida ESPN+/SECN+
TBD Colorado State at Middle Tennessee TBD
  TBD Eastern Michigan at Jacksonville State TBD
  TBD Liberty at Florida International TBD
  TBD UNLV at UTEP TBD
Thu, Sep 28 7:30 p.m. Temple at Tulsa ESPN
  8 p.m. Jacksonville State at Sam Houston ESPNU
Fri, Sep 29 7 p.m. Louisville at NC State ESPN
  7 p.m. Columbia at Princeton ESPNU
10:15 p.m. Cincinnati at BYU ESPN
Wed, Oct 4 8 p.m. Jacksonville State at Middle Tennessee ESPNU
Thu, Oct 5 8 p.m. Western Kentucky at Louisiana Tech ESPNU
Fri, Oct 6 7 p.m. Cornell at Harvard ESPNU
  7:30 p.m. Kansas State at Oklahoma State ESPN
Sat, Oct 7 TBD Red River Showdown:
Oklahoma vs. Texas (Dallas)
ABC
TBD Arizona at USC TBD
Tue, Oct 10 7:30 p.m. Coastal Carolina at Appalachian State ESPN2
  7:30 p.m. Liberty at Jacksonville State ESPNU
Wed, Oct 11 7:30 p.m. UTEP at Florida International ESPN2
Thu, Oct 12 7:30 p.m. SMU at East Carolina ESPN
  7:30 p.m. Fort Valley State at Benedict ESPNU
Fri, Oct 13 7 p.m. Tulane at Memphis ESPN
  10 p.m. Stanford at Colorado ESPN
Sat, Oct 14 10:30 p.m. Montana at Idaho ESPN2
Tue, Oct 17 7:30 p.m. Southern Miss at South Alabama ESPN2
7:30 p.m. Western Kentucky at Jacksonville State ESPNU
Wed, Oct 18 9 p.m. New Mexico State at UTEP ESPN2
Thu, Oct 19 7 p.m. Rice at Tulsa ESPN or ESPN2
7 p.m. James Madison at Marshall ESPN or ESPN2
7:30 p.m. North Carolina Central at Morgan State ESPNU
Fri, Oct 20 7 p.m. SMU at Temple ESPN2
Sat, Oct 21 10:30 p.m. Montana State at Sacramento State ESPN2
Tue, Oct 24 7:30 p.m. Liberty at Western Kentucky ESPNU
Wed, Oct 25 8 p.m. UTEP at Sam Houston ESPN2
Thu, Oct 26 7:30 p.m. Syracuse at Virginia Tech ESPN
7:30 p.m. Georgia State at Georgia Southern ESPN2
7:30 p.m. South Carolina State at North Carolina Central ESPNU
Fri, Oct 27 7 p.m. Brown at Penn ESPNU
  7:30 p.m. Florida Atlantic at Charlotte ESPN2
Tue, Oct 31 7 or 7:30 p.m. Northern Illinois at Central Michigan ESPN2 or ESPNU
7 or 7:30 p.m. Buffalo at Toledo ESPN2 or ESPNU
Wed, Nov 1 7 or 7:30 p.m. Ball State at Bowling Green ESPN2 or ESPNU
7 or 7:30 p.m. Kent State at Akron ESPN2 or ESPNU
Thu, Nov 2 7:30 p.m. Wake Forest at Duke ESPN
7:30 p.m. South Alabama at Troy ESPN2
7:30 p.m. Mississippi Valley State at Bethune-Cookman ESPNU
Fri, Nov 3 7 p.m. Princeton at Dartmouth ESPNU
7:30 p.m. Boston College at Syracuse ESPN2
Sat, Nov 4 TBD Notre Dame at Clemson ABC
TBD Western Kentucky at UTEP TBD
TBD Middle Tennessee at New Mexico State TBD
TBD Kennesaw State at Sam Houston TBD
Tue, Nov 7 7 p.m. Ball State at Northern Illinois OR Ohio at Buffalo OR Central Michigan at Western Michigan ESPNU
7:30 p.m. Ball State at Northern Illinois OR Ohio at Buffalo OR Central Michigan at Western Michigan ESPN2
Wed, Nov 8 7:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Toledo OR Bowling Green at Kent State OR Akron at Miami (Ohio) ESPN2
7:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Toledo OR Bowling Green at Kent State OR Akron at Miami (Ohio) ESPNU
Thu, Nov 9 7:30 p.m. Virginia at Louisville ESPN
7:30 p.m. Southern Miss at Louisiana ESPNU
Fri, Nov 10 9 p.m. North Texas at SMU ESPN2
9 p.m. Grambling at Arkansas-Pine Bluff ESPNU
Sat, Nov 11 TBD Washington State at California TBD
TBD Florida International at Middle Tennessee TBD
TBD Sam Houston at Louisiana Tech TBD
TBD Old Dominion at Liberty TBD
TBD New Mexico State at Western Kentucky TBD
TBD Yale at Princeton TBD
Tue, Nov 14 7 p.m. Toledo at Bowling Green OR Western Michigan at Northern Illinois OR Akron at Eastern Michigan ESPN2
7 p.m. Toledo at Bowling Green OR Western Michigan at Northern Illinois OR Akron at Eastern Michigan ESPNU
Wed, Nov 15 7 p.m. Central Michigan at Ohio ESPN2 or ESPNU
7 p.m. Buffalo at Miami (Ohio) ESPN2 or ESPNU
Thu, Nov 16 7 p.m. Boston College at Pittsburgh ESPN
Fri, Nov 17 9 p.m. South Florida at UTSA ESPN2
Sat, Nov 18 Noon Chattanooga at Alabama ESPN+/SECN+
Noon Southern Miss at Mississippi State ESPN+/SECN+
Noon Abilene Christian at Texas A&M ESPN+/SECN+
Noon Harvard at Yale TBD
3:30 p.m. Florida Classic: Bethune-Cookman vs. Florida A&M (Orlando) TBD
TBD UMass at Liberty TBD
TBD Sam Houston at Western Kentucky TBD
TBD Louisiana Tech at Jacksonville State TBD
TBD UTEP at Middle Tennessee TBD
TBD East Carolina at Navy TBD
Tue, Nov 21 7 or 7:30 p.m. Eastern Michigan at Buffalo ESPN2 or ESPNU
7 or 7:30 p.m. Bowling Green at Western Michigan ESPN2 or ESPNU
Thu, Nov 23 7:30 p.m. Ole Miss at Mississippi State ESPN
Fri, Nov 24 Noon Miami at Boston College ABC
Noon UAB at North Texas OR Tulsa at East Carolina OR Memphis at Temple OR UTSA at Tulane^ ESPN
Noon Toledo at Central Michigan or Ohio at Akron ESPNU
3:30 p.m. UAB at North Texas OR Tulsa at East Carolina OR Memphis at Temple OR UTSA at Tulane^ ABC
7:30 p.m. Texas Tech at Texas ABC
Sat, Nov 25 TBD California at UCLA TBD
TBD Western Kentucky at Florida International TBD
TBD Jacksonville State at New Mexico State TBD
TBD Middle Tennessee at Sam Houston TBD
Fri, Dec 1 8 p.m. Pac-12 Championship (Las Vegas) ABC
Sat, Dec 2 Noon Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship (Arlington, Texas) ABC
Noon MAC Championship (Detroit, Mich.) ESPN
4 p.m. American Athletic Championship ABC or ESPN
4 p.m. Sun Belt Championship ABC or ESPN
4 p.m. SWAC Championship ESPN2
8 p.m. ACC Championship (Charlotte, N.C.) ABC
Sat, Dec 16 11 a.m. HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl
(Nassau, Bahamas)
ESPN
  Noon Cricket Celebration Bowl (Atlanta) ABC
  2:15 p.m. R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl (New Orleans) ESPN
  3:30 p.m. Cure Bowl (Orlando, Fla.) ABC
  5:45 p.m. New Mexico Bowl (Albuquerque, N.M.) ESPN
  7:30 p.m. LA Bowl (Inglewood, Calif.) ABC
  9:15 p.m. Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl (Shreveport, La.) ESPN
Mon, Dec 18 2:30 p.m. Myrtle Beach Bowl (Conway, S.C.) ESPN
Tue, Dec 19  9 p.m. Frisco Bowl (Frisco, Texas) ESPN
Thu, Dec 21 8 p.m. RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
(Boca Raton, Fla.)
ESPN
Fri, Dec 22 6:30 p.m. Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
(Tampa, Fla.)
ESPN
Sat, Dec 23 Noon Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham, Ala.) ABC
Noon Camellia Bowl (Montgomery, Ala.) ESPN
3:30 p.m. Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl
(Fort Worth, Texas)
ABC
3:30 p.m. Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (Boise, Idaho) ESPN
  7 p.m. 68 Ventures Bowl (Mobile, Ala.) ESPN
7:30 p.m. SRS Distribution Las Vegas Bowl (Las Vegas) ABC
10:30 p.m. EasyPost Hawai’i Bowl (Honolulu, Hawaii) ESPN
Tue, Dec. 26  2 p.m. Quick Lane Bowl (Detroit, Mich.) ESPN
5:30 p.m. SERVPRO First Responder Bowl (Dallas, Texas) ESPN
  9 p.m. Guaranteed Rate Bowl (Phoenix, Ariz.) ESPN
Wed, Dec. 27 2 p.m. Military Bowl (Annapolis, Md.) ESPN
  5:30 p.m. Duke’s Mayo Bowl (Charlotte, N.C.) ESPN
9 p.m. TaxAct Texas Bowl (Houston, Texas) ESPN
Thu, Dec. 28 11 a.m. Wasabi Fenway Bowl (Boston, Mass.) ESPN
  2:15 p.m. Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl (The Bronx, N.Y.) ESPN
  5:45 p.m. Pop-Tarts Bowl (Orlando, Fla.) ESPN
  9:15 p.m. Valero Alamo Bowl (San Antonio, Texas) ESPN
Fri, Dec 29 Noon TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, Fla.) ESPN
  3:30 p.m. AutoZone Liberty Bowl (Memphis, Tenn.) ESPN
  8 p.m. Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (Dallas) ESPN
Sat, Dec 30 Noon Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (Atlanta) ESPN
  2 p.m. TransPerfect Music City Bowl (Nashville, Tenn.) ABC
  4 p.m. Capital One Orange Bowl (Miami Gardens, Fla.) ESPN
Mon, Jan 1 Noon ReliaQuest Bowl (Tampa, Fla.) ESPN2
  1 p.m. Cheez-It Citrus Bowl (Orlando, Fla.) ABC
  1 p.m. Vrbo Fiesta Bowl (Glendale, Ariz.) ESPN
  5 p.m. College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Rose Bowl Game (Pasadena, Calif.) ESPN
  8:45 p.m. College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl (New Orleans, La.) ESPN
Mon, Jan 8 7:30 p.m. College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T (Houston, Texas) ESPN

^ Two of the listed matchups will be on Fri, Nov 24. The others will move to Sat, Nov 25.

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