If Week 1 is the main course for college football fans who are starving for real, live action after seven-plus months of no games, then Week 0 is the appetizer.
Yes, the 2022 college football season is finally here, though it won’t feature the top-25 action that will be prevalent in the official opening week. That likely won’t stop voracious fans from tuning in and watching anyway.
For the second straight year, the offseason was rocked by news of conference realignment, this time of USC and UCLA leaving the Pac-12 to join the Big Ten. That is the latest shift in the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics, one the Big Ten seemed to aim directly at the SEC after it added Texas and Oklahoma the previous year.
Questions still remain as to how Notre Dame and what’s left of the Pac-12 and Big 12 (as well as the ACC) will fit in the new world order. Those decisions will be driven by TV executives, conference commissioners and college presidents and athletic directors, undoubtedly.
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On the field, however, the game is decided by the same people who have always dictated these games: the players, coaches and, occasionally, officials.
This year’s Week 0 features several games for college football fans to tune in and watch, though only one (Nebraska vs. Northwestern) features two Power 5 programs. It’s a game of paramount importance to Cornhuskers coach Scott Frost, who will receive the nation’s full attention for what could be described as a must-win game.
The Sporting News has everything you need to know about college football’s Week 0, including times, dates, matchups and more:
When is the first college football game in 2022?
- Date: Saturday, Aug. 27
The first confirmed game of the 2022 season kicks off at noon ET when FCS Austin Peay takes on Western Kentucky on the CBS Sports Network.
The first confirmed game between FBS opponents is Nebraska vs. Northwestern in Dublin at 12:30 p.m.; another game, Nevada at New Mexico State, will kick off at 10 p.m. ET.
MORE: Watch college football live with fuboTV (7-day free trial)
How to watch college football games in Week 0
The only nationally broadcast game in Week 0 is Nebraska vs. Northwestern, a game that will be held in Dublin after the initial visit was rescheduled from 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other games of note include Charlotte at FAU in Conference USA and Vanderbilt at Hawaii in the final game of the weekend.
All televised games in Week 0 can be streamed via fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
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College football schedule 2022: Week 0
Eleven college football games are scheduled to take place during Week 0, up from five last season. Below is the opening weekend slate, headlined by Nebraska-Northwestern:
Saturday, Aug. 27
| Game | Time (ET) | TV channel |
|---|---|---|
| Austin Peay at Western Kentucky | Noon | CBS Sports Network, fuboTV |
| Nebraska vs. Northwestern (Dublin) | 12:30 p.m. | Fox, fuboTV |
| Idaho State at UNLV | 3:30 p.m. | CBSSN, fuboTV |
| UConn at Utah State | 4 p.m. | Fox Sports 1, fuboTV |
| Wyoming at Illinois | 4 p.m. | Big Ten Network, fuboTV |
| Duquesne at Florida State | 5 p.m. | ACC Network, fuboTV |
| Charlotte at Florida Atlantic | 7 p.m. | CBSSN, fuboTV |
| Florida A&M at North Carolina | 8:15 p.m. | ACCN, fuboTV |
| North Texas at UTEP | 9 p.m. | Stadium |
| Nevada at New Mexico State | 10 p.m. | ESPN2, fuboTV |
| Vanderbilt at Hawaii | 10:30 p.m. | CBSSN, fuboTV |
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