CHAMPAIGN COUNTY, OHIO, Ohio — Can you feel it in the air? College football season is just about here.
The Alabama Crimson Tide come into the season ranked No. 1 after they earned the national title last year, their sixth since 2009.
After a COVID-19 year that saw mostly just limited conference play, we're expected to get a much more complete season.
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When does the college football season start?
While college football's "official" opening weekend begins Thursday, Sept. 2, there are a handful of games on Saturday, Aug. 28.
Those games are:
- Nebraska at Illinois (1 p.m. on FOX)
- UConn at Fresno State
- Hawai'i at UCLA (3:30 p.m. on ESPN)
- UTEP at New Mexico State
- Southern Utah at San Jose State
Notable games on the official opening weekend
Thursday, Sept. 2:
- Boise State at UCF (7 p.m. on ESPN)
- East Carolina at Appalachian State (7:30 p.m. on ESPNU)
- 4 Ohio State at Minnesota (8 p.m. on FOX)
Friday, Sept. 3:
- 10 North Carolina at Virginia Tech (6 p.m. on ESPN)
- Michigan State at Northwestern (9 p.m. on ESPN)
Saturday, Sept. 4:
- 2 Oklahoma at Tulane (12 p.m. on ABC)
- 19 Penn State at 12 Wisconsin (12 p.m. on FOX)
- Stanford vs. Kansas State (12 p.m. on FS1)
- 1 Alabama vs. 14 Miami (3:30 p.m. on ABC)
- 17 Indiana at 18 Iowa (3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network)
- 23 Louisiana at 21 Texas (4:30 p.m. on FOX)
- 5 Georgia vs. 3 Clemson (7:30 p.m. on ABC)
- 16 LSU at UCLA (8:30 p.m. on FOX)
Sunday, Sept. 5:
- 9 Notre Dame at Florida State (7:30 p.m. on ABC)
Monday, Sept. 6:
- Louisville vs. Ole Miss (8 p.m. on ESPN)