The first full Saturday of the 2026 college football season is finally here, and it’s wide open for Husky fans. Washington's season opener against Washington State is set for Sunday, which means fans of the Dawgs are free to watch any of the 68 FBS contests which will air on Saturday.
The official TV schedule for the first CFB Saturday 😍 pic.twitter.com/z8dq57mTnp
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) September 2, 2026
That’s a lot of football to choose from, so I’ve put together an itinerary. Here are the four Week 1 games Husky fans should watch on Saturday:
9:00 a.m. PST: East Carolina @ No. 13 Alabama on ABC
Things didn’t end well between Husky fans and Kalen DeBoer, who left Washington for Alabama after two extremely successful seasons with the Dawgs in 2022 and 2023. He’s since gone 20-8 in the two seasons with the Tide, and despite back-to-back three-loss regular seasons, signed an $87.5 million contract extension which keeps him in Tuscaloosa through 2033.
With that in mind, Husky fans still upset about DeBoer’s departure would love nothing more than to see him drop a second-straight season opener to an unranked opponent, especially if that opponent is a G6 team like East Carolina.
The Pirates, who finished 9-4 in their first full season under Blake Harrell in 2025, could be a threat in the American Athletic Conference (AAC), and could even sneak into the College Football Playoff if they win the conference in convincing fashion. However, ECU is returning only 42% of its 2025 production, which could hurt the team’s chances against potential AAC front-runners like Memphis and Navy.
An ECU upset over Alabama is nearly unthinkable given the two teams’ difference in talent, but even a close game would be a major tone-setter for both team’s seasons. This game will also mark the first start for Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell, Rival’s No. 1 overall recruit from the class of 2025. Russell’s potential is sky-high, and though the stakes will be relatively low on Saturday morning, his first collegiate start will be worth watching nonetheless.
12:30 p.m. PST: Boise State @ No. 2 Oregon on CBS
We’re keeping the hatewatch train rolling into the early afternoon, when the No. 2 ranked Oregon Ducks – Washington’s biggest rivals and contenders to win it all this year – open their season against the Broncos of Boise State.
The Broncos transferred into the revamped Pac-12 this offseason, and with 59% of their 2025 production returning, they’re strong favorites to win the nine-team conference. Doing so would give Boise State good odds of reaching the college football playoff, which they did in 2024 despite losing a close 37-34 season opener to the then No. 7-ranked Ducks.
Things are unlikely to be as close this year, as Oregon is returning production at the nation’s eleventh-highest rate (66%). The Ducks made it all the way to the College Football Playoff Semifinal in 2025, and at 12:30 p.m., they’ll look to take their first steps toward a third-straight playoff appearance.
A Boise State loss would do little to hurt the Broncos’ CFP chances, but a Week 1 non-conference defeat for Oregon would be catastrophic for the Ducks. The Huskies ended 2025 with a 38-10 LA Bowl victory over the Broncos and will face Oregon to end the 2026 regular season, so fans should watch this one closely.
4:30 p.m. PST: Clemson @ No. 11 LSU on ABC
If you watch one game today, make sure it’s this one.
LSU’s first offseason under former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin has involved near-constant controversy, but the strength of his roster can’t be denied. LSU landed three of this offseason’s top six transfer portal talents, including top-ranked quarterback Sam Leavitt and elite offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, and just got the legal green-light to bring in a host of former NFL hopefuls.
There’s a level of irony to LSU’s Week 1 matchup against Clemson, a program led by college football traditionalist and transfer portal skeptic Dabo Swinney. The two-time national champion head coach, who took just one player with a four-star ranking from this year’s transfer portal, will now face off against an LSU team which brought in 17 blue-chip transfers during the offseason.
Swinney’s Tigers finished just 7-5 in 2025, but he’s returning just 53% of last year’s production (No. 59 nationally), which means anything could happen in 2026. However, Swinney’s history – eight ACC titles and two national championships in the last 11 seasons – means he’s still an extremely dangerous Week 1 matchup for Kiffin and company.
This matchup was very nearly the season’s first between two ranked teams, as Clemson received 112 points to No. 25 Missouri’s 117 during preseason AP voting. This clash of conference contenders is certainly deserving of its primetime slot, and gives Husky fans an early dose of high-stakes football to enjoy.
7:30 p.m. PST: UCLA @ Cal on ESPN
Doesn’t this matchup bring back good memories? Ah, the glorious days of Pac-12 After Dark.
Though UCLA and Cal are no longer divisional rivals, there’s plenty of history between the two programs. The “Bear Bowl” was played 94 times between 1933 and 2023, but Saturday night’s meeting will mark the first meeting since the Pac-12’s implosion sent UCLA to the Big Ten and Cal to the ACC. The game will feature two debuting head coaches in UCLA’s Bob Chesney (formerly head coach at James Madison) and Cal’s Tosh Lupoi (formerly defensive coordinator at Oregon), as well as two talented quarterbacks.
Chesney’s UCLA squad is looking to elevate under fourth-year starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava, whose undeniable talent wasn’t enough to lead the Bruins to more than three wins in 2025. However, the additions of Chesney and the nation’s No. 25 transfer portal class should give UCLA a better chance of contention within the Big Ten’s midfield teams. A win over Cal would mark the team’s first non-conference win since Aug. 2024, and their first over a Power Four team since they beat No. 16 LSU in Sept. 2021.
Lupoi’s Bears are led by second-year starter Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, a left-handed five-star prospect from the class of 2024. As a true freshman, Sagapolutele completed 64% of his passes, tallied 3,454 passing yards, and scored 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions, ultimately leading the Bruins to a 7-5 regular season record and an appearance in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
Saturday night’s coaching and quarterback matchups are compelling enough, but the teams also feature a pair of UW transfer portal losses. Husky fans are familiar with Cal running back Adam Mohamed, a prospective UW starter who stunned Husky fans by leaving Washington for the transfer portal in December, but could also get a glimpse or two of UCLA receiver Marcus Harris, who spent one year with the Huskies and saw action in the LA Bowl.
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