Week 1 Football Release: https://bit.ly/4zQOzjb
Week 0 Top Plays of the Week: https://bit.ly/463ey9z
Week 0 Players of the Week: https://bit.ly/3T9nHun
Week 1 Schedule
Thursday, September 3
UMass at Rutgers | 6 PM ET |
Big Ten Network |
Live Stats
Akron at Wake Forest | 7 PM ET |
ACC Network |
Live Stats
Albany at Buffalo | 7 PM ET |
ESPN+ |
Live Stats
Friday, September 4
San Jose State at Eastern Michigan | 6:30 PM ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Toledo at Michigan State | 8 PM ET | FS1 | Live Stats
Saturday, September 5
Ohio at Nebraska | 12 PM ET | FS1 | Live Stats
Tarleton State at Bowling Green | 12 PM ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Ball State at Ohio State |12:30 PM ET | Big Ten Network | Live Stats
Miami at Pitt |12:30 PM ET | The CW | Live Stats
Kent State at South Carolina | 12:45 PM ET | SEC Network | Live Stats
Western Michigan at Michigan | 7:30 PM ET | NBC | Live Stats
Mississippi Valley State at Sacramento State | 10 PM ET | ESPN+ | Live Stats
Central Michigan at New Mexico | 10 PM ET | FS1 | Live Stats
Two Minute Drill
• Noah Kim threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns while adding a rushing score as Eastern Michigan opened the 2026 season with a 28-17 conference victory over Sacramento State on Saturday at Rynearson Stadium. Zach Mowchan led the Eagles’ defensive effort with a team-high 14 tackles. The victory marked the 500th win in Eastern Michigan football history and moved the Eagles to 1-0 overall and in MAC play.
• Ohio’s John Hauser and Toledo’s Mike Jacobs will make their head coaching debuts at their respective MAC schools this week, while Sacramento State’s Alonzo Carter made his debut as head coach of the Hornets in Week 0 against Eastern Michigan. Eight of the MAC’s 13 football programs are led by head coaches in either their first or second season.
• The Western Michigan Broncos were selected as favorites to win both the regular season crown and Mid-American Conference (MAC) Football Championship Game title in the 2026 Football Head Coaches Preseason Poll. Head Coaches were not allowed to vote for themselves in the poll. The Broncos received nine first-place votes to claim the regular-season championship while also notching nine votes to win the 2026 conference title game.
• Four former MAC student-athletes were selected in the 2026 NFL Draft this past April. Emmanuel McNeil-Warren (Toledo) was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the second round (58th pick), followed by Miami’s Jackson Kuwatch, who was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round (227th pick). Toledo’s Andre Fuller (Seattle Seahawks, seventh round, 236th pick) and Buffalo’s Red Murdock (Denver Broncos, seventh round, 257th pick) rounded out the MAC’s draft picks.
• Sacramento State made its Mid-American Conference debut this past Saturday against the Eastern Michigan Eagles in a Week 0 conference game. The Hornets officially joined the MAC as a football affiliate member on July 1, beginning a five-year term in the league. The Sacramento State football program has won seven conference titles, including three consecutive Big Sky championships from 2019-22, and is one of just 12 FCS programs to win at least seven games in five of the last six seasons.
