Nebraska football fans have to wait one more week before the offseason ends. Still, there are plenty of Week 0 games worth watching, even if none involve future opponents, barring some very interesting College Football Playoff berths.
While the games are spread out enough that a diehard fan could watch every game today, or at least parts of every game, some will be more watchable than others. For the discerning Husker fan who wants to make the most of valuable couch time, we’ve brought a ranking to show which games are unmissable and which can be ignored unless everything else is on a commercial break.
Unmissable Week 0 games for Nebraska football fans
North Carolina Tar Heels vs TCU Horned Frogs (11 am)
To be fair, this could be a very, very ugly game and some Nebraska fans will almost surely wonder why in the world we’d rank this as unmissable. The answer is simple: it’s the first FBS game of the new season and the only one that’s on until 2 pm this afternoon. What else are you going to watch?! The bonus is that there are good odds that Bill Belichick will continue to make a fool of himself this weekend.
San Jose State at (14) USC (2 pm)
This game could get ugly early, but Nebraska fans will still want to make sure they’re watching at least some of it to get a read on just how good the Trojans will be this season. The Huskers don’t play USC in 2026, but it’s still a rival Big Ten program whose success or failure could shake up the College Football Playoff. There’s also former NU special teams coordinator Mike Ekeler starting his new job. Some will wish him well; others will openly root for his units to struggle mightily at his new home.
Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan (5:30 pm)
Some Cornhusker fans will likely find it odd that Sacramento State vs. Eastern Michigan would be a “can’t miss” type game, but this one is very interesting for a couple of reasons. First, this is the Hornets’ first-ever FBS game. The other interesting note is that it’s also their first conference game, as the school from California joined the MAC when it made the jump to the FBS.
Take ‘em or leave ‘em Week 0 games for Nebraska football fans
Jacksonville State at North Dakota State (4:30 pm)
Why is this game in the “meh” category when the Sac State game is unmissable? The main reason is that while North Dakota State is also playing its first-ever FBS game, it’s hard to get very excited to watch them take on a very mediocre Jacksonville State team. This could be a very, very ugly game. Think a 10-3 type game. The novelty is there, but it will likely be boring quickly.
Memphis at UNLV (9 pm)
This game is in the take ‘em or leave ‘em grade mainly because neither of these teams is likely to be real contenders. However, there’s some novelty for Nebraska fans in UNLV being Anthony Colandrea’s former squad. It’s also the last game of the night, so some sickos will no doubt turn this on.
NC State at Virginia (2:30 pm)
This could be one of the better games of the weekend, competition-wise. So why is it here instead of in the unmissable category? There aren’t a ton of reasons for Nebraska fans to care who wins this game. For those who will take it, they can root for Virginia since that’s the former school of both Anthony Colandrea and one of his backups, Daniel Kaelin.
Unwatchable Week 0 games for Nebraska football fans
Stanford at Hawaii (6 pm)
Season-opening games featuring Hawaii tend to be really, really ugly games. There’s also the argument that, despite this game’s host going 9-4 last year, this contest will feature two teams lucky to win 5 games in 2026. Add that Husker fans have no real reason to care who wins, and this is a game that is very easy to miss.
New Mexico State at Florida State (6 pm)
The Aggies aren’t as bad as they have been historically, but this should still be the kind of game Florida State rolls by 40 to open the season. How unwatchable is this game? It’s on the CW. There is a qualifier here: if the Seminoles struggle, the game moves into the watchable category, simply so Nebraska football fans can point and laugh at head coach Mike Norvell as his FSU career marches to its inevitable end.
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