Every year, heated rivalry games highlight the college football schedule. Read about the best rivalries in college football here.
This season, 138 FBS teams will battle for the ultimate prize. Every team has the same goal: to fight their way to the top and claim college football’s crown. The wait is almost over. The battle is about to begin! Both the preseason and the regular season feature games worth watching.
In-state rivalries will renew old grudges. Conference powerhouses will collide. And some of the nation’s top programs will square off in highly anticipated showdowns.
Here are the top five must-watch college football games of 2026.
Texas vs. Texas A&M
Date: November 27, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Location: College Station, Texas
Where to watch: ABC
Texas squares off with Ohio State in Week 2, and that game almost made this list, too. It is going to be a monster rematch – last year, the Buckeyes edged the Longhorns 14-7 in a game that served as a debut for quarterbacks Arch Manning and Julian Sayin. Both are no longer first-year starters, getting to play on the big stage for the first time. They are both experienced and ready to take their teams to the next level, and this contest will highlight the second Saturday of September.
However, when the Longhorns meet their in-state rival, the Aggies, it might be a do-or-die game. The Lone Star Showdown takes place at the end of November, and it’s going to be the last regular-season game for both teams.
By that point, every game will matter, and the outcome of this rivalry could have major College Football Playoff implications.
One team could strengthen its case for a playoff spot, while the other could see its championship hopes disappear. With so much on the line, this game has the potential to make or break an entire season.
Both programs used to play each other regularly as members of the Big 12, until Texas A&M left the conference for the SEC in 2012. A twelve-year drought followed before Texas joined the SEC in 2024 and the rivalry ignited again. The Longhorns are on a three-game winning streak. Last November, No. 16 Texas took down the No. 3 Aggies in a huge 27-17 upset.
Overall, Texas leads the series 73-37-5.
This season, the matchup returns to College Station and will take place at Kyle Field, one of the biggest stadiums in college football with a capacity of 102,733. Powered by the home-field advantage – the 12th man – the Aggies will fight for redemption. This should definitely be one of the games on your must-watch 2026 matchups.
LSU vs. Ole Miss
Date: September 19, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Location: Oxford, Mississippi
Where to watch: ABC
When LSU meets Ole Miss, it’s already a heated clash of two SEC powerhouses. The game is always special without any extracurriculars. And this year, there will be drama dragged from last season. Former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin spent six seasons in Oxford, compiling a 55–19 record and transforming the Rebels into one of the SEC’s most competitive programs.
In 2025, he led Ole Miss to 11 regular-season wins for the first time in school history and helped the Rebels reach the College Football Playoff. But Ole Miss’ historic postseason run unfolded without him.
First, there were rumors of Kiffin leaving for Ole Miss. In late November 2025, they came true – Kiffin left Oxford for Baton Rouge, and it wasn’t pretty. You can call it a messy breakup, and it would still fall far short of the magnitude of the split. After Kiffin accepted the job, he spent days fighting with the Ole Miss athletics department for a chance to coach the Rebels in their first-ever CFP appearance.
His wish was ultimately shut down.
Ole Miss players denied some statements Kiffin made publicly about his exit. The Rebels’ fan base hates Kiffin for the poorly handled exit. In September, Kiffin will go back to Oxford with the Tigers, and the security procedures are expected to be top-tier. It’s going to be big, ugly, heated, and competitive.
Publicly, Kiffin claims there is no bad blood. But even 10 months later, emotions will be running at high speed.
Georgia vs. Alabama
Date: October 10, 2026
Time: TBA
Location: Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Where to watch: TBA
Two of the SEC’s most consistent programs will clash for conference supremacy and bragging rights. Alabama and Georgia faced each other twice last season, splitting the series and setting the stage for another highly anticipated showdown in 2026.
The Crimson Tide will enter the season without quarterback Ty Simpson, one of the foundational pieces of last year’s offense. Georgia, meanwhile, brings back quarterback Gunner Stockton, giving the Bulldogs some continuity at the most important position on the field.
Can Georgia remain on top, or will Alabama reclaim control of the rivalry?
The two programs have met 76 times, with Alabama holding a 45–27–4 advantage in the all-time series. However, the Bulldogs won the most recent meeting, defeating the Crimson Tide in last season’s SEC Championship Game. Georgia will be looking to build on that victory and add another win to its side.
This could be another title game, but if the teams meet just once, the outcome might be crucial for a CFP consideration. In 2025, Alabama’s defensive power wasn’t great, and there’s no indication they strengthened the gaps. Georgia seems in a better place going into the 2026 season, but the matchup takes place in Tuscaloosa.
The Crimson Tide will have the home crowd on its side, and it might make the difference. This is going to be one of the prime SEC showdowns.
Ohio State vs. Indiana
Date: October 17, 2026
Time: TBA
Location: Bloomington, Indiana
Where to watch: TBA
The Indiana Hoosiers have emerged as a new Big Ten and national powerhouse. In 2025, Indiana went undefeated in conference play and captured the Big Ten championship, edging Ohio State 10–7 in the title game. Ohio State has long been one of the Big Ten’s defining programs, consistently competing for conference championships and national titles.
The Buckeyes remain one of the toughest teams in the country, but Indiana’s rise has created a new obstacle in their pursuit of Big Ten dominance.
This matchup is about far more than one victory. If Indiana can defeat Ohio State again, the Hoosiers will strengthen their claim as the conference’s new powerhouse and prove that their rise is not a one-season story. The transformation is remarkable. Before Curt Cignetti took over in 2024, Indiana had a record of 535–714–45.
Now, the Hoosiers are challenging one of the most historically dominant programs in college football for control of the Big Ten.
For decades, Ohio State has been the team to beat in the conference. But if Indiana continues to win at this level, the balance of power could be shifting. This game will be a good indicator of the new conference king. Big Ten supremacy is on the line.
Miami vs. Notre Dame
Date: November 7, 2026
Time: 7:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Location: South Bend, Indiana
Where to watch: NBC, Peacock
November cannot come soon enough. Early in the month, the Miami Hurricanes will travel to South Bend to take on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in one of the most anticipated games of the 2026 season. The matchup comes one year after the teams met on the final day of August in Miami, where the No. 10 Hurricanes defeated No. 6 Notre Dame 27–24 in a thrilling season opener.
Although that game came at the very beginning of the season, its impact was felt all the way into December. Miami and Notre Dame ultimately found themselves competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff, with the Hurricanes earning an at-large bid. Their head-to-head victory over the Irish became an important part of Miami’s résumé as the playoff field was decided.
The reasoning from the committee was simple: when the programs met head-to-head, Miami won. The team led by quarterback Carson Beck and wide receiver Malachi Tony fought its way to the national championship, where the Hurricanes lost to Indiana.
There’s some resentment in South Bend.
The Irish are still salty about Miami snatching their postseason spot and want to prove that they are the better team. And while Beck is gone after graduating and getting drafted to the NFL, Notre Dame returns their playmaker and should have one of the top defenses in the country.
It’s going to be electric with some sparks flying around.
