A few weeks ago, Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix made headlines for a unique thought on measuring football success.
“Playing good and playing bad, it’s a narrative,” Bo Nix said. “I don’t think I’m necessarily playing any different […] it’s just every once in a while, a ball will bounce this way or something will happen and […] the next thing you know, the stat line looks different.”
Putting aside this take’s nuclear galaxy brain levels, we’d argue that Nix’s perspective helps to make sense of last weekend’s upsets and chaos. When an on-field minute can take a half hour and a 6–6 and 49–51 score can coexist on the same quadbox, what can you do but embrace the uncertainty? Every game exists in an epistemic vacuum — are we in the box with the alive-or-dead cat? Can good or bad ever be definable in a world defined by ambiguity? Who knows, man.
Every week for the 2026 college football season, CableTV.com will be your one-stop shop for game times, channel listings, and more college football hot takes. Our weekly TV schedule covers games airing on ESPN, CBS, FOX, NBC, SEC Network, The CW, and more.
Here’s what you need to know to watch Week 9’s best college football games on TV.
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CableTV.com’s college football Game of the Week
Northwestern vs. Oregon | Peacock
Kickoff is Saturday, Oct. 31, at 3:30 p.m. ET:
The Peter principle is a business management idea that refers to how employees get promoted above a level they’re suited for. Chip Kelly’s been on a winding road since his heyday at Oregon, but we stan a coordinator king for understanding his niche.
Since returning to the college ranks at Northwestern, he’s curated an offense that ranks third nationally in adjusted EPA per play and helped lead the Wildcats to a 6–1 record — their best since 2020*. How are Kelly and the Wildcats doing this with a mid-tier roster?
In classic Kelly fashion, they’re pulling out a bunch of schematic tomfoolery and getting the most from it, whether it’s Wing-T leather helmet-era formations:
*Or 2012, COVID asterisk aside.
Or Canadian Football League-esque malarkey like this:
My tastes are… unconventional.
— Jerad Walker (@jeradwalker.bsky.social) October 24, 2026 at 12:18 PM
After taking down Michigan State earlier this month, the Cats could go 2–0 in the Loose Revenge Narrative series with a win against an ailing Oregon team that just fired their offensive coordinator and dropped a game against lowly Illinois. (“Preseason Title Contender to Disaster Season” is a “The Conjuring”-esque apparition that afflicts a different team every offseason, and keep an exorcist on speed-dial if your team’s going natty-or-bust.)
Other FBS games worth watching
- Florida Atlantic vs. North Texas (7:30 p.m. ET, Thursday, ESPN): Offenses go vrr, defenses go ehh.
- Arizona vs. Texas Tech (noon ET, Saturday, ESPN): The (other) 6–1 Wildcats have been hanging around the top of the Big 12 standings and could sneak up with a win against the Red Raiders.
- Oregon State vs. Fresno State (11:00 p.m. ET, USA Network): A late-night DoorDash order of a matchup and a check-in on the Beavs and freshly re-signed receiver Jesse Legree.
- Michigan vs. Rutgers (12:30 p.m. ET, BTN): Stoppable force meets movable object when Michigan’s offense and Rutgers’ defense face off.
(A fun with stats sidebar! After going three weeks without throwing for a touchdown, social media chatter wondered whether 4–3 Michigan was wasting a playoff-caliber defense with its wheezing jalopy of a misbuilt offense. Practically speaking, the Wolverines are. By ESPN’s SP+, their offense has the second-biggest gap to its defense this season, and all three of their losses came within a touchdown.
What Do You Do Here, Exactly? Teams With Defenses That Are Doing All the Work
| Team | Offense SP+ ranking | Defense SP+ ranking | Difference |
| Wisconsin | 94th | 9th | 85 |
| Michigan | 86th | 3rd | 83 |
| Oklahoma | 88th | 6th | 82 |
But as unwatchable as these offenses can be, just remember that it could always be worse! For instance, football nepo baby Brian Ferentz’s ranking differentials at Iowa from 2019 to 2023: 48, 43, 89, 117, and a whopping 126.)
- Ohio State vs. USC (7:30 p.m. ET, NBC): Ohio State backup quarterback Luke Fahey or Tavien St. Clair: the biggest threats standing between Lincoln Riley and needing to look up Zillow listings in Waco. (Shiplap goes well with green and gold?)
This week’s college football games
Looking for tonight, Saturday, or this week’s best college football games on TV? Below is the complete Week 9 college football TV schedule, including kickoff times and TV channels for every FBS matchup.
We’ll update this page each week throughout the season, so bookmark it for the latest college football TV schedule.
College football games on TV today: Week 9 2026
CFB - College Football Games This Week Schedule
| Matchup | Date | Time (ET) | Channel |
|---|---|---|---|
Tuesday, Oct. 27 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
Sam Houston Bearkats at Missouri State Bears | Tuesday, Oct. 27 | 8:00 p.m. | |
Wednesday, Oct. 28 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
Wednesday, Oct. 28 | 8:00 p.m. | ||
Thursday, Oct. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | ||
Florida Atlantic Owls at North Texas Mean Green | Thursday, Oct. 29 | 7:30 p.m. | |
Friday, Oct. 30 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
Friday, Oct. 30 | 7:30 p.m. | ||
Kent State Golden Flashes at Sacramento State Hornets | Friday, Oct. 30 | 10:30 p.m. | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | ||
#22 Arizona Wildcats at #13 Texas Tech Red Raiders | Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | |
#19 SMU Mustangs at Syracuse Orange | Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | ||
#25 Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes | Saturday, Oct. 31 | Noon | |
Michigan Wolverines at Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 12:30 p.m. | |
Auburn Tigers at #12 Ole Miss Rebels | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 12:45 p.m. | |
Marshall Thundering Herd at Old Dominion Monarchs | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 1:00 p.m. | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 2:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 2:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:15 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | ||
UTEP Miners at North Dakota State Bison | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | ||
#20 Northwestern Wildcats at Oregon Ducks | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | |
#17 Florida Gators at #3 Georgia Bulldogs | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:30 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:45 p.m. | ||
#6 Utah Utes at Cincinnati Bearcats | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 3:45 p.m. | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 4:00 p.m. | MW+, NBC Sports Bay Area | |
Purdue Boilermakers at Penn State Nittany Lions | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 4:15 p.m. | |
Nevada Wolf Pack at #7 UCLA Bruins | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 4:15 p.m. | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 4:15 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 6:30 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | ||
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets at Pittsburgh Panthers | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:30 p.m. | |
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 7:45 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 8:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 8:00 p.m. | ||
Saturday, Oct. 31 | 10:00 p.m. | ||
Northern Illinois Huskies at UNLV Rebels | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 10:30 p.m. | |
Oregon State Beavers at Fresno State Bulldogs | Saturday, Oct. 31 | 11:00 p.m. |
*College football TV schedule current as of October 30, 2026.
Why you should trust us
To write this weekly college football schedule page, we first consult official sources from the NCAA and individual conferences, cross-referencing broadcast information with each network. We then choose our Game of the Week and other best matchup selections based on factors like Top 25 rankings, statistics like FPI and SP+, historic rivalries, and playoff implications.
All TV recommendations are backed by the CableTV.com editorial team’s extensive experience and in-depth service reviews. Check out our Editorial Policy page to learn more about our methods for reviewing TV services.
More ways to watch college football
More than 1,000 college football games happen from August to December — leading into college bowl season. You can watch key matchups on ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, but most games air on ESPN channels and college conference networks.
Find the College Football Playoff TV schedule, channels, and streaming options, plus Selection Day details and free ways to watch select games.
Most college football bowl games air across ESPN channels. But a few other notable matchups appear elsewhere on TV, which we outline in our complete bowl game schedule.
