Can you feel it? The temperature is starting to change, the leaves are slowly turning, and we have finally reached college football season — even if this weekend is only an appetizer.
The long seven-month offseason has been filled with congressional legislation, eligibility lawsuits, CFP expansion and plenty of other storylines that have distracted from the product on the field.
But don’t worry. When Bill Belichick leads North Carolina onto the field in Dublin, Ireland, for a matchup against TCU, it will signal that — at least for one day — all is right in the world.
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Sure, the constant debate over whether athletes with professional experience will be allowed to play this season is not going away anytime soon. But I know we could all use a break from the exhausting subplots that have consumed college athletics.
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey looks on prior to the SEC Championship game between the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on December 02, 2023 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
It’s time to play college football, and Bill Belichick is feeling the pressure
If you can’t get excited for Saturday, I don’t know what to tell you.
Sure, it might not be the most intriguing slate of action, but it’s also worth noting that you’ve likely spent the past seven months clamoring for the opportunity to dive back into your search for where exactly to watch these games.
As for North Carolina, the pressure is on Belichick to win this weekend. The Tar Heels cannot afford to come out of the gates looking anything like they did in last season’s opener against the same team.
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North Carolina Tar Heels general manager Michael Lombardi talks with head coach Bill Belichick before a college football game against the Richmond Spiders at Kenan Memorial Stadium on Sept. 13, 2025, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. (Lance King/Getty Images)
But don’t you worry, we have plenty of other games this weekend to scratch that itch. Here’s a look at the slate.
- NC State vs. Virginia (3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN)
- Jacksonville State vs. North Dakota State (4:30 p.m. ET on CBSSN)
- Memphis vs. UNLV (9:00 p.m. ET on FOX)
- New Mexico State vs. Florida State (7:00 p.m. ET on CW)
- San Jose State vs. USC (3:00 p.m. ET on NBC)
- Hawaii vs. Stanford (7:00 p.m. ET on ACC Network)
- Sacramento State vs. Eastern Michigan (6:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+)
There’s your Saturday slate, with a few FCS matchups thrown into the mix.
So sit back and enjoy college football. And please, don’t complain about the appetizer we’re being given. You’ve been craving this since January.
Lawsuits, TRO’s, Injunctions: All eyes on the courts as eligibility issues continue
Just because the season has officially started doesn’t mean the court system won’t dictate a number of athletes potentially seeing the field.
Right now, a battle is brewing in courtrooms in Texas and Louisiana involving college football players who have been granted the right to play this season by local judges.
The problem is that those court orders conflict with guidelines enacted by conferences such as the SEC and Big Ten.
L-R: LSU president Wade Rousse, LSU new head coach Lane Kiffin and LSU athletic director Verge Ausberry stand together at South Stadium Club at Tiger Stadium. (Matthew Hinton/Imagn Images)
How does this shake out?
On Friday, attorneys representing the athletes added the SEC to their amended lawsuits, which could force conference counsel to appear before a Louisiana judge in order to explain their reasoning behind not allowing an athlete to obey a legal order.
No, I wouldn’t expect SEC commissioner Greg Sankey to get within 100 miles of the Baton Rouge courtroom next week, but that doesn’t mean the situation won’t present problems if the judge were to grant the plaintiffs an injunction that allows them to play on Saturday.
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If that were to happen, the SEC’s next move is the one to watch.
Does the conference punish LSU under its new guidelines that schools are not allowed to play athletes who have professional ties? Would the SEC file some sort of lawsuit against the athletes to prevent them from playing?
Or, would Greg Sankey take aim at LSU specifically?
These are all questions that are going to present themselves over the next week, and there are plenty of other schools paying attention to what transpires in both Louisiana and Texas court rooms.
But, that can wait a few days. Finally, College Football has returned with a nice weekend slate to hold us over until next Thursday.
You earned it folks, because it’s been one chaotic offseason.
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Enjoy the day!