Week 1 Slate Lacks Star Power as Marquee Games Shift Later

This season's opening weekend features only one matchup between ranked teams, a sharp drop from last year. The trend is expected to continue, with fewer power-conference nonconference games scheduled for Week 1 in coming years. Teams are increasingly scheduling heavyweight clashes in Weeks 2 through 4 instead.

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The scheduling shift reflects a deliberate strategy by coaches and athletic directors who prefer a softer opening opponent after the long offseason, treating Week 1 as a de facto tune-up. With all power conferences now playing nine league games, the total number of marquee matchups remains steady—they've simply migrated to Weeks 2 through 4, where games like Ohio State at Texas and Oklahoma at Michigan now reside.

Television executives may push back. Dave Brown, a former ESPN executive who now advises schools on scheduling, suggests networks could pressure conferences to assign league games earlier in the season to bolster opening-weekend ratings. The trend appears locked in through 2029, with zero power-con