That said, the Friday night slate is a relative lull in the action after three top-25 teams played on Thursday, including the “College GameDay” matchup between No. 17 Pitt and West Virginia in the Backyard Brawl.
Michigan State is the only ranked team to play on Friday, and it will face a Western Michigan team that went 8-5 out of the MAC in 2021. The pressure is on for third-year coach Mel Tucker to deliver yet another strong season after the Spartans finished 11-2 last year. That record included wins over New Year’s Day 6 teams in No. 6 Michigan and No. 12 Pitt.
Beyond that, the most compelling games from a national standpoint are the Big Ten matchup between Illinois and Indiana and the non-conference game between TCU and Colorado.
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The Sporting News has all the information you need to tune in and watch the appetizer for Saturday’s main course:
College football schedule today
No. 15 Michigan State is the only ranked team in action, though Friday’s slate does match Thursday’s number of games between Power 5 opponents: two (Fighting Illini and Hoosiers, Horned Frogs and Buffaloes).
Here’s the slate of Friday night games in Week 1:
Friday, Sept. 2
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How to watch, live stream college football games
Two games will be broadcast nationally on Friday, both on ESPN: Michigan State-Western Michigan and TCU-Colorado. Five of the six remaining games can be streamed via fuboTV, which offers a free trial.
