Big Ten 2026 CBS Schedule: USC, Oregon, Minnesota to Play Early Season Games

We are less than 100 days away from the start of the college football season and in addition to counting down the reasons to be excited for the year ahead, the schedule and some of the kickoff times are set for some of the biggest games of the early season.

The CBS Sports college football schedule for the 2026 season was announced Wednesday, highlighted by 14 appearances of the Big Ten on CBS at the usual kickoff of 3:30 p.m. ET. This season's coverage of the Big Ten will start with Oregon playing host to Boise State in a Week 1 matchup of College Football Playoff hopefuls in Eugene.

Other Big Ten on CBS games announced this week were Minnesota hosting Mississippi State in Week 2 and USC's long trip to New Jersey to kick off its conference schedule at Rutgers in Week 3. CBS will also broadcast the Black Friday rivalry game between Nebraska and Iowa , this year set for Iowa City on Nov. 27 at 12 p.m. ET, before the  final Big Ten on CBS game of the regular season on Nov. 28 at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Of the many storylines to follow this season in college football one that will not be overlooked here is the return of the Pac-12. CBS Sports will be bringing you coverage of the new-look league on CBS and CBS Sports Network, including some high profile nonconference games and the Pac-12 Championship Game at the end of the season on CBS. Boise State's position as a contender will be on display early with its trip to Oregon, while Oregon State , Colorado State and Washington State will look to play spoiler to power conference foes making the tricky early-season road trip.

Of course, in addition to the Big Ten games and Pac-12 games on the docket, CBS Sports will also feature three games in the Commander-in-Chief's Trophy rivalry between Army , Navy and Air Force which will conclude with the Army-Navy game in its traditional spot on the calendar, this year being hosted at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Check out the full schedule below of games on CBS and Paramount+ and a closer look at the top matchups that will be featured as part of the early CBS college football schedule.

2026 CBS college football schedule

Date Time (ET) Game

Sat., Sept. 5

3:30 p.m.

Boise State at Oregon

Sat., Sept. 12

3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

Mississippi State at Minnesota Texas Tech at Oregon State

Sat., Sept. 19

3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

USC at Rutgers BYU at Colorado State

Sat., Sept. 26

3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game Arizona at Washington State

Sat., Oct. 3

12 p.m. 3:30 p.m.

Navy at Air Force Big Ten on CBS Game

Sat., Oct. 10

3:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game

Sat., Oct. 17

3:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game

Sat., Oct. 24

3:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game

Sat., Oct. 31

3:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game

Sat., Nov. 7

3:30 p.m. 7:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game Air Force at Army

Sat., Nov. 14

3:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game

Sat., Nov. 21

3:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game

Fri., Nov. 27

12 p.m.

Nebraska at Iowa

Sat., Nov. 28

3:30 p.m.

Big Ten on CBS Game

Fri., Dec. 4

8 p.m.

Pac-12 Championship Game

Sat., Dec. 12

3 p.m.

Army-Navy Game

Thu., Dec. 31

2 p.m.

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

CBS will announce additional details on its 2026 roster of games and studio announcers at a later date.

Now let's highlight the top games set for CBS this season.

Sept. 5: Boise State at Oregon

A rematch of a 2024 classic

Dan Lanning wrapped up his Big Ten debut season with Oregon leading the Ducks to a conference championship and 13-0 record heading into the College Football Playoff. But that unbeaten mark was nearly upended in Week 2 thanks to Ashton Jeanty and a furious upset push from Boise State. The eventual Heisman Trophy finalist ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries and the Broncos held different leads at halftime and early in the fourth quarter.

Ultimately Dillon Gabrial and Oregon were able to string together the plays needed in the fourth quarter to set up a game-winning field goal as time expired and escape with a 37-34 victory. But the back-and-forth tension brought a spotlight to Oregon's strength as a resilient team and Boise State's status as one of the best teams in the country. Both teams would finish the year in the College Football Playoff, and since both teams have goals of winning their respective conferences and making it back to the bracket this could be a big data point in the selection committee process at the end of the year.

Sept. 12: Mississippi State at Minnesota

Test of Gophers' nonconference dominance

P.J. Fleck has regularly set up opportunities like this for the Golden Gophers and now B1G TIME will be on hand to witness one of the best nonconference records in the country be put to the test. Since arriving at Minnesota in 2017, Fleck has gone 27-4 against non-conference opponents, including a 7-0 record in bowl games.

Mississippi State brings in a tough challenge as the Bulldogs look to become just the third non-conference opponent since 2020 ( Bowling Green in 2021, North Carolina in 2024) to win against the Gophers in Minneapolis.

Sept. 19: USC at Rutgers

Long road trip for dark horse Trojans

With Jayden Maiava back and a solid 2025 campaign to build on, USC has become a popular pick for a team that could elevate its status in the Big Ten this fall. But one is rushing to put the Trojans in the top tier with the likes of Indiana , Ohio State and Oregon just yet, in part because of USC's road woes in Big Ten play.

Lincoln Riley is 3-6 in Big Ten road games and until the Trojans are delivering more consistent results they won't be considered a contender along with those other College Football Playoff competitors. Now if we see USC make the trip and take care of business, attention will turn to the following week's opponent (Oregon) and a chance for the Trojans to make their statement as a legitimate contender in the 2026 playoff race.

Nov. 27: Nebraska at Iowa

A guaranteed Black Friday grinder

There's so much passion and history in this rivalry that was reignited by Nebraska's move to the Big Ten. And since 2011 this game has not only been a late November fixture on the calendar but almost every game seems to be close. Of the 15 meetings as Big Ten foes, 10 of the games have been decided by eight points or less and six have come down to a field goal.

Last season's 40-16 rout by Iowa was indicative of two teams that were finishing their campaigns in far different positions from a health perspective, as the Hawkeyes were wrapping up a successful top-25 season while the Cornhuskers were down to backup quarterbacks and barreling towards a 2-5 finish to the season. If both Nebraska and Iowa are playing for stakes late in the year, history suggests it'll be another close one for the corn rivals.

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_Originally reported by [CBS Sports](https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2026-college-foortball-schedule-big-ten-on-cbs-usc-oregon-army-navy-sun-bowl/)._