NCAA Division I FBS Football 2026: Week 3 Performances
The NCAA Division I FBS Football 2026 featured several notable clashes in the past week’s fixtures. Miami FL defeated Florida A&M and continued to show consistent performances in the early stages of the season. Virginia beat Norfolk State 59-3. In another matchup, Louisville defeated Villanova in the previous match. Kansas lost to Missouri in the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football game. Texas A&M claimed a victory against Arizona State, while Michigan defeated Oklahoma.
Indiana recorded a dominant 55-0 victory over Howard, and Penn State defeated Temple in Week 2. Oklahoma St. claimed a win over Oregon and continued its standout early-season form. Georgia defeated WKU in its previous game of the season. Notre Dame defeated Rice and delivered another solid performance to maintain its top-tier ranking. BYU claimed a victory against Arizona in the NCAA Division I FBS Football season. Tennessee defeated Georgia Tech, while Houston beat Southern U.
Game Schedules: Dates and Venues
Fixtures
Dates
Time Zone ET
Time Zone PT
Time Zone IST
Locations
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Miami Hurricanes
September 18, 2026
07:30 PM
04:30 PM
05:00 AM (Next Day)
Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winston-Salem
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Houston Cougars
September 18, 2026
08:00 PM
05:00 PM
05:30 AM (Next Day)
Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock
Oregon Ducks vs. Portland State Vikings
September 18, 2026
10:30 PM
07:30 PM
08:00 AM (Next Day)
Autzen Stadium, Eugene
Penn State Nittany Lions vs Buffalo Bulls
September 19, 2026
12:00 PM
09:00 AM
09:30 PM
Beaver Stadium, Pennsylvania
Arkansas Razorbacks vs Georgia Bulldogs
September 19, 2026
12:00 PM
09:00 AM
09:30 PM
Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Kent State
September 19, 2026
12:00 PM
09:00 AM
09:30 PM
Ohio Stadium, Columbus
Texas A&M Aggies vs Kentucky Wildcats
September 19, 2026
03:30 PM
12:30 PM
01:00 AM (Next Day)
Kyle Field, College Station
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs USC Trojans
September 19, 2026
03:30 PM
12:30 PM
01:00 AM (Next Day)
SHI Stadium, Piscataway
Indiana Hoosiers vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
September 19, 2026
04:00 PM
01:00 PM
01:30 AM (Next Day)
Memorial Stadium, Bloomington
Ole Miss Rebels vs LSU Tigers
September 19, 2026
07:30 PM
04:30 PM
05:00 AM (Next Day)
Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, University
Texas Longhorns vs UTSA Roadrunners
September 19, 2026
08:00 PM
05:00 PM
05:30 AM (Next Day)
Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin
Week 3 Matchups and All Participating Teams
Dates
Matches
September 18, 2026
Wake Forest vs Miami FL, Texas Tech vs Houston, and Oregon vs Portland St
September 19, 2026
Penn State vs Buffalo, Arkansas vs Georgia, Ohio State vs Kent State, Texas A&M vs Kentucky, Utah vs Utah State, Louisville vs SMU, Rutgers vs USC, Alabama vs Florida State, Indiana vs WKU, Iowa vs Northern Iowa, Missouri vs Troy, Washington vs Eastern WA, CO State vs BYU, Notre Dame vs MI State, Virginia vs West Virginia, Ole Miss vs LSU, Oklahoma vs New Mexico, Tennessee vs Kennesaw St, and Texas vs UTSA
Key Teams and Possible Lineups
Ohio State Buckeyes vs Kent State
Date: September 19, 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 12:00 PM ET| 09:00 AM PT| 09:30 PM IST
Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus
Possible Lineups for Ohio State Buckeyes
Offense
Position
Players
Quarter Backs
Luke Fahey and Brady Geibel
Running Backs
Favor Akih and Legend Bey
Wide Receivers
David Adolph and Jerquaden Guilford
Tight Ends
Bennett Christian and Maxence LeBlanc
Offensive Lineman
Deontae Armstrong, Landry Brede, and JulianGoines-Jackson
Defense
Position
Players
Defensive Lineman
Beau Atkinson
Defensive Ends
Zion Grady and Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
Linebackers
Tarvos Alford, Christian Alliegro, and Alec DelSignore
Defensive Tackles
Emanuel Ruffin, Damari Simeon, and James Smith
Safety
Khmari Bing and Blaine Bradford
Possible Lineups for Kent State
Offense
Position
Players
Quarter Backs
Dru DeShields and Nolan Good
Running Backs
Dylan Armentrout and Jakorion Caffey
Wide Receivers
Ardell Banks and William Bierfeldt
Tight Ends
Tommy Arnold and Zy’aire Fletcher
Offensive Lineman
Mofe Adewole, Hudson Chasko, and Boston Crowell
Defense
Position
Players
Defensive Lineman
Anthony Adams III and Thomas Aden
Linebackers
Sayed Abuhamdeh, Brodyn Bishop, and Semaj Bridgeman
Defensive Backs
Tejuan Barbour, DJ Barnes, Tyler Bivens, Martell Buchanan, EzekielCastex, and Lionel Burns III
Key Team Performances
The Ohio State Buckeyes faced the Ball State Cardinals in their most recent game. Ohio State took the lead as Julian Sayin made key plays in the first half. After halftime, Keldric Luster, Elijah Jackson, and Elisha Durham scored crucial points for Ball State. In passing, Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns for Ohio State. In rushing, Bo Jackson recorded 83 yards and one touchdown for Ohio State. Jeremiah Smith earned 151 yards and two touchdowns for Ohio State. Ultimately, Ohio State defeated Ball State. Furthermore, Ohio State will have home-field advantage to earn a victory in the upcoming game.
By contrast, Kent State faced South Carolina in the NCAA Division I FBS Football game. LaNorris Sellers, Jabree Coleman, and Donovan Murph were key players for South Carolina and scored points. Kent State failed to score throughout the match. Nevertheless, Dru DeShields made attempts for Kent State during the game. La Norris Sellers recorded 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for South Carolina. Another player, Jabree Coleman, earned 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina on the ground. Donovan Murph recorded 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina. In the end, Kent State suffered a defeat to South Carolina.
The Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes
Arkansas Razorbacks vs Georgia Bulldogs
Date: September 19, 2026 (Saturday)
Time: 12:00 PM ET|09:00 AM PT|09:30 PM IST
Venue: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
Possible Lineups for Arkansas Razorbacks
Offense
Position
Players
Quarter Backs
Braeden Fuller and Hank Hendrix
Running Backs
Markeylin Batton, TJ Hodges, and Jasper Parker
Wide Receiver
CJ Brown
Tight End
Breylen Gilbert
Offensive Lineman
Kaden Bramlage, Kobe Branham, Malachi Breland, and Kavion Broussard
Defense
Position
Players
Defensive Lineman
J’Lynn Allen, Brian Alston, DannyBeale III, and Caleb Bell
Linebackers
Ben Bogle, Preston Davis, and Jeremy Evans
Defensive Backs
Blake Brisker, BrandonFord, NsongbehGinyui, and Jalon Copeland
Possible Lineups for Georgia Bulldogs
Offense
Position
Players
Quarter Backs
Bryson Beaver and Jake Bobo
Running Backs
Micah Bell, Chauncey Bowens, and Dante Dowdell
Wide Receivers
Jeremy Bell and Thomas Blackshear
Tight Ends
Ethan Barbour and Brayden Fogle
Offensive Lineman
Drew Bobo and Daniel Calhoun
Defense
Position
Players
Defensive Lineman
Clinton Barlow and Preston Carey
Defensive Ends
Isaiah Gibson and Justin Greene
Linebackers
Nick Abrams II, Eli Barrow, and Khamari Brooks
Defensive Backs
KJ Bolden and Braylon Conley
Safety
Khalil Barnes and Zion Branch
Key Team Performances
The Arkansas Razorbacks faced the Utah Utes in their latest game. Utah recorded more passing and rushing yards, combining for more total yards. Devon Dampier, Wayshawn Parker, and Noah Bennee, key players, scored for Utah. Arkansas recorded fewer passing and rushing yards, resulting in fewer total yards than Utah. Key contributors included KJ Jackson and Chris Marshall for Arkansas. In the end, Arkansas suffered a defeat against Utah. Furthermore, Arkansas will face the Georgia Bulldogs in its forthcoming game.
In contrast, the Georgia Bulldogs faced the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in their most recent game. Georgia ultimately defeated WKU. Furthermore, the Georgia Bulldogs have strong recent form and will look to continue their winning streak in the upcoming game.
The Pick: Georgia Bulldogs
Game Analysis
In Week 3, several notable teams will face their opponents in pivotal matchups. Texas will face the UTSA Roadrunners at its home stadium on September 19. In another key match, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the Michigan State Spartans on September 19.
Notre Dame currently sits in third place in the top 25. Will Notre Dame earn another victory, or can MI State claim the win? The remaining teams could also have an impact on the rankings and teams’ standings. Week 3 will determine which emerging teams reach the next round of the tournament.