For the first time since mid-January, college football will be played on Saturday.
The Week 0 slate is headlined by North Carolina and TCU traveling to Dublin for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. It’s the second consecutive season the Tar Heels and Horned Frogs will open the season against each other.
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The Dublin game isn’t the only notable storyline in Week 0, as two former Division I FCS teams — North Dakota State and Sacramento State — are set to make their debuts at the Division I FBS level (albeit not against each other).
The Bison, previously of the Missouri Valley Football Conference, proved to be a powerhouse at the FCS level, winning five national championships in the last nine seasons. NDSU holds a 26-3 overall record entering its third season under coach Tim Polasek.
The Hornets also are also making the FCS-to-FBS jump, from the Big Sky to the Mid-American Conference, this season. They will do so while also ushering in a first-year head coach in Alonzo Carter.
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Here’s what to know on North Dakota State and Sacramento State ahead of the season:
North Dakota State
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Conference: Mountain West (previously Missouri Valley Football Conference)
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Location: Fargo, North Dakota
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National championships: 18 (13 in FCS, five in Division II)
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2025 record: 12-1 (8-0 MVFC)
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2026 schedule
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Week 0: vs. Jacksonville State (Aug. 29)
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Week 1: vs. Fordham (Sept. 5)
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Week 2: at Air Force (Sept. 12) *
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Week 3: at Sacramento State (Sept. 19)
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Week 5: vs. Wyoming (Oct. 3) *
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Week 6: at UNLV (Oct. 10) *
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Week 7: vs. Nevada (Oct. 17) *
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Week 8: at New Mexico (Oct. 24) *
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Week 9: vs. UTEP (Oct. 31)
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Week 11: at Hawaii (Nov. 14) *
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Week 12: vs. Northern Illinois (Nov. 21) *
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Week 13: at San Jose State (Nov. 27) *
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* MWC game
Sacramento State
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Conference: Mid-American Conference (previously Big Sky Conference)
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Location: Sacramento, California
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National championships: 0 (seven conference championships)
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2025 record: 7-5 (5-3 in Big Sky)
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2026 schedule
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Week 0: at Eastern Michigan (Aug. 29)
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Week 1: vs. Mississippi Valley State (Sept. 5)
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Week 2: at Fresno State (Sept. 12)
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Week 3: vs. North Dakota State (Sept. 19)
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Week 4: vs. UMass (Sept. 26) *
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Week 6: at Bowling Green (Oct. 10) *
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Week 7: vs. Ohio (Oct. 17) *
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Week 8: at Ball State (Oct. 24) *
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Week 9: vs. Kent State (Oct. 30) *
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Week 10: vs. Toledo (Nov. 4) *
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Week 11: at Central Michigan (Nov. 11) *
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Week 13: at Hawaii (Nov. 27) *
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* Conference game
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Meet North Dakota State and Sacramento State: FBS’s two newest teams
