Nineteen Bowl Subdivision games are scheduled for Thursday
Boise State, North Carolina State and Nebraska are hoping to get off to strong starts
Three Big Ten teams face MAC opponents in what could be tricky contests
Thursday action has become a fixture in college football. But while much of the season will have a game or two at most, the Week 1 Thursday slate is quite full.
There are several reasons for this. The participating teams don’t have to be concerned with the short preparation time that come with some Thursday games once the season gets started, and the sport as a whole takes advantage of the full calendar weekend with the spotlight to itself before the NFL ramps up.
So who’s playing Thursday? Glad you asked. In all, there are 19 games on the schedule involving Bowl Subdivision members. Here’s a look at the top games of the day and where you can watch them.
No. 25 Boise State at South Florida
Time/TV: 5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Broncos will be the first ranked team to take the field in North America. They won’t travel quite as far as Iowa State and Kansas State did for their Week 0 thriller in Dublin, but this trip to Tampa could be a test for the defending Mountain West champions hoping for a return engagement in the College Football Playoff. The Bulls hope to use this opportunity to show they’re ready to contend in the American. With Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty off to the NFL, Boise State will ask more of veteran QB Maddux Madsen to keep the offense moving. South Florida will counter with QB Byrum Brown, who accounted for 1,105 yards of offense and five total TDs last year before his season was cut short by injury.
East Carolina at North Carolina State
Time/TV: 7 p.m. ET, ACCN
The most recent encounter between these in-state foes ended with some extracurricular activity at the conclusion of last year’s Military Bowl, so it goes without saying that all participants will be admonished to keep their tempers in check prior to this rematch. Before things got ugly, the Pirates won that postseason contest 26-21 to wrap up a strong finish, convincing school officials to remove the interim tag from coach Blake Harrell. The Wolfpack dropped three of their last four in 2024 including the bowl loss and need a positive start to the new year with ACC play looming right away. N.C. State returns QB CJ Bailey, who should benefit now from being pressed into service as a freshman. Pirates QB Katin Houser is also back, but he, too, must cut down on the INTs.
Cincinnati vs. Nebraska
Time/TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
Ostensibly a neutral-site contest in Kansas City, Missouri, there will be a much larger presence from Cornhusker faithful. Those in attendance will be expecting big things from Big Red in coach Matt Rhule’s third season, but they could get restless quickly if the team struggles early. Cincinnati’s first two years of life in the Big 12 could have gone better, but the Bearcats did improve from 3-9 to 5-7 and hope that trend continues. Cornhuskers QB Dylan Raiola could be poised for a breakout year with more big-play threats entering the program. UC also has an experienced hand at the controls in Brendan Sorsby, who is perhaps not as flashy but keeps the chains moving.
Big Ten vs. MAC challenge
Ohio at Rutgers, 6 p.m. ET, BTN
Buffalo at Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Miami (Ohio) at Wisconsin, 9 p.m. ET, BTN
The Thursday slate also features a trio of Big Ten teams hosting Mid-American Conference opponents. While the power conference home teams will be favored, they’d be advised to take their visitors seriously, as Minnesota learned the hard way back in 2021 when Bowling Green stunned the Gophers on their own field. There are other such pairings sprinkled through the first few weeks of the season, including a couple others later in the weekend, but here are the ones getting it started on Thursday.