If you’re flipping through channels looking for a massive Saturday slate of college football on TV this weekend, I’ve got some bad news. It’s quiet. Maybe a little too quiet.
We’re in that weird, liminal space. You know the one. It’s that tiny gap between the absolute chaos of the semifinals and the looming giant that is the National Championship. The Peach Bowl and the Fiesta Bowl are in the rearview mirror. The confetti has already been swept up in Atlanta and Glendale.
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Basically, we are in the "calm before the storm" phase.
But don't toss your remote just yet. While the FBS schedule is technically empty for Saturday and Sunday, the sport itself is moving at a hundred miles per hour behind the scenes. If you care about who is actually going to be on your screen next season, this is actually one of the most important weekends of the year.
There are no games, but the National Championship is set
Honestly, the biggest thing you need to know about college football on TV this weekend is that it’s all leading up to one specific Monday night. Monday, January 19, 2026. That’s when No. 1 Indiana and No. 10 Miami square off at Hard Rock Stadium.
It’s a weird matchup, right? If you told a fan five years ago that the Hoosiers would be the top-seeded team in a national title game, they would’ve checked you for a fever. But here we are. Curt Cignetti’s squad just dismantled Oregon 55-26 in the Peach Bowl. They look like a machine.
On the other side, Miami is the ultimate "chaos" team. They entered the playoff as the 10-seed and have spent the last three weeks ruining everyone’s brackets. They just took down Ole Miss in a 31-27 nail-biter.
So, while the TV guide shows a whole lot of nothing for Saturday, the hype is building for Monday night’s 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ESPN.
The Transfer Portal "Deadline Day" Drama
If you're a die-hard, the real "game" this weekend is happening on social media and recruiting boards. The NCAA recently overhauled the rules, and the results are pretty stressful for coaches.
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The winter transfer portal window officially closes today, Friday, January 16.
This means that while you’re looking for college football on TV this weekend, coaches are frantically trying to keep their rosters from evaporating. Because the spring window was eliminated, this is it. This is the one-and-only chance for players to move before spring ball.
We’ve already seen some massive moves that will change the landscape of 2026:
- Justice Haynes, the Big Ten’s leading rusher at Michigan, just committed to Georgia Tech.
- Koi Perich, the star defensive back from Minnesota, is headed to Oregon.
- Melvin Siani, a massive offensive tackle from Wake Forest, is officially a Texas Longhorn.
The only players who get a "grace period" are the ones playing on Monday night. Indiana and Miami players have an extra five days (Jan 20-24) to decide if they want to stay or go. For everyone else, the door is locking shut as you read this.
What is actually on your screen?
Okay, so if you still want to sit on your couch and watch something with a pigskin, you’re going to have to look at the NFL. This weekend is the NFL Divisional Round.
Since college football is taking the weekend off to prepare for the Miami-Indiana showdown, the NFL is taking over the airwaves.
- Saturday, Jan 17: Buffalo at Denver (4:30 p.m. ET, CBS) and San Francisco at Seattle (8:00 p.m. ET, FOX).
- Sunday, Jan 18: Houston at New England (3:00 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC) and LA Rams at Chicago (6:30 p.m. ET, NBC).
It’s a bit of a bummer if you prefer the college game, but that's just how the calendar shakes out now with the expanded 12-team playoff. The schedule makers wanted to give the two finalists a full week of breathing room before the title game.
What you should do this weekend
Since you won't be glued to a 12-hour marathon of triple-option football and MACtion, use this time to get ready for Monday.
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- Check the final portal entries: Follow guys like On3 or 247Sports. By Saturday morning, we’ll have a clear list of every major player who is looking for a new home.
- Scout the National Championship odds: Last I checked, Indiana was opening as a slight favorite, but the "home field" advantage for Miami (since the game is literally in their stadium) is making people nervous.
- Clear your Monday night: Set your DVR or make sure your ESPN login actually works.
The 2025-2026 season has been arguably the most unpredictable year in the history of the sport. We saw the death of the Pac-12, the rise of a new Big Ten power in Bloomington, and a 10-seed making a run for the ages. It’s only fitting that the final weekend of the season is a quiet moment of tension before the whole thing explodes on Monday night.
The wait is almost over. Enjoy the break while it lasts, because once Monday hits, the college football world is going to feel very loud again.