Week 0 Explained

Week 0 (or Week Zero) refers to the opening weekend of college football games in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), in which a small number of games are played to begin the regular season, a week before the vast majority of teams begin their season in "Week 1".^{[1] [2] [3]} Although the FBS football season has traditionally begun on the first Saturday before Labor Day, the NCAA has sporadically awarded waivers for games to be played a week earlier in order to bring a game to a national television audience, or as part of the "Hawaii Rule" that grants teams that play a game in Hawaii, usually away games against the Rainbow Warriors, an extra regular season home game to offset travel costs. Games in Alaska, Puerto Rico and other outlying territories would nominally count towards the Hawaii Rule, but those locales do not field FBS programs, or have venues that met NCAA minimum attendance guidelines before those were abolished in 2023.

The first Week 0 game was the 1983 Kickoff Classic, in which No. 1 Nebraska defeated No. 4 Penn State, 44–6, at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.^[4]

For the 2020 season, the NCAA issued a blanket waiver for Week 0 games by any team, in order to allow for scheduling flexibility amid the COVID-19 pandemic.^[5] However, no Division I FBS members wound up playing in a Week 0 game in 2020.

Results

Week 0 games since 2002:

Date	Winner	Score	Loser	Score	Location
August 22, 2002		35		29	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, Virginia (Jim Thorpe Classic)
August 23, 2002		23		21	Camp Randall Stadium Madison, Wisconsin (John Thompson Foundation Classic)
August 24, 2002		38		31	Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Missouri (Eddie Robinson Classic)
August 24, 2002		34		14	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, North Carolina (BCA Classic)
August 24, 2002		45		21	Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio (Pigskin Classic)
August 25, 2002		63		7	Lane Stadium Blacksburg, Virginia (Hispanic College Fund Football Classic)
August 23, 2003		42		28	KSU Stadium Manhattan, Kansas (BCA Classic)
August 23, 2003		29		0	Spartan Stadium San Jose, California (Literacy Classic)
August 28, 2004		49		0	Yager Stadium Oxford, Ohio
August 28, 2004		24		13	FedEx Field Landover, Maryland (BCA Classic)
August 26, 2016		51		31	Stadium Australia Sydney, Australia (Sydney Cup)
August 26, 2017		20		6	LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, Utah
August 26, 2017		58		27	Canvas Stadium Fort Collins, Colorado
August 26, 2017		42		22	CEFCU Stadium San Jose, California
August 26, 2017		62		7	Sydney Football Stadium Sydney, Australia (Sydney Cup)
August 25, 2018		43		34	Canvas Stadium Fort Collins, Colorado
August 25, 2018		63		15	Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium Amherst, Massachusetts
August 25, 2018		31		28	Rice Stadium Houston, Texas
August 25, 2018		29		7	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, New Mexico
August 24, 2019		24		20	Camping World Stadium Orlando, Florida (Camping World Kickoff)
August 24, 2019		45		38	Aloha Stadium Honolulu, Hawaii
August 28, 2021		30		22	Memorial Stadium Champaign, Illinois
August 28, 2021		45		0	Bulldog Stadium Fresno, California
August 28, 2021		44		10	Rose Bowl Pasadena, California
August 28, 2021		45		14	CEFCU Stadium San Jose, California
August 28, 2021		30		3	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, New Mexico (Battle of I-10)
August 27, 2022		31		28	Aviva Stadium Dublin, Ireland (Aer Lingus College Football Classic)
August 27, 2022		38	Austin Peay	27	Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium Bowling Green, Kentucky
August 27, 2022		52		21	Allegiant Stadium Paradise, Nevada
August 27, 2022		31		20	Maverik Stadium Logan, Utah
August 27, 2022		38		6	Memorial Stadium Champaign, Illinois
August 27, 2022		47		7	Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, Florida
August 27, 2022		43		13	FAU Stadium Boca Raton, Florida
August 27, 2022		56		24	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, North Carolina
August 27, 2022		31		13	Sun Bowl El Paso, Texas
August 27, 2022		23		12	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, New Mexico
August 27, 2022		63		10	Ching Athletics Complex Honolulu, Hawaii
August 26, 2023		42		3	Aviva Stadium Dublin, Ireland (Aer Lingus College Football Classic)
August 26, 2023		17		14	JSU Stadium Jacksonville, Alabama
August 26, 2023		20		13	Snapdragon Stadium San Diego, California
August 26, 2023		41		30	Aggie Memorial Stadium Las Cruces, New Mexico
August 26, 2023		35		28	FirstBank Stadium Nashville, Tennessee
August 26, 2023		56		28	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, California
August 26, 2023		22		17	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, Louisiana
August 24, 2024		Aviva Stadium Dublin, Ireland (Aer Lingus College Football Classic)
August 24, 2024		Ching Athletics Complex Honolulu, Hawaii
August 24, 2024		Mackay Stadium Reno, Nevada
August 24, 2024		University Stadium Albuquerque, New Mexico

Rankings reflect preseason AP Poll.

Notes

See also

• FCS Kickoff, a Week 0 game featuring two Division I FCS teams that has been played since 2014
• MEAC/SWAC Challenge, a game featuring teams from the two historically black FCS conferences that has taken place on Week 0 since 2021

Notes and References

1. Web site: Why the "Week 0" College Football Game Is Here to Stay. Rodger. Sherman. The Ringer. August 27, 2019.
2. Web site: When does the 2019 college football season start?. Mitchell. Northam. NCAA.com. September 1, 2019.
3. Web site: Let's do the WEEK ZERO BIG GAME thing every year. Steven. Godfrey. Banner Society. February 3, 2020.
4. Web site: College Football Week 0: Money, Ratings, and the NCAA Football Schedule. Off Tackle Empire. August 23, 2019.
5. Web site: 2020-07-28. Reports: NCAA permits teams to schedule 'Week 0' games. 2020-07-31. AL.com. en.