There are signs of Fall everywhere! For the soft and entitled, Pumpkin Spice lattes were released at Starbucks today! But for hardcore football fanatics, college football returns this week!
After a long offseason, college football returns this weekend. For most fans, that means Saturday tailgates, primetime kickoffs, and checking the rankings on Sunday morning.
For Long Island Elite National Team families, it means something more.
It’s a reminder of where this journey leads. The discipline, the training sessions, the road trips, the hard conversations, and the standards we hold our kids to — all of it points toward moments like the ones we’ll watch on TV this weekend.
Why Week 1 Matters to Us
College football’s opening weekend isn’t just entertainment. It’s the clearest example of what happens when young athletes embrace preparation and accountability at every level.
Execution under pressure: Games are won in the details — the same details our coaches harp on every rep.
Next-man-up mentality: Depth charts change quickly. The kid who’s ready earns his shot.
Character on display: When adversity hits, body language and effort separate leaders from passengers.
These are the same lessons we build into every practice at Long Island Elite.
Games Worth Watching as a Family
If you’re sitting down together this weekend, here’s what to look for:
Alum from Long Island Elite: Last year had the privilege to watch quite a few Long Island Elite National Team Alumni; players like Rino Monteforte who played for Notre Dame in the National Championship. Tune in this Saturday and watch KJ Duff, Ian Strong, Josiah Brown, Caden Brown and a bunch of other players from our program! For your amusement go to our LI Elite Facebook page and scroll way back through photos and videos and find some of these guys at 7 and 8 years old!
Top-ranked matchups: Watch how the best programs handle the first test of the year. Every snap matters.
Underdog stories: Notice how unranked teams approach their shot at upsetting the big names. That mindset mirrors the hunger we want our players to carry.
Position play: For our linemen, study pad level, hand placement, and effort in the trenches. For skill players, see how wideouts block downfield, how DBs compete even when beaten.
These are free film sessions, broadcast nationally.
A Season of Possibility
As college football gets underway, our own season is just around the corner. Parents know the routine — long weekends, early mornings, late-night drives, and everything in between.
But when we see kids at the college level succeed because of the habits they built years earlier, it validates the effort every Long Island Elite National Team family puts in.
We’re not just cheering on college teams this weekend. We’re watching living proof of what happens when commitment meets opportunity.
Welcome back, college football. And welcome back, Long Island Elite National Team family — it’s our season too!
WEEK 1 GAMES:
Thursday, Aug. 28
5:30 p.m. | No. 25 Boise State at South Florida | ESPN
6 p.m. | Lafayette at Bowling Green | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Ohio at Rutgers | Big Ten Network
6 p.m. | Mercyhurst at Youngstown State | ESPN+
6 p.m. | McKendree at Indiana State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Delaware State at Delaware | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Jacksonville State at UCF | ESPN+
7 p.m. | East Carolina at NC State | ACC Network
7 p.m. | Wyoming at Akron | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Saint Francis (PA) at UL Monroe | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Dayton at Eastern Illinois | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Lindenwood at St. Thomas | MidcoSports+
7:30 p.m. | Elon at Duke | ESPN+/ACC Extra
7:30 p.m. | Central Arkansas at Missouri | SEC Network
7:30 p.m. | UT Martin at Oklahoma State | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | West Georgia at Samford | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Arkansas Baptist at Houston Christian | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Upper Iowa at Drake | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Buffalo at Minnesota | FS1
8 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin at Houston | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Alcorn State at Northwestern State | ESPN+
8:30 p.m. | Alabama State at UAB |ESPN+
9 p.m. | Nebraska vs. Cincinnati (in Kansas City, Mo.) | ESPN
9 p.m. | Miami (Ohio) at Wisconsin | Big Ten Network
10 p.m. | Stony Brook at San Diego State
Friday, Aug. 29
6 p.m. | Tarleton State at Army | CBSSN
6 p.m. | Campbell at Rhode Island | FloFootball
7 p.m. | Kennesaw State at Wake Forest | ACC Network
7 p.m. | Appalachian State vs. Charlotte (Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte) | ESPNU
7 p.m. | Bethune-Cookman at FIU | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Western Michigan at Michigan State | FS1
7 p.m. | Monmouth at Colgate | ESPN+
7 p.m. | New Haven at Marist | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Wagner at Kansas | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Western Illinois at Illinois | Peacock
8 p.m. | Auburn at Baylor | FOX
8 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Colorado | ESPN
9:30 p.m. | UNLV at Sam Houston | CBS Sports Network
10:30 p.m. | Central Michigan at San Jose State | FS1
Saturday, Aug. 30
12 p.m. | Syracuse vs. No. 24 Tennessee (in Atlanta) | ABC
12 p.m. | Mississippi State at Southern Miss | ESPN
12 p.m. | VMI at Navy | CBSSN
12 p.m. | No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State | FOX
12 p.m. | Duquesne at Pitt | ACC Network
12 p.m. | Northwestern at Tulane | ESPNU
12 p.m. | Ball State at Purdue | Big Ten Network
12 p.m. | Merrimack at Kent State | ESPN+
12 p.m. | FAU at Maryland | Big Ten Network
12 p.m. | North Dakota State at The Citadel | ESPN+
12 p.m. | Richmond at Lehigh | ESPN+
12:45 p.m. | Toledo at Kentucky | SEC Network
1 p.m. | Georgetown at Davidson | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Fordham at Boston College | ESPN+/ACC Extra
2 p.m. | Robert Morris at West Virginia | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Central Connecticut State at UConn | WWAX/UConn+
2 p.m. | William & Mary at Furman | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Virginia-Lynchburg at Valparaiso | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Stonehill at Sacred Heart | ESPN+
2:30 p.m. | Old Dominion at No. 20 Indiana | FS1
2:30 p.m. | Cumberland at Tennessee Tech | ESPN+
3 p.m. | Eastern Kentucky at Louisville | ACC Network
3 p.m. | Chadron State at Northern Colorado | ESPN+
3 p.m. | Hampton at Jackson State | HBCU GO
3:30 p.m. | Bucknell at Air Force | CBSSN
3:30 p.m. | Marshall at No. 5 Georgia | ESPN
3:30 p.m. | Nevada at No. 2 Penn State | CBS/Paramount+
3:30 p.m. | Holy Cross at Northern Illinois | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | South Dakota at No. 22 Iowa State | FOX
3:30 p.m. | Temple at UMass | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | No. 8 Alabama at Florida State | ABC
4 p.m. | Maine at Liberty | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Montana State at No. 7 Oregon | Big Ten Network
4 p.m. | Howard vs. Florida A&M (at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.) | ESPNU
4:15 p.m. | Alabama A&M at Arkansas | SEC Network
4:30 p.m. | Chattanooga at Memphis | ESPN+
4:30 p.m. | North Carolina A&T at Tennessee State | ESPN+
5 p.m. | Southern at Mississippi Valley State | SWAC TV
5:30 p.m. | Murray State at East Tennessee State | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Illinois State at No. 18 Oklahoma | ESPN+/SECN+
6 p.m. | UAlbany at Iowa | FS1
6 p.m. | Weber State at James Madison | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Coastal Carolina at Virginia | ACC Network
6 p.m. | Gardner-Webb at Western Carolina | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Presbyterian at Mercer | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Allen at Morehead State | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Webber International at Stetson | ESPN+
6 p.m. | New Hampshire at North Carolina Central | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt | ESPN+/SECN+
7 p.m. | UTSA at No. 19 Texas A&M | ESPN
7 p.m. | Southeast Missouri State at Arkansas State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | North Dakota at No. 17 Kansas State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Nicholls at Troy | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Morgan State at South Alabama | ESPN+
7 p.m. | LIU at No. 15 Florida | ESPN+/SECN+
7 p.m. | Austin Peay at Middle Tennessee | ESPN+
7 p.m. | North Alabama at Western Kentucky | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Sacramento State at South Dakota State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Louisiana Christian at McNeese | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Eastern Washington at UIW | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Missouri State at USC | Big Ten Network
7:30 p.m. | UTEP at Utah State | CBSSN
7:30 p.m. | Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 23 Texas Tech | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson | ABC
7:30 p.m. | New Mexico at No. 14 Michigan | NBC/Peacock
7:30 p.m. | Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana Tech | ESPN+
7:45 p.m. | Georgia State at No. 21 Ole Miss | SEC Network
8 p.m. | Portland State at BYU | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Lamar at North Texas | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Abilene Christian at Tulsa | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Eastern Michigan at Texas State | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Rice at Louisiana | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Langston at Grambling State | SWAC TV (in Shreveport, Louisiana)
8 p.m. | Prairie View A&M at Texas Southern | SWAC TV
8 p.m. | Sul Ross State at UTRGV | ESPN+
8:30 p.m. | Idaho State at Southern Utah | ESPN+
9 p.m. | East Texas A&M at No. 16 SMU | ACC Network
9 p.m. | Bryant at New Mexico State | ESPN+
9:30 p.m. | Georgia Southern at Fresno State | FS1
10 p.m. | Northern Arizona at No. 11 Arizona State | ESPN+
10 p.m. | Idaho at Washington State | The CW Network
10 p.m. | UC Davis at Utah Tech | ESPN+
10:30 p.m. | Hawaii at Arizona | TNT/HBO Max
10:30 p.m. | Cal at Oregon State | ESPN
11 p.m. | Colorado State at Washington | Big Ten Network
11 p.m. | Utah at UCLA | FOX
Sunday, Aug. 31
3 p.m. | Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina (in Atlanta) | ESPN
7:30 p.m. | No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (Fla.) | ABC
Monday, Sept. 1