Labor Day football: settle in for college, then set a Wednesday NFL reminder

The long weekend belongs to college football. Saturday gives you Clemson at LSU, Sunday brings the Apple Cup and a game at Lambeau Field, and SMU-Florida State takes the last shift on Labor Day. The NFL gets going next week, with a Wednesday opener that is very easy to forget if you're waiting for Thursday.

This is the viewing guide for September 4-7, followed by a look ahead to NFL Week 1, September 9-14. All kickoff times below are Eastern Time. These are selected college games and the complete NFL opening slate; listings were checked September 4 and can change.

Friday, September 4: the late window

Friday's two late national games share a kickoff: Miami at Stanford, 9:00 PM on ESPN, and Fresno State at USC, 9:00 PM on FOX. Miami-Stanford is already an ACC game, so there is conference business mixed in with the opening-week excitement. For results as Friday wraps up, use the College page; this post keeps the schedule separate from scores that are still moving.

Saturday, September 5: build the day around the afternoon and night games

My first circle on the afternoon schedule is Boise State at Oregon. It has the standalone appeal of a road trip to Autzen, but Baylor-Auburn starts at exactly the same time. Pick a main screen and keep the remote nearby.

• North Texas at Indiana - noon, FOX
• East Carolina at Alabama - noon, ABC
• Ball State at Ohio State - 12:30 PM, BTN
• Boise State at Oregon - 3:30 PM, CBS
• Baylor vs. Auburn - 3:30 PM, ABC; neutral site at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta
• Texas State at Texas - 3:30 PM, ESPN
• Boston College at Cincinnati - 3:30 PM, FOX
• Tulane at Duke - 3:30 PM, ACC Network
• Missouri State at Texas A&M - 7:00 PM, ESPN
• Clemson at LSU - 7:30 PM, ABC
• Western Michigan at Michigan - 7:30 PM, NBC
• UCLA at California - 10:30 PM, ESPN

Clemson-LSU is my evening pick. An opening game in Baton Rouge is a pretty good reason to stay in on a Saturday, and UCLA-Cal is waiting afterward if you still have another game in you. Kickoffs are cross-checked against the site's current college schedule, Oregon's game preview, and the ACC's Week 1 listings.

Sunday and Labor Day: don't stop after Saturday

There are no NFL games this Sunday, September 6. College takes the space, and the two evening showcases overlap. Lambeau and Nashville both kick off at 7:30 PM Eastern.

• Sunday, Sept 6: Washington State at Washington - 4:00 PM, NBC; the Apple Cup at Husky Stadium
• Sunday, Sept 6: Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame - 7:30 PM, NBC/Peacock; neutral site at Lambeau Field in Green Bay
• Sunday, Sept 6: Louisville vs. Ole Miss - 7:30 PM, ABC; the Music City Kickoff at Nissan Stadium in Nashville
• Monday, Sept 7: SMU at Florida State - 7:30 PM, ESPN

The time-zone detail matters here: Wisconsin lists the Lambeau kickoff at 6:30 PM Central, which is 7:30 PM Eastern. Washington lists the Apple Cup at 1:00 PM Pacific, or 4:00 PM Eastern. The ACC confirms the Sunday and Monday evening slots. SMU-FSU is conference play, too, so Monday's finale has more than opening-night bragging rights attached.

Next week: the NFL starts Wednesday, September 9

Set the reminder a day earlier than usual. New England visits Seattle on Wednesday, then San Francisco and the Rams play in Melbourne in a Thursday evening U.S. slot. The Australia game is 8:35 PM Eastern on September 10, which is 10:35 AM in Melbourne on Friday, September 11.

Here are all 16 games, using the current NFL schedule. Sunday afternoon CBS and FOX availability depends on your local market.

• Wednesday, Sept 9, 8:20 PM: Patriots at Seahawks - NBC
• Thursday, Sept 10, 8:35 PM: 49ers vs. Rams - Netflix; Melbourne Cricket Ground, Australia

Sunday, September 13: 1:00 PM

• Buccaneers at Bengals - FOX
• Saints at Lions - FOX
• Jets at Titans - CBS
• Ravens at Colts - CBS
• Falcons at Steelers - FOX
• Bears at Panthers - FOX
• Browns at Jaguars - CBS
• Bills at Texans - CBS

Sunday, September 13: 4:25 PM

• Dolphins at Raiders - FOX
• Packers at Vikings - CBS
• Commanders at Eagles - FOX
• Cardinals at Chargers - CBS

Sunday night and Monday night

• Sunday, Sept 13, 8:20 PM: Cowboys at Giants - NBC
• Monday, Sept 14, 8:15 PM: Broncos at Chiefs - ESPN

Packers-Vikings and Commanders-Eagles put division games into the same afternoon window, before Cowboys-Giants takes over Sunday night. If your weekend planning is already getting crowded, add your teams on My Season and use the combined schedule for kickoff times in your own time zone. For now, there's an entire college weekend to get through first.