QB CJ Carr and No. 3 Notre Dame Host Michigan State in Primetime; College Countdown Begins at 7 p.m. ET with Kickoff at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock
Defending National Champion No. 4 Indiana Hosts Western Kentucky at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN
Eastern Michigan-Wisconsin (12:30 p.m. ET) and Southern Illinois-Illinois (2 p.m. ET) Stream Saturday Afternoon on Peacock; Big Ten College Countdown Begins at Noon ET
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 17, 2026 – NBC Sports presents a four-game college football lineup this Saturday, highlighted by No. 3 Notre Dame hosting Michigan State in primetime at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Coverage begins with College Countdown at 7 p.m. ET.
Earlier in the day, defending national champion No. 4 Indiana hosts Western Kentucky at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN, following Wisconsin’s matchup against Western Michigan at 12:30 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN and Southern Illinois at Illinois at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock. Big Ten College Countdown opens coverage at Noon ET.
Saturday at 12:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, NBCSN, and the NBC Sports channel on YouTube: Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin
Eastern Michigan visits Wisconsin this Saturday, Sept. 19, at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, Wis., at 12:30 p.m. ET on Peacock, NBCSN, and the NBC Sports channel on YouTube. Coverage begins with Big Ten College Countdown at 12 p.m. ET. Wisconsin has won all four previous meetings in the series, most recently a 34-7 victory in 2021.
The Badgers enter the matchup following a 36-9 victory over Western Illinois. Quarterback Colton Joseph threw for 173 yards and a touchdown, while running back Abu Sama III rushed for 107 yards and a score as Wisconsin bounced back from its season-opening loss to Notre Dame.
Eastern Michigan enters Saturday’s matchup looking to bounce back from a 35-7 loss at Michigan State. Quarterback Noah Kim leads the Eagles’ offense after throwing for 571 yards through three games, while running back Amareon Blue paces the ground attack with 176 rushing yards this season.
Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin will be called by Dave Flemming (play-by-play), Matt Cassel (analyst), and Lewis Johnson (sideline reporter).
Saturday at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock: Southern Illinois at Illinois
Southern Illinois visits Illinois this Saturday, Sept. 19, at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill., at 2 p.m. ET on Peacock.
Illinois opened the season with a victory over UAB before falling to Duke, 31-27, last weekend and now returns home for an in-state matchup ahead of the start of conference play.
Southern Illinois, a perennial FCS contender from the Missouri Valley Football Conference, makes the short trip to Champaign aiming to pull off an upset.
Paul Burmeister (play-by-play), Ian Book (analyst), and Ashley ShahAhmadi (sideline reporter) will call Southern Illinois-Illinois from Gies Memorial Stadium.
Saturday at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN: Western Kentucky at No. 4 Indiana
Western Kentucky visits defending national champion No. 4 Indiana this Saturday, Sept. 19, at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind., at 4 p.m. ET on Peacock and NBCSN.
The Hoosiers have won their first two games and moved up to No. 4 in the AP Poll following a 55-0 shutout of Howard on Saturday. Quarterback Josh Hoover threw four touchdown passes in the victory, including three to wide receiver Charlie Becker, as Indiana extended its winning streak to 18 games.
Western Kentucky travels to Bloomington following a road loss at No. 2 Georgia where Hilltoppers quarterback Brock Glenn threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes.
Dan Hicks (play-by-play), Yogi Roth (analyst), and Caroline Pineda (sideline reporter) will call Western Kentucky-Indiana from Memorial Stadium. Reggie Smith will serve as rules analyst.
Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock: Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame
The No. 3 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-0) host the Michigan State Spartans (2-0) in the latest edition of the Megaphone Trophy series this Saturday, Sept. 19, from Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Live coverage begins with College Countdown at 7 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Notre Dame leads the all-time series in the longstanding rivalry, 49-29-1, that dates to 1897. The Fighting Irish won the most recent contest, 38-18, in 2017.
The Fighting Irish are coming off a 52-0 win over Rice in their home opener on Saturday. Quarterback CJ Carr threw for 253 yards and four touchdowns in only three quarters, with 12 different players catching a pass on Saturday, led by Jerome Bettis Jr. – son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and Notre Dame alum Jerome Bettis – who had 61 receiving yards. The Notre Dame defense forced four turnovers, highlighted by safety Adon Shuler’s forced fumble 14 seconds into the game that resulted in a 24-yard scoop-and-score for the Fighting Irish.
The Spartans defeated the Eastern Michigan Eagles, 35-7, on Saturday. Running back Cam Edwards led the offensive attack with 152 rushing yards and two touchdowns while quarterback Alessio Milivojevic threw for 170 yards and two touchdowns. Michigan State ran for 258 rushing yards in the win, their highest mark since a 2022 win against Akron (260 yards).
Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), and Kathryn Tappen (sideline reporter) will call Michigan State-Notre Dame from Notre Dame Stadium. Terry McAulay will serve as rules analyst.
Big Ten College Countdown
The Big Ten College Countdown team features host John Fanta alongside analysts Chris Simms, Joshua Perry, college football insider Nicole Auerbach, and betting analyst Connor Rogers.
Big Ten College Countdown will lead into Big Ten games on NBC/Peacock. In addition, College Countdown will lead into Notre Dame Football games on NBC/Peacock.
College Football Programming on NBC Sports NOW:
Fanta in 60, a fast-paced sports and entertainment show hosted by John Fanta and sports betting analyst Jay Croucher, airing Mondays from 6-7 p.m. ET. Fanta covers a combination of sports and pop culture conversations, speaks with guests, and takes viewer voicemails. The show covers multiple sports, betting and fantasy analysis, with guests including talent from across the NBC Sports and entertainment roster, as well as current and former athletes and coaches.
Rushing the Field returns for its third season, with new episodes featuring Nicole Auerbach and Joshua Perry airing Thursdays at 6 p.m. ET. Auerbach and Perry break down the biggest stories and discuss the latest news and trends in college football.
Big Ten Football Highlights Factory airing Mondays and Thursdays at 7 p.m. ET features highlights from every Big Ten Football game of the season, including matchups featuring some of the top teams in the nation, from Ohio State and Michigan to Oregon and USC.
NBC Sports’ 2026 Big Ten and Notre Dame Football games announced to date:
Date | Time (ET) | Matchup | Platform(s) |
Sat., Sept. 19 | 12:30 p.m. | Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin | Peacock, NBCSN, NBC Sports channel on YouTube |
Sat., Sept. 19 | 2 p.m. | Southern Illinois at Illinois | Peacock |
Sat., Sept. 19 | 4 p.m. | Western Kentucky at Indiana | Peacock, NBCSN |
Sat., Sept. 19 | 7:30 p.m. | Michigan State at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
Sat., Sept. 26 | 2 p.m. | Notre Dame at Purdue | Peacock |
Sat., Sept. 26 | 5 p.m. | Wisconsin at Penn State | Peacock |
Sat., Sept. 26 | 7:30 p.m. | Oregon at USC | NBC, Peacock |
Sat., Oct. 10 | 3:30 p.m. | Stanford at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
Sat., Oct. 10 | 7:30 p.m. | USC at Penn State (White Out) | NBC, Peacock |
Sat., Nov. 7 | 7:30 p.m. | Miami at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
Sat., Nov. 14 | 3:30 p.m. | Boston College at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
Sat., Nov. 21 | 7:30 p.m. | SMU at Notre Dame | NBC, Peacock |
Fri. Nov. 27 | 7:30 p.m. | Minnesota at Wisconsin | NBC, Peacock |
The remaining NBC Sports’ Big Ten Football games will be announced during the season, with each matchup typically announced 12 days prior to the scheduled game date.
In addition to Big Ten football, Peacock’s sports programming features live coverage of the NFL, including Sunday Night Football, the Olympic and Paralympic Games, Big Ten basketball, BIG EAST basketball, Big 12 basketball, Notre Dame Football, Premier League, golf, NBA and WNBA, and much more.
To learn more about how to watch Big Ten Football on Peacock and how to sign up, click here.
--NBC SPORTS--
