ESPN, ABC to kick off 2016 college football season with tripleheaders

ESPN and ABC have announced a can't-miss Week 1 schedule for college football fans, with an opening weekend that begins on Sept. 3 and features four games between ranked opponents in ESPN.com's "Way-Too-Early Top 25."

There will be tripleheaders on both ESPN and ABC, with each game featuring at least a top-six team or a matchup of ranked teams, including defending national champion and No. 1-ranked Alabama facing No. 12 USC (8 p.m. ET, ABC) at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

The first college football Saturday of the season begins in Dublin, Ireland, when Georgia Tech plays Boston College (7:30 a.m. ET, ESPN2) at Aviva Stadium.

No. 5 Oklahoma will face No. 18 Houston (12 p.m. ET, ABC) in the 2016 AdvoCare Texas Kickoff from NRG Stadium in Houston. Hawaii visits No. 3 Michigan (12 p.m. ET, ESPN). No. 6 LSU will face Wisconsin (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC) from Lambeau Field, the historic venue's first college game in more than 30 years.

No. 13 Georgia will play No. 19 North Carolina (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the 2016 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game from the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The ACC-SEC matchups continue later with No. 2 Clemson at Auburn (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

On Sept. 4, the national spotlight turns to Austin, Texas, where the Longhorns will host No. 9 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC) in another game with College Football Playoff implications. The game is believed to be the network's first-ever Sunday prime-time, regular-season college football game.

It's only the 12th meeting between the Longhorns and the Irish in a series that began in 1913.

In all, DICK'S Sporting Goods Kickoff Week will feature at least 12 teams ranked in ESPN.com's "Way-Too-Early Top 25."

Week 1 concludes with the annual Labor Day night game, which this year pits No. 14 Ole Miss vs. No. 4 Florida State (8 p.m. ET, ESPN) in the 2016 Camping World Kickoff from Orlando.