The official commencement of the college football season traditionally takes place during the final weekend of August or the very first weekend of September, aligning with the Labor Day holiday weekend in the United States. While marquee neutral-site matchups and special Week Zero opening games occasionally kick off a few days earlier to capture standalone television spotlight windows, the vast majority of Football Bowl Subdivision and Football Championship Subdivision programs launch their full regular-season schedules during this late-summer weekend. This highly anticipated kickoff weekend marks the celebratory return of tailgating, marching bands, and intense gridiron competition across college campuses nationwide.