While most NCAA Division 1 college football teams started the season over Labor Day weekend, a small subset kicked off a week prior. This early slate of 10 games, dubbed "Week 0," gave advertisers an opportunity to get ahead of the chains in engaging college football's large, locked-in audience.
This year, Week 0 came a little later than usual, airing August 28-30 vs. last year's August 22-24 debut. Pushing deeper into summer, along with having three more games than last season, may partially explain why 2026 Week 0 ads drove 4.4x as much impact as the average ad on primetime broadcast and cable — up 16% from 2025.
For brands, Week 0 presented an opportunity to establish new campaigns and start the season off on the right foot. To see which advertisers capitalized, EDO tracked every ad that aired during these games, measuring the ad-driven consumer actions viewers took immediately after airings—such as brand searches, website visits, and app downloads. These metrics are proven, reliable predictors of future sales, capturing the moment an ad successfully moves someone from watching to acting.
So which brands aired it out best? Here's a look at some of the standouts.
QSRs feast on engagement
Across Week 0, several quick-service restaurants (QSRs) satiated consumers' hunger for affordability and nostalgia.
Marco's Pizza delivered the best brand performance across Week 0, with its ads generating 1,860% stronger engagement than the average Week 0 ad this season. The brand's top creative, A Promise (Unlimited One-Topping Medium $8.99) :15, touched on affordability while focusing primarily on the quality its customers enjoy without breaking the bank. This ad was 2,097% more effective than the average Week 0 ad.
Taco Bell took the second spot, generating 861% stronger engagement than the benchmark. Its top creative, Decades Menu - 2016 :15, tapped into the social media trend of looking back at 2016 fondly, while promoting its limited-edition menu that brings back some old favorites. This ad was 1,247% more effective than the average Week 0 ad.
Pizza Hut was another QSR standout in Week 0, ranking fourth overall among the weekend's advertisers. Its sole creative, Throwback Value Menu :15, similarly highlighted the brand bringing back classic menu items, but Pizza Hut also leaned into affordable prices. That combination helped drive 851% greater effectiveness than the average Week 0 ad.
Food & Beverage brands fill up the box score
Several CPG Food & Beverage brands joined the QSRs in making an impact during Week 0.
Dr Pepper ranked as the fifth most-effective brand overall, generating 704% stronger engagement than the Week 0 benchmark. Its top creative, Fansville - College Football :15, was very on-brand for college football viewers, with a tongue-in-cheek skit featuring new LSU head coach Lane Kiffin. That creative was 889% more effective than the average Week 0 ad.
M&M's followed closely behind, drumming up 647% stronger engagement than the average. The brand's top-performing creative, Peanut Inside Me :15, takes a relatively simple but upbeat approach to highlighting the tasty combo of peanuts and chocolate, and it resulted in 1,586% greater effectiveness than the benchmark.
Dos Equis also had a strong showing, with its ads averaging 633% stronger engagement than the Week 0 benchmark. The brand found the most success with its Facial Resistant ft. Jonathan Goldsmith :15 creative, which featured its iconic "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign hero, who returned to this role this year after a long hiatus. This creative was 606% more effective than the average Week 0 ad.
Amazon nets most effective creative despite varied performance
Amazon experienced a broad range of outcomes during Week 0, but its Back To School - Llamas ft Kathryn Hahn :15 ad led the way among the most effective creatives overall, with 2,339% stronger engagement than the average 2026 Week 0 spot. The timely ad spoke to affordability concerns, while still keeping a light tone.
Get the college football ad insights you need throughout the season
Week 0 gave advertisers an extra weekend to tap into college football's massive fanbase, and it's already looking like this will be another big season for brands.
As the season heats up, EDO will be measuring ad performance throughout the year. Follow along with our weekly NCAA football Top Ads rankings, refreshed every Wednesday.