No more appetizers, friends. It’s time for the full college football buffet. And if last weekend’s opener in Ireland is any indication, the Big 12 is going to be mighty tasty this season.
Welcome to the officially official kickoff weekend of the 2025 season … and yes, five (FIVE!) straight days of college football.
That’s not to say that Week 0 was meaningless. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Hawaii walked off Stanford in dramatic fashion, thanks to a gutty performance from QB Micah Alejado (whose name we both blank o...
No more appetizers, friends. It’s time for the full college football buffet. And if last weekend’s opener in Ireland is any indication, the Big 12 is going to be mighty tasty this season.
Welcome to the officially official kickoff weekend of the 2025 season … and yes, five (FIVE!) straight days of college football.
That’s not to say that Week 0 was meaningless. In fact, the exact opposite is true. Hawaii walked off Stanford in dramatic fashion, thanks to a gutty performance from QB Micah Alejado (whose name we both blank on during the show … sorry!) and a clutch kick from Kansei Matsuzawa, who might be one of the greatest stories of the entire season. Oh, and also … hi there, Dan Mullen. You might want to find a defense somewhere. Just sayin.
Due to familial obligations, AJ is unable to join us live this week, but he does offer us our first #GroupOfFiveAfterDark report of the year, and yes, it’s as thorough as you would expect.
And then, the games. So. Many. Games. As a college football fan, this weekend is what you live for. You’re going to need lots of quad-boxes and multiple screens. If you’re a fan of any of these teams, though, you may be asking yourself, “What are they thinking?” Because some of these scheduling decisions, while delightful for fans, are big-time head-scratchers. Let’s go.
No. 25 Boise State at South Florida (5:30 ET Thursday, ESPN): Is Boise still the class of the G5? This game should give us an indication.
Ohio at Rutgers (6 ET Thursday, BTN): Upset alert? Maybe? If Parker Navarro gets going … pay attention to this one. Maybe MAC upsets aren’t dead yet.
Nebraska vs. Cincinnati (9 ET Thursday, ESPN): We’re not entirely sure why this game is in Arrowhead. (Note: We recorded this show prior to Tuesday’s big announcement, so maybe this was scheduled all along as a Tay and Trav engagement party? Your guess is as good as ours.)
Georgia Tech at Colorado (8 ET Friday, ESPN): Is the Wrambling Wreck as good as we think it might be? One way or another, this game is likely to be a fireworks factory.
No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State (Biggest Nude Saturday, FOX): To both of these teams: What were you thinking? This game is taking all of the top headlines for the weekend, and deservedly so. We’ll get the debut of new QBs on both sides of the ball … one of whom you’ve likely heard of. (Incessantly. For, like, the last two years.)
No. 8 Alabama at Florida State (3:30 ET Saturday, ABC): This is the “We Have No Idea” bowl. We do know that things can’t get much worse for the Noles from last year. Can they pull off a huge upset at home?
South Dakota at No. 22 Iowa State (3:30 ET Saturday, FOX): OK. No, really. What were you thinking, Cyclones? Play your archrival in Ireland … then come home to play a Dakota? Good luck with that. (It’s a trap.)
No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson (7:30 ET Saturday, ABC): This game isn’t getting the headlines it probably should be getting. A battle of tigers and Death Valleys and two really great QBs, oh my. Lots of fun in primetime.
Cal at Oregon State (10:30 ET Saturday, ESPN): Let’s call this game what it is: #Pac12AfterDark. Cal is in a full-on rebuild, which means this should end well for the Beavs.
Utah at UCLA (11 ET Saturday, FOX): More #Pac12AfterDark and the debut of Nico on the West Coast. And congratulations, sir, you get to play the Utes defense behind a sketchy offensive line. Enjoy!
Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina (3 ET Sunday, ESPN): Are the Gamecocks for real? We should learn more about them here.
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (7:30 ET Sunday, ABC): Two new QBs in this game, but one has way more experience than the other. Carson Beck makes his U debut … but the Irish boast arguably the best back in the country in Jeremiyah Love.
TCU at North Carolina (8 ET Monday, ESPN): Some guy you may have heard of is now the head coach of the Tar Heels. But the Horny Toads are our favorites in this one.
If that’s not enough for you, we have quite the list of honorable mentions:
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Robert Morris at West Virginia (2 ET Saturday, ESPN+)
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Nevada at No. 2 Penn State (3:30 ET Saturday, CBS)
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Coastal Carolina at Virginia (6 ET Saturday, ACCN)
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North Dakota at No. 17 Kansas State (7 ET Saturday, ESPN+)
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Austin Peay at MTSU (7 ET Saturday, ESPN+)
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Western Illinois at No. 12 Illinois (7:30 ET, Peacock)
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Auburn at Baylor (8 ET Saturday, FOX)
And finally, we close the show with a tip of the cap (and our beverages) to Lee Corso, who will officially retire from College GameDay this weekend. He has inspired many and has brought a level of fun and entertainment to our sport that will be sincerely missed.
With that … let the games begin. We’ll see you back here next week to recap one of the best weekends of the year. Cheers, friends.
