The long-anticipated start to college football’s 2025 season will be worth the wait. Graced with several matchups involving nationally-ranked teams and programs expected to be in the thick of the playoff hunt, the Week 1 slate offers more than a half-dozen contests that will spark conversation around the country and define which teams will be contenders this fall.
From first-year coaches making their debuts to talent-stacked teams taking their show on the road in hostile environments, schedule makers have ensured the season begins with a bang.
With kickoff times and TV designations released for most of the biggest matchups, it’s time to start planning your Labor Day Weekend viewing schedule.
Date: Thursday, Aug. 28 | Time: 9 p.m. ET
Location: Arrowhead Stadium — Kansas City
Rason to watch: First glimpse at Huskers’ new-look offense with Dana Holgorsen calling the shots
Will former five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola emerge as one of the nation’s top passers within a simplified scheme? That’s the plan for Matt Rhule, who raved about Raiola’s development during the spring. Holgorsen tinkered with the Huskers’ playbook toward the end of last season before handling play-calling duties during Nebraska’s bowl win over Boston College. The slew of personnel packages and advanced terminology under Marcus Satterfield is out. Now Satterfield will be working with tight ends and increasing the production in that room.
Date: Friday, Aug. 29 | Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Folsom Field — Boulder, Colorado
Reason to watch: Changing of the guard under Coach Prime without No. 2 and No. 12 leading the way
Deion Sanders’ tenure at Colorado enters a new era without two of the nation’s top players from last year. The new-look Buffs will try to make their mark against a worthy, veteran-led adversary from the ACC. A bevy of transfers litter the two-deep at Colorado, a program most are expecting to take a step back in the Big 12 after winning nine games in 2024. Senior quarterback Haynes King takes his show on the road for the Yellow Jackets, who are no strangers to opening-week upsets after handling Florida State on the road last year in Week 1.
Date: Saturday, Aug. 30 | Time: Noon
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
Reason to watch: Josh Heupel has a point to prove offensively after Nico Iamaleava jumped ship to UCLA
Transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar is competing for the right to earn first-team honors for the Vols. Much of Tennessee’s preseason buzz evaporated after the program parted ways with Iamaleava, which is why this team will have a point to prove against Syracuse. The Orange turned heads in Year 1 under Fran Brown and used several post-spring portal additions to strengthen their roster for 2025.
Alabama at Florida State
Date: Aug. 30 | Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Doak-Campbell Stadium — Tallahassee, Florida
Reason to watch: Can the Seminoles pull off Week 1’s biggest upset and eliminate remnants of last season’s fall?
With former UCF coach Gus Malzahn assuming offensive reins with ex-Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos picked to orchestrate his attack, Florida State expects to rebound from a lackluster finish a season ago. The Seminoles have quite the matchup in the opener, however, against a Crimson Tide team with all-conference candidates at nearly every position group. Ty Simpson is the probable starter at quarterback for an offense making its debut under first-year OC Ryan Grubb.
Date: Aug. 30 | Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Memorial Stadium — Clemson, South Carolina
Reason to watch: Two heavyweights square off in a contest with a playoff-like feel
Several future first-rounders will be on display under the lights in the “other” Death Valley as defending ACC champion Clemson steps into the ring with LSU. Brian Kelly’s program signed the nation’s top-ranked transfer class this offseason and faces grand expectations in hopes of getting to the playoff for the first time in his tenure. LSU hasn’t won a season opener since 2019 when Joe Burrow and Tigers rand the table en route to a national championship.
Date: Aug. 31 Time: 3:30 p.m.
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium — Atlanta
Must-know reason to watch: Shane Beamer takes on his father’s former program in a ACC-SEC clash.
The Gamecocks were one victory shy of reaching the playoff for the first time in 2024 after winning six consecutive games — including three against top 25 opponents — to end the regular season. Half of South Carolina’s 2024 defensive starters are now in the NFL and pressure falls on redshirt sophomore quarterback LaNorris Sellers to pick up the slack. Former five-star EDGE prospect Dylan Stewart returns to try and harass a Hokies team that could be a contender in the ACC.
Date: Aug. 31 | Time: 7:30 p.m.
Location: Hard Rock Stadium — Miami
Reason to watch: Carson Beck’s debut sparks portal-rich roster for Mario Cristobal and the Hurricanes
Miami underwent a high-stakes reboot after nearly nearly making the CFP behind eventual No. 1 overall pick Cam Ward at quarterback. Beck hopes to silence some of the doubts that surfaced during last fall’s up and down campaign at Georgia. Notre Dame won three playoff games under Marcus Freeman to reach the CFP final and expectations haven’t changed in 2025 thanks to a loaded roster.
Date: Sept. 1 | Time: 8 p.m.
Location: Kenan Stadium — Chapel Hill, North Carolina
Reason to watch: The Bill Belichick era opens for the Tar Heels with great intrigue.
Belichick gets the national spotlight to himself to conclude a robust Labor Day Weekend slate as North Carolina entertains TCU in Chapel Hill. It’s a tough draw for the Tar Heels, who lost several key players to the transfer portal this offseason while picking up a number of new starters of their own. Horned Frogs quarterback Josh Hoover is one of the more underrated players in the country and could pick up serious steam if he begins the campaign with a monumental outing on the road against the Tar Heels.
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