Anyone else extremely excited for college football’s first full weekend? Courtesy of the preseason AP Top 25 poll, we’ll have three Week 1 games involving teams ranked in the top 10, including a pair of the SEC’s record number of ranked squads to open the 2025 season.
The preseason No. 1 for the first time in program history, Texas opens at reigning national champion Ohio State on Aug. 30 in what could be a College Football Playoff preview of sorts, Meanwhile, LSU faces off with Clemson later that night.
Labor Day Weekend kicks into overdrive the following evening when Notre Dame visits Miami, marking the first time the two blue-blood programs have met since 2017.
AP Top 25 poll: Texas makes history as preseason No. 1, Penn State is No. 2 in college football rankings
Will Backus
These early-season contests provide a glimpse at the nation’s strongest conferences and offer a barometer for those who could be in national title contention this fall.
Below are college football’s 15 must-see games this season based on the preseason AP poll.
No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State
Date: Aug. 30 (Week 1)
We didn’t get the No. 1 versus No. 2 clash that most were expecting after the Coaches Poll release, but this will be among both programs’ most-anticipated openers ever given how last season finished for each. The Longhorns were knocking on the door of a berth in the national championship game before Jack Sawyer and Ohio State’s defense came up big. The 2025 teams look different, but expectations haven’t changed for Arch Manning, Jeremiah Smith and the talent that will populate the field in Columbus.
Date: Aug. 30 (Week 1)
Brian Kelly and Dabo Swinney have traded playful barbs this summer ahead of this seismic SEC versus ACC clash, one of two games this season for Clemson against elite SEC competition (at South Carolina in November). LSU has not won a season opener since its last national title-winning campaign in 2019, while Clemson is charged with defending its home turf on a national stage. After this one’s over, Clemson’s expected to be favored in every ACC contest the rest of the way.
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami
Date: Aug. 31 (Week 1)
One of the most storied rivalries of the 1980s is renewed in South Florida during opening weekend as the Hurricanes try to seize headlines for the second straight year against a nationally-ranked foe to begin the season. Miami spoiled Florida’s home opener in this spot in 2024 to kick-start Cam Ward’s brilliant campaign as a Heisman Trophy finalist. Now, former Georgia quarterback Carson Beck gets another crack at Notre Dame after he was forced to miss last year’s Sugar Bowl against the Fighting Irish upon suffering an injury in the SEC title game.
Date: Sept. 6 (Week 2)
Here’s a spotlight chance for Sherrone Moore and Brent Venables, two coaches hoping for improvement in 2025. The Wolverines beat Ohio State, USC and Alabama last fall, but finished short of their goal of getting back to the playoff as defending national champions. The Sooners revamped their roster this offseason after stumbling to their second 6-7 campaign under Venables in three years. The winner of this one can carry the Big Ten or SEC torch early.
No. 19 Texas A&M at No. 6 Notre Dame
Date: Sept. 13 (Week 3)
A rematch of last year’s defensive slugfest in College Station, the Aggies and Fighting Irish crunch helmets in South Bend this time around. It’s one of Notre Dame’s marquee tilts against ranked competition this season and will go a long way in determining whether Marcus Freeman’s squad gets back to the playoff as an Independent.
No. 15 Florida at No. 10 Miami
Date: Sept. 20 (Week 4)
This Sunshine State rivalry hit another level last season when the Hurricanes left The Swamp with a decisive win over the Gators. Will Billy Napier return the favor this time around in the matchup against Mario Cristobal? A win over Florida would push Miami closer to its first playoff appearance, while a loss makes the margin for error small unless the Hurricanes win the ACC.
No. 8 Alabama at No. 5 Georgia
Date: Sept. 27 (Week 5)
Kirby Smart is 1-6 against Alabama during his time at Georgia, the lone victory coming in the first of two national championships for the Bulldogs to end the 2021 season. Last year’s matchup was a shootout in Tuscaloosa, and now Georgia gets an opportunity to return the favor in Athens for only the second time in the last 10 meetings. The loser of this one will have an uphill climb in reaching the conference title game given the rest of the respective schedules for each.
Date: Sept. 27 (Week 5)
This one sets up to be an all-timer for the Penn State faithful with a “Whiteout” night game planned for the Ducks at the end of September. The Nittany Lions lost to Oregon in the Big Ten Championship Game last season but caught fire in the playoff before falling to Notre Dame in the semifinals. Oregon will likely be carrying a regular-season winning streak of 22 games into Happy Valley by the time this one kicks off.
No. 1 Texas at No. 15 Florida
Date: Oct. 4 (Week 6)
The Longhorns have been to Gainesville once, but it has been since 1940. Going into The Swamp for the Longhorns will be like nothing they experienced previously in the Big 12 and will be the toughest road trip they’ve faced since beating Texas A&M on the road to punch their ticket to the SEC title game last season. The quarterback showing between Manning and DJ Lagway is a NFL scout’s dream.
No. 3 Ohio State at No. 12 Illinois
Date: Oct. 11 (Week 7)
Equipped with a veteran team and ample confidence after a 10-win season, the Fighting Illini are anxious to rudely welcome the Buckeyes in mid-October. However, for this matchup to hang onto maximum significance Illinois will have to beat Duke and Indiana early and not succumb to the offseason hype.
No. 13 South Carolina at No. 9 LSU
Date: Oct. 11 (Week 7)
You don’t have to remind Gamecocks fans on how last season’s loss to the Tigers ended. South Carolina squandered a multi-touchdown and had a defensive touchdown taken off the board in the fourth quarter. This one’s been circled for a while, but LSU has won eight straight in the series. Should both teams meet lofty expectations in September, there’s a chance both the Gamecocks and Tigers are unbeaten and ranked inside the top 10.
No. 2 Penn State at No. 3 Ohio State
Date: Nov. 1 (Week 10)
James Franklin has beaten Ohio State once during his tenure at Penn State, that coming in the 2016 season. Eight consecutive wins means the Buckeyes should be favored in this one as well, coming more than halfway through the Big Ten schedule. Perceived as the two best teams in the conference ahead of the season openers, the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes are loaded within their two-deeps.
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 15 Florida
Date: Nov. 1 (Week 10)
Can Florida turn the tables in what’s been a one-sided rivalry since Smart took over at Georgia? Four straight losses to the Bulldogs by double digits have been tough to stomach for the Gators, and they’re likely going to need this one to seriously contend for an SEC title. For two programs who recruited extremely well this offseason, this is the game elite recruits within both states play close attention to every year. Savor this one in Jacksonville, SEC fans.
No. 9 LSU at No. 8 Alabama
Date: Nov. 8 (Week 11)
This one always means something in the SEC and playoff picture and we’re not expecting the 2025 installment to be any different. Jalen Milroe embarrassed LSU at Tiger Stadium last season, but neither team finished the way they wanted and both missed the 12-team playoff. The likelihood of either being unbeaten when this one unfolds is slim, as it could be a playoff elimination game of sorts in Tuscaloosa.
No. 1 Texas at No. 5 Georgia
Date: Nov. 15 (Week 12)
This home schedule for the Bulldogs this season can really flex the program’s pedigree against other elites. No coach in the SEC has more career wins over top-25 opponents (37) than Smart entering the season, and he’s got a shot at several more in 2025. For Steve Sarkisian, he hasn’t beaten Georgia at Texas yet. Last fall, the Bulldogs toppled the Longhorns in overtime, 22-19, in the SEC title game and walloped Texas during the regular season, 30-15.
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