“Farmageddon” headlines College Football’s Week 0 in 2025

Image Courtesy: FOX4KC.com

The 2025 college football season finally begins with Week 0 tomorrow.

“Farmageddon” is the headliner matchup in Dublin, Ireland, with ESPN’s College GameDay on location for the second consecutive season. Last year, AP No. 10 Florida State faced off against Georgia Tech in what many believed would be a clash between two of the ACC’s top teams. The Yellow Jackets upset the Seminoles 24–21, which ended up being the first of ten losses for Florida State.

Now, another intra-conference showdown takes center stage at noon ET on ESPN during college football’s debut weekend: No. 22 Iowa State against No. 17 Kansas State. After Iowa State ended Kansas State’s regular season with a 29-21 win in Ames on November 30, they begin the 2025 season with each other almost nine months later across the Atlantic Ocean. Two strong Big 12 squads battle in a rivalry matchup with plenty of history. The Cyclones are coming off a Big 12 title game appearance and a thrilling 42–41 Pop-Tarts Bowl win over Miami. Their defense should again be a strength, led by nose guard Domonique Orange, linebacker Caleb Bacon, and secondary standouts Jontez Williams and Jeremiah Cooper. Veteran quarterback Rocco Becht has a new-look receiving corps, but the running back duo of Carson Hansen and Abu Sama III should find success behind an offensive line returning three starters.

The Wildcats, who won nine games last season—including overcoming a 17-point deficit in the Rate Bowl against Rutgers—enter 2025 with higher expectations for Chris Klieman’s squad. Third-year quarterback Avery Johnson leads an offense with one of the better tailback duos in the conference, Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson. On defense, Kansas State returns just one starter, safety VJ Payne, who will be counted on to anchor a rebuilt unit.

The rest of the Week 0 slate features no other preseason AP Top 25 teams:

Idaho State @ UNLV (4 PM ET, Mountain West Network)
Tarleton State @ Portland State (4:30 PM ET, ESPN2)
Fresno State @ Kansas (6:30 PM ET, FOX)
Sam Houston @ Western Kentucky (7 PM ET, CBSSN)
UC Davis vs. Mercer (Montgomery) (7 PM ET, ESPN)
North Carolina Central vs. Southern (MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta) (7:30 PM ET, ABC)
Stanford @ Hawai‘i (7:30 PM ET, CBS)

Looking ahead, Texas, Penn State, Ohio State, Clemson, and Georgia headline the AP Top 25 in that order. The top-ranked Longhorns travel to “The Shoe” to face the No. 3 Buckeyes on Big Noon Kickoff to open Week 1’s Saturday slate. Later that day, No. 2 Penn State hosts Nevada and No. 5 Georgia hosts Marshall, with both games kicking off at 3:30 PM ET on CBS and ESPN, respectively. Saturday night brings the marquee showdown: No. 4 Clemson hosts No. 9 LSU at 7:30 PM ET on ABC—a top-10 clash between two programs that both call their home stadium “Death Valley.”