2025 cbhsports 8/28-9/1 College Football Preview

Image Courtesy: FOX 7 Austin

AP Top 5
1.Texas 0-0 (0-0) SEC This week: @ 3.Ohio State (Saturday, 12 PM ET, FOX)
2.Penn State 0-0 (0-0) Big Ten This week: Nevada (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, CBS)
3.Ohio State 0-0 (0-0) Big Ten This week: 1.Texas (Saturday, 12 PM ET FOX)
4.Clemson 0-0 (0-0) ACC This week: 9.LSU (Saturday 7:30 PM ET, ABC)
5.Georgia 0-0 (0-0) SEC This week: Marshall (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN)

Key games this weekend (Rankings based off of AP Poll)

Thursday, August 28
Cincinnati vs. Nebraska (Kansas City)
9 PM ET, ESPN
Cincinnati and Nebraska meet in Arrowhead Stadium to kick off the week 1 of the college football season in Kansas City. The Bearcats fell just short of a bowl game in 2024, going 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Big 12. The highlight of their season was their 24-14 victory over eventual conference champion Arizona State back on October 19 at home inside Nippert Stadium.

Scott Satterfield’s team lost the next five games to end the season. For Nebraska, year 3 under head coach Matt Rhule will be crucial. Building off of a 7-6 and 3-6 record in the Big Ten will be crucial. The seventh win for the Cornhuskers was a 20-15 win against Boston College in the Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl on December 28.

The success of Cincinnati’s will likely fall on quarterback Brendan Sorsby and his ability to potentially take a step forward this season. The Bearcats lost a large portion of their secondary after last season, so seeing how their new group performs against Dylan Raiola—entering his second season as the starting signal-caller in Lincoln—should be one of the determining factors in the game.

He will need to improve after he threw just 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions last fall. Emmett Johnson joins Raiola in the backfield and his production in Dana Holgorsen’s offense with what should be an improved offensive line will be vital in their success in starting the season well against a Cincinnati team that may underachieve again in 2025. In what may not be one of the better games this weekend, Nebraska should take care of business by multiple scores.

Projected Score: Nebraska 31, Cincinnati 14

Friday, August 29
Auburn @ Baylor
8 PM ET, FOX
Hugh Freeze’s tenure at Auburn could be close to over if their road trip to Waco is not a success. The Tigers suffered a terrible 2024 season after winning only five games. The Tigers failed to beat a struggling California program in the non-conference and won just two games in SEC play.

Baylor’s Dave Aranda was on the hot seat following a 3-9 season in 2023. But eight regular season wins including six in the Big 12 helped him right the ship in 2024. The last time the Bears faced an SEC program, they lost to LSU in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl, 44-31. Aranda’s team should have a much better shot to win and they may be favorites entering Friday night’s clash against Auburn.

Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton joins tremendous sophomore Cam Coleman as one of the best receiver duos in the country. It will be on Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold to get them the ball down the field. Throughout Freeze’s tenure, there have been many issues with Auburn’s offensive staff—particularly regarding who is actually calling the plays—and a tendency to blame the quarterbacks for the offense’s struggles, as Freeze did multiple times with former Tiger quarterback Peyton Thorne in 2024. Without talented tailback Jarquez Hunter, the Baylor defense could stymie Auburn’s run-game and prove their offense may be more one-dimensional than a fair-weather college football fans might think. Incoming transfers Emar’rion Watson (Oregon pass-rusher), Travion Barnes (FIU linebacker), Devin Turner (Northwestern safety), and Calvin Simpson-Hunt (Ohio State cornerback) should be a few of the top contributors for Aranda’s defense against Freeze’s offense.

Sawyer Robertson should again be one of the Big 12’s best quarterbacks in 2025. In 2024, he threw for over 3,000 yards and 28 touchdowns. Bryson Washington will join Robertson again in the backfield after a quality freshman season. Auburn pass-rusher Kendrick Faulk will pose challenges for those two if the Bears offensive line cannot protect Robertson. If the offensive line can consistently protect him, top receiver Josh Cameron will be the biggest threat against a Tiger secondary that returns four contributors from 2024.

In what should be a competitive Friday night game in Waco, I have the Bears winning a close one over the Tigers.

Projected Score: Baylor 31, Auburn 28

Georgia Tech @ Colorado
8 PM ET, ESPN

In what should be another quality game on Friday night, Brent Key’s Georgia Tech Yellowjackets head to Boulder to take on Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes. Georgia Tech went 7-6 after competing with Georgia in a long eight overtime game on Black Friday before losing to another SEC foe Vanderbilt a few weeks later in the Birmingham Bowl, 35-27. Despite losing the last two games last fall, there is positive momentum for Key’s team and they could very well be an ACC title and College Football Playoff contender this fall.

Sanders will be without his sons, Shedeur and Shilo, as well as 2024 Heisman Trophy winner and NFL second overall pick Travis Hunter. With those three in 2024, the Buffaloes went 9-4 and went 7-2 in the Big 12. They lost to conference foe BYU in the Valero Alamo Bowl, 36-14. More will be asked of Sanders and the Colorado roster without the outgoing group from last season.

Veteran signal-caller Haynes King will be hard to rattle even with the Colorado crowd. Haynes will get to play against a new look Buffalo secondary without the aforementioned Hunter and Sanders. But King will be without Eric Singleton but hope is Malik Rutherford continues his growth after playing second fiddle to Singleton in 2024. If King is able to avoid Colorado’s talented pass-rush led by returner Arden Walker, it may be hard for the Buffaloes to protect their home field.

On the other side, Sanders announced that Liberty transfer Kaidon Salters will start over talented freshman Julian Lewis at quarterback. Both are dual-threat quarterbacks with plenty of speed, so they match up similar with the Yellow Jacket defense. After losing the dual-threat Hunter to the NFL, the receiving core will be starting from scratch against a Georgia Tech defensive backfield led by Clayton Powell-Lee and a defensive directed by former star Texas safety Blake Gideon, who came over after spending time at his alma mater coaching the position. With a lack of running game for the Buffaloes, Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk will look to get his running backs going against a linebacking room including Kyle Efford and EJ Lightsey.

Colorado will be playing this game at home but I’m high on the strides made by Key’s Yellow Jackets in 2024 despite only winning seven games. It may be a competitive game for a half or three quarters but the Yellow Jackets will pull away late.

Projected Score: Georgia Tech 35, Colorado 20

Saturday, August 30
Syracuse vs. 24.Tennessee (Atlanta; Aflac Kickoff Game)
12 PM ET, ABC

Tennessee battles Syracuse in Atlanta in the first of two Aflac Kickoff games over two days this Labor Day weekend. The Volunteers come off of a 10-2 season that had them in the College Football Playoff. They did lose to the Ohio State Buckeyes on the road in the quarterfinals but under head coach Josh Heupel, the program continues to improve every season of his tenure. The offseason did not go well, as starting quarterback Nico Iamaleava left the program after his father’s influence led him to enter the transfer portal following multiple missed practices. Defensive back Boo Carter has been working to rejoin the Vols’ lineup, and Heupel expects him to play a role when they take on the Orange.

Under first year head coach Fran Brown in 2024, Syracuse went 10-3 overall and won 5 games in the ACC on their way to a dominant DirecTV Holiday Bowl win over Washington State. Much will change in their opening-day lineup compared to last season’s, but the Orange should still be in position to finish in the top half of the ACC, regardless of Saturday’s result against the Volunteers.

Joey Aguilar enters his first game as the starting quarterback for Tennessee after coming over from UCLA. He will face a Syracuse defense full of new faces.The Vols will be without 2024 SEC Offensive Player of the Year Dylan Sampson in the running game. The duo of Peyton Lewis and DeSean Bishop will need to be contained by top Syracuse linebacker Derek McDonald if the Orange hope to win this game. Aguilar will throw to a thin receiving core and have to entrust sophomore Mike Matthews to be his top option down the field. This will especially be difficult against the talented duo nickleback Devin Grant and safety Duce Chestnut in the Syracuse secondary.

Syracuse will again depend on a transfer quarterback in 2025 after former Ohio State signal-caller Kyle McCord starred for Syracuse in 2024. The guy that will have to lead the Orange offense against Tennessee’s talented defensive front is LSU transfer Rickie Collins. Having to avoid Joshua Josephs, Bryson Eason, and Jaxson Moi along the defensive front, especially without All-ACC running back  LeQuint Allen and with only one returning receiver Darrell Gill Jr.

Syracuse’s lack of offensive weapons and Tennessee’s talent up front and in the secondary (such as cornerbacks in Rickey Gibson III and Jermod McCoy) are the two determining factors of this game. The Volunteers may start slow with Aguilar but their defense will secure the win.

Projected Score: Tennessee 24, Syracuse 14

1.Texas @ 3.Ohio State
12 PM ET, FOX

College football’s biggest week 1 game will likely be in Columbus as both College GameDay and Big Noon Kickoff will be on sight for a AP pre-season top three match-up and a rematch of the 2024 College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. In what will be College GameDay analyst Lee Corso’s final show, Ohio State will look too continue their success against the Longhorns after beating them in Arlington in December before winning the College Football Playoff National Championship against Notre Dame in January.

Both teams enter the season with new starting quarterback after both Will Howard and Quinn Ewers went pro. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin will step in for Howard and his top receiver Jeremiah Smith already has confidence in him. Smith alongside Carnell Tate on the outside will prove to be a challenge for the Texas secondary led by safeties Michael Taaffe and Jelani McDonald. James Peoples will take over for TreVeyon and Henderson and Quinshon Judkins next to Sayin in the backfield. He may have a difficult time against defensive end Colin Simmons and linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. on the other side of the ball.

Arch Manning enters the season as Texas’ starting quarterback after spending the last two as a backup. He enters with as much hype as any quarterback ever has even with what his family garners. Ryan Wingo and DeAndre Moore Jr. should step up as Manning’s top two receivers with a terrific group of tailbacks including Quintrevion Wisner and CJ Baxter. These offensive playmakers will be tough to handle for Ohio State’s defense that returns the just the nation’s top safety, Caleb Downs. This will be Matt Patricia’s first game taking over for Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator. His play-calling will be key in protecting the Buckeyes’ home field and starting the season out 1-0.

In what could be one of the best games of the season, Texas will go into Columbus and win an important game for the SEC in a close one.

Projected Score: Texas 42, Ohio State 35

8.Alabama @ Florida State
3:30 PM ET, ABC

Alabama heads to Florida State in a game Kalen DeBoer’s team must The Crimson Tide lost to Michigan in bowl play for the second consecutive season, but they should have a roster capable of SEC Championship and College Football Playoff runs, especially with a stronger lineup and Ryan Grubb once again calling plays on offense for DeBoer.

Mike Norvell’s Seminoles went 2–10 in 2024, just a year after missing the College Football Playoff despite an undefeated regular season in 2023. There is hope a revamped roster and coaching staff will put them back in the thick of things in the ACC and to play a competitive game against the eighth ranked Crimson Tide.

Alabama will be without tailback Jam Miller after suffered a dislocated collarbone during a scrimmage a few weeks ago, and is expected to miss the first three games of the 2025 season. So it will be up to new starting quarterback Ty Simpson to handle the load. He must get the ball down the field to receivers Ryan Williams, Germie Bernard, and tight end Josh Cuevas. Florida State’s defense should be better in 2025 but it won’t be able to stop Alabama consistently if linemen Darrell Jackson Jr., James Williams, and linebacker Omar Graham Jr. don’t show up and play well. It will also be important for defensive backs Edwin Joseph and Jeremiah Wilson to defend the speedy Williams and Bernard.

Star defensive lineman Tim Keenan III will miss multiple games for the Crimson Tide after suffering an ankle injury and undergoing surgery. Fellow defensive lineman LT Overton must step up in Keenan’s absence and pose many problems against Boston College transfer quarterback Thomas Castellanos, who made some interesting comments about the ‘Noles opener against the Tide at ACC Media Days in July. Alabama’s old rival, former Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn, has taken over offensive play-calling duties in Tallahassee. That should make for an interesting game as cornerbacks Domani Jackson and Cabin Brown, and safety Bray Hubbard look to lock up Malzahn’s top receivers wide receivers Duce Robinson and Squirrel White, who both came over from other programs in the off-season. That should make for an interesting matchup, as cornerbacks Domani Jackson and Cabin Brown, along with safety Bray Hubbard, will look to lock down Malzahn’s top wideouts, Duce Robinson and Squirrel White, both of whom transferred in during the offseason.

This could be a good match up in the first half, but Alabama should overcome Florida State in the second half, winning by multiple scores.

Projected Score: Alabama 38, Florida State 17

9.LSU @ 4.Clemson
7:30 PM ET, ABC

ABC’s first primetime game on a Saturday night this season is the “Death Valley” bowl between LSU and Clemson. LSU heads to Clemson looking for their first week 1 win since 2019. Brian Kelly needs a win to keep himself off of a warm seat this off-season so they can continue their fight for a College Football Playoff spot. They would not necessarily be out of it with a loss but a win over the fourth ranked Tigers would not hurt at all.

Clemson won the ACC last season and Dabo Swinney’s team is the favorite to do it again. They made it the College Football Playoff Quarterfinals last December before losing to Texas in Austin. They will look to make it there again and farther in a season where they are considered to have one of the most talented rosters in the country.

LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier should be one of the better quarterbacks in the country if he avoids turnovers. That will be a difficult task against a Clemson secondary that includes cornerbacks Avieon Terrell and Ashton Hampton. Defensive tackle Peter Woods and defensive end TJ Parker should pose problems up front against Nussmeier and running back Caden Durham. Top receiver Aaron Anderson will have to deal with the aforementioned Terrell and Hampton.

Clemson signal-caller Cade Klubnik could succeed very easily against an LSU defense that has been up and down under coordinator Blake Baker. Klubnik has shown that he can easily get the ball down the field to Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr., and TJ Moore on the outside. Tailbacks Adam Randall and Gideon Davidson will be challenged by LSU defenders Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins but if they do enough to keep the honest, Klubnik’s passing game should do the trick.

The battle between LSU and Clemson should be phenomenal. It could be a a back and forth game if LSU’s offense is as good as many think it is. But, until I see LSU win a season-opener, I will pick Clemson to win this game.

Projected Score: Clemson 42, LSU 31

Sunday, August 31
13.South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (Atlanta; Aflac Kickoff Game)
3 PM ET, ESPN

The “Beamer Bowl” takes center stage in Atlanta on Sunday afternoon as Shane Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks take on the Virginia Tech Hokies, formerly led by his father Frank Beamer. South Carolina will attempt to build on a 9-4 season that ended sourly with a loss to Bret Bielema and Illinois, 21-17 in the Citrus Bowl.

Brent Pry needs a successful season at Virginia Tech or he will be fired. The Hokies went 6-7 last fall and suffered both a season-opening loss to Vanderbilt and a season-ending loss to Minnesota in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.

The Gamecocks have one of the best quarterbacks in the country in LaNorris Sellers. His dual-threat abilities helped him have a successful first season as the starter behind center. But, now he must entrust new tailback Rahsul Faison and a young group of receivers led by Nyck Harbor against a Virginia Tech defense led by new coordinator Sam Siefkes. Along the defensive line, tackles Kelvin Gilliam Jr. and Kemari Copeland hold down the interior and transfer ends James Djonkam (Eastern Michigan) and Ben Bell (Texas State) will look to bring Sellers down in the backfield. Sellers and his receiving core should have success against a new-look Hokie linebacking core and secondary.

Kyron Drones, similar to Sellers, uses his dual-threat abilities to get the Virginia Tech offense going from behind center. South Carolina’s defense lost multiple pieces to the NFL but standout sophomore Dylan Stewart remains along a Gamecock defensive line that wants to sack Drones and stymie a running back group that includes Bowling Green transfer Terion Stewart and returner Ayden Greene. Nickel Jalon Kilgore and the secondary will look to stop Drone’s down the field passing to newcomers Donovan Green (Wake Forest) and Cameron Seldon (Tennessee).

South Carolina’s defense may not be as good as it was in 2024, but if they make timely stops against Drones and the Virginia Tech offense, LaNorris Sellers should make enough timely plays to help the Gamecocks begin 2025 with a 1-0 record.

Projected Score: South Carolina 28, Virginia Tech 20

6.Notre Dame @ 10.Miami
7:30 PM ET, ABC

Notre Dame heads to Coral Gables to face Miami to reignite an old rivalry. Both teams come off of quality seasons but the Fighting Irish made it all the way to the College Football Playoff. The Irish were a fourth quarter comeback away against Ohio State from winning that game but now the focus shifts to an old rival, the Miami Hurricanes.

Mario Cristobal’s Hurricanes fell to Iowa State in the Pop-Tart’s Bowl and ended the 2024 season with a 10-3 record. The amount of talent on this Miami roster could potentially get themselves to the ACC Championship this season but there’s a long way to go.

The Fighting Irish offense will be tough to stop with tailback duo Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price will be tough to stop. But new Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman’s unit will look to stop them. We will get to see Hetherman’s unit against new Fighting Irish starting quarterback CJ Carr throwing to potential breakout receiver Jaden Greathouse.

Georgia transfer Carson Beck takes over for the first overall pick in the NFL Draft Cam Ward at quarterback for Miami. Beck is joined by just one returning receiver and a few newcomers on the outside. including returner Joshisa Trader, transfers Keelan Marion (BYU), and Tony Johnson (Cincinnati) must make this game a shootout of their defense can’t stop Love and Price in the backfield. New coordinator Chris Ash must use his playmakers  sophomore Leonard Moore and junior Christian Gray at cornerback to stop Beck’s passing attack.

If Miami’s defense shows up against Notre Dame’s new starter Carr and their tremendous ground attack, this will be a competitive game. It will be up to Beck to make the impressive throws he made in his time in Athens. Not that I am not confident in Beck but I am confident in Notre Dame’s defense that they make the plays to win this game.

Projected Score: Notre Dame 38, Miami 28

Monday, September 1
TCU @ North Carolina
7:30 PM ET, ESPN

Bill Belichick’s college football coaching debut will be on Monday night in primetime on ESPN. His North Carolina Tar Heels take on a TCU Horned Frog team that is capable of a run in the Big 12. In Mack Brown’s last season as head coach in Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels went 6-7 won 3 games in the ACC. UConn ended their season in the Wasabi Fenway Bowl. So, it will be up to Belichick and his staff to fix some things.

The Horned Frogs’ Sonny Dykes led his team to an impressive 9-4 overall record and a 6-3 record in the Big 12 in 2024. TCU ended their season with a dominant win over Louisiana, 34-3 in the New Mexico Bowl.

North Carolina’s new starting quarterback Gio Lopez (A transfer from South Alabama) will have the difficult job of passing the ball down the field against All-Big 12 safety Bud Clark. Linebackers Namdi Obiazor and Kaleb Elarms-Orr will attempt to handle Lopez’s passing game to receivers Jordan Shipp, Kobe Paysour, Aziah Johnson (transfer from Michigan), and tight end Jake Johnson and contain the Tar Heel running game. Former Washington State tackle  tackle Ansel Din-Mbuh and edge rushers Devean Deal and Zach Chapman will attempt to stop the Tar Heel ground game.

Josh Hoover led the Big 12 in passing last year and if he keeps that up against North Carolina’s defense, good things may happen for the Horned Frogs in this game and the rest of the season. UConn transfer Pryce Yates will likely be North Carolina’s top defender after winning MVP honors against the Tar Heels in last year’s Fenway Bowl. Now that he is in Chapel Hill, he will be a problem for San Diego State transfer Cade Bennett at running back and receivers Eric McAlister and  Jordan Dwyer, a transfer from Idaho.

In what was one of the hardest games to pick for me in the pre-season, I have TCU going to Chapel Hill and ruining Belichick’s debut.

Projected Score: TCU 31, North Carolina 28