While September coincides with the start of NFL season, late August gets the honor of beginning the college football season. The opening slate, which is a small one with just five FBS games, is known as Week 0 as it’s an appetizer to the main course, when every team takes the field in Week 1. Week 0 of the 2025 college football season will be held on Saturday, Aug. 23, and here’s a look at the five contests taking place.
No. 22 Iowa State vs. No. 17 Kansas State (Dublin, Ireland) – Noon ET
The only matchup featuring a pair of Power-4 programs facing off takes place across the pond in Dublin, the capital of the Republic of Ireland. This game is part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic, which is a series of college football games in Ireland, and this will be the first time either program takes part in the series.ISU is coming off a program-record of 11 wins a year ago and boasted the No. 1 passing defense in the nation. However, KSU’s strength lies on the ground as its 6.1 yards per rush in 2024 was second-best in the country, with quarterback Avery Johnson being a big part of that. He’s a dark horse Heisman candidate after being one of two players in FBS with 2,500 passing yards, 500 rushing yards, and 25 passing touchdowns last year. However, his last defeat came against these same Cyclones as Iowa State prevailed, 29–21, over K-State last November. One of these teams’ streaks will come to an end as both programs enter Week 0 with four straight wins in season openers.
