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.
Idaho State at UNLV – 4 p.m. ET
This contest is the only of the day matching up an FBS program against an FCS one, making UNLV the big favorites. Not helping Idaho State’s cause is that it hasn’t defeated an FBS team since 2017 and hasn’t had a winning record since 2018. The Bengals did have the No. 8 passing offense in FCS last season but lost major components from that unit, including WR Jeff Weimer—who previously played at UNLV—and QB Kobe Tracy.Meanwhile, UNLV hired former Florida and Mississippi State head coach Dan Mullen to the same position this offseason. He’s looking to build off an 11–3 season, which saw the Rebels rack up their most wins since joining Division I in 1978. A fellow new face in Vegas is QB Alex Orji, who transferred from Michigan, and he’s projected to be one of 17 new incoming transfer starters for UNLV. These programs last met in the season opener in 2022—a UNLV 31-point victory—as the Rebels have defeated the Bengals in each of their last five meetings.
Fresno State at Kansas – 6:30 p.m. ET
Kansas is coming off a befuddling season in which it became the first team in FBS history to win three straight games versus ranked opponents but still finish with a losing record (5–7). The Jayhawks are a Jekyll and Hide unit who can beat anyone and lose to anyone. Sixth-year quarterback Jalon Daniels is coming off a year in which he led the Big 12 in interceptions, but his counterpart in Fresno’s E.J. Warner is just as giving, as the son of Hall of Famer Kurt Warner has an FBS-high of 37 interceptions since 2022.Warner is a new face for Fresno State, as is head coach Matt Entz, who won two FCS national championships at North Dakota State. His specialty is defense, but he’ll also need to kickstart a stagnant rushing offense that had four games last season in which it averaged less than 1.0 yards per carry. Fresno has split its season openers over the last two years—beating one Power program in Purdue but losing to another in Michigan—as the Bulldogs hope to get off on the right note in their final year in the MWC before heading to the Pac-12 in 2026.
Sam Houston at Western Kentucky – 7 p.m. ET
A pair of Conference USA opponents will lock up, with WKY looking for its third straight victory over Sam Houston. The Hilltoppers prevailed at Sam Houston, 31–14, a year ago as Western Kentucky scored 21 unanswered points after trailing 14–10. Much has changed for WKY since, as it’s projected to have at least 16 new starters, while SHSU has some continuity, on offense at least, with eight returnees on that side of the ball. Chief among them is QB Hunter Watson, a dual threat who had nine rushing scores in addition to a dozen passing touchdowns in 2024.The Bearkats also had the top scoring defense in the conference last year. Western Kentucky, however, has a knack for rising to the occasion when the season kicks off in Bowling Green. The Hilltoppers have won four straight, and seven of eight, home openers.
Stanford at Hawaii – 7:30 p.m. ET
The nightcap won’t necessarily be a night game for the locals, as this will be a 1:30 p.m. kickoff in Honolulu. Stanford likely doesn’t mind the five-plus hour flight to Hawaii as the Cardinal are 4–0 all-time versus the Rainbow Warriors, with all four matchups coming in Hawaii. However, Stanford is an underdog in this contest as the team enters the year with an interim head coach, Frank Reich, and it’s been seven years since Stanford won more than five games in a season.Since 2023, the Cardinal have allowed the most passing touchdowns in FBS and the second-most passing yards. Now, they have to face QB Micah Alejado, who lit up the scoreboard in his lone start in the 2024 season finale. The Honolulu-born quarterback had 469 passing yards, five passing touchdowns, and 54 rushing yards in a win over New Mexico. Alejado is bringing hope to Hawaii fans after four straight losing seasons, while Stanford has more of long-term hope than bright prospects for 2025. That hope stems from Stanford legend Andrew Luck being named the program’s new general manager, but as far as 2025, Stanford’s best player is its 35-year-old GM rather than anyone actually suiting up in Cardinal Red.
