There are roughly 29 weeks standing between us and the next college football Saturday, but that doesn’t mean the anticipation isn’t already starting to build.
College football has become a year-round sport in the transfer portal era, and with so many huge matchups set for the first few weeks of the 2025 season, it’s hard not to get excited about the year to come.
Several of those top-tier matchups involved Big 12 programs, too. So, in the spirit of struggling through the offseason together, here’s a look at the 10 most-anticipated season openers for Big 12 football in 2025.
10. Robert Morris at West Virginia, Saturday, Aug. 30
The matchup isn’t worth writing about, as WVU should have this game locked up in little more than a quarter. However, what is worth writing about is seeing Rich Rodriguez back on the sidelines for the Mountaineers. There won’t be one butt in a seat when he leads that team back out on the field for the first time.
9. Hawaii at Arizona, Saturday, Aug. 30
There’s not a ton to like about the matchup, but it’s college football, and Hawaii will be playing its second game of the season, so it will have the first-week jitters out of the way. If Arizona doesn’t win this game by 35 points, though, I’d be pretty worried about Brent Brennan’s job security.
8. Jacksonville State at UCF, Thursday, Aug. 28
Jacksonville State’s first game of the post-Rich Rod era comes in the same game that will also welcome back Scott Frost to the Bounce House for the first time. Jacksonville State just won its first C-USA title, but lost several key pieces after their 9-5 season. UCF has its own issues, though, so this game might be closer than some realize.
7. Fresno State at Kansas, Saturday, Aug. 30
This is the line at which the matchups actually become the reason for the ranking, and Fresno State vs. Kansas should be a little more competitive than the other games listed before it on this list. The Bulldogs were a bowl team a season ago and had one-score losses to UCLA and Washington State among those. Jalon Daniels is back on the field again, plus this game will be played in The Booth (V 2.0).
6. Nebraska vs. Cincinnati, Thursday, Aug. 28
As long as this game doesn’t change venues again before kickoff, I’ll be happy. Originally planned to be played in Nippert Stadium, this game was moved to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis and then moved again to Arrowhead Stadium, where it’s currently scheduled to be played. Nebraska looks to be on the rise under Matt Rhule while Scott Satterfield’s Bearcats could really use a win over the Huskers to get Year 3 off on the right foot.
5. Utah at UCLA, Saturday, Aug. 30
The fact that neither team in this game will represent the Pac-12 feels weird, right? Kyle Whittingham’s group will have something to prove in 2025, and what better way to kick a season off than with a win over UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Utah’s 2024 season likely has this game being overlooked on the national scale, but I think they Utes could grab a lot of attention with a big game here.
4. Georgia Tech at Colorado, Saturday, Aug. 30
Georgia Tech and Colorado are both coming off impressive seasons, and their respective fan bases couldn’t be happier about retaining fast-rising head coaches. Georgia Tech is ascending under Brent Key, as is Colorado under Deion Sanders. This game will have great viewership numbers because of Coach Prime, but it should be entertaining on the field, too.
3. TCU at North Carolina, Monday, Sept. 1
All eyes will be on Chapel Hill for this one, as North Carolina and TCU get a Monday night slot for the first game of Bill Belichick’s tenure with the Tar Heels. There should be plenty tuning in to see what the Horned Frogs have coming into the year, though, as Josh Hoover returns after leading the Big 12 in passing and should have an improved defensive unit on the other side of the ball. Still, giving Belichick several months to scout your team gives me the heebee geebees. So, I can’t imagine Sonny Dykes is real thrilled about it.
2. Iowa State vs. Kansas State, Saturday, Aug. 23
This had an argument for No. 1, but I’m putting it at No. 2. Iowa State and Kansas State will kick off the entire 2025 college football season with a Farmageddon matchup in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland. The Cyclones and Wildcats have played in 108 consecutive years, and this game will mark the 109th time the two programs have shared a field. While the fans would have loved for this game to be in Ames (IA) or Manhattan (KS), but a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Dublin will suffice.
1. Auburn at Baylor, Saturday, Aug. 30
Baylor is getting a little bit of love in the Way-Too-Early Top 25 lists, but Auburn’s additions in the transfer portal have pollsters feeling like the Tigers might be a fringe Top 10 team come 2025. Sawyer Robertson and the Bears’ offense hit their stride in the second half of 2024, and if they build on that heading into this season, the unit should be potent. It feels like there may be points-a-plenty in this game, and it also feels like the perfect chance for the Big 12 to start the 2025 season off with a bang.
