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ary coach Nick Saban, will undoubtedly also see this matchup as a great chance to make a statement about 2025.

· Texas at Ohio State, August 30, Ohio Stadium, Columbus, Ohio: The reigning national champion Buckeyes kick off their 2025 campaign with a matchup against fellow 2024 playoff participant Texas. While the Buckeyes are reason enough to tune in, all eyes might be on Texas signal caller Arch Manning, who should finally take over for Steve Sarkisian after patiently waiting to be the full-time starter for two seasons.

· Georgia at Tennessee, September 13, Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, Tennessee: Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel has made great strides since becoming the Vols' head coach in 2021. But Heupel has never beaten Kirby Smart or Georgia since arriving in Knoxville, and this week three clash provides another chance to do so. Complicating matters for Heupel and the Vols is the sudden and surprising offseason departure of talented quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who transferred to UCLA after a financial dispute.

· Oregon at Penn State, September 27, Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania: These two 2024 playoff teams will be looking to make an early season statement that they deserve to play into January once again. Oregon entered the 2024-25 playoff as the top overall seed but fell to eventual champion Ohio State 41-21 in the quarterfinals. Penn State advanced to the semifinals before losing a close one to Notre Dame. Each team is hoping this late September Big Ten matchup will boost their résumé and help them earn a return trip to the playoffs.

Some other big games to be looking forward to are LSU at Clemson on August 30, Michigan at Oklahoma on September 6, Texas A& M at Notre Dame on September 13, and Alabama at Georgia on September 27.

Excitement is the name of the game in college football. These early season matchups are just a handful of the many games on the 2025 college football schedule that figure to excite fans this fall.