when is the first college football game 2025

The first college football game of the 2025 season took place on Saturday, August 23, 2025. This marked the kickoff of the NCAA Division I FBS regular season, which ran through mid-December before transitioning to postseason play.

Opening Games

That historic day featured several matchups, headlined by the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland. Iowa State faced Kansas State at noon ET on ESPN, setting an international tone early. Other games included UIW at Nicholls (1 p.m. ET, ESPN2) and Tarleton State at Portland State (around 3:30-4 p.m. ET, ESPN2).

Full Opening Weekend

The action ramped up over the following days:

• Thursday, Aug. 28 : Boise State at South Florida (5:30 p.m. ET, ESPN); Nebraska vs. Cincinnati in Kansas City (9 p.m. ET, ESPN).

• Friday, Aug. 29 : Appalachian State vs. Charlotte in the Duke's Mayo Classic (7 p.m. ET, ESPNU); Auburn at Baylor (8 p.m. ET, Fox).

• Saturday, Aug. 30 : High-profile clashes like Syracuse vs. Tennessee (noon ET, ABC) and LSU at Clemson (7:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

• Sunday, Aug. 31 : South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (3 p.m. ET, ESPN).

This early slate built massive hype, blending FCS-FBS battles, neutrals-site showdowns, and traditional rivalries amid playoff expansion buzz.

Season Context

The 2025 campaign followed Ohio State's 2024-25 CFP title win and introduced rule tweaks like stricter taunting penalties and defenseless player protections. By February 2026, fans reflect on it as a bridge to the 2026 season's Week 1 (starting Aug. 23 again, per patterns). Playoffs wrapped with first-round games around Dec. 20 and the title at Hard Rock Stadium.

TL;DR : Aug. 23, 2025—Iowa State vs. Kansas State in Ireland was game one.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.