College Football Season Start Date: Everything You Need to Know

It's never too early to prepare for the next college football season. With the anticipation building, fans are eager to know when they can once again cheer on their favorite teams. Here’s a comprehensive guide to the start dates, key matchups, and important changes for the upcoming seasons.

2024 Season: Kickoff and Key Games

The 2024 college football season is set to begin on Saturday, Aug. For the full schedule and scores, fans can click or tap here.

Several exciting games are already scheduled for the opening weekend:

Aer Lingus College Football Classic: No. 10 Florida State vs.
FCS Kickoff: North Alabama vs.
MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Norfolk State vs.

Week 1 of the 2024 college football season officially begins the following week, with most games scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 31 during Labor Day weekend. Here’s a look at some of the key matchups:

Thursday, Aug.
Friday, Aug.
Saturday, Aug.
Aflac Kickoff Game: No. 14 Clemson vs. No.
No. South Dakota State at No.
No.
No. 7 Notre Dame at No.
Sunday, Sept.
Orange Blossom Classic: North Carolina Central vs.
Vegas Kickoff Classic: No. 13 LSU vs. No.
Monday, Sept.
Boston College at No.

College Football Playoff (CFP) Dates and Schedule for 2024-2025

The College Football Playoff is the pinnacle of the college football season. Here are the crucial dates for the 2024-2025 playoffs:

First Round: Week of Saturday, Dec.
Fiesta Bowl: Tuesday, Dec.
Peach Bowl: Wednesday, Jan.
Rose Bowl: Wednesday, Jan.
Sugar Bowl: Wednesday, Jan.
Orange Bowl: Thursday, Jan.
Cotton Bowl: Friday, Jan.
CFP National Championship Game: Monday, Jan.

The title game will be played at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. In the 2023-2024 season, Michigan won the College Football Playoff National Championship.

No. 4 Ohio State 42, No.
No. 2 Alabama 45, No.
No. 2 Clemson 35, No.
No. 4 Alabama 26, No.
No. 2 Clemson 44, No.
No. 1 LSU 42, No.
No. 1 Alabama 52, No.
No. 3 Georgia 33, No.
No. 1 Georgia 65, No.
No. 1 Michigan 34, No.

Looking Ahead: The 2025 Season

Just as with the 2024 season, it's never too early to prepare for the next college football season.

The 2025 season is set to begin on Saturday, Aug. The full schedule and scores will be available by clicking or tapping here.

Key games scheduled for the opening weekend include:

Aer Lingus College Football Classic: Iowa State vs.
FCS Kickoff: UC Davis vs.
MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Southern vs.

Week 1 of the 2025 college football season will commence the following week, with most of the games set for Saturday, Aug. 30 during Labor Day weekend. Some of the highly anticipated games include:

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Thursday, Aug.: Nebraska vs.
Friday, Aug.: Duke's Mayo Classic: Appalachian State vs.
Saturday, Aug.: Aflac Kickoff Game: Syracuse vs.
Sunday, Aug.: Aflac Kickoff Game: South Carolina vs.
Monday, Sept.

College Football Playoff Dates and Schedule for 2025-2026

Here are the College Football Playoff dates and schedule for the 2025-2026 season:

First Round: Week of Saturday, Dec.
One game: Friday, Dec.
Three games: Saturday, Dec.
Cotton Bowl: Wednesday, Dec.
Orange Bowl: Thursday, Jan.
Rose Bowl: Thursday, Jan.
Sugar Bowl: Thursday, Jan.
Fiesta Bowl: Thursday, Jan.
Peach Bowl: Friday, Jan.
CFP National Championship Game: Monday, Jan.

The title game will be played at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Ohio State won the College Football Playoff National Championship during the 2024-2025 season.

No. 4 Ohio State 42, No.
No. 2 Alabama 45, No.
No. 2 Clemson 35, No.
No. 4 Alabama 26, No.
No. 2 Clemson 44, No.
No. 1 LSU 42, No.
No. 1 Alabama 52, No.
No. 3 Georgia 33, No.
No. 1 Georgia 65, No.
No. 1 Michigan 34, No.
No. 8 Ohio State 34, No.

The 2026-27 championship game will be held in Las Vegas (Allegiant Stadium) - Jan.

2025 NCAA Division I FBS Season: Key Details

The 2025 NCAA Division I FBS football season is the 156th season of college football in the United States, the 120th season organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the 50th of the highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS).

Number of teams: 136
Duration: August 23, 2025 - December 13, 2025
Preseason AP No.

The regular season began on August 23 and is scheduled to end on December 13. The postseason will begin on December 13, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, end on January 19, 2026, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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Rule Changes and Regulations

Several rule changes have been implemented for the 2025 season to enhance player safety and game management:

Feigned Injuries: To reduce feigned injuries, if medical personnel have to enter the field to tend to an injured player after the ball is spotted by officials ready for play, that team will be charged a timeout (or a five-yard delay of game penalty if out of timeouts).
Overtime: Starting with the third overtime period, teams will only be permitted one timeout to use until the game is concluded.
Instant Replay: Once a decision is made on instant replay reviews, the referee will only use the terms "Overturned" and "Upheld".
Punt Formations: On punt formations, no player can be directly in line of the snap to a potential kicker, and no player can be inside of the frame of the snapper to qualify as a legal scrimmage kick formation. If these requirements are not met, five players numbered 50-79 must be on the line of scrimmage.
Distracting Signals: Enhanced rules regarding words or signals used to distract opponents trying to put the ball in play.
Roughing the Passer: Contact to an offensive player in a passing posture is now considered "Roughing the Passer".
12 Players on the Field: Codifying the rule change from the 2024's Ohio State-Oregon game, after the two-minute timeout, teams called for having 12 or more players participating in a down will be penalized five yards, and the offense would have the option to reset the game clock to the time at the start of the play. If the 12th or more player(s) were running off the field and had no influence on the play, the yardage penalty would apply but no clock reset option would be available.
Coach to Player Communication: The Coach to Player (C2P green dot) communication technology currently used in FBS will be a permissible option for the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS).

Conference Realignment and Changes

The landscape of college football conferences continues to evolve, with several notable changes for the 2025 season:

Conference USA: Added Delaware and Missouri State.
Mid-American Conference (MAC): UMass will join as a full sports member, including football.
Pac-12 Conference: Welcomed four respected academic and athletic universities.
Mountain West Conference: Officially welcomes UTEP into the conference and adds Northern Illinois as a football-only member.

Other Notable Events and Changes

University of Kentucky: On April 25, 2025, the University of Kentucky (UK) board of trustees approved a proposal to transfer the UK athletic program to a separate, though related, non-profit company known as Champions Blue, LLC. This move is believed to be the first of its type by a major university and is seen as a reaction to the then-impending settlement of the House v.
American Athletic Conference: On July 21, the American Athletic Conference announced a name change to the American Conference as part of a comprehensive rebranding strategy.
Transfer Portal: Significant changes were made to the transfer portal. The NCAA FBS Oversight Committee voted on major changes to the transfer portal on September 4. Under the proposal, the current 30-day period for players to enter the portal, divided into a 20-day December window and a 10-day April window, would be replaced by a single 10-day window that would run from January 2-11. This new 10-day window would apply to both undergraduate and graduate transfers. The Administrative Committee later approved a single window running from January 2-16.
Logo Expansion: The Division I Administrative Committee introduced a proposal to expand allowed logos on student-athletes' uniforms and equipment beyond those of the manufacturer.
Stadium Renaming: Following a donation of $100 million by businessman and Illinois alumnus Larry Gies to the school's athletic department, the Fighting Illini's stadium was renamed Gies Memorial Stadium in memory of his late father Larry Sr.
Stadium Locations: Sam Houston will host the 2025 season at Shell Energy Stadium, and UCF announced the renaming of their football stadium to Acrisure Bounce House.

Early Season Upsets and Surprises

The beauty of college football lies in its unpredictability. Here are some notable upsets and surprising outcomes from recent seasons that highlight this:

No. 22 Iowa State 24, No.
South Florida 34, No.
Florida State 31, No.
Mississippi State 24, No.
South Florida 18, No.
Baylor 48, No.
Vanderbilt 31, No.
Georgia Tech 24, No.
Virginia 46, No.
Arizona State 27, No.
UCLA 42, No.
Florida 29, No.
Cincinnati 38, No.
Texas 23, No.
USC 31, No.
Utah 42, No.
Colorado 24, No.
Pittsburgh 34, No.
Louisville 24, No.
Minnesota 24, No.
Arizona State 26, No.
UAB 31, No.
Brad Larson makes game-winning FG and Tarleton State beats Army for second-ever win over an FBS team.
FCS Austin Peay defeats Middle Tennessee for its first win over FBS team since 1987.
Bryant Defeats UMass, 27-26, for First Win Over FBS in Program History.
Greenwood, Stanzani power FCS-member LIU to 28-23 victory over Eastern Michigan.

College Football Playoff Expansion

This is the second year under the expanded College Football Playoff format. Under this format, the five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids, while the next seven highest-ranked teams will receive at-large bids.

Bowl Eligibility

Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill available bowl slots. This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2025, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game before its bowl game.

Akron Zips Football Is Not Bowl Eligible Before 2025 NCAA Season Even Begins. Here's Why.

Coaching Changes

The coaching carousel is always spinning in college football. Here are some notable coaching changes from the 2025 season:

Hokies fire coach Brent Pry after starting 0-3.
Oklahoma State fires Mike Gundy: Cowboys oust longtime football coach amid 1-2 start to 2025 season.
Arkansas fires coach Sam Pittman, names Bobby Petrino interim.
Oregon State fires head coach Trent Bray.
Penn State fires head coach James Franklin after 12 seasons.
UAB fires head coach Trent Dilfer midway through third season.

Television and Media Coverage

Media deals play a crucial role in the financial landscape of college football. Here are some key updates for the 2025 season:

This is the first season of a new television contract for the Big 12 Conference with ESPN, Fox Sports, and TNT Sports. ESPN holds the rights to the top four college football games per season and twelve of the top twenty games, along with the Big 12 Championship Game.
The Pac-12 Conference renewed their media partnership with The CW for the 2025 season while also agreeing to two-game deals with ESPN and CBS Sports.
This is the final year of the Mountain West Conference's broadcast agreement with Fox Sports and CBS Sports.

Week 0 Games

It’s that time of year again, as the 156th college football season is set to get underway, ending eight long months of recruiting mania, transfer portal movement, another active coaching carousel, and eager anticipation looking ahead to the second edition of the 12-team College Football Playoff.Last season, some early action played a direct role in what the postseason looked like, as Florida State’s top 10 ranking quickly evaporated after a loss to Georgia Tech, and as eventual playoff surprise SMU earned a statement win in a Week 0 game.Here’s what you need to know as another active 2025 college football schedule is set to kick off in the days to come, and what games you should be paying attention to.Week 0 kicks off with four Power Four teams in the very early action, including two Big 12 rivals set to play their opener against each other on Saturday, August 23 from -- where else?

Early Season Action

Last season, some early action played a direct role in what the postseason looked like, as Florida State’s top 10 ranking quickly evaporated after a loss to Georgia Tech, and as eventual playoff surprise SMU earned a statement win in a Week 0 game.Here’s what you need to know as another active 2025 college football schedule is set to kick off in the days to come, and what games you should be paying attention to.Week 0 kicks off with four Power Four teams in the very early action, including two Big 12 rivals set to play their opener against each other on Saturday, August 23 from -- where else?

Key Storylines for 2025

Several compelling storylines are set to unfold during the 2025 college football season:

Will the real Death Valley please stand up? A rivalry renewed and a battle for the moniker.
Belichick in College: One of college football’s most surprising coaching moves ever and one of the sport’s biggest mysteries heading into the 2025 season… How will Belichick perform? The eight-time Super Bowl champion is regarded as the single greatest head coach in NFL history, but he’s never coached a down in the collegiate ranks. Is this going to blow up in his face, like Urban Meyer’s venture into the NFL? Or could he actually revolutionize the sport, as he intends to?
North Carolina’s Transition: North Carolina’s roster is in transition and it’s still anyone’s guess what this team looks like, especially against a TCU squad that won 9 games a year ago and returns its starting quarterback.

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