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When does Week 1 of the College Football season start?

When does Week 1 of the College Football season start?

Updated:

By: Julian Edlow

The 2025 college football season began on August 23 with five games being played in Week 0. However, the majority of the action kicks off over a five-day span during Labor Day Weekend, which is loaded with notable Week 1 games.

Week 1 begins on Thursday, August 28. The schedule is headlined by nationally televised games between No. 25 Boise State at South Florida, Buffalo at Minnesota and Nebraska vs. Cincinnati (at Arrowhead Stadium).

Week 1 continues on Friday, August 29 with more primetime matchups. There are multiple nationally televised games, headlined by Auburn at Baylor and Georgia Tech at Colorado. No. 12 Illinois also hosts Western Illinois.

Saturday, August 30 will be the featured day of Week 1, and potentially the entire college football season. Nationally televised games will air with kickoffs ranging from 12pm ET to 11pm ET, and every between. The most notable games from the loaded schedule are No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State, No. 8 Alabama at Florida State and No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson.

The schedule slows down after Saturday, but there are still three more primetime games of the course of the holiday weekend. No. 13 South Carolina and Virginia Tech play on Sunday afternoon in Atlanta, followed up by No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami. Monday night features the college football debut of Bill Belichick, as North Carolina hosts TCU.

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Julian Edlow has contributed to DraftKings since 2015, and is currently employed as a Content Specialist with a focus on Sports Betting. During his time at DK, Julian has experience covering the NFL, NBA, MLB, College Football and College Basketball. He has also has experience covering both Daily Fantasy Sports and Sportsbook as a writer and on-air talent. Prior to arriving at DK, Julian was a reporter covering the Boston Celtics and the NBA for multiple outlets. Julian is currently leading the charge on DK Network’s College Football and College Basketball coverage, although you’ll still find him contributing to NFL and NBA.
Disclaimer

All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.