College football’s week one is creeping closer and closer. It’s not too early to start thinking about those must-see matchups of the opening weekend of the season. Here’s a quick primer on the top 10 must-see games of Week 1.
Top 10 Week 1 college football games to watch
10. Syracuse vs. No. 18 Tennessee
Tennessee is off a CFP season and 10 wins, but Syracuse is a tougher than normal first week foe. The Vols are looking to break in transfer QB Joey Aguilar. The Orange also won 10 games a season ago and will also have a new QB. This neutral-field battle is an underrated week one showdown.
9. Utah vs. UCLA
Meanwhile, Tennessee’s former QB, Nico Iamaleava, will make his UCLA debut against Utah. Meanwhile, Utah came off a difficult 2024 season, but Kyle Whittingham’s programs generally don’t stay down for long. This should be an impressive opening week battle.
8. TCU vs. North Carolina
The debut of Bill Belichick at North Carolina would be must-see under any circumstances, this is a particularly good battle.
TCU won nine games last year and QB Josh Hoover will be a particularly impressive foe for Carolina’s big battle. This would be a top game in most weeks of college football.
7. Auburn vs. Baylor
Hugh Freeze is on the hot seat at Auburn. But hotshot QB Jackson Arnold is in from Oklahoma to try to fix the Tiger attack.
But Dave Aranda’s Baylor team won eight games last year and returns QB Sawyer Robertson. This is a rare legitimate test for an SEC team in week one.
6. Georgia Tech vs. Colorado
Colorado tries to turn the page from the Shedeur-and-Hunter days in this opener against a Georgia Tech team that was vastly improved a season ago.
Colorado has to follow up after a CFP near-miss, but Tech has put together back-to-back bowl teams under Brent Key. This should be a good early indicator on both teams.
5. Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina
The Gamecocks have a tough opening week battle. LaNorris Sellers is something of a dark-horse Heisman candidate and Shane Beamer’s team has a high preseason ranking.
But Virginia Tech has something to prove off a second losing season in three years under Brent Pry. The Gamecocks will be a favorite, but this could get interesting.
4. No. 8 Alabama vs. Florida State
Likewise, Kalen DeBoer will kick off his second season at Alabama with a game against Florida State. This one looked better on the schedule before FSU’s 2-10 campaign in 2024.
Thomas Castellanos will lead the Seminoles in an attempt to bounce back. Bama is a hefty favorite, but if Florida State wants to surprise the world, this is an early shot.
3. No. 5 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Miami
Two top ten opponents in a week one battle? Yeah, this is a big one. The Irish reached the national title game last year, but QB Riley Leonard has moved on.
Marcus Freeman’s team still figures to be a national fixture, but Miami and Mario Cristobal are continuing their own upward trend. Carson Beck’s debut will be a big-time early showdown.
2. No. 9 LSU vs. No. 6 Clemson
And there’s another top ten showdown for Week 1. Clemson might be the national title sleeper in the nation and LSU is trying to figure out where it fits into the top of the SEC. Meanwhile, Cade Klubnik vs. Garrett Nussmeier is the top QB showdown of Week 1.
1. No. 1 Texas vs. No. 2 Ohio State
How could it get better than the top two teams in the nation? Each team is breaking in new QBs, although Arch Manning has more experience at Texas than Julian Sayin does at OSU.
The field in this game will be absolutely chock full of future first round NFL Draft picks. The ripples of this one will be felt throughout the CFP picture, even in week one.
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