The wait for hungry college football fans is just about over, with the 2025 season just a few weeks away.
We get treated to the traditional Week 0 appetizer, with five games on the calendar for Aug. 23, including an international edition of Farmagedon with Iowa State and Kansas State doing battle in Dublin, Ireland.
Week 1 starts in earnest a week later with some massive matchups that could impact the College Football Playoff, including Texas taking on Ohio State in Arch Manning’s debut as the Longhorns’ starting quarterback.
But that’s only the beginning.
Before you go digging into the college football odds and make your college football picks, these are the key dates every college football fan needs to circle on their calendar.
Key Dates for the 2025 College Football Season
August 11: First AP Top 25 College Football Poll
While the AP Poll doesn’t have the same weight it did before the College Football Playoff Rankings, which come later in the year, were introduced back in 2014, it’s still a good barometer for who will be the top teams in the upcoming college football season.
Don’t be surprised to see Arch Manning and the Texas Longhorns at the top of the poll, with defending champion Ohio State not far behind.
August 23: Week 0, the soft open of the college football season
Every season year the college football season kicks off with a handful of under-the-radar matchups a week before the full schedule gets underway.
This year includes an intriguing matchup between Fresno State and Kansas, but the Game of the Week takes place in Dublin, Ireland, where Kansas State takes on Iowa State in the Farmageddon rivalry game.
August 30: Week 1 officially kicks off
The majority of college football programs will begin their seasons on Saturday, August 30. Thanks to the FBS vs. FCS matchups, there are an eye-popping 60 games on this Saturday, with another three matchups on the 31st.
The biggest of these matchups is Texas, which begins the Arch Manning era by going against the defending national champions from Ohio State.
Other notable matchups include Alabama visiting Florida State, Clemson hosting LSU, and Notre Dame taking on Miami.
We already have a ton of college football picks for Week 1 up on our free picks page.
Early November: First College Football Playoff Rankings released
The only rankings that matter now come from the College Football Playoff Committee. Every team in the nation is vying for a spot in the now 12-team playoff field.
The first edition of the College Football Playoff rankings is normally released on a Tuesday in early November, getting updated each Tuesday until the final rankings are revealed following Conference Championship Week.
December 6: Conference Championship Week
Nine conference champions will be crowned on this early Saturday in December. The impact of these games is massive. The winner of each Power 4 conference (the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC) earns an automatic bid to the College Football Playoff. As does the highest-ranked Group of Five Champion, which last season was Boise State.
December 7: Final College Football Playoff Rankings Revealed
With all the conference championships awarded and automatic qualifiers settled, the College Football Playoff Committee reveals its final rankings for the 12-team playoff field.
This year, there has been an update to the format, and the Top 4 seeds, which earn a bye to the quarterfinals, do not have to be a conference champion, and will just be awarded to the Top 4 ranked teams overall.
December 13: Bowl season gets underway
While bowl season has lost some of its luster with the expansion of the College Football Playoff, there are still some exciting bowls out there.
Highlights include the Fenway Bowl and Pinstripe Bowl, played in the Red Sox’s and Yankees' respective baseball stadiums. Then there are the food-related bowls. The Duke’s Mayo Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl, and of course, the insanely fun Pop-Tarts Bowl
Mid-December: Heisman Trophy winner announced
In recent years, the Heisman Trophy winner, awarded to the top player in college football, has been announced on the Saturday before the College Football Playoffs get underway.
Last season, it was announced that Colorado’s Travis Hunter won college football's most prestigious award on Saturday, Dec. 14.
December 19-20: CFP First Round games
The first round of the College Football Playoff takes place on college campuses around the country, with the higher of the two seeds in each individual matchup hosting the lower seed.
December 31 and January 1: CFP Quarterfinals
This year, the CFP Quarterfinals will consist of the Cotton Bowl, which will be played on New Year’s Eve, followed by the Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, and Sugar Bowl, all set to be played on New Year’s Day.
The four highest seeds in the final CFP rankings will receive a bye and be assigned to one of these matchups.
January 9-8: CFP semifinals
The winners of the CFP quarterfinals matchups will face off in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, January 8, or the Peach Bowl on Friday, January 9, with a date in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on the line.
January 19: CFP National Championship Game
It all comes down to this. The 2025-26 college football season culminates in the CFP National Championship Game, which this year will be played at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, the first time the natty has been contested there since 2021.
Last year, Ohio State defeated Notre Dame 34-23. Will we get another blue blood matchup in this year’s title game? Check out the latest national championship odds.
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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