Welcome to the Skull Session.
Time to caffeinate and dominate.
@OhioStateFB Game Day Rundown
: https://t.co/52MF6E7ctZ #GoBucks | @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/cklShGcaz9
— Ohio State Buckeyes (@OhioStAthletics) August 29, 2025
Have a great Saturday.
HORNS… DOWN! Maurice Clarett said it best.
Theres very few things that can match high level sporting events. Columbus, Ohio has officially transformed. The entire city is focused on Saturday. Theres nothing like it.
— Maurice Clarett (@ReeseClarett13) August 29, 2025
… The entire city is focused on Saturday. There is nothing like it.
This is the Buckeyes’ most anticipated season opener ever. I am confident the matchup will meet the occasion.
It features college football’s two best teams, Texas and Ohio State (move over Penn State).
It features college football’s two best players, Jeremiah Smith and Caleb Downs.
It features college football’s best stadium, the Horseshoe.
And it features a freakin’ Manning.
All offseason, I’ve heard Arch Manning this, Arch Manning that. Well, I’m tired of it, Grandpa! In a battle that will come down to the trenches and the stars, I am confident that Smith and Downs (and Carnell Tate, Max Klare, Sonny Styles and Jermaine Mathews Jr. — you know I could continue) will make enough plays to lead Ohio State to a win.
Give me the Buckeyes, 27-24.
Have Archie Griffin ring the Victory Bell twice!
THE MENU. Earlier this week, I mentioned that this could be college football’s best Week 1 ever.
This weekend features three matchups between teams ranked in the top 10 of the AP Poll.
No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State (FOX, noon)
No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson (ABC, 7:30 p.m.)
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (ABC, 7:30 p.m. on Sunday)
It also features three ranked teams against Power Four opponents:
No. 8 Alabama at Florida State (ABC, 3:30 p.m.)
Virginia Tech at No. 13 South Carolina (ESPN, 3 p.m. on Sunday)
Syracuse at No. 25 Tennessee (ABC, noon)
And (!) it features two more matchups between Power Four teams:
Utah at UCLA (FOX, 11 p.m.)
TCU at North Carolina (ESPN, 8 p.m. on Monday)
Time (ET)
Matchup
TV / Streaming
12:00 PM
Duquesne at Pitt
ACCN
12:00 PM
Syracuse vs Tennessee (in Atlanta, GA)
ABC
12:00 PM
Fordham at Boston College
ACCNX / ESPN+
12:00 PM
Florida Atlantic at Maryland
BTN
12:00 PM
Ball State at Purdue
BTN
12:00 PM
Northwestern at Tulane
ESPNU
12:00 PM
Texas at Ohio State
FOX
12:00 PM
VMI at Navy
CBSSN
12:45 PM
Toledo at Kentucky
SECN
2:00 PM
Richmond at Lehigh
ESPN+
2:00 PM
CCSU at UConn
WWAX / UConn+
2:30 PM
Old Dominion at Indiana
FS1
3:30 PM
Temple at UMass
ESPN+
3:30 PM
Nevada at Penn State
CBS / Paramount+
3:30 PM
Bucknell at Air Force
CBSSN
4:30 PM
Chattanooga at Memphis
ESPN+
6:00 PM
Coastal Carolina at Virginia
ACCN
6:00 PM
UAlbany at Iowa
FS1
7:00 PM
UTSA at Texas A&M
ESPN
7:30 PM
Alabama at Florida State
ABC
7:30 PM
LSU at Clemson
ABC
7:30 PM
UTEP at Utah State
CBSSN
8:00 PM
Rice at Louisiana
ESPN+
9:30 PM
Georgia Southern at Fresno State
FS1
10:00 PM
Idaho at Washington State
The CW
10:30 PM
California at Oregon State
ESPN
10:30 PM
Hawaii at Arizona
TNT / Max
11:00 PM
Utah at UCLA
FOX
11:00 PM
Colorado State at Washington
BTN
*This TV schedule only features Saturday’s games
… could be… → … will be?
OUR PICKS. Goodbye, My Picks. Hello, Our Picks.
This season, Eleven Warriors reporter Andy Anders and editor Dan Hope will join me in picking point spreads from across college football. Why? Because it’s fun! There’s no money on the line — just good, old-fashioned pride — but if you decide to place bets on our predictions, we’ll make sure to take all the credit for the wins and none of the blame for the losses. Cool? Cool!
No. 8 Alabama (-13.5) at Florida State
Alabama enters the 2025 season with a new offensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, and a revamped roster. Florida State and head coach Mike Norvell are looking to rebound from a dreadful 2024 season in which the Seminoles went 2-10. The Seminoles have introduced Gus Malzahn’s offensive scheme and Tony White’s 3-3-5 defense, aiming to capitalize on Boston College transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos’ dual-threat talent. Despite Florida State’s home-field advantage, the team has enough depth concerns, particularly on the defensive line, that the Seminoles could struggle to slow down Alabama’s talent-rich squad.
Chase: Alabama
Andy: Alabama
Dan: Alabama
No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson (-4.5)
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik is one of the most experienced signal callers in college football, and he enters the 2025 season as a Heisman Trophy frontrunner alongside Texas’ Arch Manning. However, where LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier trails Klubnik in experience, he has as much talent, if not more. In a matchup that should excite for all 60 minutes, LSU’s explosive skill players will go head-to-head with a Clemson defense aiming to reestablish dominance. The key matchup will be LSU’s offensive line vs. Clemson’s defensive line, as the Tigers possess two future first-round picks in the trenches: Peter Woods and T.J. Parker.
Chase: Clemson
Andy: Clemson
Dan: Clemson
No. 6 Notre Dame (-2.5) at No. 10 Miami
With Cam Ward and Riley Leonard off to the NFL, both Miami and Notre Dame will have new quarterbacks this season — Georgia transfer Carson Beck for the Hurricanes, and sophomore CJ Carr for the Irish. Notre Dame’s offensive line and defense are expected to be its strengths this season, but running back Jeremiyah Love and wide receiver Jaden Greathouse will be the team’s stars. Coming off a 10-3 season in 2024, Miami and head coach Mario Cristobal hope to capitalize on home-field advantage and the Hurricanes’ experience to knock off the Irish, last season’s national runner-up, in Week 1.
Chase: Notre Dame
Andy: Notre Dame
Dan: Notre Dame
TCU (-3.5) at North Carolina (Monday, 8 p.m.)
North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick — nope, nope, I still don’t like it — makes his debut on the Tar Heels’ sideline against Sonny Dykes and TCU on Monday. Belichick may have to overcome some potential roster cohesion issues at the start of 2025, as the Tar Heels have brought in over 40 transfers this offseason. Meanwhile, TCU is coming off a 9-4 season and returns its quarterback in Josh Hoover, making the Horned Frogs a dark horse for the Big 12 championship this fall.
Chase: TCU
Andy: TCU
Dan: North Carolina
Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 23 Texas Tech (-52.5)
I don’t have notes for this one — just that it’s the largest spread of the week, which makes it hilarious to pick. Can head coach Joey McGuire, quarterback Behren Morton and endless amounts of oil money help the Red Raiders cover a 53-point spread? We’ll see!
Chase: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Andy: Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Dan: Texas Tech
BACK TO THE BUCKEYES. The last time Texas came to Columbus, Ohio State fans produced one of the most hostile environments the Horseshoe has ever experienced, former Texas quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Vince Young said earlier this month.
“It was horrible,” Young shared at a Texas Sports Hall of Fame luncheon. “It was very hostile. They were throwing stuff at our helmets while we were in the tunnel before the game. Very loud booing. Very rude to our fans, including my mother. It was a hostile environment.”
Ohio State and Texas take the field in The Horseshoe (2005) pic.twitter.com/LpGjSTv5Y1
— 2StripesCPD (@2StripesCPD) May 12, 2025
Former Texas coach Mack Brown also recalls the atmosphere, which he describes as one of the best he has ever seen.
“We couldn’t hear. Thank goodness we did everything with signals and were no-huddle anyway because if we had to call plays that night in that stadium, we wouldn’t have heard it,” Brown said at the luncheon. “It was hard to just communicate on the sideline with the other coaches. It was so loud. It was the loudest place I’ve ever heard.”
Now, I don’t condone throwing stuff at Texas players’ helmets or being rude to Texas fans, but I do condone making Ohio Stadium as loud as it has ever been. If you’re lucky enough to be one of the 100,000+ fans inside the Horseshoe this afternoon, the Buckeyes need you to lose your voice!
SONG OF THE DAY. “HOPE” – NF.
CUT TO THE CHASE. Lee Corso’s impact felt far beyond College GameDay audience… The five stories that explain why Arch Manning was built for this moment… Sunblock, charcoal … and Powerball? Holiday weekend lottery drawing worth $1 billion… Notre Dame lists Shane Gillis as ‘out’ in Week 1 injury report with hilarious reason.