College football is back. Despite only 10 teams being in action on Saturday, Aug. 23, an exhilarating weekend saw three one-score games that will hopefully set the tone for what shapes up to be a great year.
Iowa State vs. Kansas State
To kick off the 2025 season, two ranked teams faced off in Dublin, Ireland. No. 17 Kansas State and No. 22 Iowa State each travelled over 4,000 miles to take the field at Aviva Stadium for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. The long-standing rivalry between these two teams is known as “Farmageddon.”
Iowa State won Farmageddon in 2023 and 2024. On a rainy day in Dublin, the Cyclones were hoping to extend the streak to three. After what many considered to be a sloppy first half, the score was knotted up at seven apiece.
Kansas State seemed to be gaining momentum early in the second half, but an inability to convert on fourth down left the Wildcats stymied. Iowa State quarterback Rocco Becht scored two second-half touchdowns, building a lead that Kansas State would never erase.
The Cyclones will move up in the rankings, as an impressive 24-21 victory started their season on the right foot.
Idaho State at UNLV
The next game on tap was Idaho State visiting UNLV at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada.
UNLV was one of the most intriguing teams to follow in the offseason, as it brought in all sorts of talent from other schools. Newly appointed head coach Dan Mullen took the field with his team, hoping to begin his tenure with a 1-0 record.
With all the pressure and hype surrounding the Rebels, Idaho State jumped out of the gates strong. After the first quarter, the Bengals were working with a 10-point lead that they hoped to maintain throughout the game.
UNLV wasn’t going down without a fight, however, as three defensive interceptions and four rushing touchdowns powered Mullen’s team back into the lead in the fourth quarter. The star of the game was running back Jai’Den Thomas, who tallied 147 yards and three touchdowns in just 10 attempts.
While it wasn’t pretty, UNLV has started its season 1-0, winning 38-31 as it prepares for a tough Mountain West schedule.
Kansas & Western Kentucky
Both the Kansas Jayhawks and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers began their seasons as heavy home favorites. Kansas matched up with the Fresno State Bulldogs as Western Kentucky played host to the Sam Houston Bearkats.
Both home teams lived up to expectations as they took over these matchups from the start. Kansas, on the back of their hard-nosed defense, bested Fresno State by a score of 31-7.
Western Kentucky’s quarterback, Maverick McIvor, had himself a day, as his 401 passing yards and three touchdowns kept the Hilltoppers’ machine of an offense running all game. WKU came out on top 41-24 in this one.
Stanford at Hawai’i
Stanford hasn’t been the same since the Andrew Luck, Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love days, but a fresh slate with a new head coach gave Cardinal fans something to be excited for.
Interim head coach Frank Reich made his collegiate coaching debut as his team travelled to Hawai’i to take on the Rainbow Warriors. It was clear what Stanford’s game plan was, and execution was solid for the most part.
In a game that was dominated in possession time by Reich and co., Hawai’i hung around for as long as they needed to. A strong comeback effort and questionable clock management by the Cardinal had Hawai’i lined up for a game-winning field-goal attempt with seconds on the clock.
Hawai’i kicker Kansei Matsuzawa drilled his third field goal of the game, walking off Stanford 23-20 to wrap up the slate of week zero in college football.
If week zero was any indicator, college football is going to be electric in 2025. Buckle up now, because that was the final weekend of limited football action in 2025. America loves football, and that love is being rekindled one game at a time.
