when does college football start 2025

The 2025 college football season will start on Saturday, August 23, 2025, with "Week Zero" games. The regular full season games mostly begin the following week. The season is scheduled to run through December 13, 2025, with the postseason starting immediately after that and culminating in the College Football Playoff National Championship on January 19, 2026. Some notable games on August 23, 2025, include the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, Ireland, where Iowa State will play Kansas State. The first full week of games (Week 1) will begin on August 28, 2025. So, college football essentially starts on August 23, 2025, with a few early games, then ramps up with the full complement of games in the following week.