BY MAURA CAREY
Week 1 of the 2025 college football season boasts a loaded schedule with top-10 matchups and revenge games, and the spotlight falls squarely on the quarterbacks. Unless everyone runs the table, expect some shakeups in the next AP Top 25 on Tuesday.
Several top programs are breaking in new QBs, from the Arch Manning takeover at Texas to Julian Sayin filling the shoes of national championship-winner Will Howard at Ohio State. Just like Manning-Sayin, Heisman Trophy hopefuls Garrett Nussmeier and Cade Klubnik will also go head-to-head, while Notre Dame and Miami debut new starters with a vast difference in experience.
The theme is common across six can’t-miss Week 1 games: How the QBs perform could set the tone for the playoff hunt as early as this weekend:
No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State
One of the most talked-about Week 1 matchups in years, Texas travels to Columbus to take on the reigning national champs. The two teams met in a College Football Playoff semifinal, where Ohio State won 28-14. Less than a year later, the two rosters look quite different, starting at signal-caller.
Manning makes his long-awaited debut as official QB1 for the Longhorns while the Buckeyes turn to Sayin, who transferred from Alabama and sat behind Howard last year. Sayin’s job is simple but could be daunting for an inexperienced QB: feed Jeremiah Smith, the sophomore receiver considered a Heisman candidate.
No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson
Tiger vs. Tiger, Death Valley vs. Death Valley. QBs Nussmeier and Klubnik should each have high-powered offenses in this one.
LSU is 3-1 in the series and the last meeting came in January 2019 when it ended Clemson’s 29-game winning streak with a 42-25 victory for the national championship. Five years later, the teams meet again, with two Heisman favorites eager to get a title run started with a big win.
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami
Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck will make his debut for the Hurricanes, and the Fighting Irish have picked CJ Carr to start following Riley Leonard’s departure for the pros.
Carr played all of four snaps in 2024 and is tasked with taking on a top-10 opponent on the road. Carr will lean on Jeremiyah Love, one of the top backs in the game and the Irish have seven starters back on defense.
