Seven Big Storylines In Week 1 Of The 2025 College Football Season

While the 2025 college football season technically got underway this past weekend, the season really ramps up this upcoming weekend, with several marquee matchups across a full slate of games.

The unofficial start to the season also features a slew of intriguing storylines from a battle for the No. 1 ranking in the country between Ohio State and Texas, to a number of new faces in new places.

We’re breaking down all that and many more in the top storylines of Week 1 of the 2025 college football season.

Top Storylines In Week 1 Of The 2025 College Football Season

While the first full week of the college football season traditionally has some marquee matchups, the 2025 season might have the most loaded Week 1 schedule in recent history.

Not only are the Longhorns putting their No. 1 ranking on the line when they travel to the third-ranked and defending national champion Buckeyes. Meanwhile, No. 9 LSU travels from one Death Valley to another to take on No. 4 Clemson, and No. 10 Miami welcomes sixth-ranked Notre Dame.

Without further ado, here are our top storylines heading into a historic Week 1.

Will Arch Manning Or Juliyan Sayin Prevail In A Battle Of New Starting Quarterbacks?

A year ago, the Ohio State Buckeyes downed the Texas Longhorns in the AT&T Cotton Bowl with Will Howard and Quinn Ewers as the signal callers.

Fast forward a year, and both are gone to the NFL, while their highly touted backups are now in control. For Ohio State, that means former five-star recruit Juliyan Sayin gets the call. Sayin initially committed and signed with Alabama before transferring to the Buckeyes when Nick Saban retired.

For the Longhorns, Arch Manning finally takes the reins as QB1. Manning made two starts in 2024 when Ewers went out with a sprained AC joint. He threw for 583 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in wins over Mississippi State and Louisiana-Monroe.

Whichever of Sayin and Manning shines brightest is likely to give their team a great shot at victory and the No. 1 spot in the polls.

How Will Bill Belichick’s North Carolina Team Look In His College Coaching Debut?

At 73 years old and with six Super Bowl rings to his name, Bill Belichick will step onto the field for the first time as a college football head coach when the North Carolina Tar Heels welcome the TCU Horned Frogs.

The Tar Heels went just 6-7 a year ago, and while Belichick is a coaching legend, he’s squaring off with a head coach in Sonny Dykes who led TCU to the national title game just two years ago.

The Horned Frogs come to Chapel Hill as a 3.5-point favorite according to most oddsmakers. If Belichick can coach his team to victory, it’s a good sign of things to come for him and North Carolina in the years to come.

How Does Michigan’s $12M Man, Bryce Underwood, Fare In His Debut

Before he even steps foot on a college football field in a game setting, Michigan freshman Bryce Underwood is one of the highest-paid quarterbacks in the country. Underwood, who just turned 18 in August, was the No. 1 overall recruit in the country in 2025.

The Michigan native recently won the starting job over Fresno State transfer Mikey Keane and will lead the Wolverines into battle against New Mexico on Saturday night.

If Underwood is able to immediately deliver on his hype, Michigan suddenly becomes a serious college football contender. But with any sort of wobble, the questions will quickly begin to fly about the highly paid youngster.

Can CJ Carr Keep Notre Dame At National Title Contending Level

Had it not been for CJ Carr, perhaps Bryce Underwood would not have even picked Michigan for his college career. Carr, the grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr, spurned the Wolverines in favor of Notre Dame.

Now, the former five-star recruit starts his redshirt freshman season as the Fighting Irish’s starting quarterback after beating out Kenny Minchey for the job.

A year ago, veteran QB Riley Leonard led Notre Dame to the national championship game after transferring in from Duke. The Irish return a good chunk of that team, and if Carr can consistently play at a high level, they may yet again have national championship aspirations in South Bend.

Does Carson Beck Get Back To Playing At High Level With Miami?

Standing across the field from Carr and the Fighting Irish will be the Miami Hurricanes, led by new QB Carson Beck.

A year ago, Beck was the starting quarterback of the Georgia Bulldogs and one of, if not the favorite, to win the Heisman Trophy.

Things didn’t go according to plan for Beck or the Bulldogs in 2024, and after suffering a torn UCL in the SEC Championship Game, Beck and Georgia opted to part ways for the 2025 season.

This year, he helms his home-state Miami Hurricanes, who are looking to replace Heisman Trophy runner-up and No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, Cam Ward.

If Beck can return to playing at an elite level, the ‘Canes are a genuine threat to win the ACC and make the College Football Playoff. If he can’t, it might be a long year in Coral Gables.

Will Joey Aguilar Or Nico Iamaleava Get The Better Of The UCLA-Tennessee QB Swap?

While trades aren’t (yet) a thing in college football, the Tennessee Volunteers and UCLA Bruins pulled off the closest thing we’ve seen to one in the offseason.

The Vols sent former five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava packing when he attempted to renegotiate his NIL deal during spring practice. Iamaleava ended up back home in Los Angeles with the UCLA Bruins.

After news of Iamaleava’s arrival, UCLA quarterback Joey Aguilar, who has only just transferred in from Appalachian State, re-entered the portal before landing, coincidentally, at Tennessee.

Both quarterbacks face stern tests in their opening games with their new teams. Aguilar and the Vols face high-flying Syracuse at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, while Iamaleava and the Bruins welcome former Pac-12 rival Utah to the Rose Bowl.

Whichever of the two performs best on a national stage will set the narrative, which could carry through the entire season.

Was Florida State’s Horrific 2024 Season Just An Aberration?

In 2023, Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles were a Jordan Travis injury and a controversial decision away from making the final four-team College Football Playoff.

They then proceeded to get destroyed in the Orange Bowl by Georgia, setting the tone for what turned out to be a horror show of a 2024 season.

The Seminoles went just 2-10 and finished dead last in the ACC after winning the conference the year prior. Everything that could go wrong for Florida State did go wrong in 2024.

Was it just a case of a one-off nightmare season? We’ll find out a lot about the ‘Noles in Week 1 when they welcome an Alabama team to Doak Campbell Stadium that’s looking to get back on track in year two under Kalen DeBoer.

New Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos is highly confident heading into the matchup. Whether or not he can back that confidence up remains to be seen.