SALT LAKE CITY — The college football season officially begins this week, and there’s a handful of great games in the first week of action.
And to join in on the fun, the annual KSL.com Sports’ College Football Pick’em returns for another year. Here’s a preview of the five games we selected for the week. We hope it can give you a little more insight into picking the games.
Enjoy the season!
No. 1 Texas (0-0) vs. No. 3 Ohio State (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 30, 10 a.m. MDT – Ohio Stadium (Fox)
These two national champion hopefuls will face off in a rematch of last season’s Cotton Bowl, where Ohio State came out victorious 28-14 en route to their first national championship since 2015.
Why Texas will win:
The Longhorns are seeking revenge from their Cotton Bowl loss a season ago and will have the opportunity to do so on the road. Texas has received a lot of hype this season with many pundits crowning them as national champion favorites.
They will be led by redshirt sophomore Arch Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning, who has drawn much hype of his own, and many believe he could be the top pick in next year’s NFL draft if he was to declare.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian has loaded this roster once again with hopes of winning the school’s first national title since 2005, while Ohio State will be replacing much of their championship roster in 2025.
The Buckeyes will start former five-star prospect, redshirt freshman Julian Sayin at quarterback. Sayin doesn’t have much experience going into the season, and his first start coming against the No. 1 team in the country is not ideal.
Why Ohio State will win:
The Buckeyes rarely lose at home — only losing three home games in the Ryan Day era (Oregon 2021, Michigan 2022, 2024). Despite starting a young quarterback, the Longhorns will be as well.
Manning has more college experience than Sayin, but he has not started a game against a team like Ohio State’s caliber, let alone a road game like this one. The Buckeye defense will look to swarm Manning early to help set up their explosive offense.
Ohio State will also have potential Heisman favorite, Jeremiah Smith, at wide receiver. Smith dominated as a true freshman last season, posting 76 receptions for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. Smith will lead a talented wide receiver room for Sayin to operate with as they look to win a potential future matchup of the College Football Playoff.
Line: OSU -1.5
Over/Under: 47.5
Utah State (0-0) vs. UTEP (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 30, 5:30 p.m. MDT – Maverick Stadium (CBSSN)
Bronco Mendenhall returns to the state of Utah as head coach of Utah State, where his team welcomes the UTEP Miners, who are looking to improve in Year 2 of head coach Scotty Walden’s tenure.
Why Utah State will win:
The Aggies will begin a new era under Mendenhall with an intriguing Week 1 matchup at home. The Miners are still in the midst of figuring things out while also having to travel to Logan, which should benefit Utah State.
Bryson Barnes will start at quarterback for the Aggies to begin the season. Barnes made three starts last year, accumulating 1,386 yards of total offense and 17 touchdowns. His dual-threat ability should create problems for a UTEP defense that is coming off a 3-9 season.
Utah State didn’t fare much better in 2024 with a 4-8 season, but Mendenhall should get the program back to playing more competitive football in Year 1 after being four years removed from an 11-win season.
Why UTEP will win:
Former 2023 five-star prospect Malachi Nelson will be the starting quarterback for the Miners as they begin the season. Nelson started his career at USC before transferring to Boise State a year ago, where he lost the starting job to Maddux Madsen.
Now at his third school, Nelson will look to finally break through and show why he was a highly-touted prospect in high school. If he is able to tap into that potential, UTEP may have a chance at an early season upset.
Line: USU -5.5
Over/Under: 60.5
BYU (0-0) vs. Portland State (0-1)
Saturday, Aug. 30, 6 p.m. MDT – LaVell Edwards Stadium (ESPN+)
The Portland State Vikings travel to Provo to take on the BYU Cougars for the second time after falling to the Cougars 20-6 in 2017.
Why BYU will win:
BYU enters this season with a lot to prove after falling short of the Big 12 championship game and the College Football Playoffs a year ago. Despite losing some key players on both sides of the ball from last season, the Cougars retained enough production and reloaded this offseason to, once again, contend in the Big 12.
The biggest question surrounding BYU is how will they replace last season’s starting quarterback Jake Retzlaff who transferred late in the offseason. The Cougars are rolling with true freshman Bear Bachmeier, who is the first true freshman to start at quarterback for BYU since Zach Wilson in 2018.
Since the Vikings played last week, the Cougars have been able to study film and better prepare themselves for this matchup. If BYU can stick to their game plan and not turn the ball over, their talent should be too much for Portland State to overcome.
Why Portland State will win:
The Vikings played a Week 0 game against Tarleton State where they were blanked 42-0. It is not the start Portland State would like, but maybe putting out a bad game early could help the team iron things out in the film room and in practice so they will be more prepared to play a team like BYU.
With the Cougars starting a true freshman at quarterback, the Vikings will have to take advantage of some possible growing pains and mental lapses from Bachmeier if they are to pull off a stunner on Saturday night.
Line: N/A
Over/Under: N/A
Utah (0-0) vs. UCLA (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 30, 9 p.m. MDT – Rose Bowl (Fox)
The Utes take on a familiar former Pac-12 foe when they face the Bruins in one of the best venues in college football at the Rose Bowl on Saturday night.
Why Utah will win:
Utah struggled mightily on the offensive side of the ball last season but have made changes this offseason to ensure they will be better in 2025. Bringing in Jason Beck as the offensive coordinator to pair him alongside New Mexico transfer quarterback Devon Dampier, who Beck coached a year ago, should help the Utes run a more faster-paced offense.
Utah also boasts one of, if not the best, offensive line in the country, which should help the run game and allow Dampier to have time in the pocket to be successful. You can always count on head coach Kyle Whittingham to have a strong defense, which should be the case again this year.
A more balanced team in 2025 should have the Utes looking to make noise in the Big 12 this year; and if the pieces click, they should be able to handle a UCLA team with some questions going into the season.
Why UCLA will win:
UCLA will also be debuting a new starting quarterback in the game. The biggest addition for the Bruins this offseason was none other than Tennessee transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who left the Volunteers over an NIL dispute.
After leading Tennessee to their first ever College Football Playoff in 2024, Iamaleava will look to turnaround a UCLA program that went just 5-7 a year ago and hasn’t had a 10-win season since 2014.
Second-year head coach DeShaun Foster is looking to Iamaleava to be his guy as he continues to build up the program after taking over for Chip Kelly. If UCLA is going to be able to pull off an early upset at home, their new quarterback will have to show he can lead the team.
Line: Utah -5.5
Over/Under: 50.5
No. 6 Notre Dame (0-0) vs. No. 10 Miami (0-0)
Sunday, Aug 31, 5:30 p.m. MDT – Hard Rock Stadium (ABC)
The Hurricanes and Fighting Irish will face off in a Sunday primetime game that features two iconic rivals meeting once again as top-10 opponents.
Why Notre Dame will win:
The Fighting Irish are coming off an impressive 2024 season in which they finished as runner-ups in the national championship game, winning three College Football Playoff games in the process. Although they lost key players to the NFL, such as quarterback Riley Leonard, Notre Dame is reloaded and looking to contend once again in 2025.
The Irish are loaded with NFL talent, including running back Jeremiyah Love, who will be the work horse for Notre Dame’s offense, as well as being a potential Heisman candidate. The junior rushed for 1,125 yards and 17 touchdowns last year.
Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman is one of the best coaches in all of college football and he will have his team ready to play in an early road test. The Irish kicked last season off with a big road win against Texas A&M, and they’ll hope to have the same result against Miami.
Why Miami will win:
History is not on Notre Dame’s side in this one. In their last six trips to Miami, the Fighting Irish are 0-6 and have lost by an average of 27.8 points per game. Notre Dame hasn’t beat the Canes in Miami since 1977, with their last matchup in Miami coming in 2017 when the No. 3 ranked Irish were demolished by No. 7 Miami 41-8.
Mario Cristobal is entering Year 4 with his alma mater and is still looking for that signature win. Despite coming off a successful campaign in 2024, in which the Canes finished 10-3 and recorded their first 10-win season since 2017, Cristobal still has more to prove with the program.
Both teams will feature new quarterbacks, with Miami starting Georgia transfer Carson Beck and Notre Dame rolling with redshirt freshman CJ Carr. Beck has more experience than Carr, and threw for 7,912 yards and 58 touchdowns at Georgia.
Carr saw limited playing time last season while sitting behind Leonard. Experience at quarterback should play a pivotal role in this early season top-10 matchup.
Line: ND -2.5
Over/Under: 49.5
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