COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 26: A general view of Ohio Stadium prior to the game between the Michigan Wolverines and Ohio State Buckeyes on November 26, 2016 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Jamie Sabau/Getty Images)
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OSU vs. Texas football kicks off a slew of marquee matchups during Week 1 of the college football regular season, which will feature several seven-figure payouts to some opponents of the country’s top-tier programs.
Beginning Saturday, the No. 3 ranked Buckeyes, who defeated Notre Dame 34-23 on Jan. 5 to win the national championship, host the top-ranked Longhorns on Fox.
Play by play caller Gus Johnson will be joined alongside by analyst Joel Klatt and sideline reporter Jenny Taft. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. ET in Columbus. Meanwhile, Barstool Sports founder Dave Portnoy will make his debut on the network’s pregame show “Big Noon Kickoff.”
Here are three other key games to watch, including two top 10 matchups, in what some college football observers are saying could be the sport’s best Week 1 ever.
No. 8 Alabama at Florida State
The Seminoles host the Crimson Tide at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC. Joe Tessitore and Jesse Palmer will be in the broadcast booth at Doak Campbell Stadium, while Katie George will be the sideline reporter.
Florida State, who narrowly missed the College Football Playoff two seasons ago, finished 2024 with a 2-10 record, the program’s worst performance since the mid-1970s. Meanwhile, Alabama had a 9-4 mark last season, including a 19-13 loss to Michigan in the ReliaQuest Bowl.
No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson
LSU travels to Clemson on Saturday night for a 7:30 p.m. ET matchup on ABC. The top 10 contest will feature the network’s top college football broadcast pair of play by play caller Chris Fowler and longtime analyst Kirk Herbstreit. Holly Rowe will be the sideline reporter. It’s the group’s first trip to Death Valle since Oct. 2022.
Last season, LSU had a 9-4 mark in Brian Kelly’s third season as the head coach in Baton Rouge, while Clemson finished with a 10-4 record, including a 34-31 victory against SMU in the ACC Championship before losing to Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff.
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (Fla.)
ABC will air the Fighting Irish and Hurricanes on Sunday night from Hard Rock Stadium, home of the Miami Dolphins. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET.
Sean McDonough will be the play by play caller alongside analyst Greg McElroy and sideline reporter Molly McGrath. The trio is ABC/ESPN’s No. 2 broadcast group for college football in 2025, a year in which players are projected to earn $1.9 billion through NIL and revenue sharing.
Notre Dame, which had a 14-2 record in 2024, holds a 17-8-1 series lead in the historical rivalry with Miami. The teams most recently met in 2017 when the Hurricanes beat the Fighting Irish 41-8 in South Bend.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/markjburns/2025/08/28/college-football-week-1-how-to-watch-osu-vs-texas-football/
