The Saturday Watchlist: 8-30-2025
There's so much college football and so little time.
The first full college football Saturday of the year is finally here. I don’t know about y’all, but I’m pumped.
There are so many juicy matchups on the docket today that it can sometimes be hard to figure out what channel to turn your TV to. That’s where I come in. Every Saturday, my goal with The Saturday Watchlist is to give you, the wonderful reader, the exact configuration of games for peak enjoyment. Sometimes that’s based on what everybody will be watching, what I personally enjoy, and what I think you’ll have a fun time with. It’s a healthy marriage.
A whopping 136 schools make up the FBS, with another 129 in the FCS. Pair that with Division II and III, as well as the NAIA and JUCO, and wowza—that’s a lot to choose from. While I can’t promise that all of those levels will be equally represented in the following watchlist, I’ll try my best to incorporate at least some of their games throughout the season.
Since it’s Week 1, I thought it’d be OK to shift our entire focus to the FBS and all the top games on today’s slate. From Texas at Ohio State at 11 a.m. CT all the way to LSU at Clemson tonight, it’s a loaded day. I can’t wait.
Here’s The Saturday Watchlist for August 30, 2025.
Note: All rankings are from the preseason D Poll and all times are CT.
Early Window
Primary Screen: No. 1 Texas @ No. 6 Ohio State (11 AM - FOX)
Secondary Screen: Syracuse @ Tennessee (11 AM - ABC)
Tertiary Screen: Northwestern @ Tulane (11AM - ESPNU)
Keeping an eye on it:
Toledo @ Kentucky (11:45 AM - SEC Network)
Afternoon Window
Primary Screen: No. 7 Alabama @ Florida State (2:30 PM - ABC)
Secondary Screen: Alabama A&M @ Arkansas (3:15 PM - SEC Network)
Tertiary Screen: South Dakota @ Iowa State (2:30 PM - FOX)
Keeping an eye on it:
Old Dominion @ No. 23 Indiana (1:30 PM - FS1)
Evening Window
Primary Screen: No. 13 LSU @ No. 4 Clemson (6:30 PM - ABC)
Secondary Screen: UTSA @ No. 18 Texas A&M (6 PM - ESPN)
Tertiary Screen: Lamar @ North Texas (7 PM - ESPN+)
Keeping an eye on it:
UTEP @ Utah State (6:30 PM - CBS Sports Network)
Late Window
Primary Screen: No. 17 Utah @ UCLA (10 PM - FOX)
Secondary Screen: Hawaii @ Arizona (9:30 PM - TNT/HBO Max)
Tertiary Screen: California @ Oregon State (9:30 PM - ESPN)
Keeping an eye on it:
Idaho @ Washington State (9 PM - The CW Network)