Cincinnati is one of just three Big 12 programs that will open the 2025 season away from home. They’ll start the year in Kansas City, facing Nebraska at the Chiefs’ stadium on Thursday night.
It’s one of the toughest openers Cincinnati has faced in years, as the Bearcats usually start their season with a weak opponent. Since joining the Big 12, the Bearcats have opened with a pair of FCS teams, Eastern Kentucky and Towson. This time, they face a Nebraska squad that believes it’s on the verge of a breakthrough.
Matt Rhule’s team is projected ninth in the Big Ten, which speaks to that league’s overall strength. The Huskers picked up a win over a Big 12 team last year, blasting Colorado in Lincoln. After facing Nebraska, Cincinnati won’t see another Power 4 squad until opening the Big 12 slate against Kansas.
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Utah and TCU Go On the Road
TCU will start the year on Labor Day at North Carolina, serving as Bill Belichick’s home opener in Chapel Hill. The Frogs are used to this, as this marks the fourth straight year they’ll face a Power 4 team in the opener. This also marks three times in four years they’ve gone on the road, and it’s worked out well for them before. They bested Colorado in Boulder in 2022 and Stanford in 2024 in Palo Alto, taking a loss at home to Deion Sanders’ first Colorado team in 2023.
TCU comes into Chapel Hill as a moderate favorite, which brings back memories of 2023. Like that game with Colorado, the Frogs face a big-name coach in his first game in college on national television. It’s one of two ACC games TCU will play, as they face SMU before opening Big 12 play.
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Utah will face old Pac-12 rival UCLA, who’s now in the Big Ten. Last year, Utah played 10 Big 12 opponents because it had a scheduled series with Baylor that got folded into its overall slate. This time, Utah will play two road matchups out of conference, as it will also face Wyoming. The Utes’ game with the Bruins will take place at 11 p.m. on Saturday in the Rose Bowl.
Iowa State and Kansas State Return to Face FCS Foes
Despite the return from Dublin, Iowa State and Kansas State both play again in Week 1. The Wildcats will host North Dakota and the Cyclones will play South Dakota.
In the Cyclones’ case, they might have miscalculated a bit. The Coyotes finished last year ranked No. 4 in FCS and has become one of the proudest programs at that level. South Dakota reached the FCS semifinal last year and upset FCS national champion North Dakota State, a notorious FBS killer. Last year, the Coyotes gave a credible effort in a 27-13 loss to Wisconsin.
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Kansas State faces a much more manageable opener. North Dakota was a mere 5-7 and traditionally runs well behind the three Dakota FCS powers. The Hawks played Iowa State last year, losing 21-3.
Kansas will also play a second game, although it does not have to travel. The Jayhawks pounded Fresno State at home, and they’ll likely do the same to Wagner. The Seahawks have won just nine games in their past four seasons.
Baylor, Colorado Host Power Opponents
Baylor and Colorado are home underdogs in Week 1. The Bears will host Auburn in the start of a new home-and-home, while Colorado brings in Georgia Tech.
Students of football history will appreciate the Buffaloes playing the Yellow Jackets. In 1990, Colorado and Georgia Tech infamously split the national title. That came in part because of the Buffaloes’ “fifth down” win against Missouri, where Colorado mistakenly got five downs to score its game-winning touchdown, preserving the Buffaloes’ title hopes. Colorado coach Deion Sanders is 2-0 in season openers in Boulder.
Baylor comes off a six-game winning streak to end last season. However, the Bears lost their most recent game against an SEC foe, falling in the Texas Bowl to LSU.
