Week 0 whet our appetites, and now it's almost time for the main course: The first full weekend of college football is almost upon us, with a full holiday weekend full of action featuring several marquee matchups. Ohio State-Texas and LSU-Clemson are at the top of everybody's lists, and those are hardly the only teams ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 who have a chance to make a major statement in Week 1.
But while those teams with a number next to their names get all the love, we're here today to talk about the other guys. The preseason poll is great for generating discourse in the dog days of a long offseason, but it's ... less great at actually predicting who's going to end the year ranked. We're bound to see a ton of flux as priors give way to actual football, and that figures to start immediately. Here are seven teams who didn't catch voters' eye in August but sure will by the time this weekend is through.
1. TCU
Week 1 opponent: UNC
TCU didn't receive a ton of attention in the preseason AP poll, receiving just four votes. But it feels like that national title beatdown at the hands of Georgia, plus a disappointing season in 2023, has soured everybody a bit too soon on Sonny Dykes' program. This team closed as strong as just about anyone in the Big 12 after a slow start last season, and there's a lot to like here in 2025, starting with what should be an explosive offense led by veteran quarterback Josh Hoover.
Hoover, plus an explosive group of weapons like freaky receiver Eric McAlister, will be a tall task for Bill Belichick's defense in his opening game as the head coach in Chapel Hill. There are few sharper minds in the sport, even now, but getting this roster on the same page after an offseason full of upheaval feels like it's asking a lot. If the Heels aren't ready, Hoover and Co. could light up the scoreboard, and putting a crooked number on Belichick with all eyes watching on Labor Day is a surefire way to grab voters' attention.
2. Nebraska
Week 1 opponent: Cincinnati
Speaking of teams with potentially dynamic offenses that probably aren't receiving the attention they deserve. Things didn't end well for Dana Holgorsen in Houston, but he remains capable of putting up points in a hurry, and this will be the first time he's solely responsible for coordinating an offense in over a decade. Add an ascending former five-star in QB Dylan Raiola, a legitimate No. 1 wideout in Kentucky transfer Dane Key and a deep and talented offensive line, and the Huskers feel ready to erupt on offense in a way that we haven't seen in years.
That spells trouble for a Cincinnati team that wasn't great on defense last year and now has to retool pretty much its entire secondary (and has pass-rush questions as well). If Raiola and Holgorsen click right away, they could put up a statement win at Arrowhead on opening weekend, and you just know that voters are itching for any excuse to rank Nebraska once again.
3. Baylor
Week 1 opponent: Auburn
Baylor's offense isn't even potentially dynamic; it was one of the best in the Big 12 last season, if not the entire country, and now QB Sawyer Robertson, RB Bryson Washington and most of the receiving corps is back for an encore. The defense is ... less promising, but then again, that's where head coach Dave Aranda's bread is buttered.
The Bears are an awfully dangerous team, is what we're saying, and it's a brutally difficult draw to have to go down to Waco to face them in Week 1. It gets even more daunting if your QB room consists of Jackson Arnold, Ashton Daniels and a (blue-chip) true freshman, and while Hugh Freeze has assembled a legitimately talented roster entering a must-win year at Auburn, the situation under center threatens to short-circuit everything. We just have no reason to trust Arnold based on what we saw at Oklahoma last year, and if the Tigers defense isn't ready to rock, Baylor could open their season with a statement win that would surely have them rocket into the top 25.
4. Georgia Tech
Week 1 opponent: Colorado
This one feels almost too easy. All the focus will be on the Buffaloes, with Deion Sanders flipping more or less his entire starting lineup — including his son Shedeur, reigning Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter and several other NFL-caliber receivers. Meanwhile, in strolls Georgia Tech, boasting one of the more underrated backfield combos in the entire country in QB Haynes King and RB Jamal Haynes.
The Jackets do have some questions to answer themselves, especially on defense. And the Buffs might hit the ground running if Kaidon Salter can get back to the dynamic dual-threat he was at Liberty a couple of years ago. But Brent Key knows how to get his team up for big spots, and a healthy Haynes/Haynes combination might just be tough for a Colorado team still finding its sea legs. If Tech scores a road win here, the reputation of Coach Prime will almost certainly vault the Jackets into the top 25.
5. Iowa
Week 1 opponent: Albany
Okay, so Albany isn't exactly the stiffest Week 1 opponent. But AP voters have always been suckers for Iowa, even in years where their offense put a hard ceiling on what they could achieve. This year, though, the Hawkeyes ... might actually be able to put up a few points? Mark Gronowski is in after starring for South Dakota State at the FCS level, instantly raising the floor at QB higher than it's been for this program in many a year. The offensive line and Phil Parker's defense figure to be about as good as always; if Iowa can just get to average offensively, they might be the best bet to become this year's Indiana.
That'll start on opening weekend. The Hawkeyes should cruise in this game, with that turnover-happy defense making life a whole lot easier for this new-look O. If Iowa puts up a lopsided score here, one that suggests they might be able to actually do something under second-year OC Tim Lester, voters will be all too happy to buy back in.
6. Washington
Week 1 opponent: Colorado State
Again, not a marquee matchup, nor is it one that will likely draw a ton of eyeballs. But the Huskies are set to unveil one of the most exciting players you may not yet have heard of: QB Demond Williams, who took over for Will Rogers down the stretch last year and couldn't stop creating fireworks. Granted, those fireworks were liable to go in every possible direction (or result in a sack), but still: The potential is obvious, especially with RB Jonah Coleman and WR Denzel Boston back in tow.
Williams' ... more erratic tendencies might get exploited against the tougher teams on Washington's schedule. Against an overmatched opponent like Colorado State, however, the sky is truly the limit. This one has the potential to get out of hand in a hurry, and if the Huskies put up a 70-spot while Williams scores five total TDs and looks like the next big thing, that's a statement that voters might have a hard time ignoring.
7. Utah
Week 1 opponent: UCLA
This is as much about my skepticism of the Bruins as anything else. I don't hate new OC TIno Sunseri, and Nico Iamaleava is a perfectly solid Power 4 starting quarterback. But he's not as good as his reputation or recruiting ranking suggests, especially as a thrower, and the Bruins could have a tough time hitting the ground running in Week 1 — especially against a salty Kyle Whittingham defense looking for revenge after an injury-ravaged 2024 season.
There will be a ton of attention on this game for obvious reasons, and Iamaleava's cachet promises to make a win for the Utes here look more impressive than it might actually be. The new-look Utah offense under transfer QB Devon Dampier could be awfully explosive, and a decisive victory in the Rose Bowl will have everyone thinking that Utah is ready to climb back to the top of the Big 12.