College Football Week 0 Top 25 Picks, Odds, Box Score Predictions, Rankings, Schedule

College football is finally back on Saturday with a five-game Week 0 schedule, headlined by a Big 12 showdown between Iowa State and Kansas State from Aviva Stadium in Ireland.

Both teams enter the season ranked in the top 25 of the Associated Press preseason poll.

AP Top 25 Poll

1. Texas

2. Penn State

3. Ohio State

4. Clemson

5. Georgia

6. Notre Dame

7. Oregon

8. Alabama

9. LSU

10. Miami

11. Arizona State

12. Illinois

13. South Carolina

14. Michigan

15. Florida

16. SMU

17. Kansas State

18. Oklahoma

19. Texas A&M

20. Indiana

21. Ole Miss

22. Iowa State

23. Texas Tech

24. Tennessee

25. Boise State

Week 0 Schedule, Odds and Predictions

12 p.m. ET: No. 22 Iowa State vs. No. 17 Kansas State (-3)

4 p.m. ET: Idaho State at UNLV (-26.5)

6:30 p.m. ET: Fresno State at Kansas (-13.5)

7 p.m. ET: Sam Houston at Western Kentucky (-10)

7:30 p.m. ET: Stanford at Hawaii (-2.5)

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook. Bold indicates prediction based on spread.

Iowa State vs. Kansas State Prediction

The opening game of the season features a good quarterback matchup between Rocco Becht and Avery Johnson.

Becht set career-highs with 3,505 passing yards and 25 touchdowns in 14 starts last season. Losing Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins, who both had more than 1,000 yards in 2024, to the NFL does raise plenty of questions about how explosive the passing attack can be.

To help offset their absence, the Cyclones added Chase Sowell in the transfer portal. The fourth-year wideout averaged 19.9 yards per catch for an erratic East Carolina offense in 2024.

On top of that, Kansas State lost cornerback Jacob Parrish and safety Marques Sigle to the NFL draft. Parrish led the team in pass breakups (seven), while Sigle's three interceptions were most on the squad.

Johnson is the biggest reason to be optimistic about the Wildcats in 2025. The junior quarterback thrived in his first season as the starter, throwing for 2,712 yards, running for 605 yards and accounting for 32 touchdowns in 13 games.

It would be an upset if this game didn't turn into a high-scoring affair. Both teams averaged more than 30 points per game in 2024. Their head-to-head meeting at Jack Trice Stadium featured 588 combined yards of offense, with 38 of the 50 points coming in the first half.

Iowa State held on for a 29-21 victory when the defense forced a turnover on downs on Kansas State's final two offensive possessions. The win sent the Cyclones to the Big 12 title game.

Even though this game will be played on a neutral field instead of the friendly confines of Ames, Iowa, the Cyclones should have the advantage. The biggest concern for head coach Matt Campbell is Kansas State's rushing attack against his rebuilding defensive line.

If the Wildcats can take advantage of that group, they can control the time of possession and keep Becht from getting on the field.

Prediction: Iowa State 30, Kansas State 27