2025 Games of the Slot: Week Zero
Breaking down which game to watch at each time slot this weekend
At long last, the summer has come to an end. Cooler days are coming. Football is in the air.
Week Zero, to me, is the most exciting week of the year. Sure, Week One gets the marquee games and all the attention, but Week Zero is the true introduction to the season. It’s going to include some wacky results, and when else is a game like Stanford at Hawaii going to be a massive draw for everyone to watch?
If you’re new to SID Sports, welcome in. This is a weekly Friday article I do each season breaking down what games to watch and how to watch them. I’ll present one game as the top of each timeslot as well as three other multi-box games just in case you’re a four-game watching Sicko like myself.
And if you’re a longtime reader, welcome back. I’m happy to embark on another college football season with you.
So, let’s not waste any more time. It’s time for the Week Zero Games of the Slot. As always, all times are in Eastern.
Saturday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 13 Kansas State at 23 Iowa State (FOX)
What better way to show off the sport of college football than to make Farmageddon into an Irish Farm O’Geddon festival? Yes, it’s crazy. But that’s college football, baby.
This game might get lost in the shuffle for folks that aren’t paying that close attention and miss Week Zero, but you need to watch this. The very first game of the season has Playoff and Big 12 title implications. Both are starting the season ranked. Kansas State is projected second in the Big 12 and Iowa State sixth in the SID Sports Season Preview.
It’s Farm O’Geddon. It’s going to be a gritty, grinding game that’s perfect for the international audience and perhaps the best intro to a college football season I can remember. These two teams are incredibly closely matched up. Both have returning quarterbacks that rank among the Big 12’s best. Both play stingy defense.
This is going to be fun. The winner puts themselves in an early driver’s seat for a Playoff bid and Big 12 Championship. The loser will have to talk their fans off the edge.
That’s college football, baby.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: Idaho State at UNLV (4 p.m.)
First off, good luck finding how to watch this, as I’m not seeing any TV broadcast listed aside from the Mountain West Network I’ve just now heard of.
Either way, it’s an FCS-FBS matchup. Not the most exciting, right?
Okay, so maybe you’re right. Still, I’m excited to see what Dan Mullen’s impression of Last Chance U looks like. Does Anthony Colandrea or Alex Orji seize the quarterback position? Is JoJo Earle actually going to become a top target? How does an entirely remade roster and coaching staff look in it’s first real action?
We won’t learn a ton, but if UNLV struggles, the Mountain West race might be all Boise State.
Did the season sneak up on you? That’s okay, I’ve got everything you need to know right here in the 2025 SID Sports Season Preview Magazine
6-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: Sam Houston at Western Kentucky (7 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Are there bigger names in this timeslot? Sure there are. But this is about implications and this game has some Conference USA title implications. Both programs got first-place votes in the SID Sports Season Preview to win the conference. But voters overwhelmingly favored Western Kentucky to Sam Houston.
The Hilltoppers are going through uncharacteristic upheaval with three (two co-defensive coordinators) new coordinators. The offense is going to do Western Kentucky things - Maverick McIvor and offensive coordinator Rick Bowie annihilated FCS defenses last year at Abilene Christian. But can the defense hang?
There’s also change afoot at Sam Houston. Phil Longo has failed upwardly into leading the Bearkats, and also has an intriguing offense and a spotty defense. I fully expect Hunter Watson to post his best season yet, but I don’t know if Sam Houston will make any stops.
Buckle in for the first shootout of the year.
Multi-Box Games: Fresno State at Kansas (6:30 p.m., FOX); Stanford at Hawaii (7:30 p.m., CBS)
We’ve got multi-box options! Fresno State and Kansas will lean towards the Jayhawks, who somehow return Jalon Daniels for the hundredth year in a row. I’m excited to see what game one of the Matt Entz era in Fresno looks like. Stanford-Hawaii is a closer matchup that could really go either way. I like what Timmy Chang’s built with the Rainbow Warriors - especially on offense led by Micah Alejadro - and Stanford under Frank Reich and Andrew Luck is a complete unknown. It’s as close to a PAC 12 After Dark madness game as there is on this week’s slate.
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