College Football News Roundup – August 23, 2025

Week 0 Kicks Off with Global and Domestic Openers The 2025 college football season kicked off today with “Week 0” games from Dublin to Honolulu. The marquee Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin pits No. nbsp;22 Iowa State against No. 17 Kansas State at Aviva Stadium, marking the first time two ranked Big 12 foes have opened the season overseas. Later tonight, Stanford plays Hawai’i in the FCS Kickoff at Aloha Stadium. Also, Sam Houston faces Western Kentucky on CBSSN.

**South Carolina Assistant Coach Hospitalized** South Carolina’s defensive line coach, Travian Robertson, was in a single-car crash on Friday night in Chapin, S.C. He is now in stable condition in the hospital, according to the school. Robertson, now in his second season with the Gamecocks, was on his way to a team meeting. His car left the road, but there’s no word on his injuries yet.

Nebraska Coach Launches Podcast to Boost NIL Today, Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule kicked off his weekly “Husker Huddle” podcast. He aims to strengthen the Cornhuskers’ brand and support players in their Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities. Rhule aims to put podcast profits into an NIL fund for athletes. He sees it as “a new way to help our players benefit from their platform.”

SEC to Adopt Nine-Game Conference Schedule in 2026 Today, the Southeastern Conference voted to switch to a nine-game conference slate starting in 2026. The change aims to improve key matchups and cut down on non-conference games. Each SEC team will play eight conference opponents in a round-robin format and face one traditional non-division rival each year.