NCAAF Best Bets for August 23: Week 0 Kicks Off College Football
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Doug Upstone
- August 22, 2025
The 2025 college football season officially kicks off on Saturday, August 23, with three intriguing Week 0 matchups that set the stage for an exciting year.
The headline clash features #22 Iowa State vs. #17 Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland, renewing the fierce “Farmageddon” rivalry between two Big 12 contenders with championship aspirations. Later in the day, Fresno State travels to Kansas in a battle of programs looking to climb back into national relevance, before the nightcap sees Stanford visiting Hawai’i, where the Warriors hope to start their bowl push with a statement win.
With odds, predictions, and storylines, here’s your complete betting preview for Week 0.
Iowa State Cyclones vs. Kansas State Wildcats
Saturday, August 23, 2025 – 12:00 PM EDT (ESPN) at Aviva Stadium
The college football season starts with an excellent matchup, two Top 25 teams with Big 12 championship aspirations in #22 Iowa State facing #17 Kansas State.
They will begin play in Dublin, Ireland, with each expecting a little luck to begin the year. This is always a rivalry game known as Farmageddon.
Iowa State Short Underdogs Seeking to Regroup Quickly
The betting odds to reach the Big 12 championship are the tightest of any conference in college football. Though Iowa State is #7 at most sportsbooks, they are +450, compared to Kansas State at #2 at +275.
Coach Matt Campbell’s team played for the title last December and fell to a hot Arizona State club. The Cyclones lost a great deal of senior leadership, and Campbell, who is big on Team Play, spent the spring not only determining who would start, but who the leaders needed to be to hold players accountable.
One of those leaders is QB Rocco Becht, who is starting his third year in the red and yellow uniforms. Becht is the catalyst, and he has to bring together a new receiver group.
Defensively, the ISU has to be more stout up front, and improved linebacker play will help, now the strength of the team. Campbell’s best teams are usually when they are taken for granted, and that, to a degree, applies to this opener.
Kansas State Expects a Bounce Back From Last Year’s Disappointment
At many football programs, an 8-4 season and a bowl game is a solid to very good year. Not at Kansas State.
The Wildcats expect to compete for a Big 12 title every season, though it doesn’t always work out that way. K-State fans, players, and coaches can usually point to a few plays that kept them from the dream. Not last year, with uncommon mistakes and mental lapses caused deep frustration.
For coach Chris Klieman, that’s in the rearview mirror, and he and the Wildcats coaching staff believe this squad is ready. QB Avery Johnson has supposedly grown up in his third year, anxious to accept the responsibility of the offense, something we did not always see in 2024.
It’s rare when K-State doesn’t have one of the best offensive lines in the conference, especially as run blockers. That should be true again, with reports that the pass-blocking is much improved.
Kansas State deploys a 3-3-5 defense, which is hard to block, but they were beaten in the passing game without a pass rush last season, and this has to improve for the ‘Cats to reach their goals.
The line looks correct, and a field goal game is expected. But with veteran quarterbacks and defenses that need continuity, we’ll side with the Over 49.5 at Bovada (visit our Bovada Review)
Fresno State Bulldogs vs. Kansas Jayhawks
Saturday, August 23, 2025 – 06:30 PM EDT (FOX) at Kansas Memorial Stadium
Fresno State Out to Recapture Past Glory
After being among the Top 20 best scoring teams from 2018-2023 under coach Jeff Tedford, his sudden retirement before last season threw Fresno State into upheaval. However, the Bulldogs made a great hire in Matt Entz from North Dakota State, an FCS power.
Fresno State returns a good offensive line, RB Bryson Donelson, and a quality unit of receivers. The wild card is QB EJ Warner (Kurt Warner’s son), who tossed 37 picks at Temple and Rice. Warner has upside; he needs to make better decisions.
Kansas Will Go as Far as the Quarterback and Defense Take Them
Kansas opened 1-5 a year ago, with four of the defeats by six or fewer points. That prevented a bowl bid, something Jayhawks veteran coach Lance Leipold wants for his squad.
Jalon Daniels returns for his sixth season at quarterback. The up-and-down signal caller is both brilliant at times and equally frustrating. Daniels must be a better decision-maker.
For coach Leipold, finding players who want to hit and tackle at a Big 12 level has always been a conundrum. Leipold is blending returnees and those from the portal, hoping to find a remedy. Good Luck.
Most Kansas players at least know their system, while Fresno State will learn as they play. Favorites of 10.5 to 21 points in Weeks 0-3 averaged 5.25 or more rushing yards per carry, with an experienced QB returning as a starter, are 62-26 ATS.
Let’s trust their spread at BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review).
Stanford Cardinal vs. Hawaii Warriors
Saturday, August 23, 2025 – 07:30 PM EDT at Chin Athletics Complex
Stanford in Full Rebuild Mode
The fall of the Stanford football program is awful. Once a proud part of the university, it fell apart under former David Shaw and cratered, being unprepared for the portal and pay-for-play.
Former player and NFL coach Frank Reich was hired by former Cardinal star Andrew Luck, who is now the school’s GM. Reich knows what he’s doing; however, the talent level is the worst in the ACC and in the bottom 25 percent of the sport.
The two players to watch for Stanford are QB Elijah Brown and QB Micah Ford.
Hawaii Sees This Contest as Building Block to a Bowl
Off an improving 5-7 season, Warriors legend and current coach Tommy Chang is going all in on the opener.
Sure, Stanford stinks. However, they are a brand name, playing in the ACC. Thus, an opening victory could set up a good start to Hawaii’s season.
Always known for offense, the Warriors only averaged 22.3 points a game (#111) using a hybrid Run-Shoot scheme a year ago. QB Micah Alejado played in four games in this offense before deciding not to burn a full year and returns with experience and knowledge.
The Warriors’ defense is risk-reward, blitzing the opposing quarterback while playing man defense on the corners.
Stanford will have a size edge, and they will look to pound the ball against the home team. The Cardinal defense makes a late stop for the upset.
Let’s trust their spread at Bookmaker (visit our Bookmaker Review).
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.
