AMERICAN TODAY
The 2025 college football season begins in earnest Thursday, beginning with a key showdown in Tampa as South Florida hosts No. 25 Boise State on ESPN. It is the first of three straight games for the Bulls against top-25 opponents to start the season.
Thursday’s opening day continues with East Carolina at NC State on the ACC Network as the Pirates look for back-to-back wins against the Wolfpack.
Friday’s ledger is highlighted by the Duke’s Mayo Classic as Charlotte takes on Appalachian State at Bank of America Stadium as new 49ers head coach Tim Albin makes his debut.
Nine American teams begin with traditional Saturday games. Florida Atlantic and new head coach Zach Kittley head to Maryland for a noon ET kickoff on the Big Ten Network as the Owls look to snap the Terrapins’ 15-game winning streak against nonconference opponents.
Tulane hosts Northwestern on ESPNU as the schools meet on the gridiron for the first time since 1956.
The highlight of the late window Saturday has UTSA headed to No. 19 Texas A&M for a prime time matchup on ESPN.
CBS Sports Network will the respective home openers for Army and Navy as the Black Knights host Tarleton State Friday and the Midshipmen welcome VMI on Saturday.
ESPN+ will feature six American teams in Week 1 as UAB plays Thursday, while Temple, Memphis, North Texas, Rice and Tulsa begin their seasons on Saturday
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
THURSDAY, AUGUST 28
Boise State at South Florida
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Series: First meeting
East Carolina at NC State
Time: 7 p.m.
Series: NC State leads, 19-14
Last Meeting: Dec. 28, 2024 (East Carolina, 26-21)
Alabama State at UAB
Time: 8:30 p.m.
Series: Tied, 2-2
Last Meeting: Aug. 29, 2019 (UAB, 24-19)
FRIDAY, AUGUST 29
Tarleton State at Army
Time: 6 p.m.
Series: First meeting
Appalachian State vs. Charlotte
Time: 7 p.m.
Series: Appalachian State leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 12, 2020 (Appalachian State, 35-20)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 30
Florida Atlantic at Maryland
Time: Noon
Series: First meeting
VMI at Navy
Time: Noon
Series: Navy leads, 10-0
Last Meeting: Oct. 11, 2014 (Navy, 51-14)
Northwestern at Tulane
Time: Noon
Series: Tulane leads, 3-1
Last Meeting: Oct. 6, 1956 (Tulane, 20-13)
Temple at Massachusetts
Time: 3:30 p.m.
Series: Temple leads, 3-0
Last Meeting: Sept. 24, 2022 (Temple, 28-0)
Chattanooga at Memphis
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Series: Memphis leads, 12-5
Last Meeting: Sept. 9, 2006 (Memphis, 33-14)
UTSA at Texas A&M
Time: 7 p.m.
Series: Texas A&M leads, 2-0
Last Meeting: Nov. 2, 2019 (Texas A&M, 45-14)
Lamar at North Texas
Time: 8 p.m.
Series: North Texas leads, 5-2
Last Meeting: Sept. 2, 2017 (North Texas, 59-14)
Rice at Louisiana
Time: 8 p.m.
Series: Tied, 3-3
Last Meeting: Sept. 17, 2022 (Rice, 33-21)
Abilene Christian at Tulsa
Time: 8 p.m.
Series: First meeting
TALKING POINTS
UAB
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 28 vs. Alabama State (ESPN+)
American Ranks
Total Offense………………………….392.6 …………………..9th
Total Defense…………………………393.8 ………………….. 7th
Scoring Offense ………………………. 26.2 …………………..9th
Scoring Defense ………………………34.3 …………………10th
- K Jonah Delange was named the 2024 American Special Teams Player of the Year, becoming the first UAB player to win an end-of-season award from the conference.
- QB Jalen Kitna started the last eight games of 2024 and threw for 2,209 yards and 17 touchdowns.
- The Blazers’ 2025 roster includes 51 newcomers.
ARMY
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 29 vs. Tarleton State (CBSSN)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………..380.7 ………………….11th
Total Defense………………………….304.1 ……………………1st
Scoring Offense ………………………..31.4 …………………..8th
Scoring Defense ……………………….16.2 ……………………1st
- Army won the 2024 American Championship in its first year in the league. Army enters the season as the only FBS team in the country to have not lost a conference game it has played.
- Army’s offensive line won the Joe Moore Award as the nation’s top unit. OG Paolo Gennarelli and C Brady Small return from that group.
- The Black Knights have won their last 10 games at Michie Stadium.
CHARLOTTE
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 29 vs. Appalachian State (ESPNU)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………..341.2 …………………13th
Total Defense………………………….433.2 …………………12th
Scoring Offense ………………………..23.7 …………………12th
Scoring Defense ……………………….35.1 …………………12th
- The 49ers named Tim Albin as their new head coach. Albin was a two-time MAC Coach of the Year at Ohio, where he won the 2024 conference title.
- Charlotte won its last two games of the 2024 season and finished 4-4 in conference play last year.
- The 2025 roster will include nearly 40 players from the transfer portal.
EAST CAROLINA
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 28 at NC State (ACC Network)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………. 433.3 …………………..4th
Total Defense…………………………403.6 …………………..8th
Scoring Offense ………………………. 32.5 …………………..4th
Scoring Defense ……………………….27.8 …………………..6th
- The Pirates went 5-1 under head coach Blake Harrell to close the 2024 season. Harrell became the first coach in program history to win his first four games.
- QB Katin Houser returns as the starting signal-caller after he threw for 2,006 yards and 18
touchdowns last season. - The Pirates improved by six wins from 2023 to 2024.
- FLORIDA ATLANTIC
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 at Maryland (Big Ten Network)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………..397.6 ………………….. 7th
Total Defense…………………………..416.7 …………………..9th
Scoring Offense ………………………. 25.9 …………………10th
Scoring Defense ………………………30.3 …………………..8th - The Owls named Zach Kittley as their new head coach. Kittley had most recently served as offensive coordinator at Texas Tech.
- At 33 years old, Kittley is the youngest FBS head coach.
- QB Caden Veltkamp, a transfer from Western Kentucky, was the 2024 Offensive Player of the Year in Conference USA. Veltkamp threw for 3,108 yards and 25 touchdowns.
- MEMPHIS
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 vs. Chattanooga (ESPN+)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………..442.1 …………………..3rd
Total Defense………………………… 355.6 …………………..4th
Scoring Offense ………………………. 35.2 …………………. 2nd
Scoring Defense ……………………… 22.8 …………………..4th - Memphis, which went 11-2 last year, registered back-to-back seasons with double-digit wins for the first time in program history.
- The Tigers have scored at least 20 points in 40 consecutive games, the longest active streak nationally.
- Memphis, which went 7-0 at home last year, is 43-6 at Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium since 2017.
NAVY
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 vs. VMI (CBSSN)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………..375.8 ………………….11th
Total Defense…………………………363.6 …………………..5th
Scoring Offense ………………………. 32.2 …………………..6th
Scoring Defense ……………………… 22.3 …………………..3rd
- Navy registered its first season with at least 10 wins since 2019 as the Midshipmen went 10-3 last season.
- QB Blake Horvath accounted for 30 total touchdowns (17 rushing, 13 passing) and rushed for 1,246 yards in 2024.
- Navy closed the 2024 season by defeating Army for the Commander-In-Chief’s Trophy and topping Oklahoma in the Armed Forces Bowl.
NORTH TEXAS
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 vs. Lamar (ESPN+)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………..488.7 ……………………1st
Total Defense…………………………456.6 …………………13th
Scoring Offense ……………………….34.0 …………………..3rd
Scoring Defense ………………………34.5 …………………12th
- QB Drew Mestemaker, who is expected to be the Opening Day starter for North Texas, made his first start since his freshman year in high school in last year’s First Responder Bowl.
- Mestemaker passed for 393 yards and two touchdowns in the bowl game last season.
- The Mean Green will have more than 40 transfers on this year’s roster.
RICE
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 at Louisiana (ESPN+)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………. 352.9 …………………12th
Total Defense…………………………334.6 …………………..3rd
Scoring Offense ………………………..22.2 …………………13th
Scoring Defense ……………………….25.4 …………………..5th
- Rice has named Scott Abell as the Owls’ next head coach. Abell went 47-28 in seven seasons at Davidson, where he won two conference titles and made three NCAA appearances.
- Abell had seven consecutive winning seasons with a Davidson team that had 10 straight losing seasons prior to his arrival.
- The Owls ranked third in The American in total defense last year, allowing 334. 6 yards per game.
SOUTH FLORIDA
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 28 vs. Boise State (ESPN)
American Ranks
Total Offense……………………………418.1 …………………..6th
Total Defense…………………………436.6 …………………12th
Scoring Offense ………………………..31.4 ………………….. 7th
Scoring Defense ………………………29.0 ………………….. 7th
- South Florida is the only team in the nation to start the 2025 season with three consecutive
games against preseason top-25 opponents (Boise State, Florida, Miami). - QB Byrum Brown, who passed for 3,292 yards and 26 touchdowns in 2023, returns to the lineup after being limited by injury to five games in 2024.
- The Bulls have gone 7-6 in each of Alex Golesh’s first two seasons.
TEMPLE
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 at Massachusetts (ESPN+)
American Ranks
Total Offense………………………….308.8 …………………14th
Total Defense………………………….418.4 …………………10th
Scoring Offense ………………………..19.6 …………………14th
Scoring Defense ……………………… 35.4 …………………13th
- The Owls named K.C. Keeler as their new head coach. Keeler has won 271 career games in 31 years as a head coach, including two NCAA FCS national championships.
- Keeler is the only coach in FCS history to win the national championship at two different schools (Delaware in 2003, Sam Houston in 2020).
- Returning QB Evan Simon passed for 2,032 yards and 15 touchdowns last season.
UTSA
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 at Texas A&M (ESPN)
American Ranks
Total Offense………………………….. 447.4 …………………. 2nd
Total Defense…………………………383.8 …………………..6th
Scoring Offense ………………………. 32.3 …………………..5th
Scoring Defense ……………………….31.3 …………………..9th
- The Roadrunners went 6-0 at home and 0-6 on the road in the 2024 regular season.
- UTSA is 29-3 in the Alamodome under head coach Jeff Traylor, who begins his sixth season
in San Antonio. - QB Owen McCown passed for 3,424 yards and 25 touchdowns last year in his first year as the Roadrunners’ starter.
TULANE
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 vs. Northwestern (ESPNU)
American Ranks
Total Offense………………………….. 421.2 …………………..5th
Total Defense…………………………..307.7 …………………. 2nd
Scoring Offense ………………………..37.2 ……………………1st
Scoring Defense ………………………. 19.7 …………………. 2nd
- Tulane has made three consecutive appearances in the American Championship Game.
- Tulane led the nation with six defensive touchdowns and eight non-offensive TDs in 2024.
- Head coach Jon Sumrall has taken his team to the conference championship game in each of his three years as a head coach. Sumrall won back-to-back Sun Belt championships at Troy before bringing Tulane to the American title game last year.
TULSA
0-0, 0-0 American
Next: Aug. 30 vs. Abilene Christian (ESPN+)
American Ranks
Total Offense…………………………..389.7 …………………10th
Total Defense…………………………496.8 …………………14th
Scoring Offense ………………………. 25.0 ………………….11th
Scoring Defense ……………………… 42.5 …………………14th
- Tulsa named Tre Lamb, formerly the head coach at East Tennessee State and Gardner-Webb, as its new leader.
- Tulsa looks to end a run of three consecutive sub-.500 seasons.
- QB Kirk Francis, who emerged from a four-man quarterback room to earn the starting spot midway through last season, threw for 1,595 yards and nine touchdowns in 2024.
