The college football playoff has completely changed the way fans view the end of the season. Schools vie for advantageous seeds in order to make deep runs to win the national championship.
The playoff has also changed the way fans view the regular season as well. While powerhouse teams cannot afford to stumble too many times, the postseason structure allows a school to back into the playoff with a chance of winning it all in January.
We’ll take a look at the three early-season matchups that are set to have the biggest impact on the college football playoffs in the winter.
3. Notre Dame at Miami
Excellence doesn’t always transfer over when it comes to switching from one star quarterback to the next. Just ask Clemson how difficult life became once Trevor Lawrence went to the NFL. The University of Miami sent Cam Ward to the next level as the 2025 NFL Draft’s top overall selection, and is hoping that Carson Beck can have the same level of success with the Hurricanes as he did with Georgia.
Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish want to make it back to the national title game this year, and do what they failed to do last season. It’s going to be a long road back, but Marcus Freeman has to keep the current team’s focus on each week’s game rather than the ultimate end goal. Some believe Notre Dame won’t even make it back to the playoffs.
2. LSU at Clemson
This is going to be another spectacular game. Clemson is confident in quarterback Cade Klubnik’s ability, and he might not even have to win the game on his own. The Tigers have a sensational defense that has been together for a couple of years now, as well as talent across multiple lines.
Meanwhile, the “other” Tigers shouldn’t be slept on either. Head coach Brian Kelly knows how important this game is to LSU’s chances of putting themselves in a great position heading into the SEC schedule. He’ll have his team fired up.
1. Texas at Ohio State
These two schools are going to be near or at the top of the national title college football odds, and with great reason. Former ABC broadcaster Keith Jackson called The Rose Bowl game “the granddaddy of them all,” but this matchup might be the cream of the crop during the 2025 college football season.
You’ve got the defending national champion Buckeyes, whose fans will be ready to party to welcome their heroes back to Columbus. You also have the Longhorns, who are led into a hostile environment by prodigal quarterback son Arch Manning.
There are two fascinating angles for this game. The first is whether Ohio State can put last year behind them and focus on defeating a talented Texas team. The other is whether the Longhorns can handle a raucous Ohio State crowd from opening kickoff, and whether they’ll have a game plan to limit mistakes while playing freely.
