College football Week 1 live updates: Top plays and games

Sunday, August 31, 2025

Week 1 of the college football season is finally here. There was no tiptoeing into the 2025 season. The No. 1 Texas Longhorns facing the No. 3 Ohio State Buckeyes kicked off the day.

The blockbuster matinee matchup, which featured the beginning of the Arch Manning era at Texas, didn't provide many fireworks, but the overwhelmingly defense-focused top-five contest did come down to the final minutes. Ultimately, the Buckeyes' defense came up big when it mattered most, forcing a turnover on down by the Longhorns on a potential game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. Texas finished 1-5 on fourth downs for the day, including a pair of turnovers inside the Ohio State 10-yard line.

We have the best plays and moments from the Buckeyes' big win, plus takeaways from around the sport.

Jump to a section:br/>Notes from the road | Best of Texas-Ohio State

Notes from the road

How FSU pulled the upset

Florida State coach Mike Norvell talked for months about wanting his team to play with an edge, with desperation, with heart -- three key intangibles missing last year during a miserable 2-10 season.

The college football world saw all of that on display in a 31-17 win over Alabama. But perhaps most jaw-dropping was the physical way in which the Seminoles dominated the Crimson Tide up front. After allowing an opening 75-yard drive, the Florida State defense clamped down from there -- and allowed just 3 yards per rush for the game.

The revamped offensive line, with four veteran transfers, dominated in its own right -- not only opening up holes, but pushing defenders backward at nearly every turn. Florida State rushed for 230 yards, a year after averaging 89.9 yards per game -- ranking No. 128 in the country.

"We wanted to be the aggressor, and we were," Norvell said. "Our players, they rose to the challenge. We talked all year, and I've used the buzzwords of edge and desperation. That goes to the heart, and you saw heart tonight. We saw a team that absolutely loves playing this game together and were physically dominant, emotionally together, and they responded. This is a first step, but it's a big step."

It is a big step because of what happened a year ago. Florida State came off a 13-1 ACC championship season with one of the worst performances in school history. Those outside the program questioned Norvell, questioned the program's direction. He needed a win like this to remind the general public the Florida State is not what it showed a year ago.

On the flip side is Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer, who already went into the season with Crimson Tide fans skeptical about him and the direction of the program after a 9-4 debut that ended with a bowl loss to Michigan.

You will remember DeBoer got the Alabama job over Norvell, and now the pressure is rising as the successor to Saban. Alabama lost a season opener by two touchdowns for the first time since 1970.

"There's no excuses about what happened," DeBoer said. "Last year isn't this year, and it's going to be an uphill climb for us, but you can't think of it in the big scope of things. You've got to focus on the moment. And the next moment is, 'What happens tomorrow?' And we'll find out. We'll find out." -- Andrea Adelson

Ohio State's defense came ready

Ohio State opened its national championship defense with a dominating defensive effort. And for the second straight season against Texas, the Buckeyes produced a game-clinching stop.

Despite eight new defensive starters, the Buckeyes flew around all afternoon and flustered hyped Texas quarterback Arch Manning into a stunningly erratic performance.

The Buckeyes did not surrender a play longer than 15 yards until late in the fourth quarter. They also came up huge in the red zone.

In the first half, the Buckeyes stuffed a Manning quarterback sneak on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Then in the fourth quarter, cornerback Davison Igbinosun swatted away a Manning fourth-down pass to the corner of the end zone.

"Every time you get a fourth-down stop, it's like a turnover," Day said after the game.

After a Texas touchdown with 3:28 to play, the Longhorns got the ball back again with a chance to tie.

But just like last season -- when Jack Sawyer's strip sack and score propelled Ohio State to victory over Texas in the CFP semifinals and to the national championship game -- the Buckeyes got the key final stop -- as Caleb Downs tackled Jack Endries short of the marker on fourth down.

The Buckeyes' defensive performance allowed them to ease quarterback Julian Sayin into his first start. Sayin was 13-for-20 for 126 yards and a score in his first start. Unlike Manning, however, Sayin avoided turnovers.

"We were fairly conservative [offensively] because we felt like our defense was playing well," Day said.-- Jake Trotter