As the first games of the college football season take place on Saturday with Week 0 competition, the race to the College Football Playoffs is on.
Kicking off the season once again is the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, which this year will feature one of the Big 12’s longest-lasting rivalries between No. 21 Iowa State and No. 20 Kansas State at Aviva Stadium.
But as is the case this time of the season, there’s some confusion as to what exactly Week 0 is, especially considering there are only 10 teams in action on Saturday, Aug. 23.
Here’s what to know on Week 0 in college football, including the full schedule for this year’s Week 0 slate:
What is Week 0 in college football?
Week 0 is the unofficial opening weekend of the college football season, as a select handful of teams begin their season ahead of Week 1.
But to schedule and play a Week 0 game doesn’t come without going through some redlining. Per Rule 17.11.4 of the NCAA Division I manual states that “an institution shall not play its first contest (game or scrimmage) with outside competition in football before the Thursday preceding Labor Day.”
So how can Iowa State and Kansas State play against each other before Aug. 29, which is the Thursday before Labor Day this season, in Dublin? There’s an exception to this, thanks to Exemption Rule 17.11.4.3:
“An institution that is scheduled to play a regular-season game in a foreign country may play its first permissible contest with outside competition on the Saturday prior to the Thursday preceding Labor Day. An institution that uses this exception must provide its student-athletes with five additional days off from all countable athletically related activities during the institution’s declared playing season.”
Since Iowa State and Kansas State are playing in Week 0, both teams will receive an extra bye week during the season. For Iowa State, the Cyclones will be on bye in Week 4 (Sept. 20), Week 8 (Oct. 18) and Week 12 (Nov. 15). Similarly, Kansas State will be on bye in Week 4, Week 8 and Week 11 (Nov. 8).
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College football Week 0 schedule
Headlining the Week 0 schedule this season is Iowa State vs. Kansas State in the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin, the first time that the Cyclones will be playing outside of the United States. The 109th meeting of the “Farmaggedon” rivalry series is also the first Big 12 game in Ireland.
Here’s a full look at the Week 0 slate in college football, including kickoff times and TV channel information:
All times Eastern
* Neutral site game in Ireland
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: What is Week 0? Explaining Iowa State, Kansas State’s early start to 2025 season
Reporting by John Leuzzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / Des Moines Register
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
