BURNING QUESTIONS

Five Week 0 Ponderings

1️⃣ Is Farmageddon the most under-appreciated rivalry in college football?  

The 2025 college football season officially kicks off on Saturday with the 109th meeting between Kansas State and Iowa State, a rivalry born in 1917 in the old Missouri Valley Conference and sustained for more than a century. What started as a clash between two land-grant schools with agricultural roots has blossomed into a uniquely Midwestern tradition.

Now dubbed Farmageddon, it’s the longest uninterrupted series in college football. Scott Dochertman of The Athletic once called it “a rivalry shaped by similarity and substance,” and the numbers back him up. Iowa State holds the all-time record at 54-50-4, but Kansas State is 26-8 since 1989. Seven of the last 10 games have been decided by one possession.

This year, Farmageddon will look a little different, as both teams are trading cornfields for cobblestones with the game taking place in Dublin, Ireland, as part of the Aer Lingus College Football Classic. Different backdrop, same great football.

Opening season games always have a different feel to them. There’s a renewed sense of optimism in the air. There’s also a layer of the unknown about your own team and the opponent.

This year’s game carries a lot of stakes. Both teams return highly-touted quarterbacks, determined head coaches, and have lofty aspirations of sitting atop the topsy-turvy Big 12 Conference at year’s end. It feels extreme to label an opening game as “make or break,” but the outcome should have a big impact on both teams’ trajectories and play a factor in the conference title race.

All rivalries are good rivalries. There’s just nothing quite like ‘em. But from where I sit, there’s something different about this one.

Farmageddon is more than a rivalry—it’s a celebration of flyover football, where grit, toughness, and overlooked talent define the game in the heart of the heartland. And that’s what makes it wonderful.

2️⃣ How big a leap should we expect from Kansas State QB Avery Johnson?

Kansas State junior quarterback Avery Johnson has the weight of the Wildcats' Big 12 title hopes sitting squarely atop his shoulders.

Johnson finished the 2024 campaign with over 2,700 yards and a school-record 25 passing touchdowns. He also added over 600 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. He was one of only five players in the nation and one of three from Power 4 schools to put up such numbers.

But for all the good things he did last season, there’s still room for improvement. His passing could still use some work, as evidenced by his 10 interceptions and below 60% completion percentage. I think it’s also fair to say that both he and the Wildcats could benefit from improved decision-making and seeing the game better. 

It feels like this is the year for Johnson to take a leap and become the quarterback so many think he can be.

Matt Wells is in as the full-time offensive coordinator after previously serving as the co-OC and QB coach. Dylan Edwards and Joe Jackson should make up a solid backfield. And junior pass-catcher Jayce Brown is back and should be Johnson’s primary target outside.

Even with questions on the offensive line, this should be a K-State offense that can put up points and cause plenty of headaches.

But whether this offense and team can go from good to great? That’ll be dependent on whether Johnson can take a step forward and finally become the dual-threat superweapon Wildcat fans think he can be.

3️⃣ Did UNLV coach Dan Mullen hit the jackpot?

After a tumultuous finish to his time in Gainesville, Dan Mullen spent the last three college football seasons living the dream. He worked as a college football analyst for ESPN, touring the country with Matt Barrie, calling Thursday night football games. He was close enough to the sport to remain active and engaged but far enough away to presumably manage his stress levels.

This offseason, however, he elected to jump back into college football in a big way, signing up to be the new head football coach at UNLV. To some, this might seem like any old coaching move, one where the ole ball coach got an itch and wanted back in. But I think Mullen’s move to Las Vegas was more calculated than that.

At the time of writing, Mullen, a certified quarterback whisperer, is letting the QB competition play out between former UVA QB Anthony Colandrea and former Michigan signal-caller Alex Orji. There’s an element of good and not-so-good with both players, but considering Mullen’s bona fides, it wouldn’t be a shock if he found a way to get good production out of either player.

Second-team All-Mountain West running back Jai’Den Thomas is back after posting a 900-yard season a year ago. The wide receiver room includes key transfers from big-time P4 programs. And the defense, although replacing plenty of guys, should give this team at least a fighting chance.

UNLV should be ready to once again compete for a Mountain West title. And if all goes to plan, Mullen will have hit the jackpot with a roster full of former Power 4 players and an up-and-coming program in the desert.

4️⃣ Is the SEC a giant Jenga tower waiting to come crashing down?

Picture the SEC as a giant Jenga tower. Every program is carefully stacked right now—Texas sits at the top, Alabama and Georgia nestled just below, LSU is in a prime spot, and then a cluster of meaty middle programs like Florida, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, South Carolina, Texas A&M, Auburn, and Missouri all hoping to climb up the structure.

There’s only one problem: not every team can have a good season. For South Carolina to succeed, somebody’s block needs to get pulled out. For Ole Miss to make the College Football Playoff, Georgia or LSU might need to fall out of the race.

The further along the season we get, the more fragile the structure becomes. At least a few of these teams will see their piece come tumbling down. Your guess is as good as mine on which teams it’ll be.

5️⃣ Are we poised for a repeat of the 2007 season?

The 2007 college football season was as chaotic as they come, and was later dubbed  “The Year of the Upset.” When you dive back into the numbers, it’s easy to see why.

That year, a ranked team lost to a lower-ranked or unranked opponent 62 times during the regular season. Top 10 teams lost 29 times. The No. 1 team lost four times. The No. 2 team lost seven times, all in the final nine weeks of the season. The No. 1 and No. 2 teams lost in the same week three times, including in Weeks 13 and 14. And multiple top 10 teams lost in the same week in nine of the 14 weeks of the regular season, including five top 10 losses in Week 5.

It’s hard to predict that kind of mayhem. But this year? It feels like the upset gods are restless. 

This season, more than most, it feels as if there are many good teams and no clear great teams.

Heavyweights Texas, Ohio State, Alabama, and Georgia are breaking in new quarterbacks. Clemson and LSU return a lot of talent, but have to square off in Week 1. Penn State brings the bulk of its roster back, but faces questions about finishing in late-game situations. Both the Big 10 and SEC have some meaty middles with teams good enough to knock off the conference front-runners on any given Saturday. And your guess is as good as mine on how the Big 12 shakes out.

No great teams (yet) + plenty of good ones = a perfect recipe for chaos. 

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THE PODCAST

Your Week 0 Primer is live!

Week 0 is here! We break down the biggest QB battles that caught some off guard (looking at you, Notre Dame), injury updates that could shake up the season, and our picks for all five Saturday games. Plus, we reveal our preseason Verballer Top 12 rankings. From Farmageddon in Dublin to Dan Mullen's UNLV debut, we've got everything you need for college football's return.

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