Swing games for every Top 25 college football team for 2025 - ESPN

We are one month away from having college football back, with Iowa State and Kansas State kicking things off from Dublin on Aug. 23.

With games so close at hand, we asked our reporters to single out one contest for each of our post-spring Top 25 teams that could swing their season one way or the other. On paper, what is the one game that will play the biggest role in determining whether the season is a success or a dud?

Some will come in major nonconference battles over the first couple of weeks, some are more traditional league games that could set the tone for the things to come. But they're all worth circling on your calendars and contemplating as the season nears.

Other Top 25 lists: X factors | Areas of concern | Sleepers

Swing game: vs. Oregon, Sept. 27

Among the national title contenders, Penn State will provide the fewest clues during the first portion of the schedule, which includes nonleague games against Nevada, Florida International and Villanova. But after an open week, the Lions will face their first mega test, as they host Oregon in a rematch of the 2024 Big Ten championship game. The Ducks ran the table during their first season as a league member, but they didn't face a road test like Beaver Stadium at night. Coaches and quarterbacks are always linked, but Penn State's James Franklin and Drew Allar will be under an especially bright spotlight as they try to reverse their big-game trend lines. A win stamps Penn State as the team to beat in the Big Ten this season, about a month before it heads to Ohio State on Nov. 1. — Adam Rittenberg

Swing game: vs. LSU, Aug. 30

This one is fairly obvious. The Tigers open the season at home against LSU, a huge game that will serve to show whether all the hype