Are Saturdays The New Sundays?

For decades, Sundays were the most exciting day of the week because of one thing: football was on. Tailgates, fantasy leagues and game-day traditions make it a weekly ritual across the country. Viewers tune in to fun matches all day long from your favorite professional teams, and then to top it off, Sunday Night Football, always the best game of the week no matter who is playing. But as the 2025 college football season kicks off, Saturdays are starting to feel like the main event. Conference realignments, new playoff brackets and young stars make the NCAA feel new and fresh again, something football has been missing for quite some time.

The 2024 season marked a significant change for college football, particularly within the conferences. One of the most influential moves saw the University of Texas and the University of Oklahoma move from the Big 12 to the SEC (Southeastern Conference). Texas is a traditionally strong program that has been a National Championship contender for some time, and its new spot in the SEC provides exciting and challenging new competition with juggernauts like Alabama, Georgia, and LSU. Along with more competition in the SEC, the move of Texas and Oklahoma brings another legendary rivalry into a conference already filled with intense competition.

One of the most influential changes was the move of ten of the twelve teams in the PAC-12 conference to new conferences around the country. USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington all moved to the BIG 10 last year, making it arguably the strongest conference in the Country. Games like Oregon vs. Ohio State and USC vs. Michigan were among the best and most competitive of the 2024 season. Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah all moved to the BIG 12, allowing for never-before-seen matchups and exciting new games. Stanford and Cal, as well as SMU from the American Athletic Conference (AAC), made the move to the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), leaving only Washington State and Oregon State in the Pac-12. However, the Pac-12 is looking to rebuild, and by 2027, it hopes to include Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, Gonzaga, San Diego State, Texas State and Utah State.

Another significant change in College Football came with the introduction of the 12-team playoff bracket. For decades, College Football had a 4 team playoff, meaning that the same few teams often made it year after year, and if your team wasn’t practically undefeated, there was a very low chance you would make it to the playoffs, making the end of the season less exciting and mysterious. Now, with a 12-team playoff, it allows schools to be in the race up until the very end, keeping the season engaging and unpredictable. The National Championship last year saw eight-seeded Ohio State beat seven-seeded Notre Dame. Neither team would have made it into the playoffs in previous years, let alone the National Championship.

New faces in the league have also led to the immense hype surrounding college football. Arch Manning, the nephew of legendary quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, is taking the helm of the Texas Longhorns, who were ranked number one going into the season. Manning had massive expectations coming into his sophomore season, and many critics have argued that he has been underperforming and making too many mistakes.

Others argue that he is performing well, especially considering the amount of pressure and unreal expectations that have been placed upon him. Quincy Watson ‘26 thinks that it is too early to count Manning out, stating that, “He’s had a hard time adjusting to the next level, and with the pressure put on him, it’s no wonder he’s made a few mistakes here and there. He didn’t have great competition in High School, but once he adjusts to D1 defenses, he’ll have a good, Heisman-worthy season.”