How To Watch: Vanderbilt Football vs. Charleston Southern, Game 1

Vanderbilt football kicks off its season with a night game at FirstBank Stadium.

Dec 27, 2024; Birmingham, AL, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) throws the ball against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first half of the 2024 Birmingham Bowl at Protective Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images | Vasha Hunt-Imagn Images

After a long offseason, it is officially game week for Vanderbilt football.

The Commodores will walk into the FirstBank Stadium Saturday night and take on Charleston Southern to kickoff the 2025 college football season.

Vanderbilt is looking to pick up where it left off the 2024 season when the Commodores finished with a 7-6 record and a Birmingham Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. It was Vanderbilt’s first season above .500 and bowl win since 2013. This season, Vanderbilt has plans to compete for not just a bigger bowl game, but a SEC Championship.

Vanderbilt returned nearly 70 percent of its production last year, including its defensive core on offense and defense. Quarterback Diego Pavia turned down NIL offers from other schools to come back and play one final season with Vanderbilt. At his side is his "safety blanket" in tight end Eli Stowers. The two were one of the more lethal connections in college football last season and in 2025, the two hope to do that at a higher level.

There has been plenty of talk about Vanderbilt's defensive depth. Head coach Clark Lea feels that as he enters his fifth season, his current roster is the best and deepest he has had since taking over the program in 2021. The defensive line is where Vanderbilt has seemed to have the most depth on the defense, highlighted by veterans Yilanan Ouattara and Khordae Sydnor. However, it does return linebackers Langston Patterson and Bryan Longwell, who both consistently made plays last season.

For Charleston Southern, the Buccaneers are coming off a season they want to forget. They went 1-11, including 0-8 in the OVC-Big South conference in the FCS. With a new offensive coordinator in Seth Strickland, Charleston Southern hopes to improve its offense that was ranked near the bottom of the FCS a year ago.

There has only been one time where these two schools have met. In 2014, Vanderbilt survived a scare from the Buccaneers, sneaking away with a 21-20 win. This time, Vanderbilt hopes it does not have to stress and play a tight game into the late stages.

Here is the tv information for Vanderbilt’s matchup Saturday night against Charleston Southern.

How To Watch: Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt Football

When: 6 p.m. CT, Aug. 30

Where: FirstBank Stadium, Nashville, Tenn.

TV: ESPN+/SECN+

Stats: Live Stats

In addition to Vanderbilt’s first game of the season, Week 1 of the college football season starts around the country. The slate to begin the season is filled with power conference games and three AP Top 10 matchups. One of the biggest games of the season, No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State kicks off at 11 a.m. CT Saturday on FOX. Saturday night features another heavyweight matchup between No. 9 LSU and No. 4 Clemson at 6:30 while Sunday night No. 6 Notre Dame travels to No. 10 Miami to end the first week of the season.

Here is the entire Week 1 college football schedule. All times listed are in eastern time.

Week 1 College Football Schedule: Times and TV Information

Thursday, Aug. 28

5:30 p.m. | No. 25 Boise State at South Florida | ESPN
6 p.m. | Lafayette at Bowling Green | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Ohio at Rutgers | Big Ten Network
6 p.m. | Mercyhurst at Youngstown State | ESPN+
6 p.m. | McKendree at Indiana State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Delaware State at Delaware | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Jacksonville State at UCF | ESPN+
7 p.m. | East Carolina at NC State | ACC Network
7 p.m. | Wyoming at Akron | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Saint Francis (PA) at UL Monroe | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Dayton at Eastern Illinois | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Lindenwood at St. Thomas | MidcoSports+
7:30 p.m. | Elon at Duke | ESPN+/ACC Extra
7:30 p.m. | Central Arkansas at Missouri | SEC Network
7:30 p.m. | UT Martin at Oklahoma State | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | West Georgia at Samford | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Arkansas Baptist at Houston Christian | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Upper Iowa at Drake | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Buffalo at Minnesota | FS1
8 p.m. | Stephen F. Austin at Houston | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Alcorn State at Northwestern State | ESPN+
8:30 p.m. | Alabama State at UAB | ESPN+
9 p.m. | Nebraska vs. Cincinnati (in Kansas City, Mo.) | ESPN
9 p.m. | Miami (Ohio) at Wisconsin | Big Ten Network
10 p.m. | Stony Brook at San Diego State

Friday, Aug. 29

6 p.m. | Tarleton State at Army | CBSSN
6 p.m. | Campbell at Rhode Island | FloFootball
7 p.m. | Kennesaw State at Wake Forest | ACC Network
7 p.m. | Appalachian State vs. Charlotte (Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte) | ESPNU
7 p.m. | Bethune-Cookman at FIU | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Western Michigan at Michigan State | FS1
7 p.m. | Monmouth at Colgate | ESPN+
7 p.m. | New Haven at Marist | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Wagner at Kansas | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Western Illinois at Illinois | Peacock
8 p.m. | Auburn at Baylor | FOX
8 p.m. | Georgia Tech at Colorado | ESPN
9:30 p.m. | UNLV at Sam Houston | CBS Sports Network
10:30 p.m. | Central Michigan at San Jose State | FS1

Saturday, Aug. 30

12 p.m. | Syracuse vs. No. 24 Tennessee (in Atlanta) | ABC
12 p.m. | Mississippi State at Southern Miss | ESPN
12 p.m. | VMI at Navy | CBSSN
12 p.m. | No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State | FOX
12 p.m. | Duquesne at Pitt | ACC Network
12 p.m. | Northwestern at Tulane | ESPNU
12 p.m. | Ball State at Purdue | Big Ten Network
12 p.m. | Merrimack at Kent State | ESPN+
12 p.m. | FAU at Maryland | Big Ten Network
12 p.m. | North Dakota State at The Citadel | ESPN+
12 p.m. | Richmond at Lehigh | ESPN+
12:45 p.m. | Toledo at Kentucky | SEC Network
1 p.m. | Georgetown at Davidson | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Fordham at Boston College | ESPN+/ACC Extra
2 p.m. | Robert Morris at West Virginia | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Central Connecticut State at UConn | WWAX/UConn+
2 p.m. | William & Mary at Furman | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Virginia-Lynchburg at Valparaiso | ESPN+
2 p.m. | Stonehill at Sacred Heart | ESPN+
2:30 p.m. | Old Dominion at No. 20 Indiana | FS1
2:30 p.m. | Cumberland at Tennessee Tech | ESPN+
3 p.m. | Eastern Kentucky at Louisville | ACC Network
3 p.m. | Chadron State at Northern Colorado | ESPN+
3 p.m. | Hampton at Jackson State | HBCU GO
3:30 p.m. | Bucknell at Air Force | CBSSN
3:30 p.m. | Marshall at No. 5 Georgia | ESPN
3:30 p.m. | Nevada at No. 2 Penn State | CBS/Paramount+
3:30 p.m. | Holy Cross at Northern Illinois | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | South Dakota at No. 22 Iowa State | FOX
3:30 p.m. | Temple at UMass | ESPN+
3:30 p.m. | No. 8 Alabama at Florida State | ABC
4 p.m. | Maine at Liberty | ESPN+
4 p.m. | Montana State at No. 7 Oregon | Big Ten Network
4 p.m. | Howard vs. Florida A&M (at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.) | ESPNU
4:15 p.m. | Alabama A&M at Arkansas | SEC Network
4:30 p.m. | Chattanooga at Memphis | ESPN+
4:30 p.m. | North Carolina A&T at Tennessee State | ESPN+
5 p.m. | Southern at Mississippi Valley State | SWAC TV
5:30 p.m. | Murray State at East Tennessee State | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Illinois State at No. 18 Oklahoma | ESPN+/SECN+
6 p.m. | UAlbany at Iowa | FS1
6 p.m. | Weber State at James Madison | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Coastal Carolina at Virginia | ACC Network
6 p.m. | Gardner-Webb at Western Carolina | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Presbyterian at Mercer | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Allen at Morehead State | ESPN+
6 p.m. | Webber International at Stetson | ESPN+
6 p.m. | New Hampshire at North Carolina Central | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Charleston Southern at Vanderbilt | ESPN+/SECN+
7 p.m. | UTSA at No. 19 Texas A&M | ESPN
7 p.m. | Southeast Missouri State at Arkansas State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | North Dakota at No. 17 Kansas State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Nicholls at Troy | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Morgan State at South Alabama | ESPN+
7 p.m. | LIU at No. 15 Florida | ESPN+/SECN+
7 p.m. | Austin Peay at Middle Tennessee | ESPN+
7 p.m. | North Alabama at Western Kentucky | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Sacramento State at South Dakota State | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Louisiana Christian at McNeese | ESPN+
7 p.m. | Eastern Washington at UIW | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | Missouri State at USC | Big Ten Network
7:30 p.m. | UTEP at Utah State | CBSSN
7:30 p.m. | Arkansas-Pine Bluff at No. 23 Texas Tech | ESPN+
7:30 p.m. | No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson | ABC
7:30 p.m. | New Mexico at No. 14 Michigan | NBC/Peacock
7:30 p.m. | Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana Tech | ESPN+
7:45 p.m. | Georgia State at No. 21 Ole Miss | SEC Network
8 p.m. | Portland State at BYU | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Lamar at North Texas | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Abilene Christian at Tulsa | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Eastern Michigan at Texas State | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Rice at Louisiana | ESPN+
8 p.m. | Langston at Grambling State | SWAC TV (in Shreveport, Louisiana)
8 p.m. | Prairie View A&M at Texas Southern | SWAC TV
8 p.m. | Sul Ross State at UTRGV | ESPN+
8:30​​​​​ p.m. | Idaho State at Southern Utah | ESPN+
9 p.m. | East Texas A&M at No. 16 SMU | ACC Network
9 p.m. | Bryant at New Mexico State | ESPN+
9:30 p.m. | Georgia Southern at Fresno State | FS1
10 p.m. | Northern Arizona at No. 11 Arizona State | ESPN+
10 p.m. | Idaho at Washington State | The CW Network
10 p.m. | UC Davis at Utah Tech | ESPN+
10:30 p.m. | Hawaii at Arizona | TNT/HBO Max
10:30 p.m. | Cal at Oregon State | ESPN
11 p.m. | Colorado State at Washington | Big Ten Network
11 p.m. | Utah at UCLA | FOX

Sunday, Aug. 31

3 p.m. | Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina (in Atlanta) | ESPN
7:30 p.m. | No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (Fla.) | ABC

Monday, Sept. 1

8 p.m. | TCU at North Carolina | ESPN/ESPNU