High-profile non-conference games have always been an inescapable part of the fabric of college football to me. And I'm not even talking about bowls and playoff games. I mean previously scheduled games between two highly-ranked teams that have been scheduled years in advance.
Some of college football's most iconic moments have come from these games, such as Kordell Stewart's Hail Mary at Michigan, the assortment of Wide Right games between Florida State and Miami before the Hurricanes joined the ACC, and Texas eking by Ohio State in Columbus to kick-start a national title season in 2005.
Look up the schedule and results from just about every name-brand program in the '80s or '90s. You won't find a lot of cupcakes, and you'll generally only find a solitary game against the WAC, Big West, or MAC, if any.
The first team I can remember scheduling all cupcakes and being lambasted for it was Kansas State in the late '90s under Bill Snyder. In 1998, the Wildcats beat Indiana State, Northern Illinois, and Northeast Louisiana (now Louisiana-Monroe) by a combined score of 201-14 in three non-conference games.
Ultimately, you could argue it didn't help Kansas State that year, as what was probably the best team in program history lost the Big 12 title to Texas A&M and Alamo Bowl to Purdue after starting 11-0.
Now, Indiana is the newest team to come under fire for scheduling light, as the Hoosiers recently canceled a home-and-home with Notre Dame in 2030-31. No Power 4 non-conference opponent is on any Indiana schedule in the future.
But the last thing you can say is that Indiana is soft. Winning at Oregon, outsmarting Ohio State, and rampaging through the College Football Playoff proved that. And while I love watching big inter-conference games in September, I think the scheduling path taken by the Hoosiers, Penn State, and a few other Big Ten teams may prove to be the ideal one for playoff qualification if selection standards remain the same.
The good news for neutral fans is that the SEC, ACC, and Big 12 have now mandated playing at least one game against the P4 and Notre Dame. Every school in those leagues will play at least 10 P4 games in 2026.
And good on the SEC for doing so, as well as eliminating the farcical "SoCon Saturday" slate of November non-conference games starting in 2027. It was bold to do so, and the conference probably needed to do something bold to pull some narrative back against the Big Ten after the outcomes of the last three national championships.
Steve Sarkisian has caught some flack in the offseason for the way he's talked about future scheduling, but I think his premise is right: if Texas had scheduled Rice instead of at Ohio State in Week 1 last year, the Longhorns would have been a 10-2 playoff team. They didn't get any credit for daring to play the toughest non-conference game possible.
For Power 4 vs. Power 4 non-conference scheduling to last, the CFP committee is going to have to make an example out of a team that scheduled poorly in favor of a team with a nominally worse record. Otherwise, the whole incentive structure falls apart, and the SEC will quickly backtrack from mandating 10 P4 games.
And if only the ACC and Big 12 want to schedule up among the P4, they'll run out of teams to play or lose out on schedule strength benefits. I won't get started on how boxing out the lesser half of the P4 could hasten the development of the college football "Super League" led by the SEC and Big Ten. I'm afraid there's many more articles coming on that over the rest of the decade.
But enough about hypotheticals, future schedules, and the reshaping of college football as we know it. Let's look at the best five non-conference games that are on the docket for the fall in chronological order. And only conference members here. Sorry, Notre Dame.
Boise State @ Oregon, Sept. 5
Boise State moves from the Mountain West to the new-look Pac-12 this year, and their first opponent as a member is the most successful of the Pac-12-to-Big-Ten group from 2024.
When the Broncos played Oregon to the wire at Autzen Stadium two years ago, it was a clear sign that Boise was a favorite to win the Group of 5 (now 6) playoff spot. If they come close against the championship-or-bust Ducks in Week 1, the message will be the same.
Clemson @ LSU, Sept. 5
Both teams are ranked in the preseason, but I have no idea what to expect from either. Both could go 7-5 or 10-2, and I wouldn't be surprised.
Judging by incoming talent, coaching staff upheaval, and preseason win projections, Clemson enters a season with mellow expectations for the first time since the early 2010s. A win in Bayou Death Valley to spoil the start of the Lane Kiffin era could get many of Dabo Swinney's doubters to quiet down.
Louisville vs. Ole Miss in Nashville, Sept. 6
It's weird to say this about a P4 game, but national observers might want to think of this game similarly to Boise State/Oregon. Ole Miss enters the season with sky-high expectations and an electrifying Heisman Trophy favorite in Trinidad Chambliss.
Louisville has been remarkably consistent in the transfer portal/NIL era under Brian Brohm, and this Week 1 contest is the toughest test the Cardinals have before a potential ACC title game. The schedule is quite manageable with no Miami, Clemson, or Notre Dame and SMU at home on Sept. 19. If Louisville gets out of September at 3-1, 11-1 is absolutely in play.
Oklahoma @ Michigan, Sept. 12
When Oklahoma played Michigan last season, I came away from that game convinced that the Sooners were a national title contender. Then, John Mateer messed up his throwing hand, probably came back too soon against Texas, and the Sooners never looked as complete as they did in September.
The way Oklahoma scrapped and clawed its way to 10-2 and a playoff spot last season is probably about the best case scenario for Michigan in Kyle Wittingham's first season. I have no doubt that Wittingham will coach up a strong defense, but much of the offense will rely on Bryce Underwood's improvement.
Ohio State @ Texas, Sept. 12
The hype for this game won't quite be like last year's contest between the two, but it will almost certainly be a top-five matchup. This time, the pressure is all on Texas. A loss by the Longhorns would increase the heat on Sarkisian, reignite Arch Manning's doubters, and force Texas to navigate at least a handful of ranked conference games with just one loss.
On the other hand, Ohio State will probably still be favored in every game with a loss.
The fate of the non-conference blockbuster is almost entirely in the CFP committee's hands. Give teams credit for scheduling up, and you'll get as many or more of these games. Look the other way, and the sport will trend toward a future where the first three weeks of September are filled with glorified scrimmages.
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