College Football Schedule 2023-24
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Western Michigan | NIU 24 , WESTMI 0 | Hayden Wolff 182 | Antario Brown 159 | Leroy Thomas 87 | |
Bowling Green |
vs
Toledo
|
TOLEDO 32 , BGSU 31 | Connor Bazelak 286 | Peny Boone 131 | Harold Fannin Jr. 89 |
Akron | EASTMI 30 , AKRON 27 | Jeff Undercuffler Jr. 223 | Samson Evans 71 | Hamze El-Zayat 92 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Central Michigan |
@
Ohio
|
OHIO 34 , CENTMI 20 | Kurtis Rourke 222 | Sieh Bangura 126 | Chris Parker 62 |
Buffalo | MIA-O 23 , BUFF 10 | Aveon Smith 146 | Rashad Amos 82 | Javon Tracy 123 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Southeastern Louisiana |
vs
Nicholls
|
NICH 21 , SELA 16 | Pat McQuaide 300 | Rodeo Graham Jr. 58 | David Robinson Jr. 91 |
Mississippi Valley State |
@
Alabama A&M
|
ALAA&M 30 , MSVL 21 | Ty'Jarian Williams 223 | Donovan Eaglin 207 | Jacolby Hewitt 115 |
Boston College | PITT 24 , BC 16 | Nate Yarnell 207 | Rodney Hammond Jr. 145 | Bub Means 78 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
South Florida |
@
UTSA
|
TX-SA 49 , USF 21 | Frank Harris 411 | Frank Harris 112 | Joshua Cephus 163 |
Colorado | WASHST 56 , COLO 14 | Cameron Ward 288 | Sy'veon Wilkerson 49 | Josh Kelly 130 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
BYU |
vs
Oklahoma
|
OKLA 31 , BYU 24 | Dillon Gabriel 191 | Aidan Robbins 182 | Kody Epps 90 |
Chattanooga |
@
Alabama
|
ALA 66 , CHAT 10 | Jalen Milroe 197 | Gino Appleberry 104 | Jermaine Burton 105 |
Abilene Christian | TEXA&M 38 , ABICHR 10 | Jaylen Henderson 260 | Rueben Owens 106 | Moose Muhammad III 104 | |
Southern Miss | MISSST 41 , SOUMIS 20 | Will Rogers 144 | Jeffery Pittman 98 | Jakarius Caston 88 | |
Louisiana-Monroe |
@
Ole Miss
|
MISS 35 , UL-MON 3 | Jaxson Dart 310 | Hunter Smith 74 | Dayton Wade 108 |
Purdue | NW 23 , PURDUE 15 | Ben Bryant 230 | Tyrone Tracy Jr. 160 | Cam Johnson 88 | |
Memphis |
vs
SMU
|
SMU 38 , MEM 34 | Seth Henigan 402 | LJ Johnson Jr. 115 | Roc Taylor 146 |
Miami (FL) |
vs
Louisville
|
LOU 38 , MIA-FL 31 | Tyler Van Dyke 327 | Mark Fletcher Jr. 126 | Xavier Restrepo 193 |
Indiana | MSU 24 , IND 21 | Katin Houser 277 | Trent Howland 77 | Maliq Carr 117 | |
Maryland |
vs
Michigan
|
MICH 31 , MD 24 | Taulia Tagovailoa 247 | Blake Corum 94 | Kaden Prather 81 |
Rutgers | PSU 27 , RUT 6 | Gavin Wimsatt 130 | Beau Pribula 71 | Isaiah Washington 55 | |
Coastal Carolina | ARMY 28 , COASTC 21 | Jarrett Guest 279 | Tyson Riley 112 | Jared Brown 116 | |
Sacred Heart | UCONN 31 , SHEART 3 | Ta'Quan Roberson 201 | Cam Edwards 90 | Justin Joly 73 | |
East Carolina |
@
Navy
|
NAVY 10 , ECU 0 | Alex Flinn 155 | Alex Tecza 94 | Chase Sowell 62 |
Florida Atlantic |
vs
Tulane
|
TULANE 24 , FLAATL 8 | Michael Pratt 252 | Makhi Hughes 72 | Chris Brazzell II 103 |
Robert Morris |
vs
Eastern Illinois
|
EASTIL 28 , RMOR 14 | Pierce Holley 226 | MJ Flowers 179 | Noah Robinson 116 |
Georgetown |
@
Holy Cross
|
HOLYCR 31 , GTOWN 10 | Tyler Knoop 184 | Matthew Sluka 161 | Jalen Coker 90 |
Lehigh |
vs
Lafayette
|
LAF 49 , LEHIGH 21 | Dean DeNobile 245 | Jamar Curtis 166 | Elijah Steward 91 |
Brown |
vs
Dartmouth
|
DART 38 , BROWN 13 | Jake Willcox 198 | Q Jones 124 | Graham Walker 92 |
Butler |
vs
Drake
|
DRAKE 13 , BUTLER 9 | Bret Bushka 140 | Jyran Mitchell 55 | Luke Wooten 65 |
Furman |
@
Wofford
|
WOF 19 , FURMAN 13 | Carson Jones 99 | Ryan Ingram 111 | Jordan Davis 28 |
Western Carolina |
@
VMI
|
VMI 27 , WCU 24 | Brody Palhegyi 253 | Hunter Rice 138 | Aidan Twombly 133 |
Stetson |
vs
San Diego
|
SD 47 , STET 20 | Brady Meitz 293 | Isaiah Williams 145 | Ronnel Johnson 155 |
Marist |
vs
Bucknell
|
BUCK 38 , MARIST 21 | Logan Brabham 328 | Amin Woods 44 | Damian Harris 177 |
Central Connecticut State |
vs
Saint Francis U
|
STF-PA 49 , CENTCT 14 | Cole Doyle 253 | Tobee Stokes 106 | Dawson Snyder 129 |
Merrimack |
vs
Duquesne
|
DUQ 26 , MERRIM 14 | Darius Perrantes 218 | Edward Robinson 89 | Keshawn Brown 54 |
Harvard |
@
Yale
|
YALE 23 , HARV 18 | Jaden Craig 245 | Joshua Pitsenberger 99 | Tim Dowd 71 |
UT Martin |
@
Samford
|
SAM 27 , TN-MAR 17 | Kinkead Dent 252 | Jay Stanton 193 | Chandler Smith 86 |
Massachusetts |
@
Liberty
|
LIB 49 , UMASS 25 | Taisun Phommachanh 239 | Kaidon Salter 118 | Mark Pope 90 |
Charleston Southern |
@
Gardner-Webb
|
G-WEBB 34 , CHSOU 10 | Isaiah Bess 156 | Jayden Brown 147 | AJ Johnson 66 |
Monmouth |
@
Albany
|
ALBANY 41 , MONM 0 | Reese Poffenbarger 247 | Griffin Woodell 61 | Brevin Easton 100 |
Delaware |
vs
Villanova
|
VILL 35 , DEL 7 | Connor Watkins 222 | Jalen Jackson 130 | Jaaron Hayek 121 |
Hampton |
@
Elon
|
ELON 51 , HAMP 14 | Matthew Downing 261 | Wayne Dixie III 89 | Jamarien Dalton 67 |
North Carolina A&T |
vs
Campbell
|
CAMP 28 , NCA&T 14 | Hajj-Malik Williams 188 | Shimique Blizzard 79 | VJ Wilkins 71 |
Maine |
@
New Hampshire
|
UNH 44 , MAINE 25 | Derek Robertson 315 | Myles Thomason 55 | Logan Tomlinson 121 |
Rhode Island |
@
Towson
|
TOWSON 31 , URI 30 | Kasim Hill 359 | Ja'Den McKenzie 143 | Kahtero Summers 163 |
William & Mary |
vs
Richmond
|
RICH 27 , W&M 26 | Darius Wilson 247 | Malachi Imoh 91 | Hollis Mathis 106 |
Fordham |
@
Colgate
|
COLG 21 , FORD 14 | CJ Montes 221 | Jaedon Henry 106 | MJ Wright 85 |
Cornell |
vs
Columbia
|
COLUM 29 , COR 14 | Jameson Wang 345 | Malcolm Terry II 73 | Davon Kiser 121 |
Penn |
vs
Princeton
|
PRINCE 31 , PENN 24 | Aidan Sayin 385 | Malachi Hosley 119 | Jared Richardson 138 |
Citadel |
@
ETSU
|
EASTTN 35 , CIT 23 | Graeson Underwood 244 | Trey Foster 96 | Xavier Gaillardetz 103 |
Southeast Missouri State |
@
Bryant
|
BRYANT 45 , SEMO 21 | Zevi Eckhaus 394 | Geno Hess 179 | Anthony Frederick 118 |
Morgan State |
@
Howard
|
HOWARD 14 , MORGST 7 | Tahj Smith 144 | Jarett Hunter 108 | Kasey Hawthorne 52 |
LIU |
@
Stonehill
|
STONEH 40 , LIU 23 | Chris Howell 167 | Owen Glascoe 97 | Kyren Petteway 80 |
Morehead State |
@
Presbyterian
|
PRESBY 31 , MOR 27 | Bryce Patterson 207 | Ty Englehart 79 | Kyle Daly 139 |
Montana State |
@
Montana
|
MONT 37 , MONTST 7 | Clifton McDowell 200 | Tommy Mellott 108 | Junior Bergen 91 |
Northern Colorado |
vs
Portland State
|
PORST 27 , NORCOL 23 | Shea Kuykendall 222 | Dante Chachere 123 | Jamarii Robinson 96 |
Hawaii |
@
Wyoming
|
WYO 42 , HAWAII 9 | Andrew Peasley 319 | Harrison Waylee 70 | John Michael Gyllenborg 128 |
Louisiana Tech | JACST 56 , LATECH 17 | Hank Bachmeier 198 | Malik Jackson 193 | Smoke Harris 61 | |
UTEP | MIDDTN 34 , UTEP 30 | Cade McConnell 364 | Nicholas Vattiato 92 | Kelly Akharaiyi 138 | |
Illinois State |
@
North Dakota
|
NORDAK 22 , ILLST 21 | Tommy Rittenhouse 241 | Mason Blakemore 101 | Cam Grandy 73 |
Central Arkansas |
@
Austin Peay
|
APSU 14 , CENARK 12 | Mike DiLiello 189 | Jevon Jackson 70 | Kylin James 90 |
Murray State |
vs
Youngstown State
|
YSU 34 , MURRAY 17 | Jayden Stinson 245 | Tyshon King 152 | Cole Rusk 94 |
Indiana State |
@
Southern Illinois
|
SIU 38 , INST 9 | Nic Baker 282 | Justin Dinka 38 | Izaiah Hartrup 125 |
Western Illinois |
vs
South Dakota
|
SOUDAK 48 , WESTIL 6 | Aidan Bouman 268 | Nate Thomas 102 | Carter Bell 142 |
Valparaiso |
@
St. Thomas (MN)
|
STTHMN 16 , VALPO 10 | Amari Powell 179 | Hope Adebayo 88 | Andrew McElroy 90 |
Charlotte |
vs
Rice
|
RICE 28 , CHAR 7 | AJ Padgett 140 | Dean Connors 184 | Luke McCaffrey 54 |
Stephen F. Austin |
@
Eastern Kentucky
|
EASTKY 36 , SFA 24 | Brian Maurer 328 | Braedon Sloan 150 | Lawton Rikel 85 |
James Madison | APP 26 , JMU 23 | Joey Aguilar 318 | Ty Son Lawton 37 | Elijah Sarratt 128 | |
Delaware State |
@
North Carolina Central
|
NCCENT 55 , DELST 14 | Davius Richard 386 | Marquis Gillis 133 | Joaquin Davis 128 |
Norfolk State |
vs
South Carolina State
|
SCST 44 , NOR 17 | Cameron Sapp 174 | Tyler Smith 86 | Andre Pegues 63 |
Kent State | BALLST 34 , KENTST 3 | Kiael Kelly 71 | Marquez Cooper 140 | Ahmad Edwards 50 | |
Utah |
@
Arizona
|
ARI 42 , UTAH 18 | Bryson Barnes 320 | Jonah Coleman 90 | Tetairoa McMillan 116 |
Cincinnati | WVU 42 , CIN 21 | Garrett Greene 210 | Jahiem White 204 | Xzavier Henderson 104 | |
Sacramento State |
@
UC Davis
|
UCDAV 31 , SAC 21 | Kaiden Bennett 232 | Lan Larison 121 | Carlos Hill 144 |
Nevada | COLOST 30 , NEVADA 20 | Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi 245 | Justin Marshall 98 | Tory Horton 78 | |
Temple |
@
UAB
|
UAB 34 , TEMPLE 24 | E.J. Warner 323 | Jermaine Brown Jr. 153 | Dante Wright 146 |
Tulsa |
vs
North Texas
|
NORTX 35 , TULSA 28 | Chandler Rogers 294 | Oscar Adaway III 126 | Kamdyn Benjamin 93 |
Texas State | ARKST 77 , TXST 31 | TJ Finley 366 | Ja'Quez Cross 139 | Ashtyn Hawkins 165 | |
Alabama State |
@
Prairie View A&M
|
PVA&M 21 , ALST 14 | Damon Stewart 383 | Caleb Johnson 97 | Tyree Saunders 120 |
Missouri State |
@
South Dakota State
|
SDAKST 35 , MOSTU 17 | Mark Gronowski 323 | Isaiah Davis 85 | Jadon Janke 187 |
Tennessee State |
vs
Tennessee Tech
|
TNTECH 35 , TENNST 0 | Jordyn Potts 184 | O.J. Ross 96 | Brad Clark 33 |
Houston Christian |
vs
UIW
|
INCWOR 45 , HOUCHR 24 | Zach Calzada 407 | Jarrell Wiley 93 | Caleb Chapman 170 |
Texas A&M-Commerce |
@
Northwestern State
|
Cancelled | |||
Jackson State |
vs
Alcorn State
|
ALC 28 , JKST 24 | Aaron Allen 225 | Ezequiel Johnson 81 | Fabian McCray 109 |
Texas Southern |
vs
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
|
ARK-PB 35 , TXSO 34 | Mekhi Hagens 193 | LaDarius Owens 143 | C'ing Blanton 87 |
Duke |
@
Virginia
|
UVA 30 , DUKE 27 | Anthony Colandrea 278 | Jaquez Moore 100 | Jordan Moore 117 |
USC |
vs
UCLA
|
UCLA 38 , USC 20 | Caleb Williams 384 | T.J. Harden 142 | Brenden Rice 147 |
Air Force |
vs
UNLV
|
UNLV 31 , AF 27 | Jayden Maiava 339 | Dylan Carson 104 | Ricky White 169 |
Baylor |
@
TCU
|
TCU 42 , BAYLOR 17 | Josh Hoover 412 | Dominic Richardson 66 | Jared Wiley 178 |
Sam Houston | WESTKY 28 , SAMHOU 23 | Austin Reed 392 | Elijah Young 55 | Malachi Corley 171 | |
Illinois |
@
Iowa
|
IOWA 15 , ILL 13 | John Paddock 215 | Reggie Love III 64 | Isaiah Williams 105 |
Louisiana |
@
Troy
|
TROY 31 , UL-LAF 24 | Chandler Fields 282 | Kimani Vidal 112 | Jabre Barber 74 |
North Carolina |
@
Clemson
|
CLEM 31 , UNC 20 | Cade Klubnik 219 | Omarion Hampton 178 | Devontez Walker 70 |
Virginia Tech | NCSU 35 , VATECH 28 | Kyron Drones 225 | Brennan Armstrong 89 | Da'Quan Felton 87 | |
Wake Forest | ND 45 , WAKE 7 | Sam Hartman 277 | Audric Estime 115 | Rico Flores Jr. 102 | |
Tennessee |
vs
Georgia
|
UGA 38 , TENN 10 | Carson Beck 298 | Jaylen Wright 90 | Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint 91 |
Bethune-Cookman |
@
Florida A&M
|
FLAA&M 24 , B-C 7 | Jeremy Moussa 150 | Jimmy Robinson III 74 | Daveno Ellington 60 |
Eastern Washington |
vs
Northern Arizona
|
NOARI 49 , EASTWA 42 | Kekoa Visperas 283 | Devon Starling 125 | BJ Fleming 111 |
Arizona State |
vs
Oregon
|
OREGON 49 , ARIST 13 | Bo Nix 404 | Bucky Irving 63 | Troy Franklin 128 |
Houston | OKST 43 , HOU 30 | Alan Bowman 348 | Ollie Gordon II 164 | Brennan Presley 189 | |
Auburn | NMST 31 , AUBURN 10 | Diego Pavia 201 | Star Thomas 67 | Kordell David 55 | |
McNeese |
@
Lamar
|
LAMAR 52 , MCNE 27 | Kamden Sixkiller 206 | Joshon Barbie 138 | Jonathan Harris 69 |
Minnesota | OHIOST 37 , MINN 3 | Kyle McCord 212 | TreVeyon Henderson 146 | Emeka Egbuka 83 | |
UCF | TXTCH 24 , UCF 23 | Behren Morton 256 | Tahj Brooks 182 | Javon Baker 117 | |
Marshall | USA 28 , MARSH 0 | Carter Bradley 176 | La'Damian Webb 117 | Caullin Lacy 126 | |
UNI |
vs
North Dakota State
|
NDAKST 48 , UNI 27 | Theo Day 341 | Cole Payton 79 | Sam Schnee 162 |
Georgia Southern |
vs
Old Dominion
|
ODU 20 , GASO 17 | Davis Brin 235 | Jalen White 74 | Derwin Burgess Jr. 73 |
Stanford |
vs
California
|
CAL 27 , STAN 15 | Fernando Mendoza 294 | Jaydn Ott 166 | Trond Grizzell 136 |
North Alabama | FLAST 58 , NORTAL 13 | Tate Rodemaker 217 | CJ Campbell Jr. 78 | Jaheim Bell 59 | |
Idaho State |
@
Idaho
|
IDAHO 63 , IDAST 21 | Jack Layne 275 | Anthony Woods 115 | Chedon James 145 |
Utah Tech |
vs
Southern Utah
|
SOUT 24 , UTAHTE 16 | Kobe Tracy 227 | Targhee Lambson 138 | Daniel Thomason 70 |
Utah State |
vs
Boise State
|
BOISE 45 , UTAHST 10 | Cooper Legas 128 | George Holani 182 | Jalen Royals 113 |
Kansas |
vs
Kansas State
|
KANST 31 , KANSAS 27 | Will Howard 165 | Devin Neal 138 | Jayce Brown 96 |
Davidson |
vs
Dayton
|
DAYTON 45 , DAV 14 | Dante Casciola 151 | Luke Hansen 162 | Gavin Lochow 47 |
Oregon State |
vs
Washington
|
WASH 22 , OREST 20 | DJ Uiagalelei 164 | Damien Martinez 123 | Rome Odunze 106 |
FIU |
@
Arkansas
|
ARK 44 , FIU 20 | Keyone Jenkins 265 | Isaiah Augustave 101 | Kris Mitchell 157 |
Florida |
@
Missouri
|
MISSOU 33 , FLA 31 | Brady Cook 331 | Cody Schrader 148 | Luther Burden III 158 |
Nebraska | WISC 24 , NEB 17 | Chubba Purdy 169 | Chubba Purdy 105 | Will Pauling 79 | |
Kentucky | SCAR 17 , KTY 14 | Spencer Rattler 207 | Ray Davis 61 | Xavier Legette 94 | |
Iowa State |
vs
Texas
|
TEX 26 , IAST 16 | Rocco Becht 323 | CJ Baxter 117 | Jayden Higgins 104 |
Georgia State |
@
LSU
|
LSU 56 , GAST 14 | Jayden Daniels 413 | Jayden Daniels 96 | Malik Nabers 140 |
Syracuse | GATECH 31 , SYR 22 | Haynes King 138 | LeQuint Allen 120 | Dominick Blaylock 68 | |
Cal Poly |
vs
Weber State
|
WEB 48 , CALPLY 21 | Richie Munoz 329 | Adrian Cormier 42 | Dominique Thompson 116 |
Fresno State |
vs
New Mexico
|
NM 25 , FRES 17 | Logan Fife 137 | Jacory Croskey-Merritt 209 | Caleb Medford 122 |
San Diego State | SJSU 24 , SDSU 13 | Chevan Cordeiro 174 | Quali Conley 155 | Isaac Jernagin 56 |
All times are in ET. Tap on each match's time to view it in your local timezone.
College Football Schedule
The United States probably has the biggest following with respect to any college sport in the world. In fact, there are plenty of people in America who are not as gung ho about the professional sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. as they are about the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) sports. There could be several reasons for this but the one thing that stands out is the passion individuals have for their school and the respective college team.
The college football season typically starts from the end of August to the early part of January. Teams generally play anywhere between 8 to 12 games a year. They play an equal number of home and away games throughout the season but the scheduling process is quite complex to understand.
Understanding how the NCAA runs college football games can be quite confusing. The NCAA for instance does not control all aspects of college football games. It only has control over the rules and compliances on the field, apart from that everything else including the money and the tournaments is managed by the respective conferences of college football.
NCAA Football Conferences
The NCAA football constitutes first and foremost of four divisions which are Division 1 FBS, Division 1 FCS, Division 2, and Division 3. Most of the college football teams belong to either one of these divisions. Although not everything is set in stone, it is generally considered that playing college football for a Division 1 school will get you the maximum chance of going professional in the future.
We will check out only the Division 1 FBS in this article as it is the most important one and really the only one that matters. FBS stands for Football Bowl Subdivision and within this division, we have a total of 10 different conferences. The four teams of Notre Dame, Brigham Young University, Army, and Navy do not belong to any of the conferences despite being in the FBS.
Out of these ten, there are five conferences known as the Power Five Conferences, which are the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference (SEC).
The remaining five conferences which are at times referred to as the Non-Power Five (Group of 5) Conferences are the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Conference USA Conference, Mid-American Conference (MAC), Mountain West Conference (MWC), and the Sun Belt Conference (SBC).
NCAA Football Schedule Process
This is where things start getting tricky because every conference in college football has its individual freedom. That means all conferences have the autonomy to create their own schedules, but it is not as simple as just assigning two teams to play each other within their own conference.
Every conference has its own set of rules and guidelines which they use to schedule games. In addition to that, some conferences have more pull than others thereby directly impacting which teams get to play the best games. To create one national schedule from this is one tough ask.
It may come as a surprise that in today's day and age when the simplest of simple things are done with the help of an algorithm run by software, that college football schedules are drawn up by speaking to one another and agreeing to terms. The conference officials and the athletic directors all must come together and work out a possible schedule that works for everyone and which also allots an equal number of home and away games to each team.
There are three main factors which go into consideration during the scheduling of college football games. They are conference scheduling, non-conference scheduling, and TV broadcasting.
Conference scheduling
Since each conference has its own method of scheduling games, the process remains unique to all conferences. Generally, all the schools will play the other schools within their conference at least once a year. The Power Five conferences also play a few cross-divisional games in addition to their conference games.
Non-conference scheduling
These are the games that each team needs to play outside of their own conference against other teams. As each team must figure out with whom they will play and when and where, this can get a bit complicated, especially for the smaller school.
Power Five teams will normally play one or two non-conference games with other Power Five conferences as well as one or two games with teams from Group of Five conferences. Since the reward is greater for Group of Five teams when they go up against the Power Five competition, teams from the former conferences will generally try to play more games with the latter. In doing so, Group of Five teams will get a significantly more amount of revenue.
TV Broadcasting
The third factor that goes into scheduling college football games is that of TV broadcasting. This is because all top networks want to show the best possible games at the best time slots on their respective networks. Therefore, many times the TV networks will also have a say in the scheduling matters and may request any changes or modifications as they see fit.
Power 5 and Group of 5 Conferences
Typically, the best of the best teams are all in the Power 5 conferences. They are the ones who receive the maximum media attention, the maximum revenue, and boast of the maximum fan following as well. The teams in these conferences have a long-standing history of winning and producing the best talent that will carry forward to the professional league.
Each conference in the Power Five has its own rules for scheduling and not all conferences play the same number of games within their own conference. For example, teams in the Big Ten conference will play nine conference games and three non-conference games, but the same is not the case with the SEC as they play only eight conference games and four non-conference games.
However, a lot of mixing up and shaking up of the conferences and their rules keep taking place and therefore not everything can be attributed to a permanent way of functioning. For instance, some teams are looking to jump from one conference to another while some conferences that are playing eight inter-conference games want to move to nine.
Therefore, for the various conferences to make their schedules, a lot of attention must be given to all the guidelines and a committee needs to monitor all the intricacies such as the competitive balance between the teams, broadcast terms and conditions, an equal number of home and away games, and more.
As for the Group of Five conferences, most of them will play eight inter-conference games and four non-conference games. The same level of thought process must go into making the schedule for these conferences as well. But one disadvantage for the Group of 5 teams is that they must strive harder to get a matchup with some of the Power 5 teams.
Conference Scheduling
Since all conferences have their unique ways of creating a schedule, not all teams will play each other from their respective conference on an annual basis. Such a case arises because there are a greater number of teams in conferences than the number of games a team can play. Therefore, each conference needs to resort to a rotation-based design to ensure that teams will play each other once every few years.
For example, if we look at the Big 12 conference, it has a total of ten teams. This conference plays 9 conference and 1 non-conference game throughout the season. Thus, as per the rotation policy, each team will play all other teams in the conference at least once in two years.
Taking the example of the SEC, which is probably the most popular conference today, it has fourteen teams within the conference and it is also subdivided into two divisions, namely: the East and the West. Each team will play a total of eight conference games out of which six are from their own division and the other two are from the other division. This conference also has 1 permanent rival for each team and it rotates the other seven conference games every year.
Non-Conference Scheduling
Scheduling the non-conference games does not require any rotational policy as teams are free to select their opponents mutually. However, teams will want to play games against top-quality opposition to ensure they remain at a high level when they play their conference games. Also, the Group of 5 conference teams can take this opportunity to not only see where they are in terms of performance with the top tier teams, but they can also generate much more income from these games as more media and revenue are associated with the Power 5 teams.
When it comes to non-conference scheduling, there are many teams that have created matchups with one another years in advance. This is done as careful planning is required to generate proper revenue for home games and to maintain steady competition. Teams will alternate between easy and difficult games every other year as a way of balancing out their schedules.
FBS Power 5 Conferences
ACC Scheduling
From 2023, the ACC will play their games with the newly introduced 3-5-5 format. That means that each team will play three of their rivals on a permanent basis which leaves ten teams. These ten teams will be separated into two groups of five and they will be flipped every other year. Therefore, within the conference the ACC will play eight teams and then they will play a further four teams outside of their conference as well.
As of 2023, the ACC consists of 14 schools in the conference which are as follows:
- Boston College Eagles
- Clemson Tigers
- Duke Blue Devils
- Florida State Seminoles
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Louisville Cardinals
- Miami Hurricanes
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- North Carolina State Wolfpack
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- Syracuse Orange
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Virginia Tech Hokies
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The permanent matchups for the ACC teams are as below:
University | Rival 1 | Rival 2 | Rival 3 |
Boston College | Miami | Pittsburgh | Syracuse |
Clemson | Florida State | Georgia Tech | NC State |
Duke | North Carolina | NC State | Wake Forest |
Florida State | Clemson | Miami | Syracuse |
Georgia Tech | Clemson | Louisville | Wake Forest |
Louisville | Georgia Tech | Miami | Virginia |
Miami | Boston College | Florida State | Louisville |
North Carolina | Duke | NC State | Virginia |
NC State | Clemson | Duke | North Carolina |
Pittsburgh | Boston College | Syracuse | Virginia Tech |
Syracuse | Boston College | Florida State | Pittsburgh |
Virginia | Louisville | North Carolina | Virginia Tech |
Virginia Tech | Pittsburgh | Virginia | Wake Forest |
Wake Forest | Duke | Georgia Tech | Virginia Tech |
Big 10 Scheduling
The Big 10 which is divided into the East and West division follows a nine game conference schedule. Seven teams are placed in both divisions based upon their locality. The Big 10 schedules six divisional games and three cross divisional games. The Indiana and Perdue game is an annual cross division game which is a permanent fixture. Apart from this, each team will face three non-conference teams as well.
As of 2023, the Big Ten’s two divisions and their respective teams are as follows:
East | West |
Ohio State Buckeyes | Minnesota Golden Gophers |
Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Iowa Hawkeyes |
Maryland Terrapins | Wisconsin Badgers |
Michigan Wolverines | Illinois Fighting Illini |
Michigan St. Spartans | Purdue Boilermakers |
Penn St. Nittany Lions | Northwestern Wildcats |
Indiana Hoosiers | Nebraska Cornhuskers |
Big 12 Scheduling
The Big 12’s current scheduling system is a 14 team round robin event. Upon its conclusion, the top two teams in the conference will fight it out in the Championship game to declare the eventual winner of the conference.
The current teams playing in the Big 12 conference are:
- BYU Cougars
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Houston Cougars
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Texas Longhorns
- UCF Knights
- Baylor Bears
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- West Virginia Mountaineers
PAC-12 Scheduling
The PAC-12 which once followed divisions of two has done away with them and now hold a round robin system similar to that of the Big 12. Once the season comes to an end the top two teams in the conference will play the Championship game.
The PAC-12 football conference is made up of the following teams:
- USC Trojans
- Arizona Wildcats
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- California Golden Bears
- Colorado Buffaloes
- Oregon Ducks
- Oregon State Beavers
- Stanford Cardinal
- UCLA Bruins
- Utah Utes
- Washington Huskies
- Washington State Cougars
SEC Scheduling
Considered by many to be the best conference in college football at least since the past few years, the SEC operates in a division format with two divisions of seven teams each. However, with more teams joining next year, it is expected that the current system will undergo a change to better accommodate the expansion of the conference. At present though, each team within the conference plays eight conference games.
From the division itself, each team plays all the other six teams every year. Then, each team has a permanent cross division rival for the seventh game and the eighth game is a cross divisional rotation.
The SECs permanent cross-divisional matchups are:
- Alabama vs. Tennessee
- Arkansas vs. Missouri
- Auburn vs. Georgia
- LSU vs. Florida
- Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
- Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt
- Texas A&M vs. South Carolina.
The teams participating in the SEC conference as of 2023 are:
East | West |
Vanderbilt Commodores | Alabama Crimson Tide |
Georgia Bulldogs | Arkansas Razorbacks |
Kentucky Wildcats | Auburn Tigers |
Missouri Tigers | Ole Miss Rebels |
Tennessee Volunteers | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
Florida Gators | TexasA&M Aggies |
South Carolina Gamecocks | LSU Tigers |
FBS Group of Five Conferences
AAC Scheduling
The AAC scheduling system has just recently undergone a change which is expected to be continued till 2026. Featuring a conference of 14 teams, each team is set to play 8 conference games. As per this schedule, each team within the conference will face every other team twice in a period of four years getting one home game and one away game respectively. The ACC has also included six annual matchups which are as follows:
- North Texas vs. SMU
- UAB vs. Memphis
- Rice vs. UTSA
- Charlotte vs. East Carolina
- Florida Atlantic vs. South Florida
- Navy vs. Temple
The 14 members of the AAC are as follows:
- Memphis Tigers
- Charlotte 49ers
- Florida Atlantic Owls
- Navy Midshipmen
- Rice Owls
- SMU Mustangs
- South Florida Bulls
- Temple Owls
- Tulane Green Wave
- Tulsa Golden Hurricane
- UAB Blazers
- UTSA Roadrunners
- East Carolina Pirates
- North Texas Mean Green
C-USA Scheduling
This conference has been quite unstable since its formation. Several teams have left to join different conferences while new teams are making their way to the C-USA. This conference is set to expand further by next year making it one of the most unpredictable conferences in college football. As a result, the current schedule is in place only for the 2023 season and is expected to undergo some type of modification before the 2024 season. As for now, all nine teams from the conference will play each other in a round robin format.
The nine teams which make up the C-USA conference are:
- Liberty Flames
- Jacksonville State Gamecocks
- Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
- Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
- Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
- Sam Houston Bearkats
- FIU Panthers
- New Mexico State Aggies
- UTEP Miners
MAC Scheduling
The MAC conference is quite simple as it is divided into divisions featuring six teams each. Teams in this conference are set to play eight conference games which includes five divisional games and three cross divisional games.
The divisions of the MAC are as below:
East | West | |
Ohio Bobcats | Central Michigan Chippewas | |
Akron Zips | Eastern Michigan Eagles | |
Bowling Green Falcons | Northern Illinois Huskies | |
Miami (OH) RedHawks | Toledo Rockets | |
Buffalo Bulls | Western Michigan Broncos | |
Kent State Golden Flashes | Ball State Cardinals |
MWC Scheduling
The MWC has made a change from 2023 onwards. Earlier this conference had a divisional system but now that has been scrapped. The twelve-team conference will play a 2-6 format wherein the 2 games will be against fixed opponents every year. The remaining six games will be rotation based and will be flipped every other year.
The teams making up the Mountain West Conference are:
- Air Force Falcons
- Fresno State Bulldogs
- Wyoming Cowboys
- San Diego State Aztecs
- New Mexico Lobos
- UNLV Rebels
- Utah State Aggies
- Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
- San Jose State Spartans
- Colorado State Rams
- Boise State Broncos
- Nevada Wolf Pack
The two permanent fixtures per team are as below:
University | Rival 1 | Rival 2 |
Air Force | Colorado State | Wyoming |
Boise State | New Mexico | Utah State |
Colorado State | Air Force | Wyoming |
Fresno State | Nevada | San Jose State |
Hawaii | San Diego State | UNLV |
Nevada | Fresno State | UNLV |
New Mexico | Boise State | San Jose State |
San Diego State | Hawaii | Utah State |
San Jose State | Fresno State | New Mexico |
UNLV | Hawaii | Nevada |
Utah State | Boise State | San Diego State |
Wyoming | Air Force | Colorado State |
SBC Scheduling
The SBC conference is another one divided into two divisions of seven teams each. According to their scheduling, each team will play two cross divisional games, one at home and one away. Furthermore, each team will play against all six divisional opponents every year for a total of eight conference games.
The divisions of the SBC conference are as below:
East | West |
Old Dominion Monarchs | Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks |
Georgia Southern Eagles | South Alabama Jaguars |
Georgia State Panthers | Southern Miss Golden Eagles |
James Madison Dukes | Texas State Bobcats |
Marshall Thundering Herd | Troy Trojans |
Appalachian State Mountaineers | Arkansas State Red Wolves |
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns |
Independents (FBS) Scheduling
The Independent programs in college football are very few today with only four of them left. Most of the independent schools from earlier have joined other conferences as they can then earn revenue from television broadcasting. In addition to that, joining a conference makes their scheduling worries easier. However, the independent schools do get more flexibility to schedule their matchups as they are not conference bound. This gives them added advantage in having interesting games throughout the year.
The four independent football schools that are remaining are:
- Army West Point Black Knights
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Connecticut Huskies
- Massachusetts Minutemen
The Army has fixed annual games against the Navy and Air Force. They also have a rivalry game with Notre Dame but it is not on an annual basis and is scheduled quite randomly. As for Notre Dame, they have many long-standing rivalry matchups throughout the year and they also have a deal with the ACC which gives them five games every year.
UConn was earlier part of the AAC but their other sports faced some issues due to which they had to leave the conference in 2020. Nowadays, as their football program is not so strong, many FBS schools play against them in order to fill out their schedules.
FCS Conferences
The conferences in the FCS division of college football are undergoing regular changes with new conferences coming up and teams leaving and joining every passing year. As a result of which the scheduling format for these conferences keep on changing and information pertaining to the same is scantily available.
Big Sky Scheduling
The Big Sky Conference consists of twelve teams currently. Their schedule from 2022 to 2024 is set at eight league games which comprises two fixed annual opponents and six rotating ones. This new format was put into action to make sure that teams would get to play other teams in the conference more frequently than earlier. Teams have also been afforded the flexibility to choose at least one of their permanent opponents.
The Big Sky’s twelve-member conference is as follows:
- Idaho Vandals
- Montana Grizzlies
- Sacramento State Hornets
- Weber State Wildcats
- Cal Poly Mustangs
- Montana State Bobcats
- UC Davis Aggies
- Eastern Washington Eagles
- Idaho State Bengals
- Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
- Northern Colorado Bears
- Portland State Vikings
Big South Scheduling
The Big South Conference is one of the newest conferences in college football. Initially starting out with nine teams, it has quickly been reduced to only four at present. This conference has decided to merge with the Ohio Valley Conference in 2026 as both conferences do not have sufficient teams. Due to so many ongoing changes, the exact scheduling format for the Big South Conference is not available.
The four teams in the Big South Conference are as below:
- Bryant Bulldogs
- Charleston Southern Buccaneers
- Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
- Robert Morris Colonials
Coastal Athletic Association Conference Scheduling
The CAA conference which consists of fifteen teams has each team playing eight games in the conference. Moreover, each team has been allotted two permanent rivals annually while the remaining six games are on rotation basis. This means each team will play every other team at home and away at least once in eight years.
The fifteen members of the CAA conference are:
- William & Mary Tribe
- Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
- Monmouth Hawks
- Rhode Island Rams
- Villanova Wildcats
- Hampton Pirates
- New Hampshire Wildcats
- Albany Great Danes
- Elon Phoenix
- Maine Black Bears
- North Carolina A&T Aggies
- Richmond Spiders
- Campbell Fighting Camels
- Towson Tigers
- Stony Brook Seawolves
Independents (FCS) Conference Scheduling
In the FCS division of college football, the Kennesaw State Owls are the only team which are playing as an independent conference. The Owls are slowly beginning their transition from the FCS to the FBS as they are moving to Conference USA football conference in 2024.
Ivy League Conference Scheduling
There are a total of eight Ivy League Schools featuring in the college football program. The Ivy League Conference usually starts a little later than the other conferences, mostly near mid-September. These schools play ten games each which include a complete round-robin system where each team plays all the other seven teams. The remaining three games are scheduled against non-conference teams.
Ivy League Conference teams include:
- Dartmouth Big Green
- Harvard Crimson
- Columbia Lions
- Princeton Tigers
- Cornell Big Red
- Penn Quakers
- Yale Bulldogs
- Brown Bears
Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Scheduling
The MEAC is a conference consisting of six football teams. As per their schedule for the 2023 season, teams will play non-conference games at the start and the end of the season with conference games being sandwiched in between.
The six participating teams in MEAC are”
- North Carolina Central Eagles
- Howard Bison
- Morgan State Bears
- Norfolk State Spartans
- Delaware State Hornets
- South Carolina State Bulldogs
Missouri Valley Conference Scheduling
The Missouri Valley Conference is one of those which has somewhat of a complex history. It has undergone a couple of name changes over the years as well. This conference uses a simple round robin system to decide the eventual conference champion. The first three weeks are usually reserved for non-conference matchups while the remaining nine weeks are for conference games. Teams are also allowed to make changes to their schedule provided both teams have a written agreement in place.
- Teams participating in this conference currently are:
- Illinois State Redbirds
- North Dakota Fighting Hawks
- North Dakota State Bison
- South Dakota State Jackrabbits
- Southern Illinois Salukis
- Murray State Racers
- South Dakota Coyotes
- Youngstown State Penguins
- Indiana State Sycamores
- Missouri State Bears
- UNI Panthers
- Western Illinois Leathernecks
Northeast Conference Scheduling
The Northeast Conference features eight teams which will all play each other. Each team will get four home games and three away games in the conference. Each team will also play three away non-conference games for the 2023 season.
The eight teams making up the Northeast Conference are:
- Stonehill Skyhawks
- Duquesne Dukes
- LIU Sharks
- Merrimack Warriors
- Sacred Heart Pioneers
- Saint Francis U Red Flash
- Wagner Seahawks
- Central Connecticut State Blue Devils
Ohio Valley Conference Scheduling
The Ohio Valley Conference has joined forces with the Big South Conference as both conferences had lost several teams. Now the two conferences together have a total of ten teams and will play a schedule consisting of six conference games. As prior commitments with teams are still prevalent, more conference games cannot be played currently.
The Ohio Valley Conference teams are:
- Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
- Eastern Illinois Panthers
- Tennessee State Tigers
- UT Martin Skyhawks
- Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
- Lindenwood Lions
Patriot League Conference Scheduling
The Patriot League Conference features seven teams which are as follows:
- Georgetown Hoyas
- Fordham Rams
- Bucknell Bison
- Holy Cross Crusaders
- Lafayette Leopards
- Lehigh Mountain Hawks
- Colgate Raiders
Pioneer League Conference Scheduling
This conference is truly a one-of-a-kind conference given the fact that it has teams from both coasts and many more through the heart of the country. The eleven team conference boasts teams such as:
- Stetson Hatters
- Butler Bulldogs
- Dayton Flyers
- Morehead State Eagles
- Presbyterian Blue Hose
- St. Thomas (MN) Tommies
- Marist Red Foxes
- Davidson Wildcats
- Drake Bulldogs
- San Diego Toreros
- Valparaiso Beacons
Southern Conference Scheduling
The Southern Conference is a nine-team conference which is comprised of the following teams:
- Western Carolina Catamounts
- Mercer Bears
- Chattanooga Mocs
- ETSU Buccaneers
- Furman Paladins
- VMI Keydets
- Citadel Bulldogs
- Wofford Terriers
- Samford Bulldogs
Southland Conference Scheduling
With eight teams featuring in the Southland Conference, each team will play against the other teams in a round-robin format in 2023. This is the first time since 2013 that the round-robin format has been implemented. Apart from these seven games, teams will also play non-conference games.
The Southland Conference is made up of the following eight teams:
- Houston Christian Huskies
- UIW Cardinals
- Lamar Cardinals
- McNeese Cowboys
- Nicholls Colonels
- Northwestern State Demons
- Southeastern Louisiana Lions
- Texas A&M-Commerce Lions
Southwestern Athletic Conference Scheduling
The SWAC has been divided into two divisions and since 2021, it has implemented the following schedule to its football program. Each team will play five divisional and three non-divisional games. Three teams from the other division will be rotated every two years. The team with the best record in the conference will get the chance to host the Championship game.
The two divisions of the SWAC are as follows:
EAST | WEST |
Florida A&M Rattlers | Prairie View A&M Panthers |
Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils | Alcorn State Braves |
Alabama A&M Bulldogs | Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions |
Alabama State Hornets | Grambling State Tigers |
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats | Southern University Jaguars |
Jackson State Tigers | Texas Southern Tigers |
United Athletic Conference Scheduling
The United Athletic Conference is a newly formed conference with the merger of two previously independent conferences, namely, the ASUN Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. Having nine teams currently as part of its membership, the UAC will be limited to six conference games for the 2023 season before it switches to a full round-robin system in 2024.
The UAC teams at present include:
- Tarleton State Texans
- Abilene Christian Wildcats
- Central Arkansas Bears
- Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
- Austin Peay Governors
- Eastern Kentucky Colonels
- Southern Utah Thunderbirds
- Utah Tech Trailblazers
- North Alabama Lions
Conclusion
In short, college football scheduling is not the same for each team as it has more flexibility. This is the case because the NCAA does not have a say in scheduling matters which is being handled by the respective conferences. Furthermore, each conference has its own set of rules that it follows to prepare its unique schedule taking into consideration various factors such as home and away games, conference, and non-conference games, and of course the broadcasting terms and conditions.
Sometimes, another issue which crops up during scheduling is the lack of availability of a stadium due to various factors beyond the team’s control. Considering all these factors, the committee members of each conference come out with a schedule which is then overseen by the NCAA.