College Football Schedule 2024-25
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Ball State |
@
Buffalo
|
BUFF 51 , BALLST 48 | Kadin Semonza 327 | Al-Jay Henderson 126 | Justin Bowick 148 |
Western Michigan | BGSU 31 , WESTMI 13 | Hayden Wolff 195 | Terion Stewart 150 | Harold Fannin Jr. 137 | |
Central Michigan |
@
Toledo
|
TOL 37 , CMU 10 | Jadyn Glasser 150 | Marion Lukes 80 | Chris Parker 52 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Akron | NIU 29 , AKRON 16 | Ben Finley 205 | Telly Johnson Jr. 104 | Adrian Norton 57 | |
Eastern Michigan |
@
Ohio
|
OHIO 35 , EASTMI 10 | Parker Navarro 277 | Parker Navarro 106 | Coleman Owen 139 |
Kent State | MIA-OH 34 , KENTST 7 | Brett Gabbert 202 | Keyon Mozee 196 | Reggie Virgil 88 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tulsa | ECU 38 , TLSA 31 | Katin Houser 314 | Rahjai Harris 114 | Joseph Williams 158 | |
Grambling State |
@
Alabama A&M
|
ALAA&M 22 , GRAM 17 | Cornelious Brown IV 228 | Donovan Eaglin 123 | Keenan Hambrick 99 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Wyoming | CSU 24 , WYO 10 | Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi 192 | Justin Marshall 104 | Tommy Maher 53 | |
North Texas |
@
UTSA
|
TX-SA 48 , UNT 27 | Owen McCown 379 | Shane Porter 193 | David Amador II 122 |
Howard |
@
North Carolina Central
|
NCCENT 26 , HOW 3 | Walker Harris 321 | J'Mari Taylor 206 | J'Mari Taylor 78 |
UCLA | UW 31 , UCLA 19 | Ethan Garbers 267 | Jonah Coleman 95 | T.J. Harden 79 | |
Houston |
@
Arizona
|
ARI 27 , HOU 3 | Noah Fifita 224 | Quali Conley 107 | Tetairoa McMillan 70 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Utah |
@
Colorado
|
CU 49 , UTAH 24 | Shedeur Sanders 340 | Isaiah Augustave 59 | Drelon Miller 108 |
Arkansas |
vs
Texas
|
TEX 20 , ARK 10 | Quinn Ewers 176 | Jaydon Blue 83 | Andrew Armstrong 74 |
Western Kentucky | LATECH 12 , WESTKY 7 | Caden Veltkamp 152 | Amani Givens 103 | Tru Edwards 52 | |
Northwestern |
vs
Ohio State
|
OHIOST 31 , NW 7 | Will Howard 247 | Quinshon Judkins 76 | Jeremiah Smith 100 |
Navy |
vs
Tulane
|
TULN 35 , NAVY 0 | Darian Mensah 138 | Makhi Hughes 82 | Dontae Fleming 56 |
Pittsburgh |
vs
Clemson
|
CLEM 24 , PITT 20 | Nate Yarnell 350 | Desmond Reid 68 | Antonio Williams 149 |
Massachusetts |
vs
Liberty
|
LIB 35 , UMASS 34 | AJ Hairston 163 | Quinton Cooley 147 | Jakobie Keeney-James 75 |
Merrimack |
vs
Sacred Heart
|
SHEART 31 , MERRIM 20 | Ayden Pereira 110 | Jalen Madison 170 | Jalen McDonald 40 |
Delaware State |
@
Norfolk State
|
NOR 38 , DELST 19 | Jalen Daniels 155 | Jaden Sutton 146 | Kam'Ryn Thomas 87 |
Princeton |
@
Yale
|
YALE 42 , PRINCE 28 | Blaine Hipa 267 | Josh Pitsenberger 159 | AJ Barber 108 |
Robert Morris |
@
Central Connecticut State
|
CENTCT 35 , RMOR 33 | Brady Olson 184 | DJ Moyer 82 | Noah Robinson 60 |
Marist |
vs
Presbyterian
|
PRESBY 42 , MARIST 23 | Collin Hurst 269 | Tristan Shannon 82 | Cincere Gill 161 |
Valparaiso |
@
Dayton
|
DAYTON 26 , VALPO 14 | Drew VanVleet 92 | Luke Hansen 98 | Gary Givens III 52 |
ETSU |
vs
Furman
|
FURMAN 24 , EASTTN 21 | Trey Hedden 210 | Devontae Houston 103 | AJ Johnson 106 |
Wagner |
@
Duquesne
|
DUQ 42 , WAGNER 21 | Darius Perrantes 393 | Taj Butts 76 | Tedy Afful 208 |
LIU |
vs
Saint Francis U
|
STF-PA 34 , LIU 27 | Nick Whitfield Jr. 268 | Markell Holman 73 | Gavin Thomson 103 |
UNI |
@
Youngstown State
|
YSU 39 , UNI 38 | Beau Brungard 256 | Beau Brungard 78 | Desmond Hutson 101 |
Hampton |
vs
Richmond
|
RICH 24 , HAMP 21 | Camden Coleman 138 | Zach Palmer-Smith 166 | Brennan Ridley 74 |
Villanova |
@
Monmouth
|
MONM 40 , VILL 33 | Derek Robertson 358 | Rodney Nelson 83 | TJ Speight 120 |
North Carolina A&T |
@
Towson
|
TOWSON 31 , NCA&T 13 | Sean Brown 251 | Tyrell Greene Jr. 74 | Carter Runyon 81 |
Brown |
vs
Columbia
|
COLUM 21 , BROWN 12 | Jake Willcox 242 | Joey Giorgi 107 | Bryson Canty 183 |
Colgate |
@
Lehigh
|
LEHIGH 45 , COLG 17 | Jake Stearney 263 | Jaden Green 103 | Geoffrey Jamiel 125 |
Bucknell |
@
Holy Cross
|
HOLYCR 40 , BUCK 38 | Ralph Rucker IV 339 | Jayden Clerveaux 91 | Eric Weatherly 129 |
Stonehill |
@
Lafayette
|
LAF 42 , STONEH 10 | Dean DeNobile 275 | Jarel Washington 53 | Mason Kuehner 90 |
Louisiana-Monroe |
@
Auburn
|
AUBURN 48 , UL-MON 14 | Payton Thorne 286 | Jarquez Hunter 102 | KeAndre Lambert-Smith 104 |
Drake |
vs
Morehead State
|
MOR 29 , DRAKE 20 | Luke Bailey 210 | James Louis 111 | Nate Garnett 58 |
North Dakota |
vs
South Dakota
|
SOUDAK 42 , NORDAK 36 | Aidan Bouman 190 | Charles Pierre Jr. 173 | Bo Belquist 96 |
Charleston Southern |
@
Eastern Illinois
|
EASTIL 16 , CHSOU 13 | Pierce Holley 168 | MJ Flowers 72 | Quenton Rogers 66 |
Coastal Carolina |
@
Marshall
|
MARSH 31 , COASTC 19 | Ethan Vasko 267 | Braydon Bennett 67 | Bryson Graves 87 |
Penn |
vs
Harvard
|
HARV 31 , PENN 28 | Liam O'Brien 171 | Malachi Hosley 143 | Cooper Barkate 129 |
Florida A&M |
vs
Mississippi Valley State
|
MSVL 24 , FLAA&M 21 | Daniel Richardson 259 | Levontai Summersett 87 | Nathan Rembert 130 |
St. Thomas (MN) |
@
Butler
|
BUTLER 36 , STTHMN 20 | Tak Tateoka 214 | Nick Howard 97 | Colin Chase 121 |
VMI |
@
Western Carolina
|
WCU 58 , VMI 28 | Taron Dickens 294 | Hunter Rice 109 | Jai Boyd 77 |
Indiana State |
vs
Illinois State
|
ILLST 31 , INST 19 | Tommy Rittenhouse 319 | Elijah Owens 64 | Daniel Sobkowicz 156 |
Georgetown |
@
Fordham
|
FORD 31 , GTOWN 3 | Jacob Holtschlag 253 | Julius Loughridge 91 | Cam Pygatt 135 |
Albany |
@
Rhode Island
|
URI 20 , ALBANY 17 | Van Weber 354 | Malik Grant 110 | Levi Wentz 138 |
Bryant |
@
William & Mary
|
W&M 22 , BRYANT 12 | Jarrett Guest 263 | Bronson Yoder 146 | Landon Ruggieri 112 |
Campbell |
@
Delaware
|
DEL 41 , CAMP 22 | Mike Chandler II 267 | Marcus Yarns 134 | VJ Wilkins 172 |
Stony Brook |
@
New Hampshire
|
UNH 31 , STNYBR 30 | Seth Morgan 263 | Roland Dempster 85 | Caleb Burke 74 |
Dartmouth |
@
Cornell
|
COR 39 , DART 22 | Jackson Proctor 258 | Ean Pope 111 | Daniel Haughton 101 |
Murray State |
@
Kentucky
|
UK 48 , MUR 6 | Brock Vandagriff 183 | Jamarion Wilcox 123 | J'Kalon Carter 130 |
Chattanooga |
vs
Samford
|
SAM 36 , CHAT 13 | Quincy Crittendon 340 | Quincy Crittendon 59 | Brendan Jenkins 93 |
Wofford |
vs
Citadel
|
CIT 30 , WOF 17 | Johnathan Bennett 166 | Ryan Ingram 103 | Javonte Graves-Billips 68 |
Gardner-Webb |
vs
Tennessee State
|
TENNST 23 , G-WEBB 20 | Draylen Ellis 220 | Jaden McGill 100 | Karate Brenson 82 |
Northern Colorado |
vs
Northern Arizona
|
NOARI 44 , NORCOL 3 | Ty Pennington 193 | Seth Cromwell 155 | Bryzai White 57 |
Mercer |
@
Alabama
|
BAMA 52 , MERC 7 | Jalen Milroe 186 | CJ Miller 44 | Germie Bernard 81 |
FIU | JACST 34 , FIU 31 | Keyone Jenkins 258 | Tre Stewart 136 | Dean Patterson 116 | |
Western Illinois |
@
Southeast Missouri State
|
SEMO 54 , WESTIL 45 | Nathan Lamb 449 | Brandon Epton Jr. 126 | Matthew Henry 183 |
Houston Christian |
@
East Texas A&M
|
ETA&M 41 , HOUCHR 40 | Ron Peace 400 | KJ Shankle 59 | AJ Wilson 206 |
Northwestern State |
vs
McNeese
|
MCNE 35 , NWST 3 | Abram Johnston 87 | Joshon Barbie 139 | Ray Mckneely-Harris 54 |
UT Martin |
vs
Tennessee Tech
|
TNTECH 10 , TN-MAR 9 | Kinkead Dent 142 | Jalen Mitchell 62 | D.J. Linkins 56 |
Austin Peay |
vs
Eastern Kentucky
|
EASTKY 30 , APSU 27 | Austin Smith 239 | Joshua Carter 106 | Jaden Barnes 131 |
Florida Atlantic |
@
Temple
|
TEM 18 , FLAATL 15 | Evan Simon 218 | CJ Campbell Jr. 70 | Dante Wright 147 |
Maine |
@
Elon
|
ELON 31 , MAINE 25 | Matthew Downing 299 | Rushawn Baker 156 | Chandler Brayboy 138 |
Michigan State |
@
Illinois
|
ILL 38 , MSU 16 | Aidan Chiles 256 | Josh McCray 61 | Pat Bryant 135 |
California |
vs
Syracuse
|
SYR 33 , CAL 25 | Kyle McCord 323 | LeQuint Allen 109 | Oronde Gadsden II 109 |
Hawaii | USU 55 , HAWAII 10 | Spencer Petras 255 | Rahsul Faison 191 | Nick Cenacle 72 | |
Portland State |
@
Montana
|
MONT 28 , PORST 17 | Logan Fife 197 | Eli Gillman 134 | Sawyer Racanelli 102 |
Prairie View A&M |
vs
Alcorn State
|
ALC 26 , PVA&M 13 | Cameron Peters 118 | Tavarious Griffin 66 | James Burns 52 |
Bethune-Cookman |
@
Texas Southern
|
TXSO 17 , B-C 14 | Cam'Ron Ransom 219 | Athean Renfro 129 | Maleek Huggins 97 |
Southern Illinois |
@
South Dakota State
|
SDAKST 41 , SIU 10 | Mark Gronowski 185 | Amar Johnson 157 | Allen Middleton 94 |
Arkansas-Pine Bluff |
@
Southern University
|
SOU 31 , ARK-PB 9 | Mekhi Hagens 216 | BJ Curry 85 | JaVonnie Gibson 85 |
Alabama State |
vs
Jackson State
|
JKST 16 , ALST 10 | Jacobian Morgan 120 | Daquon Kincey 144 | Ja'Naylon Dupree 75 |
Stephen F. Austin |
vs
UIW
|
INCWOR 27 , SFA 20 | Gavin Rutherford 209 | Dekalon Taylor 74 | Kylon Harris 79 |
Kennesaw State |
vs
Sam Houston
|
SAMHOU 23 , KENNST 17 | Hunter Watson 179 | Jay Ducker 111 | Simeon Evans 64 |
Louisville |
@
Stanford
|
STAN 38 , LOU 35 | Ashton Daniels 298 | Duke Watson 117 | Emmett Mosley V 168 |
Oregon State | AF 28 , ORST 0 | Quentin Hayes 110 | Dylan Carson 97 | Cade Harris 68 | |
Boston College |
@
SMU
|
SMU 38 , BC 28 | Kevin Jennings 298 | Brashard Smith 120 | Jordan Hudson 99 |
Missouri State |
@
North Dakota State
|
NDAKST 59 , MOSTU 21 | Jacob Clark 247 | Barika Kpeenu 169 | Hunter Wood 73 |
Charlotte | USF 59 , CHAR 24 | Deshawn Purdie 256 | Kelley Joiner 140 | Isaiah Myers 82 | |
LSU |
@
Florida
|
FLA 27 , LSU 16 | Garrett Nussmeier 260 | Caden Durham 91 | Elijhah Badger 131 |
Virginia | ND 35 , UVA 14 | Riley Leonard 214 | Jeremiyah Love 137 | Malachi Fields 81 | |
Purdue |
vs
Penn State
|
PSU 49 , PUR 10 | Drew Allar 247 | Tyler Warren 63 | Tyler Warren 127 |
Nebraska |
@
USC
|
USC 28 , NEB 20 | Jayden Maiava 259 | Woody Marks 146 | Duce Robinson 90 |
Stetson |
@
San Diego
|
SD 45 , STET 6 | Grant Sergent 311 | Isaiah Smith 110 | Ja'seem Reed 121 |
Idaho State |
@
Eastern Washington
|
EASTWA 77 , IDAST 42 | Kobe Tracy 370 | Jared Taylor 160 | Efton Chism III 157 |
Utah Tech |
vs
West Georgia
|
WESTGA 34 , UTAHTE 31 | Reggie Graff 272 | Chris Street 62 | Eric Olsen 67 |
Nicholls |
@
Lamar
|
LAMAR 24 , NICH 7 | Pat McQuaide 198 | Khalan Griffin 86 | Terry Matthews 85 |
Georgia Southern |
vs
Troy
|
TROY 28 , GASO 20 | Matthew Caldwell 288 | Damien Taylor 92 | Devonte Ross 95 |
Old Dominion | JMU 35 , ODU 32 | Alonza Barnett III 192 | Aaron Young 116 | Yamir Knight 121 | |
West Virginia |
vs
Baylor
|
BAYLOR 49 , WVU 35 | Sawyer Robertson 329 | Garrett Greene 129 | Josh Cameron 101 |
Morgan State |
vs
South Carolina State
|
SCST 54 , MORGST 7 | Eric Phoenix 85 | Tyler Smith 118 | Andre Crawley 91 |
Missouri | SCAR 34 , MIZZOU 30 | LaNorris Sellers 353 | Nate Noel 150 | Dalevon Campbell 86 | |
Sacramento State |
@
Cal Poly
|
CALPLY 26 , SAC 23 | Carson Conklin 308 | Elijah Tau-Tolliver 33 | Jared Gipson 130 |
Central Arkansas |
vs
Southern Utah
|
SOUT 38 , CENARK 31 | Caleb Koger 269 | Targhee Lambson 161 | Malachi Henry 133 |
Georgia State | ARKST 27 , GAST 20 | Christian Veilleux 245 | Jaylen Raynor 114 | Ted Hurst 173 | |
Maryland |
vs
Rutgers
|
RUT 31 , MD 17 | Billy Edwards Jr. 335 | Kyle Monangai 97 | Dymere Miller 107 |
San Jose State |
vs
Boise State
|
BOISE 42 , SJSU 21 | Walker Eget 446 | Ashton Jeanty 159 | Justin Lockhart 172 |
Louisiana | USA 24 , UL-LAF 22 | Gio Lopez 285 | Bill Davis 50 | Jamaal Pritchett 170 | |
Southern Miss | TXST 58 , SOUMIS 3 | Jordan McCloud 335 | Lincoln Pare 74 | Kole Wilson 116 | |
Kansas State | ASU 24 , KSU 14 | Sam Leavitt 275 | DJ Giddens 133 | Jordyn Tyson 176 | |
Tarleton State |
vs
Abilene Christian
|
ABICHR 35 , TARLST 31 | Maverick McIvor 391 | Sam Hicks 137 | Blayne Taylor 168 |
Wisconsin |
vs
Oregon
|
ORE 16 , WISC 13 | Dillon Gabriel 218 | Jordan James 121 | Evan Stewart 92 |
Tennessee |
@
Georgia
|
UGA 31 , TENN 17 | Carson Beck 347 | Dylan Sampson 101 | London Humphreys 63 |
New Mexico State | TEXA&M 38 , NMST 3 | Marcel Reed 268 | Amari Daniels 84 | Theo Melin Ohrstrom 111 | |
UC Davis |
vs
Montana State
|
MONTST 30 , UCDAV 28 | Miles Hastings 320 | Lan Larison 112 | Chaz Davis 128 |
Weber State |
@
Idaho
|
IDAHO 31 , WEB 24 | Jack Layne 283 | Art Williams 67 | Mark Hamper 187 |
UAB |
@
Memphis
|
MEM 53 , UAB 18 | Seth Henigan 299 | Mario Anderson Jr. 138 | Corri Milliner 74 |
Cincinnati | IAST 34 , CIN 17 | Rocco Becht 234 | Brendan Sorsby 141 | Gabe Burkle 73 | |
Wake Forest | UNC 31 , WAKE 24 | Michael Kern 172 | Omarion Hampton 244 | Taylor Morin 70 | |
Washington State | NM 38 , WSU 35 | John Mateer 375 | Devon Dampier 193 | Kyle Williams 181 | |
BYU |
vs
Kansas
|
KU 17 , BYU 13 | Jake Retzlaff 192 | LJ Martin 76 | Luke Grimm 77 |
San Diego State |
@
UNLV
|
UNLV 41 , SDSU 20 | Hajj-Malik Williams 244 | Marquez Cooper 97 | Ja'Shaun Poke 79 |
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.