College Football Schedule 2024-25
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
FIU |
vs
Sam Houston
|
SAMHOU 10 , FIU 7 | Jase Bauer 76 | Jase Bauer 72 | Eric Rivers 42 |
UTEP | LATECH 14 , UTEP 10 | Evan Bullock 248 | Jevon Jackson 112 | Jimmy Holiday 93 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Liberty | KENNST 27 , LIB 24 | Kaidon Salter 206 | Kaidon Salter 87 | Jaden Robinson 72 | |
Middle Tennessee | JACST 42 , MIDDTN 20 | Nicholas Vattiato 297 | Tre Stewart 210 | Omari Kelly 128 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Georgia Southern | ODU 47 , GASO 19 | Colton Joseph 304 | Aaron Young 77 | Isiah Paige 100 | |
Syracuse | PITT 41 , SYR 13 | Kyle McCord 321 | Desmond Reid 47 | Emanuel Ross 78 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Penn |
vs
Yale
|
YALE 31 , PENN 10 | Grant Jordan 289 | Josh Pitsenberger 83 | David Pantelis 123 |
Boston College |
vs
Louisville
|
LOU 31 , BC 27 | Tyler Shough 332 | Isaac Brown 85 | Ja'Corey Brooks 120 |
UNLV |
vs
Boise State
|
BOISE 29 , UNLV 24 | Maddux Madsen 209 | Ashton Jeanty 128 | Ricky White III 57 |
Rutgers |
@
USC
|
USC 42 , RUT 20 | Athan Kaliakmanis 313 | Woody Marks 94 | Makai Lemon 134 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Charlotte |
@
Memphis
|
MEM 33 , CHAR 28 | Seth Henigan 212 | Mario Anderson Jr. 141 | O'Mega Blake 128 |
North Texas |
vs
Tulane
|
TULN 45 , UNT 37 | Chandler Morris 449 | Makhi Hughes 195 | DT Sheffield 125 |
Oklahoma |
@
Ole Miss
|
MISS 26 , OKLA 14 | Jaxson Dart 311 | Jovantae Barnes 67 | Caden Prieskorn 71 |
Navy |
vs
Notre Dame
|
ND 51 , NAVY 14 | Riley Leonard 178 | Blake Horvath 129 | Jordan Faison 52 |
Buffalo |
@
Ohio
|
OHIO 47 , BUFF 16 | C.J. Ogbonna 257 | Rickey Hunt Jr. 89 | Coleman Owen 146 |
Georgia Tech | VATECH 21 , GT 6 | Aaron Philo 184 | Bhayshul Tuten 79 | Eric Singleton Jr. 90 | |
Virginia | UNC 41 , UVA 14 | Jacolby Criswell 293 | Omarion Hampton 105 | J.J. Jones 129 | |
Washington |
@
Indiana
|
IU 31 , UW 17 | Will Rogers 202 | Justice Ellison 123 | Jeremiah Hunter 60 |
Nebraska | OHIOST 21 , NEB 17 | Will Howard 221 | Dante Dowdell 60 | Carnell Tate 102 | |
Colgate |
@
Merrimack
|
MERRIM 51 , COLG 17 | Ayden Pereira 292 | Ayden Pereira 103 | Seth Sweitzer 73 |
Marist |
vs
Valparaiso
|
VALPO 17 , MARIST 14 | Sonny Mannino 162 | Michael Mansaray 135 | Will Downes 78 |
Dayton |
vs
Morehead State
|
MOR 14 , DAYTON 6 | Carter Cravens 284 | Mason Hackett 82 | Nate Garnett 212 |
Central Connecticut State |
@
LIU
|
LIU 24 , CENTCT 21 | Brady Olson 185 | Ethan Greenwood 66 | Michael Love 84 |
Bryant |
vs
Richmond
|
RICH 41 , BRYANT 14 | Camden Coleman 278 | Aziz Foster-Powell 76 | Nick DeGennaro 162 |
Cornell |
@
Brown
|
BROWN 23 , COR 21 | Jake Willcox 316 | Stockton Owen 79 | Ben Moseley 100 |
Fordham |
@
Lehigh
|
LEHIGH 33 , FORD 19 | Hayden Johnson 99 | Jaden Green 147 | Geoffrey Jamiel 47 |
Mercyhurst |
@
Sacred Heart
|
SHEART 31 , MERCYH 14 | Adam Urena 229 | Jalen Madison 140 | Cameron Barmore 96 |
Mississippi State |
vs
Arkansas
|
ARK 58 , MSST 25 | Taylen Green 314 | Braylen Russell 175 | Kevin Coleman Jr. 100 |
San Diego |
@
St. Thomas (MN)
|
STTHMN 34 , SD 14 | Grant Sergent 144 | Hope Adebayo 277 | Ja'seem Reed 74 |
Georgia State | APP 33 , GAST 26 | Joey Aguilar 299 | Ahmani Marshall 115 | Kaedin Robinson 121 | |
Maine |
@
Rhode Island
|
URI 24 , MAINE 14 | Carter Peevy 279 | Brian Santana-Fis 89 | Montigo Moss 80 |
Davidson |
vs
Butler
|
BUTLER 48 , DAV 38 | Luke Durkin 155 | Mari Adams 103 | Brody Reina 118 |
Stetson |
vs
Presbyterian
|
PRESBY 42 , STET 14 | Collin Hurst 297 | Antonio Wright 106 | Dominic Kibby 127 |
Southern Illinois |
@
Indiana State
|
INST 20 , SIU 17 | Jake Curry 171 | Elijah Owens 119 | Rashad Rochelle 56 |
Stonehill |
vs
Duquesne
|
DUQ 48 , STONEH 34 | Darius Perrantes 412 | JaMario Clements 108 | Brigham Dunphy 152 |
Monmouth |
vs
Towson
|
TOWSON 26 , MONM 14 | Derek Robertson 305 | Devin Matthews 75 | Gavin Nelson 133 |
Columbia |
vs
Dartmouth
|
DART 24 , COLUM 21 | Cole Freeman 173 | Q Jones 182 | Bryson Canty 90 |
Lafayette |
vs
Holy Cross
|
HOLYCR 34 , LAF 28 | Dean DeNobile 261 | Jamar Curtis 117 | Carson Persing 74 |
Murray State |
vs
North Dakota State
|
NDAKST 59 , MUR 6 | Nathan Hayes 141 | CharMar Brown 97 | Bryce Lance 108 |
Temple | ECU 56 , TEM 34 | Evan Simon 294 | Rahjai Harris 130 | Chase Sowell 117 | |
Central Michigan | MIA-OH 46 , CMU 7 | Brett Gabbert 165 | Keyon Mozee 120 | Javon Tracy 118 | |
Howard |
@
Norfolk State
|
NOR 21 , HOW 20 | Ja'Shawn Scroggins 159 | Ja'Shawn Scroggins 109 | Jacquez Jones 53 |
Saint Francis U |
@
Robert Morris
|
RMOR 17 , STF-PA 0 | Anthony Chiccitt 197 | Tyvon Edmonds Jr. 69 | Noah Robinson 71 |
Samford |
@
Citadel
|
CIT 28 , SAM 11 | Quincy Crittendon 223 | Johnathan Bennett 54 | Iaan Cousin 47 |
Wofford |
vs
ETSU
|
EASTTN 24 , WOF 7 | Jaylen King 198 | Jaylen King 88 | Karim Page 88 |
Bucknell |
@
Georgetown
|
GTOWN 21 , BUCK 20 | Ralph Rucker IV 226 | Tariq Thomas 145 | Josh Gary 91 |
Elon |
@
Hampton
|
HAMP 41 , ELON 21 | Matthew Downing 181 | Ja'Quan Snipes 106 | Onuma Dieke 86 |
West Georgia |
vs
Southern Utah
|
SOUT 28 , WESTGA 17 | Jackson Berry 257 | Targhee Lambson 135 | Devion Newson 105 |
Charleston Southern |
@
Tennessee Tech
|
TNTECH 28 , CHSOU 23 | Kaleb Jackson 213 | Tyson Greenwade 95 | Chris Rhone 129 |
Northern Colorado |
vs
Montana
|
MONT 24 , NORCOL 0 | Kia'i Keone 153 | Nick Ostmo 107 | Eli Gillman 50 |
Gardner-Webb |
@
Southeast Missouri State
|
SEMO 30 , G-WEBB 24 | Paxton DeLaurent 312 | Cole Ruble 122 | Edward Saydee 84 |
Mississippi Valley State |
@
Arkansas-Pine Bluff
|
ARK-PB 35 , MSVL 21 | Mekhi Hagens 204 | Ty'Jarian Williams 124 | JaVonnie Gibson 102 |
East Texas A&M |
@
Prairie View A&M
|
PVA&M 34 , ETA&M 27 | Jaden Johnson 236 | James Burns 76 | James Burns 139 |
Eastern Illinois |
@
UT Martin
|
TN-MAR 52 , EASTIL 17 | Pierce Holley 348 | Patrick Smith 87 | Cooper Willman 143 |
Northwestern State |
vs
Lamar
|
LAMAR 42 , NWST 10 | Robert Coleman 202 | Khalan Griffin 120 | Myles Kitt-Denton 77 |
Western Illinois |
@
Lindenwood
|
LINDEN 49 , WESTIL 38 | Nathan Lamb 564 | Steve Hall 259 | Matthew Henry 226 |
Princeton |
@
Harvard
|
HARV 45 , PRINCE 13 | Jaden Craig 345 | Xaviah Bascon 71 | Seamus Gilmartin 108 |
Bethune-Cookman |
vs
Jackson State
|
JKST 37 , B-C 17 | Luke Sprague 190 | Irv Mulligan 171 | Isaiah Spencer 61 |
Albany |
@
Delaware
|
DEL 28 , ALBANY 14 | Myles Burkett 208 | Marcus Yarns 127 | Seven McGee 77 |
Utah Tech |
@
Eastern Kentucky
|
EASTKY 28 , UTAHTE 17 | Bronson Barben 231 | Joshua Carter 167 | Josh Rillos 72 |
Stanford |
vs
Wake Forest
|
WAKE 27 , STAN 24 | Hank Bachmeier 245 | Demond Claiborne 127 | Elic Ayomanor 96 |
Illinois |
@
Oregon
|
ORE 38 , ILL 9 | Dillon Gabriel 291 | Jordan James 83 | Tez Johnson 102 |
UTSA |
@
Tulsa
|
TLSA 46 , TX-SA 45 | Owen McCown 434 | Robert Henry Jr. 67 | Houston Thomas 132 |
Missouri |
@
Alabama
|
BAMA 34 , MIZZOU 0 | Jalen Milroe 215 | Marcus Carroll 80 | Germie Bernard 82 |
Texas Tech |
@
TCU
|
TCU 35 , TTU 34 | Josh Hoover 344 | Tahj Brooks 121 | Caleb Douglas 140 |
Oklahoma State |
@
Baylor
|
BAYLOR 38 , OKST 28 | Alan Bowman 359 | Dawson Pendergrass 142 | Brennan Presley 183 |
Northwestern |
@
Iowa
|
IOWA 40 , NW 14 | Brendan Sullivan 79 | Kaleb Johnson 109 | Seth Anderson 44 |
Maryland | MINN 48 , MD 23 | Max Brosmer 320 | Darius Taylor 81 | Daniel Jackson 117 | |
Alabama A&M |
vs
Alabama State
|
ALST 27 , ALAA&M 19 | Xavier Lankford 207 | Daquon Kincey 156 | Keenan Hambrick 139 |
Rice | UCONN 17 , RICE 10 | Nick Evers 128 | Durell Robinson 132 | Skyler Bell 47 | |
Southern Miss | JMU 32 , SOUMIS 15 | Ethan Crawford 178 | George Pettaway 119 | Dannis Jackson 94 | |
UCF |
vs
BYU
|
BYU 37 , UCF 24 | Jake Retzlaff 228 | RJ Harvey 127 | Jacoby Jones 116 |
Eastern Michigan |
@
Akron
|
AKRON 25 , EASTMI 21 | Cole Snyder 346 | Jordon Simmons 109 | Oran Singleton 102 |
Northern Illinois | BALLST 25 , NIU 23 | Kadin Semonza 211 | Vaughn Pemberton 69 | Cam Thompson 128 | |
Toledo | BGSU 41 , TOL 26 | Tucker Gleason 320 | Terion Stewart 99 | Jerjuan Newton 164 | |
Kent State | WESTMI 52 , KENTST 21 | Hayden Wolff 208 | Jaden Nixon 135 | Kenneth Womack 68 | |
Wagner | UMASS 35 , WAGNER 7 | Taisun Phommachanh 129 | Rickey Spruill 90 | T.Y. Harding 49 | |
Delaware State |
@
South Carolina State
|
SCST 69 , DELST 35 | Eric Phoenix 341 | Jaden Sutton 150 | Caden High 132 |
Morgan State |
@
North Carolina Central
|
NCCENT 16 , MORGST 7 | Walker Harris 216 | J'Mari Taylor 196 | Markell Quick 96 |
Western Carolina |
@
Mercer
|
MERC 44 , WCU 34 | Cole Gonzales 395 | Dwayne McGee 223 | Kelin Parsons 102 |
New Hampshire |
@
Villanova
|
VILL 14 , UNH 6 | Barry Kleinpeter 125 | Myles Thomason 79 | Devin Smith 60 |
William & Mary |
@
Stony Brook
|
STNYBR 35 , W&M 13 | Tyler Knoop 240 | Roland Dempster 144 | Jayce Freeman 101 |
Oregon State | CAL 44 , ORST 7 | Fernando Mendoza 364 | Anthony Hankerson 49 | Trond Grizzell 95 | |
McNeese |
@
Nicholls
|
NICH 24 , MCNE 19 | Kamden Sixkiller 233 | Joshon Barbie 121 | Terry Matthews 94 |
Austin Peay |
vs
Tarleton State
|
TARLST 27 , APSU 17 | Victor Gabalis 264 | Kayvon Britten 106 | Darius Cooper 112 |
VMI |
@
Chattanooga
|
CHAT 31 , VMI 10 | Brady Hammonds 134 | Reggie Davis 131 | Ethen Horne 58 |
North Carolina A&T |
@
Campbell
|
CAMP 21 , NCA&T 7 | Justin Fomby 185 | Cameren Dalrymple 75 | Sincere Brown 150 |
Vanderbilt |
vs
Texas
|
TEX 27 , VANDY 24 | Quinn Ewers 288 | Quintrevion Wisner 79 | DeAndre Moore Jr. 97 |
New Mexico | CSU 17 , NM 6 | Devon Dampier 319 | Avery Morrow 89 | Ryan Davis 146 | |
Louisiana-Monroe | USA 46 , UL-MON 17 | Gio Lopez 168 | Kentrel Bullock 141 | Jamaal Pritchett 89 | |
North Alabama |
@
Central Arkansas
|
CENARK 24 , NORTAL 19 | Will McElvain 250 | ShunDerrick Powell 70 | Malachi Henry 90 |
UNI |
vs
Missouri State
|
MOSTU 49 , UNI 42 | Jacob Clark 275 | Jacardia Wright 145 | Tysen Kershaw 96 |
Sacramento State |
@
Idaho State
|
IDAST 30 , SAC 27 | Kobe Tracy 296 | Curron Borders 145 | Christian Fredericksen 163 |
North Dakota |
@
Youngstown State
|
YSU 41 , NORDAK 40 | Simon Romfo 212 | Beau Brungard 176 | Bo Belquist 105 |
Arizona | WVU 31 , ARI 26 | Noah Fifita 294 | Jahiem White 92 | Tetairoa McMillan 202 | |
Wyoming |
vs
Utah State
|
USU 27 , WYO 25 | Spencer Petras 194 | Rahsul Faison 131 | Chris Durr Jr. 83 |
Troy | ARKST 34 , TROY 31 | Jaylen Raynor 349 | Gerald Green 113 | Corey Rucker 193 | |
Utah |
@
Houston
|
HOU 17 , UTAH 14 | Isaac Wilson 171 | J'Marion Burnette 81 | Brant Kuithe 113 |
Southeastern Louisiana |
vs
UIW
|
INCWOR 34 , SELA 31 | Zach Calzada 238 | Dekalon Taylor 82 | Jaylon Domingeaux 97 |
Grambling State |
@
Texas Southern
|
TXSO 24 , GRAM 17 | Jace Wilson 128 | Jace Wilson 78 | Jyrin Johnson 60 |
Houston Christian |
@
Stephen F. Austin
|
SFA 55 , HOUCHR 6 | Sam Vidlak 316 | Jaylen Jenkins 110 | Jordan Nabors 108 |
Florida State | MIA-FL 36 , FSU 14 | Cam Ward 208 | Damien Martinez 148 | Isaiah Horton 65 | |
Southern University |
@
Florida A&M
|
FLAA&M 24 , SOU 6 | Daniel Richardson 274 | Kobe Dillon 60 | Jamari Gassett 118 |
LSU | TEXA&M 38 , LSU 23 | Garrett Nussmeier 405 | Amari Daniels 91 | Aaron Anderson 126 | |
Wisconsin |
vs
Penn State
|
PSU 28 , WISC 13 | Braedyn Locke 217 | Kaytron Allen 86 | Will Pauling 79 |
South Dakota |
@
South Dakota State
|
SDAKST 20 , SOUDAK 17 | Mark Gronowski 163 | Angel Johnson 81 | Jack Martens 66 |
Michigan State |
@
Michigan
|
MICH 24 , MSU 17 | Aidan Chiles 189 | Nate Carter 118 | Colston Loveland 67 |
Kentucky |
vs
Auburn
|
AUBURN 24 , UK 10 | Payton Thorne 172 | Jarquez Hunter 278 | Dane Key 87 |
San Jose State | FRES 33 , SJSU 10 | Mikey Keene 275 | Floyd Chalk IV 89 | Justin Lockhart 93 | |
Kansas | KSU 29 , KU 27 | Avery Johnson 253 | DJ Giddens 102 | Jayce Brown 98 | |
Duke |
vs
SMU
|
SMU 28 , DUKE 27 | Maalik Murphy 295 | Brashard Smith 117 | Roderick Daniels Jr. 153 |
Eastern Washington |
@
Idaho
|
IDAHO 38 , EASTWA 28 | Jack Layne 235 | Deshaun Buchanan 116 | Efton Chism III 114 |
Cincinnati |
@
Colorado
|
CU 34 , CIN 23 | Shedeur Sanders 323 | Corey Kiner 94 | Travis Hunter 153 |
San Diego State | WSU 29 , SDSU 26 | John Mateer 257 | Marquez Cooper 78 | Ja'Shaun Poke 80 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nevada |
@
Hawaii
|
HAWAII 34 , NEVADA 13 | Chubba Purdy 155 | Brayden Schager 120 | Marcus Bellon 111 |
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.