The 2025 college football season will be here in no time, so it's only right to highlight some of the best nonconference games in the FBS that you can't miss. These matchups could make or break your favorite team's season, either with College Football Playoff seeding or bragging rights.
Here are the top nonconference games for the 2025 season.
Week 1
- Texas at Ohio State
- Alabama at Florida State
- LSU at Clemson
- Nebraska vs. Cincinnati in Kansas City, Mo.
- Syracuse vs. Tennessee in Atlanta
- Virginia Tech vs. South Carolina in Atlanta
- Georgia Tech at Colorado
- Utah at UCLA
- Notre Dame at Miami (Fla.)
- TCU at North Carolina
Week 1 is full of nonconference games, and I have 10 here that you need to watch. The biggest game of them all is Texas at Ohio State. It鈥檚 a rematch of the College Football Playoff semifinals and it鈥檒l most likely be a top-five matchup 鈥 if not top-two or three.
Alabama at Florida State has drawn plenty of hype thanks to new quarterback Tommy Castellanos鈥 trash talking this offseason. The trash talk has also reached Week 1 opponents LSU and Clemson as they battle over who鈥檚 the real 鈥淒eath Valley鈥 in an expected top-10 contest.
The Saturday slate will also see Coach Prime and Colorado without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter for the first time. They鈥檒l battle a Georgia Tech team led by a darkhorse preseason Heisman contender in Haynes King.
There鈥檚 a trio of neutral site contests to watch in Week 1 as Nebraska and Cincinnati play in the home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Syracuse and Tennessee (Saturday) and then Virginia Tech and South Carolina (Sunday) play in the home of the Atlanta Falcons.
Week 1 extends beyond Saturday as Notre Dame plays Miami on Sunday for the first time since 2017. This will likely be a ranked matchup as the CFP is the expectation in both South Bend and Coral Gables this fall. Monday closes the weekend as six-time Super Bowl winning head coach Bill Belichick makes his debut for North Carolina hosting TCU.
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Week 2
- Michigan at Oklahoma
- Arizona State at Mississippi State
- Iowa at Iowa State
- Baylor at SMU
A Big Ten-SEC matchup is always one to watch, especially when it's a pair of bluebloods with new quarterbacks like Michigan and Oklahoma. Elsewhere in the SEC, Mississippi State hosts Arizona State. If the Sun Devils can pick up a road SEC win, it鈥檒l show they haven鈥檛 lost a step from their CFP run a year ago.
The last two nonconference games on this list are in-state battles as Iowa and Iowa State battle for the Cy-Hawk trophy and Baylor and SMU meet for the first time since 2016.
Week 3
- Texas A&M at Notre Dame
- Wisconsin at Alabama
- Pitt at West Virginia
- Florida Atlantic at FIU
- Duke at Tulane
Week 3 features some big brands facing off like Texas A&M-Notre Dame and Wisconsin-Alabama, plus the Backyard Brawl. However, two games featuring American Conference schools catch my eye, too.
Florida Atlantic and FIU are a quick (pending traffic) trip up I-95 apart from one another in south Florida. The two programs are in different conferences, but share the same weather and recruiting base. The intensity between these in-state programs should be high.
I鈥檒l call this last game the Darian Mensah Bowl. That鈥檚 the name of Duke鈥檚 new quarterback that transferred from Tulane this offseason. Can Mensah beat his old program, or will Tulane show Mensah what he missed out on?
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Week 4
- Washington at Washington State
- Oregon State at Oregon
- SMU at TCU
- Florida at Miami (FL)
- James Madison at Liberty
The Apple Cup and Civil War are two rivalries that we almost missed out on because of conference realignment, but we get to see the schools play again in 2025. Another pair of in-state contests should also be intriguing as SMU plays TCU and Florida plays Miami.
James Madison at Liberty closes the Week 4 slate as the Dukes out of the Sun Belt and the Flames out of Conference USA could each win their conferences in 2025. That means this nonconference game could be the deciding factor as to which team receives the CFP automatic bid.
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Week 6
- Boise State at Notre Dame
Notre Dame makes another appearance here thanks to its independent status making every game a nonconference game. Boise State comes to town in Week 6 to play the Fighting Irish, and it鈥檒l be a matchup of two playoff teams from last year. Speaking of last year, Boise State pushed Oregon in a three-point defeat. The Broncos won鈥檛 be an easy win for Notre Dame.
Week 8
- Southern California at Notre Dame
The USC-Notre Dame football rivalry is one of the most storied nonconference rivalries in sports. USC will enter the contest after what figures to be a tough home battle against Michigan, while Notre Dame enters after a home game against NC State. A loss from either team will dampen playoff hopes, so a lot is at stake here.
Week 14
- Georgia at Georgia Tech
- Clemson at South Carolina
- Florida State at Florida
- Kentucky at Louisville
Week 14 means rivalry week is here. Four matchups already catch my eye in the preseason. We saw an eight-overtime classic in 2024 between Georgia and Georgia Tech, and by the time these two programs meet in 2025, they both could have clinched conference title game berths.
The same goes for Clemson and South Carolina. Both teams were on the CFP bubble entering the game last year 鈥 and this year the Tigers and Gamecocks have their eyes on a playoff run yet again.
The final two games are ACC-SEC battles. Florida and Louisville are the two teams to watch here as both have displayed the talent to make a run at their respective conference titles. However, it鈥檚 rivalry week so anything can happen with emotions high.
