College Football Schedule 2024-25
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NMST |
@
FIU
|
FIU 34 , NMST 13 | K Jenkins 338 | M Washington 88 | E Rivers 295 |
TXST |
vs
UL-LAF
|
UL-LAF 23 , TXST 17 | B Wooldridge 252 | D Washington 94 | L LeGendre 76 |
LATECH |
@
SAMHOU
|
SAMHOU 9 , LATECH 3 | E Bullock 148 | J Ducker 72 | T Edwards 80 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
CHAR |
vs
TULN
|
TULN 34 , CHAR 3 | D Mensah 214 | M Hughes 117 | M Williams 96 |
NCCENT |
@
SCST
|
SCST 24 , NCCENT 21 | E Phoenix 321 | J Taylor 72 | C High 113 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
GAST |
@
UCONN
|
UCONN 34 , GAST 27 | Z Gibson 257 | M Brown 138 | T Hurst 91 |
YALE |
@
COLUM
|
COLUM 13 , YALE 10 | C Freeman 156 | C Freeman 82 | B Canty 107 |
FLAATL |
vs
USF
|
USF 44 , FLAATL 21 | C Fancher 306 | N Wright 117 | C Campbell Jr. 78 |
SDSU |
@
BOISE
|
BOISE 56 , SDSU 24 | M Madsen 307 | A Jeanty 149 | L Caples 90 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
MEM |
@
TX-SA
|
TX-SA 44 , MEM 36 | S Henigan 454 | M Anderson Jr. 53 | D Blankumsee 142 |
ARK |
vs
MISS
|
MISS 63 , ARK 31 | J Dart 515 | R Dubinion 49 | J Watkins 254 |
MAINE |
@
OKLA
|
OKLA 59 , MAINE 14 | J Arnold 224 | J Barnes 203 | J Hester 112 |
ILL |
vs
MINN
|
MINN 25 , ILL 17 | L Altmyer 226 | D Taylor 131 | D Jackson 74 |
AF |
@
ARMY
|
ARMY 20 , AF 3 | Q Hayes 54 | K Udoh 158 | C Harris 52 |
AKRON |
vs
BUFF
|
BUFF 41 , AKRON 30 | B Finley 354 | A Henderson 107 | A Norton 98 |
EASTMI |
vs
TOL
|
TOL 29 , EASTMI 28 | C Snyder 265 | S Clark 78 | O Singleton 103 |
DUKE |
@
MIA-FL
|
MIA-FL 53 , DUKE 31 | C Ward 400 | P Jones 71 | X Restrepo 146 |
STAN |
@
NCSU
|
NCSU 59 , STAN 28 | C Bailey 234 | A Daniels 129 | E Ayomanor 108 |
VATECH |
@
SYR
|
SYR 38 , VATECH 31 | K McCord 280 | L Allen 121 | S Gosnell 118 |
PUR |
vs
NW
|
NW 26 , PUR 20 | H Card 267 | J Himon II 78 | C Porter 85 |
PSU |
vs
OHIOST
|
OHIOST 20 , PSU 13 | W Howard 182 | Q Judkins 95 | J Smith 55 |
MERRIM |
@
RMOR
|
RMOR 6 , MERRIM 0 | A Chiccitt 236 | J White 62 | S Charles 139 |
WAGNER |
@
CENTCT
|
CENTCT 24 , WAGNER 14 | J Cady 195 | E Howard 75 | R Spruill 81 |
BROWN |
vs
PENN
|
PENN 38 , BROWN 28 | J Willcox 260 | M Hosley 102 | J Richardson 113 |
MERCYH |
@
DUQ
|
DUQ 31 , MERCYH 24 | A Urena 345 | J Clements 177 | R Davison 152 |
GTOWN |
vs
LEHIGH
|
LEHIGH 43 , GTOWN 6 | D Lauter 189 | J Green 88 | J Kibble 47 |
AUBURN |
vs
VANDY
|
VANDY 17 , AUBURN 7 | P Thorne 239 | J Hunter 50 | K Lambert-Smith 78 |
NOR |
@
MORGST
|
MORGST 38 , NOR 37 | J Daniels 244 | K King 117 | K Thomas 165 |
PRINCE |
vs
COR
|
COR 49 , PRINCE 35 | J Wang 262 | R Tucker III 64 | S Musungu 165 |
DELST |
@
HOW
|
HOW 38 , DELST 0 | J Scroggins 304 | J Hunter 88 | K Hawthorne 105 |
DAYTON |
@
PRESBY
|
PRESBY 28 , DAYTON 7 | D VanVleet 231 | Q Jennings 89 | D Kibby 73 |
STET |
@
BUTLER
|
BUTLER 46 , STET 13 | B Meitz 210 | N Howard 92 | D Bailey 91 |
STTHMN |
@
MOR
|
MOR 21 , STTHMN 7 | C Cravens 196 | H Adebayo 142 | N Garnett 90 |
STONEH |
@
STF-PA
|
STF-PA 34 , STONEH 0 | N Whitfield Jr. 168 | D McElroy 147 | G Thomson 78 |
NORDAK |
@
INST
|
INST 35 , NORDAK 31 | S Romfo 187 | I Smith 104 | R Rochelle 72 |
NCA&T |
vs
W&M
|
W&M 45 , NCA&T 7 | D Wilson 217 | S Blizzard 132 | H Mathis 96 |
HAMP |
vs
VILL
|
VILL 20 , HAMP 14 | C Watkins 149 | J Snipes 85 | J Sanchez 103 |
BRYANT |
vs
STNYBR
|
STNYBR 31 , BRYANT 30 | B Myer 338 | R Dempster 107 | D Kedzior 100 |
MONM |
@
URI
|
URI 37 , MONM 28 | D Robertson 266 | M Grant 126 | M Buchanan 171 |
ALBANY |
vs
UNH
|
UNH 31 , ALBANY 14 | S Morgan 208 | T Lindsey 58 | C Burke 90 |
COLG |
@
FORD
|
FORD 20 , COLG 14 | J Stearney 185 | J Loughridge 153 | T Saunders 68 |
LAF |
@
BUCK
|
BUCK 21 , LAF 14 | R Rucker IV 210 | T Thomas 141 | J Gary 71 |
DART |
vs
HARV
|
HARV 31 , DART 27 | J Craig 311 | X Bascon 50 | C Barkate 124 |
FURMAN |
@
VMI
|
VMI 21 , FURMAN 17 | C Wilson 135 | G Hall 121 | C Hinton 88 |
MARIST |
@
DRAKE
|
DRAKE 19 , MARIST 0 | L Bailey 206 | L Woodson 70 | T Hughes 79 |
TOWSON |
@
RICH
|
RICH 35 , TOWSON 24 | S Brown 275 | Z Palmer-Smith 98 | J Dunmore 123 |
CAMP |
@
ELON
|
ELON 50 , CAMP 27 | M Chandler II 355 | R Baker 154 | C Brayboy 183 |
CHSOU |
vs
G-WEBB
|
G-WEBB 17 , CHSOU 14 | T Ridell 212 | E Saydee 86 | T Shields 65 |
TLSA |
@
UAB
|
UAB 59 , TLSA 21 | J Kitna 404 | V Ellison Jr. 73 | K Shanks 153 |
LINDEN |
@
TNTECH
|
TNTECH 52 , LINDEN 10 | N Glantz 181 | J Mitchell 128 | D Linkins 67 |
ODU |
@
APP
|
APP 28 , ODU 20 | C Joseph 332 | A Marshall 120 | I Paige 205 |
CHAT |
@
WCU
|
WCU 38 , CHAT 34 | T Dickens 431 | J Durant 47 | C Domercant 101 |
MSVL |
vs
PVA&M
|
PVA&M 17 , MSVL 16 | T Williams 287 | L McDowell 130 | N Rembert 163 |
HOUCHR |
@
INCWOR
|
INCWOR 45 , HOUCHR 20 | Z Calzada 306 | D Taylor 128 | A Wilson 111 |
SAM |
vs
WOF
|
WOF 17 , SAM 13 | Q Crittendon 242 | M Kelly 87 | K Watkins 112 |
SIU |
@
MOSTU
|
MOSTU 38 , SIU 17 | J Clark 213 | J Becks 101 | H Wood 82 |
ARK-PB |
@
JKST
|
JKST 41 , ARK-PB 3 | J Morgan 187 | I Mulligan 141 | J Dupree 57 |
ALAA&M |
vs
SOU
|
SOU 25 , ALAA&M 20 | C Teasett 294 | X Lankford 93 | D Morris 96 |
WESTIL |
@
EASTIL
|
EASTIL 45 , WESTIL 38 | P Holley 338 | M Flowers 194 | A Ginnever 100 |
YSU |
@
ILLST
|
ILLST 23 , YSU 16 | B Brungard 157 | W Wright 104 | D Sobkowicz 81 |
MUR |
@
SDAKST
|
SDAKST 52 , MUR 6 | M Gronowski 170 | A Johnson 132 | G Wilde 78 |
EASTTN |
@
MERC
|
MERC 37 , EASTTN 31 | G English 267 | D McGee 124 | A Johnson 162 |
GRAM |
@
B-C
|
B-C 24 , GRAM 21 | D Bailey 206 | D Palmer 86 | J Robinson 91 |
UTEP |
vs
MIDDTN
|
MIDDTN 20 , UTEP 13 | N Vattiato 239 | J Jackson 83 | M Butler 101 |
KSU |
@
HOU
|
HOU 24 , KSU 19 | A Johnson 238 | Z Chriss 75 | J Brown 86 |
IAST |
vs
TTU
|
TTU 23 , IAST 22 | R Becht 299 | T Brooks 122 | J Higgins 140 |
OKST |
vs
ASU
|
ASU 42 , OKST 21 | S Leavitt 304 | C Skattebo 153 | C Skattebo 121 |
NEB |
vs
UCLA
|
UCLA 27 , NEB 20 | E Garbers 219 | D Dowdell 61 | I Neyor 89 |
UNI |
@
NDAKST
|
NDAKST 42 , UNI 19 | M Schecklman 270 | C Brown 124 | S Morancy 102 |
FLA |
@
UGA
|
UGA 34 , FLA 20 | C Beck 309 | N Frazier 82 | A Mizell 66 |
UL-MON |
@
MARSH
|
MARSH 28 , UL-MON 23 | B Braxton 166 | A Hardy 207 | C Montgomery 68 |
ARI |
@
UCF
|
UCF 56 , ARI 12 | D Rizk 294 | R Harvey 184 | J Jones 106 |
FSU |
vs
UNC
|
UNC 35 , FSU 11 | J Criswell 211 | O Hampton 172 | O Hampton 93 |
MSU |
vs
IU
|
IU 47 , MSU 10 | K Rourke 263 | J Ellison 32 | K Williams 86 |
MICH |
vs
ORE
|
ORE 38 , MICH 17 | D Gabriel 294 | J James 117 | T Holden 149 |
DAV |
@
SD
|
SD 40 , DAV 13 | G Sergent 307 | L Gingg 106 | J Reed 186 |
WEB |
@
NOARI
|
NOARI 27 , WEB 6 | T Pennington 212 | D Bankston 96 | B White 65 |
NORCOL |
@
UCDAV
|
UCDAV 59 , NORCOL 7 | M Hastings 285 | L Larison 143 | S Gbatu Jr. 78 |
EASTWA |
vs
MONTST
|
MONTST 42 , EASTWA 28 | T Mellott 181 | T Mellott 125 | E Chism III 78 |
NM |
vs
WYO
|
WYO 49 , NM 45 | K Anderson 342 | D Dampier 207 | J Sargent 186 |
CENARK |
@
UTAHTE
|
UTAHTE 34 , CENARK 21 | R Graff 211 | D Hale 140 | E Falayi 105 |
NAVY |
@
RICE
|
RICE 24 , NAVY 10 | E Warner 239 | D Connors 105 | M Sykes 93 |
COASTC |
@
TROY
|
TROY 38 , COASTC 24 | E Vasko 206 | D Taylor 190 | J Tucker 106 |
SOUT |
@
ABICHR
|
ABICHR 28 , SOUT 25 | M McIvor 306 | T Lambson 198 | B Taylor 81 |
LAMAR |
vs
SELA
|
SELA 30 , LAMAR 27 | E Sawyer 208 | K Griffin 146 | D Lewis 93 |
NICH |
vs
SFA
|
SFA 28 , NICH 12 | S Vidlak 262 | C Guggenheim 80 | K Harris 106 |
TXSO |
@
FLAA&M
|
FLAA&M 52 , TXSO 28 | D Richardson 267 | L Summersett 75 | J Pruitte 60 |
UMASS |
@
MSST
|
MSST 45 , UMASS 20 | M Buren Jr. 222 | J Daniels 92 | J Mosley 107 |
CALPLY |
vs
MONT
|
MONT 42 , CALPLY 7 | J Jones 147 | N Ostmo 35 | L Booher 94 |
NORTAL |
vs
APSU
|
APSU 31 , NORTAL 17 | A Smith 406 | J Allen 62 | J Barnes 241 |
ALC |
vs
ALST
|
ALST 21 , ALC 17 | T Lawrence 164 | A Williams 66 | D Mcgee 52 |
TENNST |
vs
TN-MAR
|
TN-MAR 28 , TENNST 21 | D Ellis 312 | P Smith 73 | J Dean 118 |
FRES |
vs
HAWAII
|
HAWAII 21 , FRES 20 | B Schager 244 | T Hines 66 | N Cenacle 113 |
TARLST |
vs
EASTKY
|
EASTKY 17 , TARLST 13 | V Gabalis 234 | K Britten 154 | B Omayebu 100 |
USC |
@
UW
|
UW 26 , USC 21 | M Moss 293 | W Marks 123 | Z Branch 102 |
USA |
vs
GASO
|
GASO 34 , USA 30 | G Lopez 257 | K Bullock 101 | J Pritchett 107 |
WISC |
@
IOWA
|
IOWA 42 , WISC 10 | B Locke 137 | K Johnson 135 | Z Ortwerth 66 |
TEXA&M |
@
SCAR
|
SCAR 44 , TEXA&M 20 | L Sellers 244 | R Sanders 144 | J Simon 132 |
CLEM |
vs
LOU
|
LOU 33 , CLEM 21 | C Klubnik 228 | P Mafah 171 | T Moore 63 |
UK |
@
TENN
|
TENN 28 , UK 18 | N Iamaleava 292 | D Sampson 142 | M Kitselman 97 |
NEVADA |
vs
CSU
|
CSU 38 , NEVADA 21 | B Lewis 252 | B Lewis 109 | C Braham Jr. 141 |
TCU |
@
BAYLOR
|
BAYLOR 37 , TCU 34 | J Hoover 333 | B Washington 196 | J Bech 98 |
PITT |
@
SMU
|
SMU 48 , PITT 25 | K Jennings 306 | B Smith 161 | M Hibner 108 |
ETA&M |
@
MCNE
|
MCNE 31 , ETA&M 3 | R Peace 138 | J Barbie 124 | C Jourdain 42 |
SAC |
vs
PORST
|
PORST 58 , SAC 38 | C Conklin 314 | D Chachere 165 | A Grover 134 |
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.