College Football Schedule 2024-25
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
WYO |
@
CSU
|
CSU 24 , WYO 10 | B Fowler-Nicolosi 192 | J Marshall 104 | T Maher 53 |
UNT |
@
TX-SA
|
TX-SA 48 , UNT 27 | O McCown 379 | S Porter 193 | D Amador II 122 |
HOW |
@
NCCENT
|
NCCENT 26 , HOW 3 | W Harris 321 | J Taylor 206 | J Taylor 78 |
UCLA |
@
UW
|
UW 31 , UCLA 19 | E Garbers 267 | J Coleman 95 | T Harden 79 |
HOU |
@
ARI
|
ARI 27 , HOU 3 | N Fifita 224 | Q Conley 107 | T McMillan 70 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
UTAH |
@
CU
|
CU 49 , UTAH 24 | S Sanders 340 | I Augustave 59 | D Miller 108 |
ARK |
vs
TEX
|
TEX 20 , ARK 10 | Q Ewers 176 | J Blue 83 | A Armstrong 74 |
WESTKY |
vs
LATECH
|
LATECH 12 , WESTKY 7 | C Veltkamp 152 | A Givens 103 | T Edwards 52 |
NW |
vs
OHIOST
|
OHIOST 31 , NW 7 | W Howard 247 | Q Judkins 76 | J Smith 100 |
NAVY |
vs
TULN
|
TULN 35 , NAVY 0 | D Mensah 138 | M Hughes 82 | D Fleming 56 |
PITT |
vs
CLEM
|
CLEM 24 , PITT 20 | N Yarnell 350 | D Reid 68 | A Williams 149 |
UMASS |
vs
LIB
|
LIB 35 , UMASS 34 | A Hairston 163 | Q Cooley 147 | J Keeney-James 75 |
MERRIM |
vs
SHEART
|
SHEART 31 , MERRIM 20 | A Pereira 110 | J Madison 170 | J McDonald 40 |
DELST |
@
NOR
|
NOR 38 , DELST 19 | J Daniels 155 | J Sutton 146 | K Thomas 87 |
PRINCE |
@
YALE
|
YALE 42 , PRINCE 28 | B Hipa 267 | J Pitsenberger 159 | A Barber 108 |
RMOR |
@
CENTCT
|
CENTCT 35 , RMOR 33 | B Olson 184 | D Moyer 82 | N Robinson 60 |
MARIST |
vs
PRESBY
|
PRESBY 42 , MARIST 23 | C Hurst 269 | T Shannon 82 | C Gill 161 |
VALPO |
@
DAYTON
|
DAYTON 26 , VALPO 14 | D VanVleet 92 | L Hansen 98 | G Givens III 52 |
EASTTN |
vs
FURMAN
|
FURMAN 24 , EASTTN 21 | T Hedden 210 | D Houston 103 | A Johnson 106 |
WAGNER |
@
DUQ
|
DUQ 42 , WAGNER 21 | D Perrantes 393 | T Butts 76 | T Afful 208 |
LIU |
vs
STF-PA
|
STF-PA 34 , LIU 27 | N Whitfield Jr. 268 | M Holman 73 | G Thomson 103 |
UNI |
@
YSU
|
YSU 39 , UNI 38 | B Brungard 256 | B Brungard 78 | D Hutson 101 |
HAMP |
vs
RICH
|
RICH 24 , HAMP 21 | C Coleman 138 | Z Palmer-Smith 166 | B Ridley 74 |
VILL |
@
MONM
|
MONM 40 , VILL 33 | D Robertson 358 | R Nelson 83 | T Speight 120 |
NCA&T |
@
TOWSON
|
TOWSON 31 , NCA&T 13 | S Brown 251 | T Greene Jr. 74 | C Runyon 81 |
BROWN |
vs
COLUM
|
COLUM 21 , BROWN 12 | J Willcox 242 | J Giorgi 107 | B Canty 183 |
COLG |
@
LEHIGH
|
LEHIGH 45 , COLG 17 | J Stearney 263 | J Green 103 | G Jamiel 125 |
BUCK |
@
HOLYCR
|
HOLYCR 40 , BUCK 38 | R Rucker IV 339 | J Clerveaux 91 | E Weatherly 129 |
STONEH |
@
LAF
|
LAF 42 , STONEH 10 | D DeNobile 275 | J Washington 53 | M Kuehner 90 |
UL-MON |
@
AUBURN
|
AUBURN 48 , UL-MON 14 | P Thorne 286 | J Hunter 102 | K Lambert-Smith 104 |
DRAKE |
vs
MOR
|
MOR 29 , DRAKE 20 | L Bailey 210 | J Louis 111 | N Garnett 58 |
NORDAK |
vs
SOUDAK
|
SOUDAK 42 , NORDAK 36 | A Bouman 190 | C Pierre Jr. 173 | B Belquist 96 |
CHSOU |
@
EASTIL
|
EASTIL 16 , CHSOU 13 | P Holley 168 | M Flowers 72 | Q Rogers 66 |
COASTC |
@
MARSH
|
MARSH 31 , COASTC 19 | E Vasko 267 | B Bennett 67 | B Graves 87 |
PENN |
vs
HARV
|
HARV 31 , PENN 28 | L O'Brien 171 | M Hosley 143 | C Barkate 129 |
FLAA&M |
vs
MSVL
|
MSVL 24 , FLAA&M 21 | D Richardson 259 | L Summersett 87 | N Rembert 130 |
STTHMN |
@
BUTLER
|
BUTLER 36 , STTHMN 20 | T Tateoka 214 | N Howard 97 | C Chase 121 |
VMI |
@
WCU
|
WCU 58 , VMI 28 | T Dickens 294 | H Rice 109 | J Boyd 77 |
INST |
vs
ILLST
|
ILLST 31 , INST 19 | T Rittenhouse 319 | E Owens 64 | D Sobkowicz 156 |
GTOWN |
@
FORD
|
FORD 31 , GTOWN 3 | J Holtschlag 253 | J Loughridge 91 | C Pygatt 135 |
ALBANY |
@
URI
|
URI 20 , ALBANY 17 | V Weber 354 | M Grant 110 | L Wentz 138 |
BRYANT |
@
W&M
|
W&M 22 , BRYANT 12 | J Guest 263 | B Yoder 146 | L Ruggieri 112 |
CAMP |
@
DEL
|
DEL 41 , CAMP 22 | M Chandler II 267 | M Yarns 134 | V Wilkins 172 |
STNYBR |
@
UNH
|
UNH 31 , STNYBR 30 | S Morgan 263 | R Dempster 85 | C Burke 74 |
DART |
@
COR
|
COR 39 , DART 22 | J Proctor 258 | E Pope 111 | D Haughton 101 |
MUR |
@
UK
|
UK 48 , MUR 6 | B Vandagriff 183 | J Wilcox 123 | J Carter 130 |
CHAT |
vs
SAM
|
SAM 36 , CHAT 13 | Q Crittendon 340 | Q Crittendon 59 | B Jenkins 93 |
WOF |
vs
CIT
|
CIT 30 , WOF 17 | J Bennett 166 | R Ingram 103 | J Graves-Billips 68 |
G-WEBB |
vs
TENNST
|
TENNST 23 , G-WEBB 20 | D Ellis 220 | J McGill 100 | K Brenson 82 |
NORCOL |
vs
NOARI
|
NOARI 44 , NORCOL 3 | T Pennington 193 | S Cromwell 155 | B White 57 |
MERC |
@
BAMA
|
BAMA 52 , MERC 7 | J Milroe 186 | C Miller 44 | G Bernard 81 |
FIU |
@
JACST
|
JACST 34 , FIU 31 | K Jenkins 258 | T Stewart 136 | D Patterson 116 |
WESTIL |
@
SEMO
|
SEMO 54 , WESTIL 45 | N Lamb 449 | B Epton Jr. 126 | M Henry 183 |
HOUCHR |
@
ETA&M
|
ETA&M 41 , HOUCHR 40 | R Peace 400 | K Shankle 59 | A Wilson 206 |
NWST |
vs
MCNE
|
MCNE 35 , NWST 3 | A Johnston 87 | J Barbie 139 | R Mckneely-Harris 54 |
TN-MAR |
vs
TNTECH
|
TNTECH 10 , TN-MAR 9 | K Dent 142 | J Mitchell 62 | D Linkins 56 |
APSU |
vs
EASTKY
|
EASTKY 30 , APSU 27 | A Smith 239 | J Carter 106 | J Barnes 131 |
FLAATL |
@
TEM
|
TEM 18 , FLAATL 15 | E Simon 218 | C Campbell Jr. 70 | D Wright 147 |
MAINE |
@
ELON
|
ELON 31 , MAINE 25 | M Downing 299 | R Baker 156 | C Brayboy 138 |
MSU |
@
ILL
|
ILL 38 , MSU 16 | A Chiles 256 | J McCray 61 | P Bryant 135 |
CAL |
vs
SYR
|
SYR 33 , CAL 25 | K McCord 323 | L Allen 109 | O Gadsden II 109 |
HAWAII |
@
USU
|
USU 55 , HAWAII 10 | S Petras 255 | R Faison 191 | N Cenacle 72 |
PORST |
@
MONT
|
MONT 28 , PORST 17 | L Fife 197 | E Gillman 134 | S Racanelli 102 |
PVA&M |
vs
ALC
|
ALC 26 , PVA&M 13 | C Peters 118 | T Griffin 66 | J Burns 52 |
B-C |
@
TXSO
|
TXSO 17 , B-C 14 | C Ransom 219 | A Renfro 129 | M Huggins 97 |
SIU |
@
SDAKST
|
SDAKST 41 , SIU 10 | M Gronowski 185 | A Johnson 157 | A Middleton 94 |
ARK-PB |
@
SOU
|
SOU 31 , ARK-PB 9 | M Hagens 216 | B Curry 85 | J Gibson 85 |
ALST |
vs
JKST
|
JKST 16 , ALST 10 | J Morgan 120 | D Kincey 144 | J Dupree 75 |
SFA |
vs
INCWOR
|
INCWOR 27 , SFA 20 | G Rutherford 209 | D Taylor 74 | K Harris 79 |
KENNST |
vs
SAMHOU
|
SAMHOU 23 , KENNST 17 | H Watson 179 | J Ducker 111 | S Evans 64 |
LOU |
@
STAN
|
STAN 38 , LOU 35 | A Daniels 298 | D Watson 117 | E Mosley V 168 |
ORST |
@
AF
|
AF 28 , ORST 0 | Q Hayes 110 | D Carson 97 | C Harris 68 |
BC |
@
SMU
|
SMU 38 , BC 28 | K Jennings 298 | B Smith 120 | J Hudson 99 |
MOSTU |
@
NDAKST
|
NDAKST 59 , MOSTU 21 | J Clark 247 | B Kpeenu 169 | H Wood 73 |
CHAR |
vs
USF
|
USF 59 , CHAR 24 | D Purdie 256 | K Joiner 140 | I Myers 82 |
LSU |
@
FLA
|
FLA 27 , LSU 16 | G Nussmeier 260 | C Durham 91 | E Badger 131 |
UVA |
@
ND
|
ND 35 , UVA 14 | R Leonard 214 | J Love 137 | M Fields 81 |
PUR |
vs
PSU
|
PSU 49 , PUR 10 | D Allar 247 | T Warren 63 | T Warren 127 |
NEB |
@
USC
|
USC 28 , NEB 20 | J Maiava 259 | W Marks 146 | D Robinson 90 |
STET |
@
SD
|
SD 45 , STET 6 | G Sergent 311 | I Smith 110 | J Reed 121 |
IDAST |
@
EASTWA
|
EASTWA 77 , IDAST 42 | K Tracy 370 | J Taylor 160 | E Chism III 157 |
UTAHTE |
vs
WESTGA
|
WESTGA 34 , UTAHTE 31 | R Graff 272 | C Street 62 | E Olsen 67 |
NICH |
@
LAMAR
|
LAMAR 24 , NICH 7 | P McQuaide 198 | K Griffin 86 | T Matthews 85 |
GASO |
vs
TROY
|
TROY 28 , GASO 20 | M Caldwell 288 | D Taylor 92 | D Ross 95 |
ODU |
vs
JMU
|
JMU 35 , ODU 32 | A Barnett III 192 | A Young 116 | Y Knight 121 |
WVU |
vs
BAYLOR
|
BAYLOR 49 , WVU 35 | S Robertson 329 | G Greene 129 | J Cameron 101 |
MORGST |
vs
SCST
|
SCST 54 , MORGST 7 | E Phoenix 85 | T Smith 118 | A Crawley 91 |
MIZZOU |
@
SCAR
|
SCAR 34 , MIZZOU 30 | L Sellers 353 | N Noel 150 | D Campbell 86 |
SAC |
@
CALPLY
|
CALPLY 26 , SAC 23 | C Conklin 308 | E Tau-Tolliver 33 | J Gipson 130 |
CENARK |
vs
SOUT
|
SOUT 38 , CENARK 31 | C Koger 269 | T Lambson 161 | M Henry 133 |
GAST |
vs
ARKST
|
ARKST 27 , GAST 20 | C Veilleux 245 | J Raynor 114 | T Hurst 173 |
MD |
vs
RUT
|
RUT 31 , MD 17 | B Edwards Jr. 335 | K Monangai 97 | D Miller 107 |
SJSU |
vs
BOISE
|
BOISE 42 , SJSU 21 | W Eget 446 | A Jeanty 159 | J Lockhart 172 |
UL-LAF |
vs
USA
|
USA 24 , UL-LAF 22 | G Lopez 285 | B Davis 50 | J Pritchett 170 |
SOUMIS |
@
TXST
|
TXST 58 , SOUMIS 3 | J McCloud 335 | L Pare 74 | K Wilson 116 |
KSU |
vs
ASU
|
ASU 24 , KSU 14 | S Leavitt 275 | D Giddens 133 | J Tyson 176 |
TARLST |
vs
ABICHR
|
ABICHR 35 , TARLST 31 | M McIvor 391 | S Hicks 137 | B Taylor 168 |
WISC |
vs
ORE
|
ORE 16 , WISC 13 | D Gabriel 218 | J James 121 | E Stewart 92 |
TENN |
@
UGA
|
UGA 31 , TENN 17 | C Beck 347 | D Sampson 101 | L Humphreys 63 |
NMST |
@
TEXA&M
|
TEXA&M 38 , NMST 3 | M Reed 268 | A Daniels 84 | T Melin Ohrstrom 111 |
UCDAV |
vs
MONTST
|
MONTST 30 , UCDAV 28 | M Hastings 320 | L Larison 112 | C Davis 128 |
WEB |
@
IDAHO
|
IDAHO 31 , WEB 24 | J Layne 283 | A Williams 67 | M Hamper 187 |
UAB |
@
MEM
|
MEM 53 , UAB 18 | S Henigan 299 | M Anderson Jr. 138 | C Milliner 74 |
CIN |
@
IAST
|
IAST 34 , CIN 17 | R Becht 234 | B Sorsby 141 | G Burkle 73 |
WAKE |
@
UNC
|
UNC 31 , WAKE 24 | M Kern 172 | O Hampton 244 | T Morin 70 |
WSU |
@
NM
|
NM 38 , WSU 35 | J Mateer 375 | D Dampier 193 | K Williams 181 |
BYU |
vs
KU
|
KU 17 , BYU 13 | J Retzlaff 192 | L Martin 76 | L Grimm 77 |
SDSU |
@
UNLV
|
UNLV 41 , SDSU 20 | H Williams 244 | M Cooper 97 | J 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.