College Football Schedule 2024-25
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
EASTMI |
vs
BUFF
|
BUFF 37 , EASTMI 20 | C Snyder 351 | A Henderson 86 | M Allen 187 |
TOL |
vs
OHIO
|
OHIO 24 , TOL 7 | T Gleason 136 | A Tyus III 115 | C Gossett 86 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NICH |
vs
SELA
|
SELA 19 , NICH 16 | P McQuaide 298 | A Martin Jr. 64 | S Osby 123 |
NCSU |
@
GT
|
GT 30 , NCSU 29 | A Philo 265 | C Bailey 83 | E Singleton Jr. 106 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TEM |
@
TX-SA
|
TX-SA 51 , TEM 27 | O McCown 220 | R Henry Jr. 178 | D Wright 128 |
PUR |
@
MSU
|
MSU 24 , PUR 17 | H Card 342 | K Lynch-Adams 85 | J Edrine 87 |
SJSU |
vs
UNLV
|
UNLV 27 , SJSU 16 | H Williams 131 | J Thomas 135 | R White III 98 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SAMHOU |
@
JACST
|
JACST 21 , SAMHOU 11 | H Watson 87 | T Huff 177 | N Smith 65 |
MISS |
@
FLA
|
FLA 24 , MISS 17 | J Dart 323 | M Johnson Jr. 107 | C Lee 94 |
UNC |
@
BC
|
BC 41 , UNC 21 | G James 192 | K Robichaux 93 | L Bond 81 |
WAKE |
@
MIA-FL
|
MIA-FL 42 , WAKE 14 | C Ward 280 | J Lyle 115 | J George 91 |
UVA |
vs
SMU
|
SMU 33 , UVA 7 | K Jennings 323 | B Smith 63 | M Dixon 89 |
UCONN |
@
SYR
|
SYR 31 , UCONN 24 | K McCord 470 | C Edwards 87 | D Gill Jr. 177 |
RUT |
vs
ILL
|
ILL 38 , RUT 31 | L Altmyer 249 | K Monangai 122 | P Bryant 197 |
IU |
@
OHIOST
|
OHIOST 38 , IU 15 | W Howard 201 | T Son Lawton 79 | E Egbuka 80 |
MD |
vs
IOWA
|
IOWA 29 , MD 13 | M Morris 103 | K Johnson 164 | T Felton 57 |
HARV |
vs
YALE
|
YALE 34 , HARV 29 | J Craig 292 | J Pitsenberger 120 | C Barkate 169 |
STONEH |
@
RMOR
|
RMOR 31 , STONEH 13 | Z Tanner 268 | J Washington 70 | S Charles 149 |
VMI |
vs
EASTTN
|
EASTTN 16 , VMI 9 | B Hayes 119 | J Crump 126 | K Page 39 |
DUQ |
@
CENTCT
|
CENTCT 21 , DUQ 14 | D Perrantes 296 | E Howard 110 | J Isabella 149 |
WAGNER |
vs
LIU
|
LIU 35 , WAGNER 28 | J Cady 143 | E Greenwood 133 | C Nichols 76 |
W&M |
@
RICH
|
RICH 27 , W&M 0 | D Wilson 95 | Z Palmer-Smith 129 | H Mathis 50 |
BROWN |
@
DART
|
DART 56 , BROWN 28 | J Proctor 308 | J Proctor 171 | G O'Bara 124 |
COR |
@
COLUM
|
COLUM 17 , COR 9 | C Sanchez 221 | J Giorgi 165 | S Musungu 93 |
LAF |
@
LEHIGH
|
LEHIGH 38 , LAF 14 | D DeNobile 171 | J Curtis 131 | E Steward 78 |
GTOWN |
vs
HOLYCR
|
HOLYCR 34 , GTOWN 0 | J Pesansky 100 | J Clerveaux 135 | N Schillinger 34 |
UMASS |
@
UGA
|
UGA 59 , UMASS 21 | C Beck 297 | N Frazier 136 | A Smith 110 |
MSVL |
vs
ALAA&M
|
ALAA&M 49 , MSVL 35 | T Williams 275 | D Eaglin 105 | N Rembert 107 |
MUR |
@
SIU
|
SIU 62 , MUR 0 | M Lindauer 283 | A Middleton 124 | K Lewis 104 |
EASTIL |
@
TNTECH
|
TNTECH 23 , EASTIL 6 | P Holley 129 | J Mitchell 131 | C Willman 86 |
NORDAK |
@
ILLST
|
ILLST 35 , NORDAK 13 | T Rittenhouse 187 | W Wright 118 | X Loyd 121 |
UTEP |
@
TENN
|
TENN 56 , UTEP 0 | N Iamaleava 209 | D Sampson 77 | K Odom 70 |
WESTKY |
@
LIB
|
LIB 38 , WESTKY 21 | C Veltkamp 262 | Q Cooley 166 | K Johnson 94 |
FORD |
vs
MERRIM
|
MERRIM 19 , FORD 3 | A Pereira 131 | A Pereira 136 | J McDonald 67 |
MAINE |
vs
UNH
|
UNH 27 , MAINE 9 | C Peevy 168 | C Mead 113 | T Ewing 64 |
PENN |
@
PRINCE
|
PRINCE 20 , PENN 17 | L O'Brien 168 | J Volker 130 | L Colella 82 |
DELST |
vs
NCCENT
|
NCCENT 52 , DELST 10 | J Jones 199 | J Sutton 113 | C Peterson 85 |
STET |
vs
DRAKE
|
DRAKE 49 , STET 10 | B Meitz 221 | D Cherwin 161 | D Bailey 130 |
HOW |
@
MORGST
|
MORGST 35 , HOW 21 | K Muasau 202 | J Collins Jr. 114 | I Williams 92 |
BUTLER |
@
PRESBY
|
PRESBY 30 , BUTLER 27 | R Andrew 220 | Q Jennings 190 | D Kibby 65 |
MOR |
vs
SD
|
SD 37 , MOR 14 | G Sergent 184 | I Smith 205 | J Heverly 82 |
DEL |
@
VILL
|
VILL 38 , DEL 28 | C Watkins 203 | M Yarns 100 | M Yarns 74 |
NCA&T |
vs
ELON
|
ELON 31 , NCA&T 21 | M Downing 203 | R Baker 106 | C Brayboy 118 |
STNYBR |
vs
MONM
|
MONM 55 , STNYBR 47 | D Robertson 536 | R Dempster 95 | T Speight 151 |
HAMP |
@
ALBANY
|
ALBANY 41 , HAMP 34 | V Weber 184 | A Jreige 110 | L Wentz 50 |
BRYANT |
vs
URI
|
URI 35 , BRYANT 21 | H Helms 209 | M Grant 204 | L Ruggieri 105 |
COLG |
@
BUCK
|
BUCK 48 , COLG 34 | R Rucker IV 437 | T Thomas 74 | E Weatherly 174 |
STF-PA |
@
MERCYH
|
MERCYH 21 , STF-PA 20 | N Whitfield Jr. 245 | B Trobel 50 | G Thomson 157 |
CHSOU |
@
FSU
|
FSU 41 , CHSOU 7 | K Jackson 218 | K Davis 39 | J Douglas 82 |
NOR |
@
SCST
|
SCST 53 , NOR 21 | R Stubblefield 264 | K King 144 | J Smith-Brown 101 |
MONT |
@
MONTST
|
MONTST 34 , MONT 11 | L Fife 117 | A Jones 197 | K White 54 |
RICE |
@
UAB
|
UAB 40 , RICE 14 | E Warner 222 | L Beebe Jr. 161 | C Milliner 90 |
DAV |
@
VALPO
|
VALPO 18 , DAV 17 | C Tyler 157 | M Sheron 110 | B Jimenez 51 |
DAYTON |
@
STTHMN
|
STTHMN 32 , DAYTON 9 | D VanVleet 198 | H Adebayo 123 | J Coleman 107 |
ETA&M |
vs
INCWOR
|
INCWOR 38 , ETA&M 24 | Z Calzada 333 | L Turner 77 | J Walthall 125 |
APSU |
vs
CHAT
|
CHAT 24 , APSU 17 | A Smith 192 | L Wright 50 | C Domercant 93 |
NDAKST |
@
SOUDAK
|
SOUDAK 29 , NDAKST 28 | A Bouman 272 | C Miller 82 | J Phelps 79 |
INST |
@
UNI
|
UNI 41 , INST 34 | A Dunne 204 | T Edwards 229 | S Morancy 119 |
G-WEBB |
@
WESTIL
|
WESTIL 45 , G-WEBB 28 | N Lamb 352 | T Farmer Jr. 58 | M Henry 210 |
BALLST |
vs
BGSU
|
BGSU 38 , BALLST 13 | C Bazelak 255 | T Stewart 32 | H Fannin Jr. 125 |
NORTAL |
@
EASTKY
|
EASTKY 21 , NORTAL 15 | T Smith 325 | B Latham 103 | T Scott 109 |
CAMP |
vs
TOWSON
|
TOWSON 45 , CAMP 23 | S Brown 156 | D Matthews 134 | S Brown 64 |
MIDDTN |
vs
NMST
|
NMST 36 , MIDDTN 21 | N Vattiato 277 | S McGowan 83 | S McGowan 96 |
JMU |
@
APP
|
APP 34 , JMU 20 | A Barnett III 232 | A Marshall 108 | M Jackson 162 |
EASTWA |
@
NOARI
|
NOARI 30 , EASTWA 18 | T Pennington 312 | S Cromwell 112 | K Katsis 130 |
CALPLY |
@
WEB
|
WEB 28 , CALPLY 17 | R Munoz 191 | A Cormier 138 | M Briscoe 94 |
UTAHTE |
@
SOUT
|
SOUT 37 , UTAHTE 34 | R Graff 386 | T Lambson 164 | E Falayi 133 |
UL-MON |
@
ARKST
|
ARKST 28 , UL-MON 21 | J Raynor 170 | A Hardy 204 | C Jackson 69 |
SOUMIS |
vs
USA
|
USA 35 , SOUMIS 14 | G Lopez 193 | R Clark 115 | J Pritchett 102 |
ARI |
@
TCU
|
TCU 49 , ARI 28 | N Fifita 284 | S Williams 80 | T McMillan 115 |
PVA&M |
@
ALST
|
ALST 9 , PVA&M 6 | J Johnson 122 | D Kincey 93 | A Harrell 45 |
SAM |
vs
WCU
|
WCU 47 , SAM 42 | T Dickens 408 | Q Crittendon 209 | A Colombo 116 |
ARK-PB |
vs
TXSO
|
TXSO 31 , ARK-PB 23 | J Wilson 169 | Q Quinn 154 | T Leary 78 |
CENARK |
@
TARLST
|
TARLST 39 , CENARK 14 | V Gabalis 245 | K Britten 154 | D Cooper 110 |
ALC |
vs
JKST
|
JKST 48 , ALC 10 | J Morgan 211 | J Sewell 119 | J Fortilien 91 |
NWST |
@
HOUCHR
|
HOUCHR 62 , NWST 24 | C Stewart 296 | C Hill 109 | A Wilson 123 |
LINDEN |
@
TN-MAR
|
TN-MAR 33 , LINDEN 26 | N Glantz 327 | P Smith 80 | T Rucker 87 |
MOSTU |
vs
SDAKST
|
SDAKST 45 , MOSTU 9 | M Gronowski 258 | A Johnson 58 | G Wilde 139 |
ABICHR |
@
SFA
|
SFA 32 , ABICHR 19 | G Rutherford 260 | Q Jones 62 | N Martinez I 127 |
FLAATL |
vs
CHAR
|
CHAR 39 , FLAATL 27 | D Purdie 396 | C Campbell Jr. 150 | O Blake 205 |
FIU |
@
KENNST
|
KENNST 27 , FIU 26 | K Jenkins 204 | D Lyons 99 | E Rivers 125 |
FURMAN |
@
MERC
|
MERC 49 , FURMAN 23 | W Newbauer 257 | D McGee 74 | A Dabbs 181 |
STAN |
@
CAL
|
CAL 24 , STAN 21 | F Mendoza 299 | A Daniels 63 | T Grizzell 70 |
SDSU |
@
USU
|
USU 41 , SDSU 20 | D O'Neil 199 | B Barnes 193 | L Brown IV 114 |
BYU |
@
ASU
|
ASU 28 , BYU 23 | J Retzlaff 297 | C Skattebo 147 | J Tyson 125 |
UNT |
vs
ECU
|
ECU 40 , UNT 28 | K Houser 293 | R Harris 128 | A Smith 116 |
UK |
@
TEX
|
TEX 31 , UK 14 | Q Ewers 191 | Q Wisner 158 | M Golden 86 |
CU |
@
KU
|
KU 37 , CU 21 | S Sanders 267 | D Neal 207 | T Hunter 125 |
OKST |
vs
TTU
|
TTU 56 , OKST 48 | B Morton 404 | O Gordon II 156 | D Stribling 135 |
MINN |
vs
PSU
|
PSU 26 , MINN 25 | D Allar 244 | N Singleton 63 | T Warren 102 |
WISC |
@
NEB
|
NEB 44 , WISC 25 | D Raiola 293 | E Johnson 113 | V Anthony II 137 |
TLSA |
@
USF
|
USF 63 , TLSA 30 | B Archie 305 | K Joiner 131 | J Williams 126 |
COASTC |
vs
GASO
|
GASO 26 , COASTC 6 | J French 294 | B Bennett 138 | D Burgess Jr. 98 |
UCF |
@
WVU
|
WVU 31 , UCF 21 | D Rizk 172 | R Harvey 130 | H Clement 81 |
CIT |
@
CLEM
|
CLEM 51 , CIT 14 | C Klubnik 198 | J Haynes 118 | J Graves-Billips 90 |
NW |
@
MICH
|
MICH 50 , NW 6 | D Warren 195 | K Mullings 92 | B Kirtz 67 |
B-C |
vs
FLAA&M
|
FLAA&M 41 , B-C 38 | C Ransom 196 | T Franklin Jr. 195 | M Huggins 177 |
NORCOL |
@
PORST
|
PORST 45 , NORCOL 13 | K Box 221 | Q Craig 137 | C Cheeks 94 |
LATECH |
@
ARK
|
ARK 35 , LATECH 14 | T Green 221 | R Dubinion 112 | A Armstrong 81 |
WOF |
@
SCAR
|
SCAR 56 , WOF 12 | L Sellers 307 | R Sanders 72 | K Watkins 133 |
PITT |
@
LOU
|
LOU 37 , PITT 9 | T Shough 293 | I Brown 93 | C Bell 101 |
MSST |
vs
MIZZOU
|
MIZZOU 39 , MSST 20 | B Cook 268 | D Booth 124 | L Burden III 91 |
SEMO |
@
TENNST
|
TENNST 28 , SEMO 21 | P DeLaurent 233 | J McGill 73 | C Evans 107 |
SAC |
vs
UCDAV
|
UCDAV 42 , SAC 39 | M Hastings 398 | L Larison 148 | S Gbatu Jr. 143 |
TROY |
@
UL-LAF
|
UL-LAF 51 , TROY 30 | C Fields 323 | D Taylor 67 | L LeGendre 109 |
IDAST |
vs
IDAHO
|
IDAHO 40 , IDAST 17 | K Tracy 249 | N Thomas 171 | J Dwyer 134 |
WSU |
@
ORST
|
ORST 41 , WSU 38 | B Gulbranson 294 | A Hankerson 83 | T Walker 136 |
WYO |
vs
BOISE
|
BOISE 17 , WYO 13 | M Madsen 168 | A Jeanty 169 | J Sargent 86 |
TXST |
vs
GAST
|
GAST 52 , TXST 44 | J McCloud 302 | F Brock 133 | J Williams 91 |
HOU |
vs
BAYLOR
|
BAYLOR 20 , HOU 10 | S Robertson 204 | B Washington 113 | M Trigg 96 |
ARMY |
@
ND
|
ND 49 , ARMY 14 | R Leonard 148 | B Daily 139 | J Faison 46 |
UTAH |
vs
IAST
|
IAST 31 , UTAH 28 | R Becht 256 | C Hansen 57 | J Higgins 155 |
TEXA&M |
@
AUBURN
|
AUBURN 43 , TEXA&M 41 | P Thorne 301 | J Hunter 130 | C Coleman 128 |
BAMA |
@
OKLA
|
OKLA 24 , BAMA 3 | J Milroe 164 | J Arnold 131 | G Bernard 60 |
ODU |
vs
MARSH
|
MARSH 42 , ODU 35 | C Joseph 229 | C Joseph 158 | I Paige 103 |
VANDY |
@
LSU
|
LSU 24 , VANDY 17 | G Nussmeier 332 | J Williams 90 | K Lacy 85 |
CIN |
@
KSU
|
KSU 41 , CIN 15 | B Sorsby 200 | D Giddens 143 | T Spivey 63 |
MCNE |
vs
LAMAR
|
LAMAR 26 , MCNE 24 | A Flores 256 | R Carver 122 | J Carter 77 |
VATECH |
@
DUKE
|
DUKE 31 , VATECH 28 | M Murphy 332 | B Tuten 84 | E Pancol 188 |
NEVADA |
vs
AF
|
AF 22 , NEVADA 19 | B Lewis 268 | O Allen 107 | C Braham Jr. 123 |
CSU |
@
FRES
|
FRES 28 , CSU 22 | B Fowler-Nicolosi 303 | B Donelson 140 | J Person 126 |
UCLA |
vs
USC
|
USC 19 , UCLA 13 | E Garbers 265 | T Harden 98 | J Sturdivant 117 |
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.