College Football Schedule 2024-25
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TROY |
@
MEM
|
MEM 38 , TROY 17 | S Henigan 161 | M Anderson Jr. 125 | Z Beason 60 |
TULN |
vs
KSU
|
KSU 34 , TULN 27 | D Mensah 342 | M Hughes 128 | M Williams 128 |
ARK |
@
OKST
|
OKST 39 , ARK 31 | T Green 416 | J Jackson 149 | A Armstrong 164 |
URI |
@
MINN
|
MINN 48 , URI 0 | M Brosmer 271 | D Taylor 64 | M Buchanan 64 |
FLAATL |
vs
ARMY
|
ARMY 24 , FLAATL 7 | C Fancher 193 | N Short 160 | O Hayes 45 |
MICH |
vs
TEX
|
TEX 31 , MICH 12 | Q Ewers 246 | R Wingo 55 | G Helm 98 |
CIN |
vs
PITT
|
PITT 28 , CIN 27 | E Holstein 302 | C Kiner 149 | K Mumpfield 123 |
AKRON |
@
RUT
|
RUT 49 , AKRON 17 | A Kaliakmanis 230 | K Monangai 208 | C Long 87 |
BGSU |
@
PSU
|
PSU 34 , BGSU 27 | C Bazelak 254 | N Singleton 119 | T Warren 146 |
GT |
@
SYR
|
SYR 31 , GT 28 | K McCord 381 | L Allen 83 | O Gadsden II 93 |
MERRIM |
@
UCONN
|
UCONN 63 , MERRIM 17 | J Fagnano 328 | J Corbett 103 | S Bell 105 |
CIT |
vs
SCST
|
SCST 23 , CIT 20 | E Phoenix 194 | D Duehart 128 | J Smith-Brown 94 |
MARIST |
vs
GTOWN
|
GTOWN 31 , MARIST 10 | D Lauter 199 | M Gudger 51 | J Conners-McCarthy 75 |
WAGNER |
@
LEHIGH
|
LEHIGH 49 , WAGNER 13 | D Mazil 154 | L Yoder 64 | J Bonelli 54 |
MONM |
vs
LAF
|
LAF 40 , MONM 35 | D DeNobile 394 | J Curtis 87 | E Steward 244 |
MCNE |
@
TEXA&M
|
TEXA&M 52 , MCNE 10 | C Weigman 125 | L Moss 84 | C Allen 72 |
WCU |
vs
CAMP
|
CAMP 24 , WCU 16 | C Mascoe Jr. 306 | M Biggins 81 | S Brown 108 |
VMI |
vs
BUCK
|
BUCK 35 , VMI 28 | R Rucker IV 340 | H Rice 166 | E Weatherly 105 |
STTHMN |
vs
UNI
|
UNI 17 , STTHMN 10 | M Rostberg 104 | T Edwards 141 | P Wagner 104 |
TNTECH |
@
UGA
|
UGA 48 , TNTECH 3 | C Beck 242 | T Etienne 78 | A Smith 73 |
MOSTU |
@
BALLST
|
BALLST 42 , MOSTU 34 | K Semonza 262 | B Sloan 103 | J Robinson 102 |
VALPO |
@
YSU
|
YSU 59 , VALPO 25 | C Tyler 160 | B Brungard 194 | M Tomczak 98 |
HOLYCR |
vs
UNH
|
UNH 21 , HOLYCR 20 | J Pesansky 301 | I Seide 161 | J Petersen 110 |
KENTST |
vs
STF-PA
|
STF-PA 23 , KENTST 17 | J Hoenstine 195 | D McElroy 81 | G Thomson 124 |
UTAHTE |
@
UNLV
|
UNLV 72 , UTAHTE 14 | D Hill 188 | G Burrell 101 | R White III 111 |
B-C |
vs
MERC
|
MERC 31 , B-C 2 | D Smith 237 | D McGee 74 | K Parsons 63 |
EASTMI |
@
UW
|
UW 30 , EASTMI 9 | W Rogers 261 | J Coleman 104 | J Hunter 72 |
WYO |
vs
IDAHO
|
IDAHO 17 , WYO 13 | E Svoboda 126 | D Jones 80 | J Dwyer 66 |
BAYLOR |
@
UTAH
|
UTAH 23 , BAYLOR 12 | D Finn 115 | M Bernard 118 | M Parks 80 |
AUBURN |
vs
CAL
|
CAL 21 , AUBURN 14 | F Mendoza 233 | J Hunter 68 | J Brady 63 |
IOWA |
vs
IAST
|
IAST 20 , IOWA 19 | R Becht 272 | K Johnson 187 | J Noel 133 |
SOUDAK |
@
WISC
|
WISC 27 , SOUDAK 13 | T Van Dyke 214 | C Pierre Jr. 83 | C Williams 53 |
TENNST |
@
NDAKST
|
NDAKST 52 , TENNST 3 | C Miller 181 | N Hayes 51 | B Lance 106 |
CHAR |
@
UNC
|
UNC 38 , CHAR 20 | C Harrell 219 | D Gause 105 | J Mack 118 |
TEM |
@
NAVY
|
NAVY 38 , TEM 11 | F Brock 277 | B Horvath 122 | D Wright 101 |
UK |
vs
SCAR
|
SCAR 31 , UK 6 | L Sellers 159 | D Sumo-Karngbaye 70 | M Bennett Jr. 63 |
ND |
vs
NIU
|
NIU 16 , ND 14 | E Hampton 198 | A Brown 99 | A Brown 126 |
UMASS |
@
TOL
|
TOL 38 , UMASS 23 | T Phommachanh 259 | T Phommachanh 44 | J Vandeross III 115 |
DUQ |
@
BC
|
BC 56 , DUQ 0 | T Castellanos 234 | T Richard 74 | L Bond 98 |
JACST |
@
LOU
|
LOU 49 , JACST 14 | T Shough 349 | T Huff 101 | J Brooks 89 |
MD |
vs
MSU
|
MSU 27 , MD 24 | A Chiles 363 | N Carter 59 | N Marsh 194 |
RICH |
vs
WOF
|
WOF 26 , RICH 19 | A Odom 219 | K Wickersham 100 | K Watkins 133 |
STONEH |
@
STNYBR
|
STNYBR 37 , STONEH 10 | A Carraha 236 | R Dempster 160 | C Ruff 105 |
TX-SA |
@
TXST
|
TXST 49 , TX-SA 10 | J McCloud 309 | L Pare 109 | C Dawn Jr. 150 |
MIDDTN |
@
MISS
|
MISS 52 , MIDDTN 3 | J Dart 377 | H Parrish Jr. 165 | T Harris 130 |
MARSH |
@
VATECH
|
VATECH 31 , MARSH 14 | S Earle 131 | B Tuten 120 | C Fitzpatrick 73 |
ODU |
vs
ECU
|
ECU 20 , ODU 14 | J Garcia 283 | R Harris 131 | A Smith 70 |
G-WEBB |
@
JMU
|
JMU 13 , G-WEBB 6 | T Ridell 160 | E Saydee 87 | C Overton 65 |
USA |
@
OHIO
|
OHIO 27 , USA 20 | B Davenport 226 | A Tyus III 74 | D Voisin 77 |
ALBANY |
@
WVU
|
WVU 49 , ALBANY 14 | M Burkett 306 | C Donaldson Jr. 125 | S McGee 90 |
CMU |
@
FIU
|
FIU 52 , CMU 16 | J Labas 151 | K Owens 60 | C Parker 55 |
FLAA&M |
@
MIA-FL
|
MIA-FL 56 , FLAA&M 9 | C Ward 304 | D Martinez 91 | X Restrepo 104 |
MORGST |
@
TOWSON
|
TOWSON 14 , MORGST 9 | C Davis 209 | D Matthews 95 | J Kennerly 74 |
FURMAN |
vs
CHSOU
|
CHSOU 24 , FURMAN 20 | T Hedden 193 | A Ison 90 | B Ferguson 108 |
FORD |
@
CENTCT
|
CENTCT 33 , FORD 3 | B Olson 223 | J Loughridge 127 | S O'Brien 77 |
NCCENT |
vs
ELON
|
ELON 41 , NCCENT 19 | M Downing 237 | T Thomas Jr. 152 | O Dieke 109 |
COLG |
vs
VILL
|
VILL 28 , COLG 3 | C Watkins 247 | I Ragland 58 | D Smith 116 |
SAMHOU |
@
UCF
|
UCF 45 , SAMHOU 14 | K Jefferson 169 | R Harvey 126 | K Hudson 104 |
NEVADA |
vs
GASO
|
GASO 20 , NEVADA 17 | B Lewis 271 | B Lewis 97 | C Braham Jr. 110 |
CALPLY |
@
STAN
|
STAN 41 , CALPLY 7 | A Daniels 221 | C Davis Jr. 53 | S Irvin 92 |
EASTWA |
vs
DRAKE
|
DRAKE 35 , EASTWA 32 | L Bailey 380 | T Altahir 94 | M January 101 |
AF |
vs
SJSU
|
SJSU 17 , AF 7 | E Brown 262 | C Harris 50 | N Nash 90 |
NORCOL |
@
CSU
|
CSU 38 , NORCOL 17 | B Fowler-Nicolosi 202 | K Holles 89 | B Munroe 86 |
UAB |
@
UL-MON
|
UL-MON 32 , UAB 6 | J Zeno 167 | T Curry 64 | K Shanks 43 |
TXSO |
@
RICE
|
RICE 69 , TXSO 7 | E Warner 189 | D Connors 113 | B Walker 47 |
USF |
@
BAMA
|
BAMA 42 , USF 16 | J Milroe 194 | J Miller 140 | R Williams 68 |
TLSA |
@
ARKST
|
ARKST 28 , TLSA 24 | J Raynor 255 | Z Wallace 78 | K Benjamin 131 |
BUFF |
@
MIZZOU
|
MIZZOU 38 , BUFF 0 | B Cook 228 | N Noel 73 | T Wease Jr. 149 |
SELA |
@
SOUMIS
|
SOUMIS 35 , SELA 10 | T Rodemaker 179 | A Martin Jr. 93 | L Simmons 100 |
KU |
@
ILL
|
ILL 23 , KU 17 | L Altmyer 192 | D Neal 101 | Z Franklin 99 |
EASTKY |
@
WESTKY
|
WESTKY 31 , EASTKY 0 | T Finley 351 | J Carter 100 | K Johnson 119 |
TN-MAR |
@
SEMO
|
SEMO 45 , TN-MAR 42 | P DeLaurent 376 | P Smith 148 | D Anderson 127 |
NORTAL |
vs
ILLST
|
ILLST 24 , NORTAL 17 | A Patu 328 | W Wright 153 | T Kenebrew 129 |
MSVL |
@
LAMAR
|
LAMAR 28 , MSVL 14 | R Coleman 216 | K Griffin 197 | J Hyder 117 |
NWST |
vs
PVA&M
|
PVA&M 37 , NWST 31 | C Peters 280 | C Wisham 83 | S Savage 133 |
INCWOR |
@
SDAKST
|
SDAKST 45 , INCWOR 24 | Z Calzada 351 | A Johnson 112 | J Walthall 137 |
APSU |
vs
SIU
|
SIU 31 , APSU 17 | A Smith 292 | S Lester Jr. 111 | R Copeland Jr. 151 |
HOUCHR |
vs
TARLST
|
TARLST 35 , HOUCHR 18 | C Stewart 201 | K Britten 155 | D Cooper 72 |
INST |
@
EASTIL
|
EASTIL 27 , INST 20 | P Holley 268 | M Flowers 93 | T Gipson 100 |
LINDEN |
vs
CENARK
|
CENARK 34 , LINDEN 13 | W McElvain 333 | S Powell 126 | K Robinson 112 |
MONT |
@
NORDAK
|
NORDAK 27 , MONT 24 | K Ah Yat 160 | G Ziebarth 88 | X Harris 59 |
MUR |
vs
BUTLER
|
BUTLER 19 , MUR 17 | R Andrew 193 | N Howard 85 | W Enneking 74 |
W&M |
@
COASTC
|
COASTC 40 , W&M 21 | D Wilson 165 | C Washington 100 | D Kendrick 74 |
CHAT |
@
GAST
|
GAST 24 , CHAT 21 | C Veilleux 238 | F Brock 73 | S Phillips 195 |
KENNST |
vs
UL-LAF
|
UL-LAF 34 , KENNST 10 | B Wooldridge 189 | Z Perry 104 | J Bernard 84 |
SAM |
@
FLA
|
FLA 45 , SAM 7 | D Lagway 456 | M Johnson Jr. 67 | E Wilson III 141 |
WAKE |
vs
UVA
|
UVA 31 , WAKE 30 | H Bachmeier 403 | D Claiborne 86 | D Greene 166 |
MERCYH |
@
HOW
|
HOW 32 , MERCYH 31 | A Urena 225 | J Hunter 126 | C Davis 55 |
SFA |
@
UNT
|
UNT 35 , SFA 20 | C Morris 322 | D Harris 142 | D Sheffield 74 |
NICH |
@
LSU
|
LSU 44 , NICH 21 | G Nussmeier 302 | C Guggenheim 145 | C Daniels 71 |
ALC |
@
VANDY
|
VANDY 55 , ALC 0 | D Pavia 83 | N Johnson 69 | T Brown 27 |
CU |
@
NEB
|
NEB 28 , CU 10 | S Sanders 244 | D Dowdell 74 | T Hunter 110 |
NCSU |
vs
TENN
|
TENN 51 , NCSU 10 | N Iamaleava 211 | D Sampson 132 | S White 67 |
WESTMI |
@
OHIOST
|
OHIOST 56 , WESTMI 0 | W Howard 292 | Q Judkins 108 | J Smith 119 |
HOU |
@
OKLA
|
OKLA 16 , HOU 12 | D Smith 260 | J Barnes 40 | J Manjack IV 72 |
MAINE |
@
MONTST
|
MONTST 41 , MAINE 24 | C Peevy 224 | S Humphrey 110 | M Moss 47 |
PORST |
@
WEB
|
WEB 43 , PORST 16 | R Munoz 219 | D Bankston 133 | J Sharp 76 |
LIU |
@
TCU
|
TCU 45 , LIU 0 | J Hoover 267 | C Cook 58 | S Williams 69 |
WESTGA |
@
ABICHR
|
ABICHR 38 , WESTGA 24 | M McIvor 297 | I Johnson 71 | D Gary 153 |
APP |
@
CLEM
|
CLEM 66 , APP 20 | C Klubnik 378 | P Mafah 118 | B Wesco Jr. 130 |
UTEP |
vs
SOUT
|
SOUT 27 , UTEP 24 | S Locklear 295 | T Lambson 183 | K Thomas 99 |
BOISE |
@
ORE
|
ORE 37 , BOISE 34 | D Gabriel 243 | A Jeanty 192 | E Stewart 112 |
TTU |
@
WSU
|
WSU 37 , TTU 16 | B Morton 323 | J Mateer 197 | J Kelly 95 |
SAC |
@
FRES
|
FRES 46 , SAC 30 | M Keene 358 | E Tau-Tolliver 74 | M Dalena 235 |
NOARI |
@
ARI
|
ARI 22 , NOARI 10 | N Fifita 173 | Q Conley 112 | Q Conley 38 |
ETA&M |
@
UCDAV
|
UCDAV 36 , ETA&M 22 | R Peace 457 | L Larison 123 | B Rigney 88 |
NMST |
vs
LIB
|
LIB 30 , NMST 24 | K Salter 256 | Q Cooley 111 | T Sibley 155 |
SDSU |
vs
ORST
|
ORST 21 , SDSU 0 | G McCoy 181 | J Griffin 89 | T Walker 92 |
MSST |
@
ASU
|
ASU 30 , MSST 23 | B Shapen 268 | C Skattebo 262 | K Coleman Jr. 103 |
USU |
@
USC
|
USC 48 , USU 0 | M Moss 229 | W Marks 103 | L McRee 81 |
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.