College Football Schedule 2024-25
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
TROY |
vs
TXST
|
TXST 38 , TROY 17 | J McCloud 252 | T Burgess Jr. 85 | L Parker 83 |
UTEP |
vs
SAMHOU
|
SAMHOU 41 , UTEP 21 | H Watson 224 | D McKinney 138 | K Odom 70 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
KENNST |
vs
JACST
|
JACST 63 , KENNST 24 | T Huff 193 | T Huff 176 | C Vaughn 96 |
UNH |
@
HARV
|
HARV 28 , UNH 23 | S Morgan 267 | X Bascon 66 | L Tomlinson 105 |
TCU |
vs
HOU
|
HOU 30 , TCU 19 | J Hoover 233 | Z Chriss 97 | J Richardson 98 |
UNLV |
vs
SYR
|
SYR 44 , UNLV 41 | K McCord 355 | L Allen 71 | O Gadsden II 142 |
MSU |
@
ORE
|
ORE 31 , MSU 10 | D Gabriel 257 | J James 166 | T Johnson 84 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
AF |
vs
NAVY
|
NAVY 34 , AF 7 | B Horvath 134 | B Horvath 115 | E Heidenreich 101 |
TLSA |
vs
ARMY
|
ARMY 49 , TLSA 7 | B Daily 140 | K Udoh 137 | N Short 121 |
MIZZOU |
@
TEXA&M
|
TEXA&M 41 , MIZZOU 10 | C Weigman 276 | L Moss 138 | L Burden III 82 |
UMASS |
@
NIU
|
NIU 34 , UMASS 20 | T Phommachanh 263 | G Williams 125 | T Harding 116 |
PUR |
@
WISC
|
WISC 52 , PUR 6 | B Locke 359 | T Walker 94 | T Kekahuna 134 |
BC |
@
UVA
|
UVA 24 , BC 14 | T Castellanos 254 | K Pace 83 | L Bond 79 |
LOU |
vs
SMU
|
SMU 34 , LOU 27 | T Shough 329 | I Brown 117 | J Brooks 121 |
UNC |
vs
PITT
|
PITT 34 , UNC 24 | E Holstein 381 | O Hampton 106 | D Reid 155 |
NCSU |
vs
WAKE
|
WAKE 34 , NCSU 30 | C Bailey 272 | D Claiborne 136 | J Joly 73 |
UCLA |
@
PSU
|
PSU 27 , UCLA 11 | D Allar 237 | K Allen 78 | L Clifford 107 |
PRINCE |
@
COLUM
|
COLUM 34 , PRINCE 17 | C Goodwin 210 | J Giorgi 157 | E Stagg 99 |
CENTCT |
@
YALE
|
YALE 23 , CENTCT 22 | B Olson 288 | J Pitsenberger 127 | E Howard 68 |
BROWN |
vs
BRYANT
|
BRYANT 42 , BROWN 35 | J Guest 337 | D Kedzior 93 | L Ruggieri 190 |
UAB |
vs
TULN
|
TULN 71 , UAB 20 | J Kitna 239 | M Hughes 119 | A Thomas 98 |
VALPO |
vs
DRAKE
|
DRAKE 27 , VALPO 3 | L Bailey 224 | D Cherwin 72 | S Rodriguez 65 |
NOR |
@
SHEART
|
SHEART 10 , NOR 3 | J Michalski 59 | X Evans 166 | P Rhoades 21 |
DELST |
vs
STF-PA
|
STF-PA 28 , DELST 17 | M Adams 138 | M Holman 182 | N Lolley 95 |
MARIST |
@
DAV
|
DAV 42 , MARIST 19 | S Mannino 312 | M Adams 164 | J Conners-McCarthy 101 |
MOR |
@
BUTLER
|
BUTLER 40 , MOR 6 | R Andrew 172 | E Jasey II 76 | N Garnett 89 |
LIU |
@
DUQ
|
DUQ 47 , LIU 21 | D Perrantes 211 | J Clements 147 | M Love 139 |
STONEH |
vs
WAGNER
|
WAGNER 28 , STONEH 7 | J Cady 168 | R Spruill 103 | J Colclough 77 |
MONM |
vs
DEL
|
DEL 42 , MONM 35 | D Robertson 361 | M Yarns 142 | T Speight 133 |
COR |
vs
ALBANY
|
ALBANY 31 , COR 10 | M Burkett 225 | F Aden 133 | S Musungu 87 |
PENN |
@
DART
|
DART 20 , PENN 17 | J Proctor 232 | Q Jones 101 | P Scott 70 |
COLG |
vs
HOLYCR
|
HOLYCR 38 , COLG 7 | J Pesansky 289 | J Clerveaux 72 | J Shorter 140 |
FORD |
vs
LAF
|
LAF 28 , FORD 23 | J Capaldi 157 | J Curtis 111 | E Steward 42 |
STET |
@
STTHMN
|
STTHMN 34 , STET 24 | B Meitz 193 | H Adebayo 86 | R Johnson 75 |
G-WEBB |
@
TN-MAR
|
TN-MAR 35 , G-WEBB 17 | K Dent 167 | P Smith 128 | T Dostin 66 |
LINDEN |
vs
TENNST
|
TENNST 24 , LINDEN 20 | D Ellis 196 | S Hall 67 | C Evans 74 |
BALLST |
vs
WESTMI
|
WESTMI 45 , BALLST 42 | K Semonza 307 | J Nixon 124 | T Koziol 102 |
CIT |
vs
FURMAN
|
FURMAN 17 , CIT 16 | T Hedden 246 | J Bennett 48 | D Pesnell 65 |
INST |
@
YSU
|
YSU 21 , INST 14 | E Owens 149 | E Owens 114 | M Tomczak 87 |
HAMP |
vs
URI
|
URI 46 , HAMP 44 | M Mays 253 | M Grant 180 | B Ridley 121 |
NCA&T |
@
RICH
|
RICH 20 , NCA&T 17 | J Fomby 261 | Z Palmer-Smith 200 | G Caldwell 130 |
WESTGA |
vs
APSU
|
APSU 20 , WESTGA 16 | D Wydner 388 | O Allison 91 | K English 132 |
TNTECH |
vs
SCST
|
SCST 22 , TNTECH 20 | E Phoenix 412 | J Mitchell 36 | C High 150 |
WOF |
@
WCU
|
WCU 21 , WOF 17 | C Gonzales 257 | R Ingram 87 | J Smith Jr. 68 |
MONT |
vs
WEB
|
WEB 55 , MONT 48 | R Munoz 364 | D Godley 97 | K White 163 |
EASTIL |
vs
SEMO
|
SEMO 38 , EASTIL 27 | P Holley 366 | D Smith 63 | T Smith 124 |
VMI |
@
SAM
|
SAM 27 , VMI 3 | Q Crittendon 196 | H Rice 58 | E Jai Mason 76 |
MUR |
vs
SOUDAK
|
SOUDAK 59 , MUR 0 | A Bouman 221 | T Theis 132 | Q Adams 83 |
ARK-PB |
@
ALC
|
ALC 38 , ARK-PB 28 | M Hagens 237 | X Vaughn 157 | J Gibson 180 |
ALST |
vs
FLAA&M
|
FLAA&M 28 , ALST 13 | D Richardson 196 | J Hostzclaw 138 | A Gregg 51 |
STAN |
vs
VATECH
|
VATECH 31 , STAN 7 | K Drones 201 | B Tuten 73 | D Felton 84 |
NW |
vs
IU
|
IU 41 , NW 24 | K Rourke 380 | J Ellison 68 | E Sarratt 135 |
NORDAK |
@
NDAKST
|
NDAKST 41 , NORDAK 17 | C Miller 168 | C Brown 83 | B Belquist 61 |
ECU |
@
CHAR
|
CHAR 55 , ECU 24 | D Purdie 206 | H Wilson 164 | C Sowell 82 |
TEM |
@
UCONN
|
UCONN 29 , TEM 20 | J Fagnano 272 | T Worthy 95 | T Sheffield 141 |
AUBURN |
@
UGA
|
UGA 31 , AUBURN 13 | C Beck 240 | J Hunter 91 | K Lambert-Smith 95 |
SCAR |
vs
MISS
|
MISS 27 , SCAR 3 | J Dart 285 | H Parrish Jr. 81 | A Wells Jr. 97 |
APP |
@
MARSH
|
MARSH 52 , APP 37 | J Aguilar 293 | B Braxton 140 | K Robinson 94 |
AKRON |
vs
BGSU
|
BGSU 27 , AKRON 20 | C Bazelak 268 | J Simmons 73 | H Fannin Jr. 135 |
MIA-OH |
@
TOL
|
TOL 30 , MIA-OH 20 | T Gleason 318 | C Walendzak 54 | J Newton 127 |
IOWA |
@
OHIOST
|
OHIOST 35 , IOWA 7 | W Howard 209 | K Johnson 86 | J Smith 89 |
EASTTN |
vs
CHAT
|
CHAT 17 , EASTTN 10 | C Artopoeus 281 | R Davis 103 | S Phillips 110 |
STNYBR |
vs
VILL
|
VILL 42 , STNYBR 24 | C Watkins 152 | D Avit 183 | C Redman 50 |
PRESBY |
@
SD
|
SD 27 , PRESBY 21 | G Sergent 214 | Q Jennings 52 | J Reed 99 |
PORST |
vs
UCDAV
|
UCDAV 27 , PORST 26 | M Hastings 398 | L Larison 124 | L Larison 109 |
NORCOL |
@
MONTST
|
MONTST 55 , NORCOL 17 | K Keone 247 | S Humphrey 81 | T Dowler 106 |
OKST |
vs
WVU
|
WVU 38 , OKST 14 | G Greene 159 | J White 158 | D Lofton 73 |
RUT |
@
NEB
|
NEB 14 , RUT 7 | A Kaliakmanis 186 | K Monangai 78 | B Black 54 |
CENARK |
@
ABICHR
|
ABICHR 41 , CENARK 34 | M McIvor 350 | S Powell 155 | N Martinez I 202 |
CAMP |
vs
NCCENT
|
NCCENT 45 , CAMP 14 | W Harris 132 | M Chandler II 89 | C Peterson 50 |
CHSOU |
vs
WESTIL
|
WESTIL 31 , CHSOU 20 | N Lamb 197 | A Ison 229 | E Aragon 129 |
BAMA |
@
VANDY
|
VANDY 40 , BAMA 35 | J Milroe 310 | S Alexander 64 | E Stowers 113 |
NOARI |
@
IDAHO
|
IDAHO 23 , NOARI 17 | T Pennington 114 | E Cummings 119 | B White 72 |
UTAHTE |
@
NORTAL
|
NORTAL 60 , UTAHTE 14 | T Smith 207 | J Fletcher 73 | B Parker 98 |
UNI |
vs
SDAKST
|
SDAKST 41 , UNI 3 | M Gronowski 223 | T Edwards 62 | A Johnson 78 |
ALAA&M |
@
JKST
|
JKST 45 , ALAA&M 38 | X Lankford 245 | D Eaglin 88 | J Fortilien 83 |
W&M |
@
TOWSON
|
TOWSON 34 , W&M 27 | D Wilson 209 | T Greene Jr. 133 | H Mathis 72 |
CSU |
@
ORST
|
ORST 39 , CSU 31 | B Fowler-Nicolosi 263 | A Morrow 140 | T Horton 158 |
USU |
@
BOISE
|
BOISE 62 , USU 30 | S Petras 372 | A Jeanty 186 | J Royals 211 |
USA |
@
ARKST
|
ARKST 18 , USA 16 | J Raynor 345 | K Bullock 66 | C Rucker 172 |
JMU |
@
UL-MON
|
UL-MON 21 , JMU 19 | A Barnett III 251 | A Hardy 82 | Y Knight 67 |
SOUMIS |
vs
UL-LAF
|
UL-LAF 23 , SOUMIS 13 | B Wooldridge 222 | D Washington 91 | T Carter 64 |
SOU |
vs
NICH
|
NICH 51 , SOU 7 | P McQuaide 178 | C Guggenheim 99 | C McNees 96 |
PVA&M |
@
INCWOR
|
INCWOR 56 , PVA&M 28 | Z Calzada 244 | D Taylor 84 | J Walthall 170 |
ETA&M |
@
SELA
|
SELA 21 , ETA&M 9 | E Sawyer 194 | A Martin Jr. 185 | D Lewis 111 |
SIU |
vs
ILLST
|
ILLST 45 , SIU 10 | T Rittenhouse 172 | T Rittenhouse 84 | K Lewis 153 |
MCNE |
@
HOUCHR
|
HOUCHR 43 , MCNE 22 | K Sixkiller 200 | E Brickhandler 138 | J Carter 108 |
ODU |
@
COASTC
|
COASTC 45 , ODU 37 | E Vasko 367 | C Washington 89 | C Wright 148 |
FSU |
vs
CLEM
|
CLEM 29 , FSU 13 | C Klubnik 235 | P Mafah 154 | A Williams 84 |
NEVADA |
@
SJSU
|
SJSU 35 , NEVADA 31 | B Lewis 213 | B Lewis 90 | J Smith 89 |
MICH |
@
UW
|
UW 27 , MICH 17 | W Rogers 271 | D Edwards 95 | D Boston 80 |
TENN |
@
ARK
|
ARK 19 , TENN 14 | T Green 266 | D Sampson 140 | A Armstrong 132 |
BAYLOR |
@
IAST
|
IAST 43 , BAYLOR 21 | R Becht 277 | J Jackson 107 | J Higgins 116 |
USC |
@
MINN
|
MINN 24 , USC 17 | M Moss 200 | D Taylor 144 | D Taylor 56 |
UCF |
@
FLA
|
FLA 24 , UCF 13 | G Mertz 179 | R Harvey 75 | C Dike 88 |
HAWAII |
@
SDSU
|
SDSU 27 , HAWAII 24 | B Schager 272 | M Cooper 109 | P Ashlock 77 |
KU |
@
ASU
|
ASU 35 , KU 31 | J Daniels 260 | C Skattebo 182 | Q Skinner 130 |
CALPLY |
vs
IDAST
|
IDAST 41 , CALPLY 38 | K Tracy 425 | R Watts 115 | J Weimer 236 |
SOUT |
vs
TARLST
|
TARLST 38 , SOUT 37 | B Barron 286 | T Lambson 217 | G Nunez 106 |
NWST |
@
SFA
|
SFA 59 , NWST 17 | J Fayard 322 | J Jenkins 113 | B Green 100 |
DUKE |
@
GT
|
GT 24 , DUKE 14 | M Murphy 205 | J Haynes 128 | M Rutherford 76 |
CAL |
vs
MIA-FL
|
MIA-FL 39 , CAL 38 | C Ward 437 | M Fletcher Jr. 81 | X Restrepo 163 |
ARI |
vs
TTU
|
TTU 28 , ARI 22 | N Fifita 301 | T Brooks 128 | T McMillan 161 |
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.