25 nonconference games to watch this season
The college football season kicks into full swing with a bevy of outstanding games set for Labor Day weekend. That will constitute just a quick sample of the top nonconference games this season. Here are 25 games to keep an eye on in 2021:
Boise State at UCF Thursday, Sept. 2 | 7 p.m., ESPN
Boise State and UCF are among the top three winningest programs among the Group of Five schools over the last five years with the Broncos (.786) and the Knights (.758) just behind Appalachian State (.800). Gus Malzahn will make his UCF coaching debut after spending the past eight seasons at Auburn while Andy Avalos is making his coaching debut with alma mater Boise State.
Alabama vs. Miami (Atlanta) Saturday, Sept. 4 | 3:30 p.m., ABC
Alabama kicks off the defense of its most recent national championship with this neutral-site matchup against Miami at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. These two programs previously met 17 times but this is the first time since the 1993 Sugar Bowl. Alabama has opened the season at a neutral site nine of the past 10 seasons, with the Crimson Tide holding a 9-0 mark in those games.
Clemson vs. Georgia (Charlotte) Saturday, Sept. 4 | 7:30 p.m., ABC
What’s sure to be a top-10 matchup is a revival, of sorts, of the rivalry between these two programs. Georgia has won six of the last seven meetings, including the last meeting in 2014. This game has early College Football Playoff implications as Clemson looks to return to the semifinals for the seventh straight season.
LSU at UCLA
Saturday, Sept. 4 | 8:30 p.m., FOX
This is the first meeting between these programs but both coaches are familiar with each other. LSU’s Ed Orgeron was the defensive coordinator at Southern Cal from 2010-13 while UCLA’s Chip Kelly was the head coach at Oregon. The Bruins are winless (0-6) against nonconference foes in the three seasons under Kelly.
Arizona vs. BYU (Las Vegas) Saturday, Sept. 4 | 10:30 p.m., ESPN
It’s the 25th meeting between these two programs going all the way back to 1936, and what better place to celebrate than in Las Vegas at the new 65,000-seat Allegiant Stadium? BYU is coming off an 11-win campaign — its best season since 2009 — but must find a replacement for quarterback Zach Wilson. This is the head coaching debut for Arizona’s Jedd Fisch, who inherited a program that went winless (0-5) in 2020.
Notre Dame at Florida State Sunday, Sept. 5 | 7:30 p.m., ABC
Former UCF and current Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton hasn’t played competitively since suffering a devastating knee injury in the 2018 regular-season finale. Nine surgeries and countless months of rehab could all pay off if Milton takes the field against the Irish in this Sunday night special. Notre Dame has won back-to-back games in this series, including a 42-26 blowout last season in South Bend.
Louisville vs. Ole Miss (Atlanta) Monday, Sept. 6 | 8 p.m., ESPN
Louisville has lost seven of its last nine meetings against teams from the Southeastern Conference, with the last Cardinals win coming against Mississippi State in the 2019 Music City Bowl. Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral passed for 3,337 yards and 29 touchdowns last season, the third-most passing yards in the SEC behind Alabama’s Mac Jones and Florida’s Kyle Trask.
Florida at USF
Saturday, Sept. 11 | Noon, ABC
This is only the second meeting between these two in-state programs and the first since 2010. The last time Florida played in Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium was in the 2016 Outback Bowl, a game the Gators won 30-3 against Iowa. USF holds a 2-5 record against SEC schools, with its wins coming against South Carolina (2016) and Auburn (2007).
Iowa at Iowa State Saturday, Sept. 11 | 3:30 p.m., ABC
This in-state rivalry dates to 1894, with Iowa holding a 45-22 edge. Before last year’s game was canceled due to the COVID19 pandemic, the Hawkeyes had won five straight and six of the last seven. That run includes four straight road wins in Ames. Iowa State’s last home win over Iowa was in 2011.
Washington at Michigan Saturday, Sept. 11 | 7:30 p.m., ABC
Washington makes its first visit to Michigan since the 2002 season. It’s just the fifth time these two programs have met in Ann Arbor, with the Wolverines holding a 3-1 advantage. Jim Harbaugh’s team was 0-3 at home last season and is riding a four-game losing streak at the Big House. The Huskies have won four of their last six games against Big Ten opponents.
Oregon at Ohio State Saturday, Sept. 11 | Noon, FOX
A rematch of the very first College Football Playoff National Championship Game from 2014-15 that saw Ohio State claim its eighth national title with a 42-20 win over the Ducks. The Buckeyes have won all nine previous meetings against Oregon and enter this upcoming season with a 23-game home winning streak dating to the 2017 season.
Pittsburgh at Tennessee Saturday, Sept. 11 | Noon, ESPN
This one could be referred to as the Johnny Majors Bowl after the legendary coach who led both programs during a time from the 1970s into the late 1990s. Pittsburgh is undefeated in the two previous meetings but these two programs haven’t faced off since 1983. Former UCF coach Josh Heupel took over the Tennessee program in the offseason, becoming the seventh coach to lead the Vols since Phillip Fulmer left in 2008.
Texas A&M vs. Colorado (Denver) Saturday, Sept. 11 | 3:30 p.m., FOX
Former Big 12 members reunite as Texas A&M travels to take on Colorado for the first time since 2009. The Aggies have lost three straight road games in this series, with their only win coming in 1997. The Buffaloes have lost eight of their last 10 games against opponents from the SEC, with the only win coming against Georgia in 2010.
UCF at Louisville
Friday, Sept. 17 | 7:30 p.m., ESPN
The last time UCF traveled to Louisville, the Knights scored the go-ahead touchdown with 23 seconds left in the game to cap a furious 21-point second-half rally against the Cardinals on national television. The win helped propel UCF into the Fiesta Bowl, where the Knights knocked off No. 6 Baylor.
Nebraska at Oklahoma Saturday, Sept. 18 | Noon, FOX
One of the most historic rivalries in college football returns as Nebraska travels to Oklahoma for the first time since 2009. These former Big Eight powers have faced off 86 times, with the Sooners holding a 45-38-3 mark. Nebraska coach Scott Frost led the Huskers to a 2-0 mark against Oklahoma as a player in 1996-97.
Cincinnati at Indiana
Saturday, Sept. 18 | Noon, ABC/ESPN
Two of the breakout teams of last season clash in the Week 3 matchup after Indiana and Cincinnati combined to go 15-3 in 2020. This is the seventh all-time meeting between these two programs with the Hoosiers looking to extend a five-game winning streak by a 25-point average over the Bearcats. But this is the first meeting between the two since 2000.
Michigan State at Miami Saturday, Sept. 18 | Noon, ABC/ESPN
Miami welcomes Michigan State to Hard Rock Stadium for the first time since 1982. Miami is 4-0 against the Spartans. Michigan State is coming off its worst season (2-5) since 1982 while Miami (8-3) finished third in the ACC behind Clemson and Notre Dame.
Mississippi State at Memphis Saturday, Sept. 18 | 4 p.m., ESPN2
Two of the best passing offenses in the Football Bowl Subdivision last season collide in the Liberty Bowl. Memphis is looking to snap a 12-game losing streak to Mississippi State in this series that started in 1960. The Tigers have lost 15 of their last 17 games against teams from the SEC but did knock off Ole Miss at home in 2019.
Auburn at Penn State Saturday, Sept. 18 | 7:30 p.m., ABC
The two previous meetings in this series took place in bowl games: Capital One (2003) and Outback (1996). Penn State coach James Franklin spent three seasons in the SEC as coach at Vanderbilt (2011-13), where he was 1-0 against Auburn. This is the first regular-season meeting against a Big Ten team for the Tigers since 1931. They have played 12 other games but all were in bowl matchups.
Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin (Chicago) Saturday, Sept. 25 | Noon, FOX
This is the back end of what was supposed to be a pair of neutral-site matchups kicking off with a showdown in Lambeau Field last season. That game didn’t happen due to the pandemic, so they’ll play at Soldier Field instead. Quarterback Jack Coan, who transferred to Notre Dame in the offseason, faces off against his former team in the Badgers.
Cincinnati at Notre Dame Saturday, Oct. 2 | 2:30 p.m., NBC
Marcus Freeman spent the past three seasons guiding Cincinnati’s defense before leaving to become Notre Dame’s new defensive coordinator. Freeman faces his former team as the Irish host the Bearcats for the first time in program history. Notre Dame is 15-1 under coach Brian Kelly against Group of Five teams since 2014, with the only loss coming against Navy in 2016.
USC at Notre Dame
Saturday, Oct. 23 | 7:30 p.m., NBC
After a one-year hiatus, Notre Dame and USC renew their long-standing rivalry as the Trojans travel to South Bend looking to snap a three-game losing streak in the series. The last time the Irish lost at home to USC was 2011 when Matt Barkley tossed three touchdowns in a 31-17 win. Notre Dame enters the 2021 season riding a 24-game home winning streak.
Liberty at Ole Miss Saturday, Nov. 6 | TBD, TBD
Liberty coach Hugh Freeze returns to Mississippi for the first time since 2017 after his scandalous exit from the Rebels program. While the headlines will focus on Freeze, it’s the quarterbacks: Matt Corral (Ole Miss) and Malik Willis (Liberty) that could steal the show. Both ranked in the top 10 in the nation in total offense last season.
Florida State at Florida Saturday, Nov. 27 | TBD, TBD
Last season’s game was canceled due to the pandemic but Florida is riding a two-game winning streak in this in-state rivalry series that began in 1958. Florida State has won four of the last five meetings at the Swamp in Gainesville, with the lone loss coming in 2019 when the Gators romped 40-17.
Army vs. Navy (East Rutherford, N.J.) Saturday, Dec. 11 | 3 p.m., CBS
Nothing beats the pageantry and tradition of the Army-Navy game. Following a 14-game losing streak that stretched throughout much of the 2000s, Army has won four of the last five meetings in this series, including last season’s 15-0 affair. This is the fifth time the game has taken place in East Rutherford but the first since 2002, with Navy holding a 3-1 edge.