The 10 Biggest Early Non-Conference College Football Games You Can’t Miss

The late-season drama of conference championships, title games and playoffs may capture most of the attention, but September, even August, can matter, but it also offers some fun games.

Think back to 2016, when Ohio State won at Oklahoma in mid-September and used it to still enter the College Football Playoff without a conference championship. Profit before the leaves change color can change in December.

With the 2023 season marking the final year of the four-team College Football Playoff, let’s take a look at 10 early season nonconference games that could matter to CFP hopes, but could also serve as perfect entertainment.

MOST NATIONAL TITLES: College football teams with the most national championships

Florida at Utah 8:00 p.m. Thursday, August 31

Say goodbye to August on Florida’s return trip to Utah. Last year, the Gators used a late Anthony Richardson touchdown run to beat Top 10 Utah. It seemed like this catapulted the Gators to something special, but after Florida fell to a 6-7 mark, Utah went 10-4, won the Pac-12 title by upsetting USC, and then played again in the Rose Bowl. In a brutal SEC East, Billy Napier’s team could use an eye-opening win against a Pac-12 powerhouse.

North Carolina vs. South Carolina (at Charlotte, NC) 7:30 PM ET Saturday, September 2

UNC went 9-1 and ranked in the top 15 before a disappointing four-game skid. But QB Drake Maye (4,321 passing yards) should have a huge sophomore season for a program still looking for a huge season under Mack Brown’s second coach. While Georgia and Tennessee understandably captured the attention of the SEC East for most of 2022, the Gamecocks crushed the top-five Vols 63-38 and beat rival Clemson in an 8-5 campaign. QB Spencer Rattler is back and may need a huge season if Shane Beamer and his Gamecocks surprise again. This matchup will be ESPN’s first College Gameday stop.

Florida State vs. LSU (at Orlando, Fla.) 7:30 p.m. Sunday, September 3

Last year’s meeting was a wild one, as a blocked extra point gave FSU a 24-23 victory in a game between unranked teams. But things changed from there as the Seminoles went on to a 10-win season and a bowl victory, and LSU regrouped for a 10-4 season in Brian Kelly’s first season. We’ll see if either or both can do even better this season, as the winner would solidify their status as a CFP contender.

Nebraska at Colorado 12 p.m. 9 p.m

Unless the preseason projections are way off, it’s unlikely this will matter much in the CFP picture. But that doesn’t mean it lacks foresight. Both the Huskers and Buffaloes have headline-grabbing additions as head coaches this year: Matt Rhule at Nebraska and Deion Sanders at Colorado. The state of this one is interesting, with both Nebraska (Minnesota) and Colorado (TCU) having raw openings. If one or both are able to surprise, the hype for this would increase considerably.

Ole Miss at Tulane at 3:30 p.m., Saturday, September 9

OK, what can Tulane do for an encore? The Green Wave lost some talent, but return QB Michael Pratt (3,009 passing yards, 37 total touchdowns) and are building confidence after a 12-2 season that culminated in a thrilling win against USC in the Cotton Bowl. Tulane likely won’t match its top-10 ranking from a year ago, but an early September win at home against an SEC school would be huge. Remember, Tulane is also dealing with UTSA, Memphis and others in the new-look AAC. In fact, UTSA’s visit to Tennessee on Sept. 23 could also be included on that list.

HEISMAN: Let’s take a look at the winners and runners-up of the coveted trophy

Texas A&M at Miami (Fla.) 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 9

Like a few games on this list, the interest is focused more on curiosity than CFP potential. Texas A&M opened with a top-10 finish last year, but surprisingly missed a bowl game (five losses by 6 points or fewer) despite a 15-point win against LSU. The Aggies should be much better, but they have to show it. Miami also went 5-7 in 2022, but hopes to see a better Tyler Van Dyke at quarterback. The winner of this one thinks big.

Texas at Alabama 7 p.m., Saturday, September 9

The Longhorns came agonizingly close to topping the top-ranked Tide last year, falling 20-19 after a late field goal. With Steve Sarkisian now in his third season, he and Texas are hoping for a breakthrough in 2023 (5-7 in 2021, 8-5 in 2022). Beating Alabama would do just that. The Tide missed the CFP last year because Georgia’s two-year run as national champion has led to a change in the SEC pecking order. So Alabama could also use this as a return to the top.

Oregon at Texas Tech, 7 p.m., Saturday, September 9

Sometimes you just want to see good teams score a bunch of points. Oregon, with QB Bo Nix (3,593 passing yards, 43 total touchdowns) and plenty of returning starters, is a leading Pac-12 contender. Texas Tech went 8-5 in Joey McGuire’s first season as QB Tyler Shough. The Oregon transfer will hopefully be completely healthy. The Red Raiders had three quarterbacks throw for at least 1,000 yards last season, but still averaged more than 34 points per game.

COMPLETE: Looking at all undefeated national champions since 1936

Pitt at West Virginia 7:30 p.m., Saturday, September 16

When it’s Backyard Brawl, you have to watch. Pitt won last year 38-31 in the first meeting of the series since 2011. Now the duo heads to Morgantown for WVU’s home game. Pitt has a very manageable first half of the schedule, but Neal Brown and his Mountaineers could derail things early in the season for their fierce rival.

Ohio State at Notre Dame on Saturday, September 23rd

The Buckeyes consumed the Irish last year as OSU started the season 11-0 (don’t ask about the goal…). The first full season under Marcus Freeman fell apart a bit from there, and the loss to Marshall challenged things even more. But the Irish battled to a 9-4 record and a bowl win against a ranked South Carolina team. The quarterback situation will be fun to watch with Wake Forest’s Sam Hartman moving to Notre Dame and Ohio State replacing CJ Stroud.