50 Most Anticipated College Football Games for 2015 Season
Finally, something to fill up those 2015 calendars you got as holiday presents.
While all schedules aren't final, we do know most of the dates of next season's biggest college football games. Others have a pairing and a locale, just not a set appointment. Either way, it's something to help us get through the long hiatus between one of the best seasons ever and what figures to be another stellar collegiate campaign.
Listed chronologically—with those yet to be given a set date listed at the end—we've compiled 50 of the most eagerly awaited games of 2015. These include traditional rivalries that have built-in anticipation, rematches of 2014's best games and some of the most notable nonconference tilts between power-conference programs.
Get those calendars ready for marking as you check out the 50 most anticipated college football games of the 2015 season.
Michigan at Utah
1 of 50
When: Sept. 3
We won't have to wait as long to see the debut of the nation's most anticipated new college football coach, as Jim Harbaugh will make his Michigan debut on the first Thursday of the 2015 season. And it will be somewhat of a baptism by fire, playing on the road against a Utah team that won in Ann Arbor last September.
Utah is coming off its best season since joining the Pac-12, winning nine games behind an aggressive, sack-happy defense that made up for a mostly uneven offense. The Utes' top defenders have graduated, but they do bring back quarterback Travis Wilson and 1,500-yard rusher Devontae Booker.
It's anyone's guess what kind of team Harbaugh is going to put together at Michigan, which went 5-7 under Brady Hoke in 2014 and had one of the most lethargic offenses in the country. The Wolverines were stout on defense, though, ranking seventh nationally in yards allowed.
TCU at Minnesota
2 of 50
When: Sept. 3
As Ohio State showed last season, losing early doesn't automatically eliminate a team from playoff consideration. But it might be a different story for teams from the Big 12, which lacks a resume-boosting conference championship game and, thus, puts a premium on the quality of regular-season results.
That being said, playoff hopeful TCU will find itself in a must-win game right off the bat when it opens play with a Thursday night trip to Minnesota.
The Horned Frogs crushed the Golden Gophers in Fort Worth last season, an outcome that contributed to them having a better playoff profile than Baylor among Big 12 contenders despite losing to Baylor. Could a loss to Minnesota, which won eight games in 2015 and returns more than half its starters, end up being a blemish TCU is unable to overcome?
Alabama vs. Wisconsin (in Arlington, Texas)
3 of 50
When: Sept. 5
Alabama is willing to play power-conference opponents early in the season, but only if they're willing to meet on neutral territory. Last year, it was West Virginia, a meeting held in Atlanta—the same place the Crimson Tide beat Virginia Tech in 2013. In 2016, Alabama faces USC in Arlington, Texas.
This September, the Tide are also headed to Arlington, the home of the Dallas Cowboys—where they'd hoped to play in this past national championship game—to face a Wisconsin team that opens a second straight season against an SEC team in a Texas stadium.
Last year, the Badgers fell to LSU in Houston, a game in which Melvin Gordon's absence from the game plan in the second half contributed to their 27-24 defeat. Gordon went on to rush for more than 2,500 yards, and Wisconsin reached the Big Ten title game and then knocked off Auburn in the Outback Bowl.
Alabama saw its season end at the hands of a Big Ten team, losing the Sugar Bowl national semifinal to eventual champ Ohio State.
This game will also mark the debut of Wisconsin's third coach in the past four years, as Paul Chryst comes over from Pittsburgh to replace Gary Andersen.
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Arizona State vs. Texas A&M (in Houston)
4 of 50
When: Sept. 5
The Pac-12 and SEC have had very few clashes over the past few years though with the increasing importance of schedule strength, we're seeing more such Power Five nonconference matchups getting set up for the future. This is the first of those big-time games, with two of the nation's most diverse offenses and aggressive defenses tangling in Houston.
Arizona State won 10 games in 2014, getting to that win total for a second straight season despite having to replace most of its defense. That group returns almost intact this fall though the Sun Devils' offensive weapons need some reloading with quarterback Taylor Kelly and wide receiver Jaelen Strong moving on.
Texas A&M went a disappointing 8-5 last year, but the Aggies' performance in their bowl win over West Virginia was fueled by young stars on offense (quarterback Kyle Allen) and defense (end Myles Garrett). And even more reinforcements are on the way in the form of a 2015 recruiting class that 247Sports currently rates eighth-best in the country.
Auburn vs. Louisville (in Atlanta)
5 of 50
When: Sept. 5
The ACC and SEC have several annual tilts against each other, most of which are in late November and feature in-state rivalries. Auburn and Louisville could find themselves creating a new rivalry, albeit one that's roots will first be planted in Atlanta.
Louisville had a strong first season in the ACC, winning nine games behind a defense that ranked sixth in the country even after getting blown out by Georgia in the Belk Bowl. Auburn knows that feeling, having lost by 27 to Georgia during the regular season en route to a disappointing 8-5 record a year after playing in the final BCS title game.
This game will also have an added storyline in that it will be Louisville coach Bobby Petrino's first trip to the Georgia Dome since 2007, when he quit his job as head coach of the NFL's Atlanta Falcons after 13 games to go to Arkansas. Petrino is also a former Auburn assistant, serving as offensive coordinator there in 2002 before getting hired by Louisville for his first stint as the Cardinals head coach.
BYU at Nebraska
6 of 50
When: Sept. 5
Since deciding to go out on its own as an independent in football, BYU has strived to put together a schedule that's both challenging and helps spread its national brand. Call it the Notre Dame approach, Western version.
This year will be the toughest slate yet for the Cougars, with four games against power-conference opponents and none of them at home. That includes opening the 2015 season at Nebraska, where it will mark the first game for the Cornhuskers under new coach Mike Riley.
Riley, who left Oregon State after 14 seasons, has the unenviable task of trying to improve upon Bo Pelini's seven straight years of at least nine wins, and he'll be doing it without three of Nebraska's best players (running back Ameer Abdullah, receiver Kenny Bell and defensive end Randy Gregory) from 2014.
Texas at Notre Dame
7 of 50
When: Sept. 5
Notre Dame's scheduling matrix has gone through an overhaul the last few years, with several longstanding series against Big Ten teams getting pushed aside to set up annual games against the ACC and teams from other power conferences. That includes the first of a home-and-home series with Texas, the schools' first meeting since 1996.
"Starting a series with the Texas Longhorns is great not just for Notre Dame, but college football, and we couldn't be happier about it," Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said back in 2010 when what at the time was going to be a four-game series was first announced. A 2017/2019 series with Georgia and a 2022/2023 pairing with Ohio State ended up causing the Fighting Irish to drop the latter two games with Texas.
While it won't be anything new for Notre Dame, for Texas, the game can serve as a potential springboard toward restoring its program to national prominence. The Longhorns went 6-7 last season under first-year coach Charlie Strong, who is trying to install a more rigid culture in Austin while also trying to schedule the best of the best.
Ohio State at Virginia Tech
8 of 50
When: Sept. 7
The last time Ohio State and Virginia Tech met, when the final buzzer sounded, it seemed like OSU's season was pretty much over. The Buckeyes fell at home to the Hokies and looked bad doing so, as untested quarterback J.T. Barrett looked like a freshman against Virginia Tech's aggressive defense.
A little more than four months later, Ohio State was hoisting the first College Football Playoff National Championship Trophy, having shook off that Week 2 loss by rolling to 13 straight wins. The first 10 of those were under the guidance of Barrett, who quickly became a Heisman Trophy contender, then the final three were with third-string quarterback Cardale Jones taking over after Barrett was injured.
Now comes the rematch, which is also the first chance for Ohio State to begin its title defense, though which quarterback coach Urban Meyer will go with—Barrett, Jones or senior Braxton Miller, whose shoulder injury in August enabled the other two passers to get their shots in 2014—will be one of the biggest offseason storylines.
As if this game couldn't get bigger, it's being played on Labor Day, so it will have the entire national stage to itself.
Oklahoma at Tennessee
9 of 50
When: Sept. 12
A year ago, when Tennessee went to Oklahoma for an early-season matchup, the young Volunteers weren't ready to compete against the veteran Sooners. Now, the script could get flipped.
The Vols played more than 20 freshmen in 2014 yet still put together the program's first winning season since 2009 after dominating Iowa in the TaxSlayer Bowl. All of those key players are back, and Tennessee is bringing in another loaded recruiting class to help further its cause.
Oklahoma, on the other hand, could be trending downward. The Sooners were highly ranked to start 2014 yet lost five games and were blown out by Clemson in the Russell Athletic Bowl after many of their experienced stars failed to live up to their billing. Their best performer all year was freshman Samaje Perine, who set the FBS single-game rushing record with 427 yards in a win over Kansas.
The 100,000-plus orange-clad fans at Neyland Stadium will make this a raucous atmosphere, one where Tennessee could start to prove its true colors or where Oklahoma can reestablish itself as a force to be reckoned with.
Oregon at Michigan State
10 of 50
When: Sept. 12
The biggest nonconference game of 2014 was played in Eugene, Oregon, where the host Ducks rallied from a nine-point hole in the second half to beat visiting Michigan State by 19 points. They parlayed that victory into the No. 2 seed in the playoff and a trip to the national championship game.
But now, Oregon has to make the return trip to East Lansing, where it will be breaking in a new quarterback—one who has to replace a Heisman Trophy winner—against one of the nation's top defenses and a team featuring a quarterback (Connor Cook) heading into his third year as a starter.
Marcus Mariota had his way with MSU's defense in the second half last season, but he's left early for the NFL. That means Spartans pass-rushing specialist Shilique Calhoun, who chose to return for his senior year instead of turn pro, will get to tee off against a quarterback who's likely to be making just his second career start.
Last year's game came the same weekend that Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech, and the Big Ten suffered several other reputation-hurting defeats. This fall, it could be a weekend that helps the Big Ten enhance its pedigree.
Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
11 of 50
When: Sept. 19
Notre Dame's choice to align with the ACC as a de facto football member (compared to being a full one in all other sports) meant agreeing to play a handful of teams from that conference every season. The lineup of who, where and when the Fighting Irish will face each year has been laid out through 2025.
Because these games have been arranged so far in advance, it's an annual crapshoot whether any or all of them will be good matchups or stinkers. Last year, Notre Dame went 2-2 in those games, falling in a classic at Florida State and dropping a disappointing home game to Louisville.
This year, Notre Dame's ACC pairings include some less-than-stellar ones like hosting Wake Forest, but we're also getting a chance to see how the Irish can handle Georgia Tech's vaunted triple-option rushing attack.
The Yellow Jackets ran over everyone last season, ranking second nationally with 342.1 yards per game, including big performances against Florida State and Mississippi State in December. But being able to do so against Notre Dame could put their program on another level.
Nebraska at Miami (Florida)
12 of 50
When: Sept. 19
The Miami-Nebraska rivalry is one borne from bowls and championship games, with six of the previous 11 matchups held in the postseason and five of those either deciding or having a major impact on who would be that year's national champion.
Four of those bowl games were played in the Orange Bowl, Miami's home, but when the venue was meant to be a "neutral" site thanks to thousands of Nebraska fans coming to South Florida for the contests. The same is likely to be the case when the Cornhuskers visit the Hurricanes in this regular-season clash, a rematch of Nebraska's 41-31 win over Miami in Lincoln.
Nebraska holds a 6-5 edge in the series, going 2-4 in games held in Miami.
UCLA at Arizona
13 of 50
When: Sept. 26
The Pac-12 opener for both Arizona and UCLA could end up determining if either can win the South Division title. Arizona managed to claim the South in 2014 despite losing at UCLA thanks to the Bruins losing three home games, including to Stanford in their final regular-season contest.
Arizona brings back the nucleus of its 10-win team, including all of its skill players on offense and the nation's top defensive player, Scooby Wright. All of them were neutralized by UCLA last season, however, yet the Bruins have lost most of their notable players from 2014, including standout quarterback Brett Hundley.
Rich Rodriguez has won 26 games in his three seasons at Arizona, yet he's 0-3 against UCLA.
Alabama at Georgia
14 of 50
When: Oct. 3
The SEC's scheduling format locks in a "traditional" crossover game for each school in addition to the regular six against division foes. And with no plans to expand to a nine-game conference schedule, that only leaves one unique matchup for each team each season.
This means each year, we're robbed of some potentially great games, but at least we get Alabama and Georgia this season.
It's the first time the Crimson Tide and Bulldogs have faced off in the regular season since 2008 though they did meet in the SEC title game in 2012. Alabama won that one as well as the 2008 game.
This will be the last of three straight games for the Bulldogs at home, a stretch that includes South Carolina, while Alabama will be playing its first true road game of the season.
Arkansas at Tennessee
15 of 50
When: Oct. 3
Another one-off SEC crossover game might get second billing behind Alabama-Georgia on a national level, but for those in the conference (and who closely follow college football trends), the first meeting between Arkansas and Tennessee since 2011 is just as big.
For one, it will pit the two SEC teams whose stock had the biggest increase in value last season, as each program managed to get over the hump and return to a bowl game after several down years. Arkansas did it by pushing around opponents with its huge offensive line and solid defense while Tennessee rallied behind one of the nation's youngest lineups, which will be even better in 2015 with a season of experience to feed off.
There will be few games pitting teams who were 7-6 a year ago as big as this one.
Notre Dame at Clemson
16 of 50
When: Oct. 3
Notre Dame's ACC scheduling package means facing some new teams in new locales. In some cases, the Fighting Irish have looked to find a neutral site to play, like facing Syracuse in East Rutherford, New Jersey, last year and in 2016 and playing Boston College at Fenway Park this November.
But some games are better off played in the home team's venue, which thankfully is the case with Notre Dame's first meeting with Clemson since 1979. It will be the first time the Irish have been to Death Valley since 1977.
Notre Dame has been able to win some big road games in recent years, beating Oklahoma in Norman and owning a handful of victories in places like Ann Arbor and East Lansing. But Clemson's stadium might be the biggest challenge yet.
Oklahoma vs. Texas (in Dallas)
17 of 50
When: Oct. 10
The Red River Rivalry knows no limits. Great records or bad, up years or down, the matchup between heated rivals Oklahoma and Texas remains the showcase attraction of the annual Texas State Fair no matter how the teams involved are doing.
The Sooners and Longhorns are coming off, collectively, one of their worst seasons in recent memory. They went a combined 14-12, both losing handily in bowl games, and both programs are in a state of change. Oklahoma's coaching staff went through a major overhaul, with Bob Stoops letting several assistants go and bringing in fresh blood, while Texas continues to work toward establishing a new culture under Charlie Strong.
As if this game needed more bad blood to bathe in, there's this: Just days after getting released by Oklahoma, former Sooners co-offensive coordinator Jay Norvell was hired by Texas to be its wide receivers coach.
"If nothing else, Norvell has some pretty elite company," wrote Zach Barnett of NBC Sports. "He's now the third Texas coach to have worn crimson in another life. The other two? Darrell Royal and Mack Brown."
Wisconsin at Nebraska
18 of 50
When: Oct. 10
A lot has changed for Nebraska and Wisconsin since they last met in football—a snowy Saturday in mid-November that saw a longstanding record fall in a result that helped seal one veteran coach's fate.
Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon ran for 408 yards in helping the Badgers roll past Nebraska, a loss that contributed to Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini getting fired a few weeks later despite a seventh straight season with at least nine victories. He was replaced by Oregon State's Mike Riley, almost a complete polar opposite in terms of coaching styles and personalities, who also was coming off a 5-7 record.
Adding to the drama in the Big Ten West was that Riley was replaced at Oregon State by Gary Andersen, who had spent the past two seasons at Wisconsin. It was the second major loss for the Badgers, who also were planning for Gordon's departure to the NFL after his junior season.
Paul Chryst, Wisconsin's former offensive coordinator, came over from Pittsburgh to succeed Andersen. When he was previously with the Badgers, from 2005-11, Chryst put together a game plan that gave Wisconsin a 48-17 win over Nebraska.
UCLA at Stanford
19 of 50
When: Oct. 15
UCLA had the Pac-12's South Division there for the taking, only needing a home win over an underachieving Stanford team to claim the title. Then, the Bruins lost badly to the Cardinal, allowing Arizona to win the division.
There won't be the same division and conference ramifications on the line this time around since the game is far earlier on the schedule, but that won't make this battle of California powers any less important.
Stanford has actually won seven straight in the series, the only in-state team in the Pac-12 the Bruins have consistently struggled against.
Alabama at Texas A&M
20 of 50
When: Oct. 17
Texas A&M's three seasons as an SEC member have been full of plenty of big results, yet its burgeoning rivalry with Alabama has been the most fun to watch.
The Johnny Manziel coming-out party began in 2012, when A&M went to Tuscaloosa and shocked the Crimson Tide. Then, there was the epic 2013 clash in College Station, won by Alabama, with both teams giving the scoreboard a workout.
Last year's game was memorable, too, but not necessarily in a good way for A&M. It lost 59-0, its first shutout loss since 2003 and the first time a team that head coach Kevin Sumlin was part of had ever been blanked.
Expect the Aggies to seek some revenge—though it won't be easy. Alabama might have lost a number of players from this season's semifinal team, but it's still Alabama.
Michigan State at Michigan
21 of 50
When: Oct. 17
The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is one that has a very distinct sibling tone to it. Michigan State has been treated like the little brother over the years, but with six wins in the past seven years over the Wolverines, the family tree is getting turned on its head.
But now, the clan has a new cousin, with Jim Harbaugh taking over Michigan's program. He's already breathed life into the program's depressed fanbase though MSU coach Mark Dantonio isn't planning on taking a new approach to the annual game because of a change in leadership for the opponent.
"It will be the next challenge for us," Dantonio said, according to Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press (h/t Examiner.com's Michael Ferro). "But we compete against Michigan regardless of who's there on a daily basis—we understand that here."
Missouri at Georgia
22 of 50
When: Oct. 17
Missouri has won at Georgia and has lost at home to the Bulldogs. No matter, as regardless of the result, the Tigers have managed to come out on top in the SEC East the past two seasons.
Georgia can directly correlate its failure to win the East in 2013 to that Missouri loss, but last season, it shut out the Tigers in Columbia during one of its best stretches of the season. That was after losing to South Carolina and getting blown out by Floridagames that ultimately ended up causing the Bulldogs to finish second in the East behind Mizzou.
Being placed in the East had little to do with geography when Missouri moved from the Big 12 in 2012, but so far, that spot has worked out well for the Tigers. It's also given Georgia yet another heated rival to (try to) topple on its way to division titles.
Ole Miss at Memphis
23 of 50
When: Oct. 17
When Ole Miss agreed to renew a series with Memphis back in 2012, the Rebels were coming off a 2-10 season and looking for nonconference opponents that would help them get enough wins to become bowl-eligible.
Memphis, having won five games over the previous three seasons, just wanted some games that would be appealing to fans and would help bring in some revenue for a downtrodden program.
"This series is such a great fit for both teams, and given our close proximity, it makes for a natural rivalry among fans from both schools," Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen said in a press release, per Kevin Kelley of FBSchedules.com.
Now, Ole Miss' trip to the Liberty Bowl smack dab in the middle of the SEC schedule doesn't look like the breather it was meant to be, as Memphis is coming off a 10-3 year as co-champions of the American Athletic Conference.
USC at Notre Dame
24 of 50
When: Oct. 17
Notre Dame might have kicked some of its regional rivalries with the Big Ten to the curb, but it's not ready to do that with USC. The Fighting Irish and Trojans are scheduled to meet every year through at least 2025.
USC had lost three of the previous four meetings with Notre Dame before rolling to a 49-14 home win last November, the fourth straight loss for the Irish after a 7-1 start.
Oregon at Arizona State
25 of 50
When: Oct. 29
Oregon was the class of the Pac-12 last season, rolling to an 8-1 league record and the conference title en route to reaching the national championship game. Its only regular-season blemish came to a team from the Grand Canyon State, which it avenged by blowing out Arizona in the Pac-12 final.
Now, the Ducks head into 2015 with a major question mark at quarterback, with Marcus Mariota moving on to the NFL after winning the Heisman Trophy as a junior. Their schedule is very tough, with four of their five road games against teams who were in bowl games a year ago.
Arizona State is the only one among that group that didn't play Oregon last season, as the teams skipped each other the past two years because of the Pac-12's scheduling rotation.
The Ducks have won eight straight against the Sun Devils.
Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville)
26 of 50
When: Oct. 31
The game formerly known as the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party—but still called that by many—turns the northern Florida city of Jacksonville into a giant party for one weekend each year. Florida and Georgia battle for bragging rights on the field while everywhere else, it's a massive celebration.
This year, the game is on Halloween, somehow making a party atmosphere even more festive.
Last year's game seemingly turned both teams' seasons, as Georgia fell on its face while Florida seemed to have finally turn the corner. In the end, though, the Bulldogs got to 10 wins again, and the Gators slipped down with a home loss to South Carolina that led to Will Muschamp stepping down.
New Florida coach Jim McElwain is hard at work getting the program back on track, but maybe when this game comes around, he'll be able to carve out a little time to do some partying of his own. Especially if the Gators can win again.
LSU at Alabama
27 of 50
When: Nov. 7
Alabama and LSU have been so ravaged by the NFL draft the last few years, it's a wonder that either team has enough players to field a competitive team. Yet the Crimson Tide have remained a playoff and championship contender throughout while LSU has slipped back a bit but remains a tough out for whoever it faces.
The Alabama-LSU games remain among the best and most competitive each year regardless of talent level and performance coming in. Last year's game was another classic, with LSU taking the lead in the final minutes only to see Alabama force overtime with a last-second field goal then claim victory on the road in the extra period.
Notre Dame at Pittsburgh
28 of 50
When: Nov. 7
Among the most well-received hires during the offseason coaching carousel was that made by Pittsburgh, which has been plagued with near-constant turnover over the past few years and yet again was in need of a new head coach when Paul Chryst left after two seasons to go back to Wisconsin.
The Panthers went with another coordinator, but this time, the fit seems perfect. Michigan State's Pat Narduzzi just oozes what Pitt is looking for, writes ESPN.com's Andrea Adelson.
"He is Pittsburgh personified, from his background as a tough-as-nails defensive coordinator, to his demeanor to his approach," Adelson wrote. "He has an edge, too, something Pitt could use now that it has the pieces in place to start winning more regularly."
Winning will mean more than just getting to six wins, which Pitt has managed to do each of the past four seasons. All of those years ended with 6-7 or 7-6 records, though.
Besides the ACC games in 2015, the one that stands out most for Pitt is when it gets to host Notre Dame in early November. Narduzzi went 3-4 against the Fighting Irish as Michigan State's defensive coordinator.
Alabama at Mississippi State
29 of 50
When: Nov. 14
Anything Ole Miss can do, Mississippi State can do better, right?
Ole Miss opened with a 7-0 record in 2014, but MSU topped that by winning its first nine games. But the Rebels one-upped the Bulldogs in two manners—by winning the season-ending Egg Bowl and beating Alabama for the first time in a while.
Mississippi State lost at Alabama in November, its first of three losses in the final four games that knocked it from playoff contention. This year, the game will be in Starkville, where those loud cowbells the fans clang between plays will try to help the Bulldogs beat the Crimson Tide for the first time since 2007.
Georgia at Auburn
30 of 50
When: Nov. 14
Deep South's Oldest Rivalry, as the 118-game series between Auburn and Georgia is known, is by far one of the best in the country. When the teams are in contention for division and/or national titles, it just makes things that much better.
This has been the case each of the past two seasons, with the winner using that result to remain in the hunt even if it requires some luck along the way. Georgia was on the losing end of that scenario in 2013, when a tipped pass on 4th-and-long by Auburn resulted in a game-winning touchdown for the Tigers that became known as the "Prayer at Jordan-Hare."
There were no such fluke plays last season in Athens, with Georgia rolling to a 34-7 win that kept it alive for the SEC East title.
Oregon at Stanford
31 of 50
When: Nov. 14
In 2012 and 2013, losses to Stanford crushed Oregon's championship hopes. Last year, the Ducks managed to solve their so-called "Stanford problem," as Bleacher Report's Jason Gold noted, in a 45-16 win that helped them win the North Division and the Pac-12 and get all the way to the national championship game.
But now that Oregon's Marcus Mariota has moved on, the door is open for someone else to control the North and possibly the conference. A good candidate is Stanford, which had a down year at 8-5 in 2014 but had reached BCS-level bowls in the previous four seasons along with 11-plus wins each year.
One of these teams has represented its division in every Pac-12 title game since the league expanded to 12 games in 2011. Nothing says that won't happen yet again this season.
Michigan State at Ohio State
32 of 50
When: Nov. 21
After Ohio State lost to Virginia Tech early last season, it was more or less left for dead in terms of being a playoff contender. With each win after that, some opinions started to get swayed that this wasn't the case, but there still needed to be a big victory to help convince the masses.
Going into East Lansing and solidly beating defending Big Ten champion Michigan State on its home field was just the ticket. The Buckeyes' 49-37 victory officially launched them back into the playoff hunt, and they rode that momentum through to the school's first national title since 2003.
OSU figures to enter the 2015 season as the prohibitive favorite, and with that territory comes heavy scrutiny about whether it can repeat as champions. The visit from Michigan State to Columbus might not end up being the toughest game on the schedule, but it will be among the handful of contests that are looked at as potential pitfalls between the Buckeyes and a second straight national title.
Baylor at TCU
33 of 50
When: Nov. 27
Get that Christmas shopping done early because this year, there's something far more important to do on the day after Thanksgiving besides fighting the crowded malls and department stores for great gift deals.
It's time for the rematch of the 2014 season's best game, one that ended up contributing to the fate of two of the top non-playoff teams of last year. Baylor came out victorious at home, rallying from a 21-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win, 61-58, on a last-second field goal.
TCU looked like it was cruising toward a huge win in the matchup of unbeaten Big 12 teams in mid-October after Marcus Mallet intercepted Baylor's Bryce Petty and returned it for a touchdown and a 58-37 lead with 11:38 left. Then, the host Bears scored three TDs in less than seven minutes and, after stuffing the Horned Frogs on fourth down near midfield, were able to drive down to set up Chris Callahan's 28-yard field goal as time expired.
"Other teams may have mailed it in at that point, but Baylor kept swinging," Bleacher Report writer Justin Ferguson wrote.
Both teams went 11-1 overall and 8-1 in the Big 12 during the regular season, and the conference chose to declare them co-champions despite Baylor's head-to-head win. That distinction, along with a lack of a league title game, contributed to neither school getting an invite into the first College Football Playoff bracket.
Alabama at Auburn
34 of 50
When: Nov. 28
We've included eight of the annual in-state rivalry games that are played each year in late November, and the Iron Bowl comes first thanks to the alphabet. Even if that weren't the case, it would be the one we'd want to highlight first since it's had a direct effect on the national championship picture the past two seasons.
Auburn's win in 2013—thanks to the epic "Kick Six" play by Chris Davis at the end of the game—and Alabama's comeback victory in 2014 both clinched the SEC West Division title for the victors. They went on to dominate the conference title game and take a load of momentum into the postseason though neither was able to win a national title.
This two-year drought without a championship for the SEC is somewhat uncharted territory of late since the conference had won the previous seven trophies. If the conference is going to get back on track, this game is likely to have a role in that happening.
Clemson at South Carolina
35 of 50
When: Nov. 28
After the 2013 season, Bleacher Report ranked the state of South Carolina as the best in the country in terms of college football. That's not likely to be the case again this year after the Gamecocks slumped to a 7-6 record.
Regardless of how good the state's two FBS programs are, though, when Clemson and South Carolina meet at the end of each season, it's always a big game. And as long as Dabo Swinney and Steve Spurrier are running their respective programs, it will also be one of the games with the best sound bites leading up to and immediately after.
Florida State at Florida
36 of 50
When: Nov. 28
Florida State has controlled its rivalry with Florida over the past five years, taking four of the contests during that span. The only loss came in December 2012—which, until FSU fell to Oregon in the Rose Bowl, marked the last time someone beat the Seminoles.
This series has some new blood in it for 2015, with Jim McElwain getting his first taste of trying to take down FSU as Florida's new coach. The battle has already begun on the recruiting trail, with McElwain and his new staff trying to tear some of the state's best prospects away from FSU, and it will continue when they meet in Gainesville right after Thanksgiving.
Georgia at Georgia Tech
37 of 50
When: Nov. 28
Though it's not one of the most well-known rivalry games from a national standpoint, the Georgia-Georgia Tech series has one of the best names out there: Clean, Old-Fashioned Hate. It's a name that stems back to the series' earliest matchups and perfectly describes teams and fanbases that dislike each other but do so in a respectful manner.
But after Georgia Tech rallied to win at Georgia in overtime last season, ending a five-game skid, we started to take much more notice of the Yellow Jackets. That increased after they played Florida State to the wire in the ACC title game then romped over Mississippi State to win the Orange Bowl.
The loss was one of a trio of befuddling defeats for the Bulldogs in 2014, this one hurting the most because of how it ended. They took the lead with 18 seconds left in regulation, only to fall in overtime.
Notre Dame at Stanford
38 of 50
When: Nov. 28
There are a handful of certainties in college football that we can depend on each year, one of which is Notre Dame spending Thanksgiving weekend in California.
Since 1998, the Fighting Irish have played their final regular-season game in the Golden State, either at Stanford or USC. Their series with USC has included late November every other year since the early 1960s and annually dating back to the first meeting in 1926.
The trip out West is a major recruiting and brand-spreading tool for Notre Dame, which is a national program that has fans and alumni all over the country. And in years when the Irish are in contention for a major bowl, this game serves as the last chance to impress those that matter.
Ohio State at Michigan
39 of 50
When: Nov. 28
The defending national champions against one of the biggest names in football coaching. Is there anything else that needs to be said?
The Ohio State-Michigan rivalry has always been a big one, with both sides going out of their way to show their displeasure for the other. On the field, though, it's been decidedly one-sided, with OSU taking the last three and 10 of 11. The only setback came in the season when the Buckeyes were embroiled in controversy involving tattoos, which led to a regime change and began the foundation for Urban Meyer to return them to championship territory.
Michigan is hoping for a similar bounce-back under Jim Harbaugh, the former Wolverines quarterback who has already shown he can resurrect a team by what he did at Stanford and in the NFL with the San Francisco 49ers. Whether he can get a lot done in his first season remains to be seen, but when this game comes around, at least we'll have an idea of the direction he and the program are headed.
Oklahoma at Oklahoma State
40 of 50
When: Nov. 28
When Oklahoma and Oklahoma State meet, be prepared for Bedlam. And not just because that's what the rivalry game is called.
Oklahoma has an 84-18-7 edge in the series, but things have been quite even of late. The Cowboys have taken two of the past four meetings, one by blowout and one by epic comeback. Each has an overtime win in that stretch, and the past two games have been decided on the final play and won by the visiting team.
In other words, Bedlam.
Last year's game in Norman was typical for the series. Host Oklahoma led all the way, holding a double-digit lead for most of the contest, only to see OK State score twice in the final minutes to force overtime. The tying score came on a punt return touchdown after Oklahoma opted to re-kick following a running-into-the-kicker penalty.
OK State went on to win in overtime, becoming bowl-eligible and avenging the home loss from the year before that kept the Cowboys from winning the Big 12 title and reaching the Fiesta Bowl.
Ole Miss at Mississippi State
41 of 50
When: Nov. 28
When Mississippi State and Ole Miss each got off to 7-0 starts last season and were both among the top-ranked teams in the country, their state felt like the center of the college football universe. Things petered out for each down the stretch, but their annual rivalry game remained a huge one of national significance.
That's how the Egg Bowl is treated in Mississippi every year, though, and the same will be the case this November.
Second to winning the division, beating the other is priority No. 1 for both Ole Miss and Mississippi State. MSU won in overtime at home in 2013 in order to become bowl-eligible while Ole Miss got the Bulldogs back with a convincing home win last season.
UCLA at USC
42 of 50
When: Nov. 28
While the NFL continues to fight to get a team back into the Los Angeles market, one of the country's largest cities keeps increasing its reputation as a top-tier college football town. Besides producing dozens of great recruits each year, it's got two solid programs that are both trending upward.
UCLA has controlled the city for three straight years after USC had taken 11 of the previous 12 contests.
The trajectory for each team under the current coaches (UCLA's Jim Mora and Steve Sarkisian of USC) makes it very likely one or both will be contending for the playoff in the coming years. That will add another layer of significance to this already big game.
Army vs. Navy (in Philadelphia)
43 of 50
When: Dec. 12
One of the best rivalries in college football rarely has anything more than pride on the line—at least in terms of the final score. Instead, most of what Army-Navy means to the game lies in the dedication that both teams put forth despite football being far from their most important assignment.
Seeing as the vast majority of those who play in the game each year end up serving America in the military not long after, the game becomes more of a celebration of service and country than a battle for gridiron supremacy. Navy kind of has the market cornered in that area, as it's won 13 straight in the series.
Boise State at Utah State
44 of 50
When: TBD
The Mountain West Conference was decidedly lopsided in 2014, with four of six teams in the Mountain Division finishing with 10 or more wins and none of those in the West doing better than 7-6 (while its division champion, Fresno State, ended up 6-8).
All of those 10-win teams figure to be in the mix for the division crown again this season, but the matchup that's most anticipated from the Mountain West pits the two most consistent programs over the past several years.
Boise State is coming off a 12-2 season that ended with a Fiesta Bowl victory over Arizona while Utah State managed to overcome the loss of several quarterbacks to win 10 games and make a bowl for the fourth straight year. Each school has also managed to overcome the loss of a coach to a bigger program—Chris Peterson left Boise for Washington in 2014 while Utah State saw Gary Andersen go to Wisconsin in 2013 (and then Oregon State in December)—without skipping a beat.
Boise has won the last 12 meetings, but this could be Utah State's year.
Florida State at Clemson
45 of 50
When: TBD
The ACC is the only power conference yet to release its 2015 schedule though we know the pairings and locations. We just don't know when each game will be slotted between early September and late November.
Whenever its held, though, the annual Florida State-Clemson game will be among the most highly anticipated games in ACC play.
In several past seasons, these have been the league's two best teams, but since they're in the same division (the Atlantic), their regular-season matchup is the only one we'd get each year. Only one could make the ACC title game, which has been Florida State four of the past five years and all happened to coincide with the Seminoles beating the Tigers in each of those years.
Clemson nearly got revenge last year in Tallahassee when Jameis Winston was suspended for the game and FSU was guided by Sean Maguire, but the Seminoles won in overtime to keep alive a win streak that got up to 29 games. This one will be back in Death Valley, and the Tigers figure to be the more experienced team.
Florida State at Georgia Tech
46 of 50
When: TBD
ACC teams only play two crossover divisional games each year, which is why Georgia Tech and Florida State haven't played in the regular season since 2009. In the interim, they've met twice in the conference title game—in 2012 and last December.
FSU won both of those, earning a 37-35 decision last season in one of many games that the Seminoles had to rally in order to come out on top. That was a regular for them during the tail end of their 29-game win streak, of which this one was the final victory.
Even in defeat, though, Georgia Tech showed its mettle as a force to be reckoned with. Mississippi State learned this the hard way a few weeks later, getting run over by the Yellow Jackets in the Orange Bowl.
Georgia Tech at Clemson
47 of 50
When: TBD
With Florida State losing its quarterback, four junior standouts and nine other starters from last year's 13-1 semifinal team, the door is wide open for a new team to take control of the ACC after several years of Seminoles dominance.
Clemson and Georgia Tech are the top candidates to take the crown, teams that each had narrow losses to FSU in 2014 and both figure to be as good (if not better) this fall.
Despite the ACC expanding from eight teams in the 1980s to its current 14-team alignment, Clemson and Georgia Tech have faced off every year since 1983. Tech crushed the Tigers, 28-6, last November, a game in which Clemson freshman quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered one of several injuries from that season.
Assuming Watson is at full strength this fall, when these teams play, it could be a preview of the ACC title game.
Houston at SMU
48 of 50
When: TBD
There have been 14 head coaching changes in FBS this offseason, including some very high-profile ones at Florida, Michigan and Nebraska. Only a couple of games in 2015 will pit a pair of first-year coaches, with one that stands out more for its sideline talent rather than on-field expertise.
Two of the best offensive minds in the country—former Ohio State coordinator Tom Herman and ex-Clemson play-caller Chad Morris—are now in charge of Houston and SMU, respectively. Along with ex-Baylor offensive coordinator Philip Montgomery, now at Tulsa, they've infused the American Athletic Conference with a shot of youth and excitement.
All three will face each other in the fall as members of the AAC's West Division, but the Houston-SMU game stands out because it's a matchup of longtime rivals (formerly of the Southwest Conference and Conference USA) and Texas schools hoping to return to national prominence.
Marshall at Western Kentucky
49 of 50
When: TBD
Last year's game had 133 points and went to overtime. Need we say more?
The star power might not be as bright for the 2015 version of Marshall and Western Kentucky, the two most explosive teams in Conference USA, but odds are the game will still be a fun one. Western Kentucky won 67-66 in overtime last season, successfully going for two points in the extra session rather than prolonging a game where defense was, at best, optional.
Some numbers to remember from that game: Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty threw for 491 yards and eight touchdowns while Marshall's Rakeem Cato threw for only 417 yards and seven scores.
Cato has graduated, but Doughty returns. The sixth-year senior is the FBS active passing leader with 7,800 yards, including 4,830 yards and 49 TDs last season.
Northern Illinois at Toledo
50 of 50
When: TBD
This game might not have the national impact that most of the others on this list do, but it will still be a big game. As has been the case the previous few seasons, this contest figures to decide the Mid-American Conference's West Division title and will likely be held on a weeknight in November when the MAC takes over our midweek TV screens for a few weeks.
We need our fix of MACtion, and this is apt to be the best of the lot.
Northern Illinois has won the previous five meetings, which fits into how the Huskies have won that division five straight seasons. This could be the year things change, especially if Toledo running back Kareem Hunt—1,631 yards and 16 touchdowns in only 10 games in 2014—continues to be one of the best rushers in the country.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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