The 25 Best Nonconference Clashes on the 2015 College Football Schedule
The first College Football Playoff National Championship is in the books. National signing day is still nearly two weeks away, and the beginning of the 2015 college football regular season looks like just a speck on the horizon.
Still, it’s never too early to think about 2015. As the College Football Playoff selection process showed, strength of schedule is a crucial element (and will remain one) going forward in the national college football picture. Power Five teams are frequently beefing up their out-of-league slates with hopes of impressing future selection committees.
The real winner? You, the fan, who will see an increased slate of juicy nonconference games. We took a look at non-league matchups across the nation and compiled the top 25 for you. Games are ranked by potential importance to the season at large and power of the teams, as they stand entering the 2015 regular season.
25. Nov. 21: Notre Dame at Boston College
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This is a heated rivalry of Catholic schools that will have a new twist in 2015. Although Boston College and Notre Dame have storied gridiron histories, their series only dates back to 1975. Notre Dame leads 13-9, having won the teams’ last four meetings.
Their 2015 meeting, set for Nov. 21, will be one to remember regardless of the teams’ records. It will be played at Fenway Park, the first football game to be played there in 47 years. There won't be a lot of tickets available, and everyone should be in high spirits.
Boston College is coming off back-to-back bowl seasons, although the Eagles will enter 2015 needing to replace dual-threat quarterback Tyler Murphy. Notre Dame finished 2014 a disappointing 8-5, but expectations will be high for the Irish, as they’ll return 19 starters from a year ago, including 10 on defense.
24. Oct. 17: Ole Miss at Memphis
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This is one of the only matchups between a Power Five and Group of Five team on this countdown, but it is an interesting regional rivalry nonetheless. Despite an ugly Peach Bowl loss to TCU, Ole Miss broke through on a national stage in 2014, winning nine games, including victories over rivals Alabama and Mississippi State. Memphis was similarly impressive under coach Justin Fuente.
The Tigers took a huge step forward, winning 10 games, capped by a Miami Beach Bowl win over BYU. Memphis played well against the big boys. It lost 24-3 to Ole Miss, but challenged UCLA in a 42-35 defeat. This time around, the Rebels will take time out from their SEC slate to head to the Liberty Bowl.
This is a chance for the Tigers to gain national respect and perhaps make their case for inclusion in the Group of Five slot in the "New Year’s Six" group of bowls.
Ole Miss will be the favorite, as it returns 17 starters, but the Rebels must have a quarterback emerge before they head to Memphis for a tough road test.
23. Sept. 26: Boise State at Virginia
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Virginia is one of those rare Power Five programs that could probably afford to take its schedule down a notch. A year ago, the Cavaliers were much improved but finished 5-7, just out of a bowl game. Eight-point losses to BYU and UCLA hurt, but even in a year where a bowl game is a must for his job status, Mike London isn’t throttling back.
The Cavaliers will host Boise State in Charlottesville, a game that could be a huge positive for UVA and the ACC’s reputation. The Broncos have traditionally been one of the nation’s top mid-major teams and proved it again in 2014, going 12-2 and capping the season with a Fiesta Bowl win over Arizona.
Bryan Harsin will return 18 starters but must replace graduated quarterback Grant Hedrick and 1,823-yard rusher Jay Ajayi, who declared for the NFL draft. Scott Stadium isn’t the most raucous venue, but it’ll be an interesting road test for the Broncos regardless.
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22. Sept. 3: North Carolina vs. South Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.
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This neutral-site opener, set for Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, pits a pair of border rivals who are coming off disappointing 2014 campaigns. North Carolina finished 6-7 following a Quick Lane Bowl loss to Rutgers, while South Carolina regressed from three consecutive 11-win seasons, finishing 7-6 with an Independence Bowl win over Miami.
North Carolina actually owns a 34-18-4 lead in the teams’ all-time series, but the teams have played just twice since 1991. South Carolina won both games, including a 27-10 victory in the 2013 season opener. This game might start a bit off the national radar, but it should be closely contested, as both teams will be looking to build momentum. While it’ll be played in North Carolina, BOA sits just miles from the South Carolina border, giving it a true neutral-site feel.
21. Nov. 28: Kentucky at Louisville
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This is a far better basketball than football rivalry, but still not bad for football. These are two programs who share the same state, a recruiting pool and, as you might know, just don’t like each other.
Kentucky leads the all-time series 14-13, but Louisville has won four consecutive games under the watches of Charlie Strong and Bobby Petrino. A year ago, the Cardinals won a wild 44-40 contest that kept the Wildcats out of a bowl game.
Led by young quarterback Patrick Towles and coach Mark Stoops, the Wildcats improved last season and figure to be in position to take another step forward this year. The game has only improved by moving from the season opener to the season finale with the other ACC-SEC clashes on the schedule, and there should be plenty on the line when the teams face off in 2015.
20. Sept. 5: Virginia at UCLA
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Mike London needs wins to save his job, even after improving from 2-10 in 2013 to 5-7 in 2014. So naturally, the Cavaliers will begin the season with an easy "W," right?
Wrong. UVA is headed to Westwood for a rare ACC-Pac-12 regular-season clash. UCLA should be among the nation’s best teams. The Bruins will return 18 starters from a team that went 10-3 for a second consecutive season, although it’ll be interesting to see who steps forward to replace quarterback Brett Hundley, who declared for the NFL draft. Leading tackler Eric Kendricks is also gone, although two-way star linebacker Myles Jack remains.
The Cavaliers played well against UCLA in Charlottesville last season, falling 28-20 while harassing Hundley. They have one of the nation’s top young defensive backs in ACC Rookie of the Year Quin Blanding, although improvement from quarterback Greyson Lambert (10 touchdowns, 11 interceptions in 2014) will be a bigger key to success in the Rose Bowl.
19. Sept. 5: BYU at Nebraska
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This winter, Mike Riley stunned the college football world. Seemingly entrenched at Oregon State, the veteran coach bolted the Pacific Northwest for Nebraska, bringing his nice-guy persona to Lincoln to replace the bombastic Bo Pelini.
So obviously, his debut in the heart of Big Red and Big Ten country will come against a western power in BYU. Nebraska’s offense will have to find a way to replace standout Ameer Abdullah and wideout Kenny Bell, and across the ball, defensive end Randy Gregory’s NFL draft departure will leave a hole in the defense.
BYU will be looking to make a national statement. The Cougars started 2014 strong but faded from the national picture after quarterback Taysom Hill broke his leg. Hill is an exciting dual-threat player who can hurt defenses in a number of ways, and this will be his first game back in action.
18. Sept. 3: TCU at Minnesota
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A year ago, in retrospect, this turned out to be one of the most talked-about nonconference games of the regular season. TCU blew out the Golden Gophers in Fort Worth in Week 3, and the game became a flash point in the College Football Playoff debate between Baylor and TCU (both of whom were snubbed for the No. 4 spot in favor of eventual national champion Ohio State).
This year, the game takes on a different feel. The Gophers are coming off an eight-win season, while the Horned Frogs, returning 16 starters from a 12-win team, will likely be among the nation’s top preseason teams.
This will be the first big 2014 test for quarterback Trevone Boykin, coming off a season that saw him account for over 4,600 yards of total offense with 41 total touchdowns. He leads SI.com's early Heisman Watch, per Zac Ellis. While Boykin will face bigger challenges along the way, a visit to TCF Bank Stadium will be an early referendum on his Heisman Trophy candidacy.
17. Sept. 19: BYU at UCLA
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As an independent, BYU has no choice but to play a rigorous national schedule to remain relevant and make a potential run at the College Football Playoff. 2015 is no different. The Cougars begin the season at Nebraska, host Boise State, travel to UCLA and then visit Jim Harbaugh-led Michigan to close out September.
By the time Bronco Mendenhall’s team arrives at the Rose Bowl, it could be 2-0 and feeling great, or 0-2 and desperately seeking a win. That alone makes this game intriguing. Standout quarterback Taysom Hill should have the rust from 2014’s season-ending broken leg cleared away by this point. He’ll need his best game against a good UCLA defense that will return eight starters, led by two-way star Myles Jack.
16. Nov. 28: Notre Dame at Stanford
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Notre Dame had an up-and-down season in 2014, but one of the highlights came on a cold, rainy day in South Bend. Trailing Stanford 14-10 with 1:01 to play, the Fighting Irish faced a 4th-and-11 from the Stanford 23. Quarterback Everett Golson eluded defenders and found tight end Ben Koyack for a 23-yard touchdown that lifted Notre Dame to a narrow 17-14 victory.
There's no way to predict the weather in Palo Alto in late November, or if Golson will be quarterbacking the Irish offense. But the game should matter. Both teams finished 8-5 but ended 2014 with momentum. Stanford will return quarterback Kevin Hogan for his senior season, while Notre Dame has 19 starters coming back. If things go as planned, this Thanksgiving weekend game will have national significance.
15. Sept. 3: Washington at Boise State
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Hmm. Just an average opening-weekend game in the Pacific Northwest. Right? Yeah, right.
This game has storylines all over the place. Start with the obvious: Washington coach Chris Petersen returning to Boise and the program he helped build to national prominence before taking the Huskies job last season. He’ll face off against former offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin, who led the Broncos to a 12-2 season, capped by a Fiesta Bowl win over Arizona.
The Broncos are incredibly tough at home, but they’ll be breaking in a new quarterback following steady Grant Hedrick’s graduation and tailback Jay Ajayi’s departure to the NFL. However, they do return 18 starters. This should be a fun, fun game, with Washington hoping to make an early statement that it’s better than an 8-6 team, despite do-everything linebacker Shaq Thompson’s NFL draft departure.
14. Sept. 5: Auburn vs. Louisville in Atlanta, Ga.
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The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic has put on some intriguing games, and this year is no different. Auburn slipped to 8-5 in 2013, but coach Gus Malzahn fortified his staff, hiring former Florida coach Will Muschamp to improve a defense that was far too agreeable to opponents last fall. Louisville went 9-4 in year one of the Bobby Petrino era (part two), and the Cardinals hope to build on that this fall.
They have numerous Georgia transfers who’ll be thrilled to play in their former backyard against an SEC foe. Louisville will face off with new Auburn starting quarterback Jeremy Johnson with a rebuilt secondary that lost both safeties to the NFL, including Gerod Holliman, who tied an NCAA single-season interception record in 2014 with 14. This’ll be a fascinating table-setter for the 2015 season.
13. Sept. 19: Nebraska at Miami
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This game will be played at Sun Life Stadium, but it’d be oh-so-appropriate if the powers that be stepped in and moved it downtown to Marlins Park. That’s as close as these teams can get to the spirit of a national rivalry that burned brightest in the 1980s and 1990s, with Miami serving as a foil for Nebraska’s national title hopes before the Cornhuskers finally broke through for a 24-17 victory in the 1995 Orange Bowl.
The teams have met twice since, with Miami whipping Nebraska 37-14 in the 2002 national title game and Nebraska taking a 41-31 decision last season in Lincoln. With Mike Riley and Al Golden stalking the sidelines, this game is far removed from the days of Tom Osborne vs. Jimmy Johnson.
We’ll have to settle for Brad Kayaa and Tommy Armstrong Jr. leading their respective offenses. Both teams are looking to make a push back toward national relevance, and a win here would do wonders for either side.
12. Nov. 28: Florida State at Florida
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Pop quiz: Before Oregon’s Rose Bowl rout of Florida State, who was the last team to defeat the Seminoles? Answer: Florida, on Nov. 24, 2012.
In recent years, the Seminoles have been the clear top dog in the Sunshine State, but this game always matters, usually on a national level.
Even last season, with lame-duck head coach Will Muschamp in his last game, Florida gave an unbeaten FSU team everything it had before falling 24-19. New UF coach Jim McElwain will be looking to make his mark on the rivalry in his new home stadium, and while Florida State should be favored, the Seminoles lost a lot of talent to the NFL draft. Five underclassmen declared, including controversial quarterback Jameis Winston.
While Jimbo Fisher has plenty of talent on his roster that should’ve figured it out by this point in the season, it’ll be a treacherous game regardless.
11. Nov. 28: Clemson at South Carolina
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South Carolina is a small state, but the newly named Palmetto Bowl has turned into one of the nation’s top overall rivalries. With Clemson’s Dabo Swinney facing off against South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier, the yearlong exchange of verbal barbs is almost as good as the games. Almost.
Before last season’s cathartic 35-17 victory, Clemson had endured five consecutive losses to South Carolina, the Gamecocks’ longest-ever string of dominance against their hated rival. These teams just don’t like each other, and both programs’ success helps fuel the fire. Before 2014’s 7-6 mark, USC had won 11 games in three consecutive seasons, while Swinney brings a four-year string of 10-win seasons into 2015.
Quarterback Deshaun Watson should be one of the nation’s top signal-callers while leading a potent offense, but it’ll be interesting to see how the Tigers replace eight starters from a nasty defense. Clemson hasn’t won in Columbia since 2007.
10. Nov. 28: Georgia at Georgia Tech
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Entering last November, clean, old-fashioned hate had been more like clean, old-fashioned dominance. Georgia-Georgia Tech is a storied SEC-ACC rivalry, but the Bulldogs had the clear upper hand over their rivals, winning 12 of the teams’ last 13 meetings.
Georgia Tech changed the dynamic with a surprising 30-24 overtime win that showed the Yellow Jackets still had some sting. It was a centerpiece of Tech’s bounce-back 11-3 season that was capped with an Orange Bowl win over Mississippi State.
2015 should be competitive again. Both teams will bring back 13 starters. Georgia will be keyed by standout tailback Nick Chubb, who rushed for 1,547 yards. Tech’s flexbone offense is led by quarterback Justin Thomas, who passed for 1,719 yards and rushed for 1,086 while accounting for 26 touchdowns. If both teams have their way, this in-state season-ending clash will have national implications.
9. Sept. 19: Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
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Notre Dame’s scheduling arrangement with the ACC, which places five ACC foes on the Fighting Irish’s schedule each season, freshens things up a bit. Georgia Tech’s visit to South Bend is an intriguing clash that’ll be the biggest early test for a team that won 11 games, including the Orange Bowl, a year ago.
Tech’s lifeblood is the flexbone option offense. Tech averaged 342.1 rushing yards per game in 2014, No. 2 nationally. Notre Dame will have to find a way to take charge, and while the Irish’s defense was leaky at times in 2014, it should be much improved this fall, returning 10 starters.
8. Sept. 7: Ohio State at Virginia Tech
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Remember Sept. 6? When we all thought Ohio State and the Big Ten were out of the College Football Playoff chase? That was the reaction after Virginia Tech’s 35-21 victory in Ohio Stadium, and, as it turned out, it was dead wrong. The Buckeyes didn’t lose the rest of the way, charging to a national title.
Ohio State's Tyvis Powell told Bill Rabinowitz of The Columbus Dispatch that the loss fueled him and his teammates:
"Winning all those games before and going undefeated in those seasons, it made you think it was going to happen, you’re going to go 12-0. But now that we’ve suffered a loss, it’s definitely humbled me and made me go back to my work and grind to be better so it doesn’t happen again.
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Meanwhile, Virginia Tech struggled just to get into a bowl game, finishing 7-6 following a Military Bowl win over Cincinnati.
Ohio State—no matter which quarterback it starts—will be the favorite in Blacksburg, but an improving VT offense piloted by Michael Brewer and a typically salty defense led by All-ACC cornerback Kendall Fuller will give the Buckeyes and Urban Meyer an interesting early challenge.
7. Sept. 5: Arizona State vs. Texas A&M in Houston
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The first weekend of the college football season is dotted with neutral-site games that feature teams looking for a marquee win and a leg up on the campaign. Houston has become a prime spot for these games, and 2015 is one of the most interesting on paper.
With Arizona State and Texas A&M, it features two teams who should be in the Top 25 to begin the season but have issues on defense. That, of course, means this will be a fun game to watch.
A&M closed the season strongly with Kyle Allen at quarterback, and he’ll have a cadre of young receivers to target, including Ricky Seals-Jones and Speedy Noil. Arizona State’s offense will be led by versatile, prolific tailback D.J. Foster, with quarterback Mike Bercovici sliding into the starting role. Will this be a particularly well-played game on defense? Maybe not. But it’ll be exciting for sure.
6. Sept. 5: Texas at Notre Dame
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While Texas and Notre Dame have met only 10 times on the football field, the games have always been memorable, as you’d expect from two of college football’s most prominent programs. The news that the teams would play a four-game series was met with excitement, but that was tempered somewhat when Notre Dame pulled out of the back half of the series in 2019 and 2020.
We’ll have to make do with a home-and-home scheduled for 2015 and 2016. Notre Dame should be much improved after returning 19 starters from a streaky 8-5 team, while Charlie Strong hopes tough love that led to a 6-7 season in 2014 pays off with on-field success this fall. It’ll be fun to see the Longhorns in historic Notre Dame Stadium, and a win would certainly enhance Strong’s status with Texas’ fickle fans.
5. Sept. 12: Oklahoma at Tennessee
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This is an intriguing matchup of two traditional college football powers. One appears to be on its way up. The other? Trying to find its way.
When Oklahoma and Tennessee met in the first half of a home-and-home in 2014, the Sooners had the clear upper hand, whipping a young Volunteer team 34-10. But as Oklahoma prepares for the return game, the Vols look improved after a 7-6 season that featured contributions from 23 freshmen, capped by a 45-28 Taxslayer Bowl win over Iowa.
Oklahoma was pegged for College Football Playoff contention, but suffered through a messy 8-5 season that wrapped up with a 40-6 Russell Athletic Bowl loss to Clemson. Coach Bob Stoops revamped his offensive staff and hired offensive coordinator Lincoln Riley away from East Carolina. Samaje Perine is one of the nation’s best tailbacks, but Riley will have to pry better efforts out of inconsistent quarterback Trevor Knight to find success in Knoxville.
4. Oct. 3: Notre Dame at Clemson
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One of the benefits of Notre Dame’s new scheduling arrangement with the ACC is exposing the Fighting Irish to new or rarely seen environments. Their October trip to Clemson is a perfect example. Notre Dame and Clemson have met only twice, with Notre Dame and Joe Montana nipping the Tigers in 1977 before Clemson returned the favor in South Bend in 1979.
This year, the Irish will visit a Clemson team that has become a national powerhouse following four consecutive 10-win seasons. Quarterback Deshaun Watson is one of the country's most exciting young players, and he’ll be surrounded by a stacked offense.
Notre Dame quarterback Everett Golson is a Myrtle Beach native, but it’s unclear whether he’ll be the starter by the time ND visits Death Valley. He’ll face a preseason challenge from Malik Zaire. Regardless, this will be a fascinating matchup that should have some national implications.
3. Oct. 17: Southern California at Notre Dame
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If it feels like Notre Dame is making a lot of appearances on this list, there’s a good reason: The Fighting Irish have a stacked schedule. A mid-October visit from an old friend is perhaps the most intriguing game on the slate.
Notre Dame and Southern California have a storied history, but this year, only one thing will be on the Irish’s mind: revenge. USC’s 49-14 rout was the most embarrassing moment in a late-season slide in which Notre Dame lost four consecutive games before a Music City Bowl win over LSU.
Meanwhile, Southern California is shaking off the effects of NCAA probation and should be even better than a nine-win team in Steve Sarkisian’s second season. Despite the losses of wideout Nelson Agholor, tailback Buck Allen and defensive end Leonard Williams to the NFL, USC returns 15 starters, led by standout quarterback Cody Kessler. A visit to South Bend could be a key hurdle for national title contention.
2. Sept. 5: Alabama vs. Wisconsin in Arlington, Texas
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Last season, Alabama hoped to end its season at AT&T Stadium as the top seed in the College Football Playoff. We know how that turned out: A Big Ten team (Ohio State) derailed the Crimson Tide’s dream in the Sugar Bowl.
So, to start the 2015 season, Alabama will enter AT&T Stadium to face off with a Big Ten team. This time, Wisconsin stands as the foe. The Badgers are the defending Big Ten West champs and have a new coach in Paul Chryst. Heisman Trophy runner-up Melvin Gordon is gone, but Corey Clement should step into his shoes in the backfield.
Alabama has numerous holes to fill following the NFL draft departures of Amari Cooper, Landon Collins and T.J. Yeldon, but Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide have recruited as well as anyone. Don’t expect Alabama to miss a beat, but we’ll know plenty more about Saban’s bunch after what will be a hard-nosed opening game.
1. Sept. 12: Oregon at Michigan State
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One of the best games of the 2014 regular season took place in Week 2. A Michigan State team coming off a 13-1 season marched into Eugene and took charge with a 27-18 second-half lead. But the Ducks left the Spartans in the dust as a Marcus Mariota-led comeback turned into a 46-27 Ducks win. That was the beginning of Mariota’s run to the Heisman Trophy and Oregon’s run to the national title game.
A year later, Mariota is gone to the NFL, but the game should still have huge College Football Playoff implications for a pair of teams who’ll likely start the season in the Top 10. Michigan State’s only losses came to Oregon and Ohio State, and while the Spartans lost their leading rusher and receiver, they return standout quarterback Connor Cook.
Oregon returns 13 starters, led by standout tailback Royce Freeman, who helms a deep backfield. A trip to East Lansing will be a stiff test for Mariota’s successor, whoever that winds up being, but that’s part of what will make this game a must-watch on the national scene.
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