12 Upcoming College Football Home-and-Home Series We Can't Wait to Watch
Last week's news that national powers Alabama and Florida State were set to open the 2017 season against each other caused quite a stir in the college football committee. However, the excitement was tempered somewhat because the arrangement calls for just one meeting that will be played in Atlanta rather than at either school's home stadium.
Had the Crimson Tide and Seminoles agreed to a home-and-home series, like many other power programs have done lately, it would have been the biggest news of the summer.
Instead, that 2017 meeting has prompted us to highlight some of the best home-and-home series that are set for the next few seasons. A few of these matchups have been on the books for some time, while others have been added recently in light of the increased importance of quality nonconference scheduling.
We've highlighted 12 of the best future home-and-home series, all of which begin between 2016 and 2019 and feature at least one game played on each school's home turf. Several programs have a large selection of notable upcoming series, but we limited each school to just one mention on this list.
Arizona State vs. Michigan State
1 of 12
When: 2018 at Arizona State, 2019 at Michigan State
Series record: Tied 1-1
Last meeting: 1986 (Arizona State 20, Michigan State 17)
Home-and-home series between the Big Ten and Pac-12 aren't uncommon, as schools from those leagues have frequently paired up during the regular season as a sort of a preview for the annual meeting of conference champions in the Rose Bowl. Yet Arizona State and Michigan State will have not met in more than 30 years when they tussle in 2018.
Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe will have completed its $225 million renovation by the time ASU hosts the Spartans, and Michigan State could be under the guidance of a Phoenix-area quarterback then. Brian Lewerke, a 4-star pro-style passer from Pinnacle High School, according to 247Sports, is part of MSU's 2015 recruiting class.
Both ASU's Todd Graham and MSU's Mark Dantonio should still be around for this one, unless Graham returns to his old pattern of program-bouncing. However, the setup he's put together with the Sun Devils should still have that team in position to defend their home turf.
Arkansas vs. Michigan
2 of 12
When: 2018 at Michigan, 2019 at Arkansas
Series record: 1-0 Michigan
Last meeting: 1999 Citrus Bowl (Michigan 45, Arkansas 31)
Arkansas is the most "Big Ten-like" team in the SEC, thanks to former Wisconsin coach Bret Bielema's quick transformation of the Razorbacks into a smashmouth, in-the-trenches outfit. We can't really call Michigan an SEC-type outfit, though new head coach Jim Harbaugh has already shown his fondness for spending time in the South with his much-publicized satellite camp tour.
The storylines will be aplenty when Arkansas heads to The Big House in 2018, as it will mark Bielema's first trip to the Midwest since unexpectedly leaving Wisconsin after the 2012 season (and almost immediately after leading the Badgers to the conference championship).
By then, Harbaugh could have Michigan back among the FBS elite, since the work he's doing on the recruiting trail—his 2016 class is currently ranked seventh in 247Sports' composite rankings—should pay major dividends in the next few seasons.
Each coach should also provide plenty of great copy leading up to the games, as both Bielema and Harbaugh have a fondness of being quotable. Bielema has also been publicly supportive of Harbaugh's beginnings with the Wolverines, telling ESPN.com's Travis Haney he respects Harbaugh because he "isn't afraid to speak his mind."
Auburn vs. Clemson
3 of 12
When: 2016 at Auburn, 2017 at Clemson
Series record: Auburn 34-13-2
Last meeting: 2012 (Clemson 26, Auburn 19)
Unlike the rest of the home-and-home series we're highlighting, the upcoming Auburn-Clemson games are more an extension of recent contests that saw the teams meet three years in a row from 2010-12, including a matchup in Atlanta. Clemson took the final two of those three games, with the only loss coming in overtime at Auburn during their 2010 national title run.
Clemson has made a habit of playing SEC teams, and not just the annual end-of-season game against in-state rival South Carolina. The Tigers split a home-and-home with Georgia in 2013-14, and there's a 2018-19 series on the books with Texas A&M.
Auburn has an ACC foe to open this year, facing Louisville in Atlanta, but over the past decade, those power opponents have normally come from the Big East (West Virginia), Big 12 (Kansas State) or Pac-12 (Washington State).
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Baylor vs. Duke
4 of 12
When: 2017 at Duke, 2018 at Baylor
Series record: 1-0 Duke
Last meeting: 1958 (Duke 12, Baylor 7)
There are plenty of upcoming series that figure to be better matchups, but considering Baylor's complete disinterest in having these games on their schedule, the simple fact that the Bears have dipped their toes into the power-opponent pool is noteworthy in its own right.
Duke may not be the most appealing foe, especially for a team that hopes to compete for a national championship, but unless Baylor does go through with a potential game in Australia next season, the 2017 game in North Carolina will be its first against a power-conference team (other than bowl games) since 2009.
The Blue Devils have been far more proactive in this area, starting a four-game home-and-home series with Northwestern this fall, and they've recently had games with Alabama, Kansas and Stanford.
Boise State vs. Florida State
5 of 12
When: 2019 at Florida State, 2020 at Boise State
Series record: First meeting
We still have a few years to wait for this meeting, but odds are Boise State's famed turf will still be blue when it plays host to its biggest nonconference opponent ever.
The Broncos have managed to get a few Pac-12 teams to come to Idaho over the years, including Washington this season, but to secure a home-and-home arrangement with a program of Florida State's ilk is a completely different story. Most often, Boise has had to play these opponents on the road or at neutral sites, such as last year's meeting with Ole Miss and the 2011 game against Georgia, both in Atlanta.
FSU will serve as the first of three major opponents that Boise State hosts from 2020-22, followed by Oklahoma State (2021) and Michigan State (2022). For the Seminoles, it will be their first true road game against a power foe (other than rival Florida) since visiting Oklahoma in 2010.
Georgia vs. Notre Dame
6 of 12
When: 2017 at Notre Dame, 2019 at Georgia
Series record: 1-0 Georgia
Last meeting: 1981 Sugar Bowl (Georgia 17, Notre Dame 10)
Notre Dame's scheduling arrangement with the ACC has made it possible for the Fighting Irish to extend their national footprint into a part of the country in which they hadn't been able to gain much traction. But there's a difference between places like North Carolina and Virginia and the true SEC territory of Georgia.
"We had future games slated with top-drawer opponents in virtually all the major conferences," Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick said in June 2014, when the Georgia series was first announced, per FBSchedules.com's Kevin Kelley. "One exception was the Southeastern Conference, so we are pleased now to be able to check that box."
Before beating LSU in last year's Music City Bowl, Notre Dame hadn't triumphed over an SEC team since 2005, including a 2007 Sugar Bowl loss to LSU and getting blown out by Alabama in the 2013 BCS title game.
The lone previous meeting between the Bulldogs and Irish was a memorable one, as freshman Herschel Walker paced Georgia to a win that secured its most recent national championship.
Missouri vs. West Virginia
7 of 12
When: 2016 at West Virginia, 2019 at Missouri
Series record: Missouri 3-2
Last meeting: 1998 Insight.com Bowl (Missouri 34, West Virginia 31)
The wild days of conference realignment appear to be past us, but that doesn't mean the appearance of some teams in their new leagues isn't still odd. Missouri and West Virginia are the poster children for the craziness of that era, and their upcoming series could almost be an extension of their conference schedules based on where they're located in relation to their new leaguemates.
Columbia is about 750 miles from Morgantown, but that's still closer than West Virginia's nearest Big 12 opponent, Iowa State. And with Missouri lumped into the SEC's East Division, its annual league games are between 400 and 1,000 miles from home.
Putting the travel issue aside, the teams themselves should make for a unique clash. Missouri has made its mark with defense in recent years, while West Virginia has routinely had one of the most prolific offenses around.
Nebraska vs. Oregon
8 of 12
When: 2016 at Nebraska, 2017 at Oregon
Series record: Nebraska 5-1
Last meeting: 1986 (Nebraska 48, Oregon 14)
No matter what Mike Riley does, he just can't escape the Ducks.
Riley's surprise jump from Oregon State to Nebraska in December moved the longtime Pac-12 coach into Big Ten territory. However, his new employer had lined up a pair of games with one of Riley's greatest nemeses before he was hired by the Cornhuskers.
In 14 seasons with the Beavers, Riley's teams went 4-10 against Oregon, losing the last seven meetings. He was 54-53 against the rest of the Pac-12.
These games were added in 2013 and were the result of Nebraska's home-and-home series with Tennessee being pushed back a decade to 2026-27.
Ohio State vs. Oklahoma
9 of 12
When: 2016 at Oklahoma, 2017 at Ohio State
Series record: Tied 1-1
Last meeting: 1983 (Ohio State 24, Oklahoma 14)
Two titans in the college football coaching world, Bob Stoops and Urban Meyer have won more than 300 games and four national titles. One of Meyer's three championships came against Stoops after the 2008 season, when his Florida team knocked off the Sooners in Miami.
Amazingly, that's the only time those coaches have met on the same field. But assuming neither leaves their current post in the next few years, we'll get a pair of regular-season clashes between these two legends.
Since that meeting in January 2009, Stoops and Meyer have seen their careers trend in different directions. Stoops' Oklahoma teams have lost five games twice and haven't been serious national title contenders; Meyer left Florida, re-emerged at Ohio State and has turned the Buckeyes into a juggernaut, compiling 38 wins the past three seasons.
Though a lot can happen before then, it's not unrealistic to think Ohio State could be a two-time defending national champion and riding a 30-game win streak when it visits Norman on Sept. 17, 2016.
Penn State vs. Pittsburgh
10 of 12
When: 2016, 2018 at Pittsburgh, 2017, 2019 at Penn State
Series record: Penn State 50-42-4
Last meeting: 2000 (Pittsburgh 12, Penn State 0)
A series that dates back to 1893 and was played every year from 1935-92 is in the midst of its longest hiatus ever, but it's now on the books for at least four more meetings starting next September. New Pittsburgh athletic director Scott Barnes would like that to extend out far further, telling Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "we want to play that game as long as we can, home-and-home."
The long-running series between Pennsylvania's two major programs has seen plenty of streaks, with Penn State claiming seven straight from 1989-99 and 10 in a row from 1966-75. Pitt's best run was 14 straight from 1922-38, which came right after two consecutive ties in the series.
Barnes cited the massive conference realignment as a reason the programs haven't met since 2000, though Penn State has been in the Big Ten since 1993 and Pittsburgh was in the Big East from 1991 until moving to the ACC in 2013.
Maybe the fresh perspectives of new coaches James Franklin at PSU and Pat Narduzzi at Pitt will help make this game become an annual staple once again.
Texas vs. USC
11 of 12
When: 2017 at USC, 2018 at Texas
Series record: USC 4-1
Last meeting: 2006 Rose Bowl (Texas 41, USC 38)
Last year's national title game between Ohio State and Oregon ushered in a new era where a true playoff system offered promise of pitting the two best teams in the country against each other to crown the national champion. Before that, we had to hope the polls or computer rankings would get it right and give us a good game, though 10 of the 16 BCS title games were decided by 10 or more points.
One very notable exception was the 2006 Rose Bowl, which doubled as the national championship and is arguably the greatest final in college football history.
"The greatest college football game ever? A strong case can be made that it was," Mike Huguenin of NFL.com wrote of Texas's 41-38 win over defending champ USC, a game which saw 32 points scored in the fourth quarter, including Vince Young's epic touchdown run in the final seconds.
Before that meeting between the Longhorns and Trojans, they hadn't met since the mid-1960s. The four previous games were all won by USC, including wins in Austin in 1956 and 1966.
Texas A&M vs. UCLA
12 of 12
When: 2016 at Texas A&M, 2017 at UCLA
Series record: Tied 2-2
Last meeting: 1998 Cotton Bowl (UCLA 29, Texas A&M 23)
Both Texas A&M and UCLA have won national titles, albeit way too far in the past to make those championships in 1939 (A&M) and 1954 (UCLA) very relevant in today's college game. But coaches Kevin Sumlin and Jim Mora have their respective programs trending in a direction where each could be adding to those title hauls very soon.
If either team is in the running for a championship in 2016 or 2017, though, they'll have to go through each other.
A&M faces Arizona State in Houston in September, which is its first game against a Pac-12 team since losing to California in the 2006 Holiday Bowl. The Aggies last played a team from that league in a true road game in 1989, losing to Washington in Seattle.
For UCLA, the 2016 outing in College Station will mark its seventh trip to Texas since 2010. The Bruins have played at Houston, Rice and Texas, also facing Texas in Arlington and participating in the Alamo and Sun Bowls. Their last clash with an SEC opponent on the road came in 2009, a 19-15 win at Tennessee.
Schedule info courtesy of FBSchedules.com.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
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