The Best College Football Game of Every Week of 2015 Season
With so many teams and so few places in the national title picture, college football has high-stakes games seemingly every single week.
On any given college football Saturday, multiple championship races are twisting and turning through nationally televised clashes and surprising upsets. Big games are always on the cards.
As fans continue to count down the days—maybe even the hours—until the return of college football, let's take a journey through the 2015 schedule and find the best-looking matchup for each weekend of the season.
These games were chosen by the potential championship stakes, overall quality of the teams and recent history between the two sides. Each week also has a pair of honorable mention games that will undoubtedly be big-time matchups.
Which games do you think will be the biggest ones in each week of the season? Let us know in the comments below.
Week 1: Ohio State at Virginia Tech
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Week 1 features one of the biggest rematches of the entire season, as preseason title favorite Ohio State travels to face Virginia Tech on Labor Day.
The Buckeyes' lone loss of their national championship run came at the hands of the Hokies, who forced three interceptions from J.T. Barrett. The Ohio State quarterback rebounded to have the second-best 2014 of any college quarterback in terms of pass efficiency, but he might not get his chance to personally avenge last season's defeat—postseason hero Cardale Jones is battling him for the starting job in 2015.
Ohio State won't be at full strength when it visits Blacksburg on the first Monday night in September, as superstar defensive end Joey Bosa and a handful of offensive playmakers will be suspended. Virginia Tech will look to use those absences and what should be a rocking atmosphere inside Lane Stadium to its advantage.
Honorable Mention: Wisconsin vs. Alabama (Arlington, Texas), Arizona State vs. Texas A&M (Houston)
Week 2: Oregon at Michigan State
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One of the best home-and-home agreements in recent history will wrap up its second half in Week 2 as Oregon travels to Michigan State for another clash of contrasting title contenders.
The Spartans had a 27-18 lead in the third quarter of last year's game in Eugene, but the Ducks' fast and furious attack came alive to score 28 unanswered points. This year, Oregon has plenty of offensive playmakers but will have a new quarterback—Vernon Adams or Jeff Lockie—to go up against a veteran Michigan State team away from home.
This early matchup won't necessarily be an elimination game in the College Football Playoff. However, the loser of this one will have to avoid any more slipups for the rest of the long season.
Honorable Mention: Oklahoma at Tennessee, LSU at Mississippi State
Week 3: Ole Miss at Alabama
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Perhaps the most memorable upset of the 2014 season was a game between these two SEC West schools, and both Alabama and Ole Miss are looking like strong contenders again this season.
Last season, Ole Miss scored two touchdowns and forced a pair of turnovers late in the fourth quarter to knock off Alabama, which blocked one of the Rebels' late extra point attempts. The victory shot Ole Miss up to the top five and set off what would be a memorable stretch for football in the state of Mississippi.
Now the Rebels must head to Tuscaloosa for a prime-time showdown with the Crimson Tide, who are 9-1 in "revenge games" under Nick Saban. Both teams have strong, veteran defenses but also some offensive question marks. This game should set the tone for a wide-open season in the SEC.
Honorable Mention: Stanford at USC, Georgia Tech at Notre Dame
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Week 4: UCLA at Arizona
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UCLA and Arizona will most likely be undefeated heading into this Week 4 duel in the desert, one that will play a big role in the Pac-12 South race.
Last season, Rich Rodriguez's normally potent spread option attack registered just seven points and 255 total yards against the UCLA defense. The Bruins return most of their starters from that team, including star running back Paul Perkins and linebacker Myles Jack.
Arizona rebounded to later win the division, but the Wildcats haven't beaten a Los Angeles school since a three-point victory over USC in 2012. Look for an improved Anu Solomon to lead the Arizona offense to greater success against the experience-laden Bruins this season.
Honorable Mention: Texas A&M vs. Arkansas (Arlington), USC at Arizona State
Week 5: Alabama at Georgia
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Before a possible meeting in Atlanta for the SEC Championship, Alabama and Georgia square off in a highly anticipated cross-divisional matchup. Both teams have their eyes on title contention this season, and a win here could go a long way.
Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee wrote:
"The last time Alabama and Georgia met, it was in a de facto national semifinal in the 2012 SEC Championship Game, where the Bulldogs fell five yards short of a berth in the 2013 BCS National Championship Game. For the first time since 2008, we'll get to see the two square off in a regular-season matchup when they meet in Athens during the first weekend of October.
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Both teams will be coming off cupcake opponents in the previous weekend, so they should be fresh for this monster showdown. The victor will be the early favorite to represent the SEC in the playoff.
Honorable Mention: Notre Dame at Clemson, Arizona State at UCLA
Week 6: Georgia Tech at Clemson
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Like Week 5's matchup between Alabama and Georgia, Week 6 could be a preview of another conference championship game. Clemson and Georgia Tech are the predicted favorites in their respective ACC divisions, and they'll look for momentum and prestige in the playoff hunt with this October meeting.
Clemson lost quarterback Deshaun Watson to a knee injury early in last season's matchup and never quite recovered. Cole Stoudt threw three interceptions—including a pair that was returned for touchdowns—as the Yellow Jackets won 28-6 in Atlanta.
If healthy, Watson sets up a massive quarterback matchup against Georgia Tech's Justin Thomas. The home team has won nine of the last 10 meetings in this series, which is growing into quite an interesting rivalry over in the ACC.
Honorable Mention: Georgia at Tennessee, Wisconsin at Nebraska
Week 7: USC at Notre Dame
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Depending on how they manage the treacherous starts to their respective seasons, USC and Notre Dame could enter their annual rivalry clash needing a win to keep their national title dreams alive.
Last season, Cody Kessler and the Trojans ripped the Notre Dame defense apart to the tune of 577 yards and 49 points. After the blowout loss in Los Angeles, Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly told Chris Hine of the Chicago Tribune that the matchup "wasn't as close as the score."
The blowout loss last season played a significant role in the Irish's switch to Malik Zaire at quarterback, and he'll get his first crack against USC as a starter. And with 10 starters back, the Notre Dame defense will be looking for all kinds of revenge against Kessler and the rest of the Trojans offense in South Bend, Indiana.
Honorable Mention: Michigan State at Michigan, Alabama at Texas A&M
Week 8: Auburn at Arkansas
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This matchup can be defined by its two head coaches. Auburn's Gus Malzahn, an Arkansas native, loves to push the tempo as much as possible on offense. Arkansas' Bret Bielema, on the other hand, has been an outspoken opponent of no-huddle attacks and prefers the ground-and-pound style.
These two will meet for the third time as head coaches looking for a big win in the SEC West race. Last season, Auburn hung 45 points on Arkansas in the season opener, but the Razorbacks looked like a completely different team by season's end. This year, the Tigers catch them right in the middle of the schedule.
The styles and mind games between these two head coaches should be highly entertaining once again—remember Auburn linebacker Anthony Swain hitting the turf and stopping Arkansas' offense in 2013? This potential elimination game will be one to watch.
Honorable Mention: Florida State at Georgia Tech, Tennessee at Alabama
Week 9: West Virginia at TCU
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Week 9 lacks a true blockbuster matchup, but take a look at the Thursday night showdown in the Big 12 between TCU and West Virginia. After a bye week, this one opens a massive five-game stretch for TCU and its national title hopes.
The last three games in this series were decided by a combined five points—and they were all decided on the final play. TCU won a double-overtime game by one in 2012, and WVU hit a game-winning field goal in 2013 before TCU returned the favor in 2014.
With the recent history between these two programs, this has the potential to be one of the best Thursday night games of the season. TCU will be looking for momentum heading into November, while West Virginia fights to pull off the upset it couldn't complete last season.
Honorable Mention: Oregon at Arizona State, Florida vs. Georgia (Jacksonville, Florida)
Week 10: Florida State at Clemson
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This game has determined the ACC's Atlantic Division every year since 2009, and this year should be no different as Florida State heads into Death Valley to face Clemson.
Last season, Watson introduced himself to the college football world as the Tigers tried to knock off a Jameis Winston-less Florida State team in Tallahassee. However, backup quarterback Sean Maguire and the Seminoles pulled out a dramatic 23-17 victory in overtime en route to another undefeated regular season and conference championship.
Unless something drastic happens to Clemson, Florida State will play the rare underdog role for this matchup. The Seminoles will be focused on knocking off the preseason ACC favorites and defending their crown. The winner here will most likely be the ACC's best bet at breaking into the playoff for a second straight season.
Honorable Mention: LSU at Alabama, Arizona at USC
Week 11: Oregon at Stanford
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Looking for another division title decider? Stanford and Oregon not only have gone back and forth for control in the Pac-12 North Division, but the entire conference's champions for the last four seasons have been either the Cardinal or the Ducks.
Stanford will want to prove that last season was an anomaly in this fierce series. The Ducks used a big fourth quarter to put away the Cardinal in Eugene, as the hosts scored 21 unanswered points. Kevin Hogan will lead an experienced Stanford offense against Oregon at home, where the Cardinal knocked off then-No. 2 Oregon in overtime back in 2013.
The stakes will be extremely high for Oregon in its bid to return to the College Football Playoff, while Stanford could return to double digits in the win column this season. Can the Ducks keep the Cardinal down?
Honorable Mention: Oklahoma at Baylor, Georgia at Auburn
Week 12: Michigan State at Ohio State
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Let's go for three straight weeks of potential division-deciding games featuring national championship contenders. Ohio State and Michigan State should have a lot on the line when they face off in the Horseshoe—the losers probably won't make it to the Big Ten title game or the playoff, even if it's their only defeat of the season.
This series between Big Ten juggernauts has gone back and forth in recent seasons, with the road team taking the previous four regular-season meetings. Last season, Ohio State's offense stayed a couple steps ahead of Michigan State for most of the contest, taking a 49-37 decision in East Lansing.
The toughest obstacle between the defending national champions and a possible repeat is Mark Dantonio's veteran Michigan State team. This is a true heavyweight bout ahead of the season's biggest weekend.
Honorable Mention: USC at Oregon, TCU at Oklahoma
Week 13: Baylor at TCU
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Two games stand out above the rest in 2015's rivalry weekend: Baylor vs. TCU and the Iron Bowl. While Alabama and Auburn's annual showdown should play a big role in the playoff picture, Baylor and TCU looks like the surest national quarterfinal on the schedule.
It also helps that last season's contest in the "Revivalry" was an instant classic and SB Nation's Bill Connelly's choice for the game of the year. Baylor trailed by 21 at home in the fourth quarter but rallied in a huge way, later kicking a field goal as time expired to win a contest that featured 119 points and 1,267 total yards.
Barring several surprises, this matchup between Baylor and TCU should determine the Big 12 champion and one of the spots in the College Football Playoff. The title paths for Alabama and Auburn are more complicated than that. Good thing these games are on separate days this season.
Honorable Mention: Alabama at Auburn, UCLA at USC
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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