The 10 Most Important College Football Games of 2016 Season
We're still three months and some change away from the start of the 2016 college football season, but that hasn't stopped anyone from almost salivating at the massive matchups in store for this fall.
Sure, upsets will happen, and the makeup of conference or national title races will change drastically between now and the business end of the upcoming campaign. Some surprise contenders will come out of nowhere, and a few preseason darlings will fall apart before they even reach November.
However, looking at the 2016 schedule and projecting the biggest games of the year isn't a complete stab in the dark. Some of the biggest rivalry games always come through with high stakes, and there are a few conference matchups that can be penciled in as potential title deciders each year.
Here are some still-too-early picks for the 10 most important games of the 2016 college football regular season, based on their potential to impact conference championships and the College Football Playoff. The composite preseason Top 25 is a good measuring stick for which teams are projected to be among the best of the best this fall.
Of course, limiting this to the 10 most important games means a lot of fantastic matchups had to be left out. Think some other games will be more important in the regular season? Shout them out in the comments below.
Ohio State vs. Oklahoma
1 of 10
Date: September 17
Location: Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium (Norman, Oklahoma)
While it's not on one of the single-best opening weekends in college football history, Ohio State's trip to Oklahoma will be the best nonconference showdown of the season—and one that could loom large in the playoff picture.
Ohio State, filled with youthful potential and not much in the way of starting experience, will head to Norman after two early home matchups against Bowling Green and Tulsa. Think of those as warm-ups for what the Buckeyes will face offensively, as both employ high-speed spread attacks like Oklahoma will have with quarterback Baker Mayfield and running back Samaje Perine.
As many of Ohio State's key players will enter their first big road game as starters, Oklahoma could be looking at either an exclamation point to its nonconference schedule or what could already be a must-win game at home. The Sooners open the season with upset-minded Houston, and if they fall in H-Town, they'll need to pickup a victory against the Buckeyes in the worst way.
This is a matchup between the explosive young stars of the Ohio State offense and defense—led by experienced quarterback J.T. Barrett and linebacker Raekwon McMillan—and an Oklahoma team that returns star power but has some transitions to go through on both fronts. The coaching matchup between veterans Urban Meyer and Bob Stoops will also make for some fantastic television in this ultra-important Week 3 showdown.
Michigan State vs. Notre Dame
2 of 10
Date: September 17
Location: Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, Indiana)
Another huge matchup in Week 3 will take place in South Bend, Indiana, where Notre Dame hosts defending Big Ten champion Michigan State. These two rivals will face off for the first time since 2013, and both will be eyeing a run to the College Football Playoff in 2016.
For Michigan State, this will be a huge measuring stick in its chances at getting back to the Final Four. The Spartans only return 10 starters and have been generally ranked several spots behind rivals Michigan and Ohio State in preseason polls. After facing FCS school Furman in Week 1, Michigan State gets an off week before traveling to Notre Dame. This will be Sparty's first true test, and it's a huge one.
On the other side, Notre Dame has to feel confident about its chances at competing for a playoff berth in 2016. The Irish flirted with a playoff push despite injuries all over their depth chart, and they showcased quality depth that will now make up a good portion of their starting lineup in 2016. Notre Dame will be able to rely on a former starting quarterback—it's just not sure which one yet—and the experience of head coach Brian Kelly.
After facing Texas and Nevada in the first two weeks, a win over Michigan State would be a great resume builder for Notre Dame ahead of a run of ACC opponents. For Michigan State, it's all about proving that it belongs in the title discussion again this year and getting a signature win before hitting a grueling Big Ten schedule.
Tennessee vs. Georgia
3 of 10
Date: October 1
Location: Sanford Stadium (Athens, Georgia)
The preseason projections have this one looking like a potential division decider. Tennessee's hype is through the roof, and the most recent rankings are starting to put more value in the always-talented Georgia, even in the midst of a major coaching staff change.
Tennessee will enter Athens fresh off a home matchup against defending SEC champion Florida, which could have easily been put on this list as an important showdown. If the Volunteers are able to snap their long losing streak against the Gators, they'll have to quickly turn around to face a Georgia team looking for revenge after last season's loss in Knoxville.
Georgia will be coming off a tough nonconference matchup against Ole Miss, so this could be a must-win game for both teams in the hunt for a SEC Championship Game berth. Last year, the Bulldogs lost star running back Nick Chubb for the season early in their matchup with Tennessee, adding another storyline to what should already be a drama-packed Saturday between these two East contenders.
Whoever wins this matchup should take early control of the SEC East, and it will give the winner momentum in a tough schedule stretch. Both teams should have excellent defenses to go up against a potential "present vs. future of the East" quarterback matchup between Joshua Dobbs and Jacob Eason as well as two talented running back stables.
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Oklahoma vs. TCU
4 of 10
Date: October 1
Location: Amon G. Carter Stadium (Fort Worth, Texas)
It's a lot earlier in the season than it was last year, but Oklahoma vs. TCU has the look of another huge game in the race for the Big 12 championship and a possible College Football Playoff berth. Last season, Oklahoma's late stand to beat a banged-up TCU team by a score of 30-29 kept the Sooners' national championship hopes alive and officially ended the Horned Frogs' chances.
After playing Ohio State, Oklahoma will get a much-needed bye week ahead of its trip to TCU. The big matchup here will be between Oklahoma's high-powered offense and the TCU defense, which returns a lot more experience than the Horned Frogs' own attack. The TCU defense is designed to hurt its fellow spread teams, and head coach Gary Patterson will be right in his wheelhouse again after a couple of seasons of offensive fireworks.
TCU won't get a bye week ahead of this matchup, but it'll get an extra day following a Friday night road game against SMU in Week 4. The Horned Frogs' toughest test ahead of this one will be against Arkansas, so there's a good chance they'll be rolling when the Sooners come into town.
Six of the last seven meetings between Oklahoma and TCU have been decided by a single possession. Oklahoma is the better team on paper this season, but it'll be playing away from home against a TCU team looking to kick-start a Big 12 title run of its own. This one will loom large in this wide-open conference race.
Clemson vs. Florida State
5 of 10
Date: October 29
Location: Doak Campbell Stadium (Tallahassee, Florida)
Clemson-Florida State is the Super Bowl of the ACC and a potential national quarterfinal matchup in late October. The winner of this matchup has gone on to win the ACC Atlantic Division every year since 2009, and the last three winners have gone on to either play for the national title or compete in the College Football Playoff.
The Tigers edged the Seminoles in a classic matchup last season in Death Valley, but they have to travel to Tallahassee this fall—a place where they haven't won since 2006. Clemson is loaded with experience on its Deshaun Watson-led offense, and a defense that is undergoing another wholesale shakeup of starters won't be inexperienced by the time these two go toe-to-toe.
Florida State is becoming a trendier national championship pick after returning 17 starters from a "rebuilding" team that ended the season in the "New Year's Six." The Seminoles look to have a perfect mix of veteran talent and exciting young stars from the years and years of top-notch recruiting under head coach Jimbo Fisher. Star running back Dalvin Cook against a perennially tough Brent Venables defense should be loads of fun.
To make this matchup even better, both teams will enter the game off a bye week. Clemson and Florida State should be fresh for this monumental showdown, which will most likely determine the team going to the ACC title game with a shot at getting back into the College Football Playoff.
Michigan vs. Michigan State
6 of 10
Date: October 29
Location: Spartan Stadium (East Lansing, Michigan)
The last time in-state rivals Michigan and Michigan State squared off, one of the craziest endings in sports history happened. That alone should make this rematch a must-watch affair, but that's not all.
Michigan is riding a monstrous wave of preseason hype after winning 10 games last season and cleaning up the offseason headlines with a star-studded recruiting class and a lightning rod for a head coach. The Wolverines should be insanely tough on defense—Bleacher Report's Ben Axelrod wrote they could be among the best ever on that side of the ball—and a transitioning offense should be hitting its full stride under Jim Harbaugh by this point in the season.
The host Spartans have taken over this in-state rivalry with seven of the last eight victories, and they aren't just going to hand control back to the fast-rising Wolverines. Michigan State will boast its own tough defense with an experienced secondary and a potential superstar in the trenches in Malik McDowell. Quarterback Tyler O'Connor has held his own in a big-game environment, along with several tough running backs.
This will be the first of Michigan's three massive road matchups after what looks to be a breezy start to the 2016 season. Michigan State will be battle-tested and eager to defend its Big Ten title hopes against the preseason favorites. Watch this one until the clock hits all zeroes.
Alabama vs. LSU
7 of 10
Date: November 5
Location: Tiger Stadium (Baton Rouge, Louisiana)
The SEC West will be filled with potential landmines to title hopes this fall, and several teams have the talent to challenge for the title and a playoff berth. But when it comes to the most important game on the division's schedule, the answer has to be what Bill Connelly of SB Nation calls "Manball Christmas"—Alabama vs. LSU.
Although the Crimson Tide have won the last five meetings against the rival Bayou Bengals, this matchup commands national attention every year. A big part of that is the fact the winner of this game has been ranked in the Top Five in 12 of the last 14 years. And there's a good chance the eventual loser of the matchup was in that neighborhood, too.
This season, this could be another top-five showdown between national title contenders. Alabama has plenty of its own question marks but seems to be playing its best ball around this time of year every single season. LSU returns all but four starters combined on offense and defense, but it will need to avoid the passing-game woes that handcuffed its offense against the Tide in 2015.
This is Nick Saban vs. Les Miles, Lane Kiffin's offense vs. Dave Aranda's defense, and Alabama's dominant defensive front vs. a revenge-minded Leonard Fournette. This will all have the backdrop of the legendary Death Valley in Baton Rouge and could play a major role in who plays for a national championship this winter.
Stanford vs. Oregon
8 of 10
Date: November 12
Location: Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon)
This matchup didn't ultimately decide who played for the Pac-12 title out of the North division last year—Stanford made it there despite a 38-36 home loss to Oregon—but it had a role in determining who made it to the College Football Playoff. This year, the Pac-12 North's two best programs will square off in Autzen for what should be another memorable matchup.
Stanford is the preseason favorite in what should be a tough top-to-bottom Pac-12 this season, with teams such as Oregon, Washington and Washington State all having potential to win the North. Christian McCaffrey will lead a newer-look Stanford offense into Oregon to face a defense that will hope to have made big strides under Brady Hoke by this point in the season.
Oregon will be lightning-fast on offense yet again, and it is looking to be much more consistent than it was in what turned out to be an underwhelming nine-win campaign in 2015. This could be a potential elimination game, with Oregon coming off a tough road matchup against USC the week prior to taking on Stanford.
These two teams have combined for the last seven Pac-12 championships, and three of their last four meetings have been decided by a single possession. Playoff hopes could be crushed in this matchup, which makes it the most important game of the season yet again in the West Coast's power conference.
Michigan vs. Ohio State
9 of 10
Date: November 26
Location: Ohio Stadium (Columbus, Ohio)
The Game just keeps getting bigger with Michigan's return to the forefront of college football, and the Wolverines will be looking for revenge in November after Ohio State's warm 42-13 welcome to Jim Harbaugh in 2015. It's hard to imagine a scenario in which neither of these teams will be looking to clinch a spot in the Big Ten title game during this year's meeting, so this will be an even bigger showdown.
Ohio State has won 13 of the last 15 matchups against Michigan, and the Wolverines haven't won in Columbus since 2000. The Buckeyes won't be a team filled with inexperienced stars by this point in the season, and they'll have home-field advantage against their biggest rivals. Coming off a road game against Michigan State, they'll rely on that crowd in this one.
As it stands right now—and it's quite early—Michigan should have the better team on paper with its returning experience and star power. This matchup will come at the end of a grinding trio of road games that also features Michigan State and Iowa, so these Wolverines will be plenty tested in hostile territory.
This matchup in all likelihood should either decide the Big Ten East or at least be an opportunity for one team to clinch in a huge rivalry game—and an opportunity for the other team to sabotage the other's championship dreams. Either way, Harbaugh vs. Meyer II will be monumental.
Notre Dame vs. USC
10 of 10
Date: November 26
Location: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (Los Angeles)
A must-see rivalry game each year, Notre Dame and USC will renew its cross-country showdown on the West Coast this fall during the final Saturday of the regular season. That timing should only heighten the importance of this matchup of historic powerhouses.
For Notre Dame, this will be the last chance to convince the College Football Playoff committee that it deserves a spot in the Final Four. The Irish don't play on conference championship weekend, and USC represents the toughest matchup on its small list of true road games for 2016. If Notre Dame is in contention at this point in the season, this will be a make-or-break matchup.
As for USC, the Trojans are the preseason favorites in the Pac-12 South and have a good amount of returning experience, especially on the offensive side of the ball. The new starting quarterback and defensive front will have plenty of game experience under their respective belts, and they'll be confident after a tough road loss against the Irish last season following the firing of head coach Steve Sarkisian.
USC has a downright brutal schedule between it and a potential playoff berth, but there's no denying the Trojans have the talent in Los Angeles to compete. This matchup with Notre Dame has the potential for massive playoff implications, making it an even bigger affair in 2016.
Justin Ferguson is a National College Football Analyst at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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