College Football Schedule 2025-26

Conference Schedules icon
Wednesday, October 08, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Middle Tennessee
vs team logo Missouri State
MOSTU 22 , MIDDTN 20 Deuce Bailey 278 Jekail Middlebrook 93 Cam'ron Lacy 114
team logo UTEP LIB 19 , UTEP 8 Ethan Vasko 243 Vaughn Blue 79 Julian Gray 63
Thursday, October 09, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Louisiana Tech KENNST 35 , LATECH 7 Dexter Williams II 290 Coleman Bennett 73 Christian Moss 66
team logo East Carolina TULN 26 , ECU 19 Jake Retzlaff 347 Marlon Gunn Jr. 52 Zycarl Lewis Jr. 75
team logo Sam Houston JACST 29 , SAMHOU 27 Hunter Watson 136 Cam Cook 218 Pearson Baldwin 72
team logo Georgia Southern SOUMIS 38 , GASO 35 JC French IV 313 Jeffery Pittman 140 Camden Brown 158
Friday, October 10, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Marist
@ team logo Penn
PENN 28 , MARIST 9 Liam O'Brien 335 Julien Stokes 59 Jared Richardson 190
team logo Bryant
vs team logo Brown
BROWN 29 , BRYANT 19 James Murphy 347 Elijah Elliott 116 Zyheem Collick 57
team logo Cornell
@ team logo Harvard
HARV 34 , COR 10 Jaden Craig 237 Xaviah Bascon 94 Brady Blackburn 101
team logo North Texas USF 63 , UNT 36 Drew Mestemaker 326 Byrum Brown 82 Miles Coleman 101
team logo Rutgers UW 38 , RUT 19 Demond Williams Jr. 402 Demond Williams Jr. 136 Ian Strong 124
team logo Fresno State CSU 49 , FRES 21 E.J. Warner 350 Justin Marshall 93 Josiah Freeman 89
Saturday, October 11, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Missouri BAMA 27 , MIZZOU 24 Ty Simpson 200 Jam Miller 85 Lotzeir Brooks 58
team logo Oklahoma State HOU 39 , OKST 17 Conner Weigman 306 Dean Connors 83 Amare Thomas 157
team logo Stanford SMU 34 , STAN 10 Ben Gulbranson 278 Chris Johnson Jr. 96 CJ Williams 109
team logo Illinois OHIOST 34 , ILL 16 Luke Altmyer 248 Aidan Laughery 50 Cole Rusk 68
team logo Louisiana JMU 24 , UL-LAF 14 Alonza Barnett III 290 Wayne Knight 111 Robert Williams 134
team logo Charlotte ARMY 24 , CHAR 7 Grayson Loftis 68 Cale Hellums 143 Noah Short 44
team logo UCF CIN 20 , UCF 11 Cam Fancher 222 Cam Fancher 108 Joe Royer 83
team logo Florida State PITT 34 , FSU 31 Mason Heintschel 321 Gavin Sawchuk 71 Desmond Reid 155
team logo Michigan State UCLA 38 , MSU 13 Nico Iamaleava 180 Jalen Berger 89 Nick Marsh 76
team logo Akron MIA-OH 20 , AKRON 7 Ben Finley 211 Jordan Brunson 72 Kam Perry 77
team logo Toledo BGSU 28 , TOL 23 Tucker Gleason 264 Chip Trayanum 125 Cameron Pettaway 118
team logo Columbia
vs team logo Lehigh
LEHIGH 31 , COLUM 7 Hayden Johnson 240 Hayden Johnson 68 Geoffrey Jamiel 182
team logo Wagner
vs team logo Mercyhurst
MERCYH 19 , WAGNER 7 Alex Gevaudan 191 Brian Trobel 121 Brian Trobel 75
team logo Princeton
vs team logo Mercer
MERC 38 , PRINCE 14 Braden Atkinson 347 Tyrell Coard 54 Adjatay Dabbs 78
team logo Bucknell
@ team logo Lafayette
LAF 62 , BUCK 24 Dean DeNobile 316 Ethan Weber 139 Elijah Steward 116
team logo Washington State MISS 24 , WSU 21 Trinidad Chambliss 253 Kewan Lacy 142 Tony Freeman 81
team logo Northern Illinois EASTMI 16 , NIU 10 Noah Kim 147 Telly Johnson Jr. 137 Joshua Long 52
team logo Butler
vs team logo Presbyterian
PRESBY 31 , BUTLER 25 Reagan Andrew 195 Justin Montgomery 134 Nathan Levicki 82
team logo Davidson
vs team logo St. Thomas (MN)
STTHMN 57 , DAV 13 Coulter Cleland 252 Patrick Bowen 62 Quentin Cobb-Butler 137
team logo Morehead State
@ team logo Stetson
STET 21 , MOR 14 Bryce Patterson 167 Chris Stephenson 106 Ryan Upp 81
team logo Merrimack
vs team logo Maine
MAINE 20 , MERRIM 13 Carter Peevy 159 Rashawn Marshall 146 Scott Woods 75
team logo New Hampshire
@ team logo Rhode Island
URI 38 , UNH 27 Matt Vezza 193 Brendon Barrow 111 Chase Wilson 69
team logo North Carolina A&T
vs team logo South Carolina State
SCST 22 , NCA&T 16 Kevin White 194 Mason Pickett-Hicks 67 Jamison Warren 57
team logo Indiana State
vs team logo South Dakota
SOUDAK 19 , INST 14 Aidan Bouman 186 L.J. Phillips Jr. 187 Keshon Singleton 78
team logo Howard
@ team logo Sacred Heart
SHEART 32 , HOW 14 Jack Snyder 147 Mitchell Summers 243 Payton Rhoades 71
team logo Saint Francis U
@ team logo Duquesne
DUQ 52 , STF-PA 7 Tyler Riddell 185 Dazhaun Hopkins 52 Joey Isabella 63
team logo Colgate
vs team logo Richmond
RICH 24 , COLG 19 Jake Stearney 322 Danny Shaban 34 Reed Swanson 113
team logo Yale
@ team logo Dartmouth
DART 17 , YALE 16 Dante Reno 196 Josh Pitsenberger 138 Nico Brown 113
team logo Norfolk State
@ team logo Wofford
WOF 31 , NOR 14 J.T. Fayard 248 Ihson Jackson-Anderson 113 Kam'Ryn Thomas 112
team logo Valparaiso
vs team logo Dayton
DAYTON 41 , VALPO 10 Bryce Schondelmyer 202 Luke Hansen 57 Mason Hackett 73
team logo West Georgia
vs team logo Abilene Christian
ABICHR 30 , WESTGA 13 Colton Fitzgerald 241 Rovaughn Banks Jr. 79 DeAndre Buchannon 137
team logo Hampton
vs team logo Campbell
CAMP 38 , HAMP 21 Braden Davis 131 JJ Cowan 142 Maxwell Moss 81
team logo Elon
vs team logo Villanova
VILL 29 , ELON 21 Pat McQuaide 255 Isaiah Ragland 68 Luke Colella 125
team logo Towson
vs team logo Monmouth
MONM 42 , TOWSON 31 Andrew Indorf 292 Rodney Nelson 152 Jaceon Doss 139
team logo Robert Morris
vs team logo Central Connecticut State
CENTCT 24 , RMOR 12 Cooper Panteck 223 Elijah Howard 131 Chaz Middleton 186
team logo Massachusetts KENTST 42 , UMASS 6 AJ Hairston 227 Jordan Nubin 80 Jake McConnachie 67
team logo Furman
@ team logo Western Carolina
WCU 52 , FURMAN 7 Taron Dickens 220 Ben Croasdale 72 Ethan Harris 95
team logo Idaho State
@ team logo Montana State
MONTST 48 , IDAST 14 Jordan Cooke 307 Adam Jones 173 Tsion Nunnally 169
team logo UNI
@ team logo South Dakota State
SDAKST 31 , UNI 3 Chase Mason 251 Julius Loughridge 76 Alex Bullock 82
team logo Eastern Illinois
vs team logo Gardner-Webb
G-WEBB 21 , EASTIL 10 Nate Hampton 195 Carson Gresock 137 Anthony Lowe 93
team logo Western Illinois
@ team logo UT Martin
TN-MAR 32 , WESTIL 31 Cason Carswell 327 John Gentry 104 Demari Davis 109
team logo Mississippi Valley State
@ team logo Alabama A&M
ALAA&M 45 , MSVL 25 Eric Handley 247 Josh Brown 74 Franck Pierre 88
team logo Florida A&M
vs team logo North Carolina Central
NCCENT 45 , FLAA&M 7 Walker Harris 278 Chris Mosley 131 Chance Peterson 104
team logo Southern University
@ team logo Bethune-Cookman
B-C 45 , SOU 14 Cam'Ron Ransom 254 Trey Holly 71 Maleek Huggins 92
team logo Air Force UNLV 51 , AF 48 Anthony Colandrea 361 Owen Allen 192 DaeDae Reynolds 139
team logo Oregon State WAKE 39 , ORST 14 Deshawn Purdie 270 Demond Claiborne 144 Chris Barnes 102
team logo Oregon IU 30 , ORE 20 Fernando Mendoza 215 Roman Hemby 70 Elijah Sarratt 121
team logo Iowa State CU 24 , IAST 17 Kaidon Salter 255 Abu Sama III 177 Joseph Williams 128
team logo Oklahoma TEX 23 , OKLA 6 John Mateer 202 Quintrevion Wisner 94 Deion Burks 64
team logo TCU KSU 41 , TCU 28 Josh Hoover 376 Joe Jackson 110 Eric McAlister 156
team logo Southern Illinois
@ team logo North Dakota State
NDAKST 45 , SIU 17 Cole Payton 243 Bryce Lance 75 Bryce Lance 79
team logo Alabama State
@ team logo Jackson State
JKST 38 , ALST 34 Andrew Body 349 Andrew Body 93 Dylan Djete 82
team logo Georgia State APP 41 , GAST 20 JJ Kohl 306 Rashod Dubinion 59 Ted Hurst 105
team logo Old Dominion MARSH 48 , ODU 24 Colton Joseph 266 Carlos Del Rio-Wilson 95 Demarcus Lacey 121
team logo Virginia Tech GT 35 , VATECH 20 Haynes King 213 Malachi Hosley 129 Ayden Greene 72
team logo North Carolina State ND 36 , NCSU 7 CJ Carr 342 Jeremiyah Love 86 Eli Raridon 109
team logo Maryland NEB 34 , MD 31 Dylan Raiola 260 Emmett Johnson 176 Nyziah Hunter 125
team logo Penn State NW 22 , PSU 21 Preston Stone 163 Kaytron Allen 90 Devonte Ross 115
team logo Ball State WESTMI 42 , BALLST 0 Broc Lowry 241 Broc Lowry 108 Tailique Williams 55
team logo VMI
@ team logo ETSU
EASTTN 45 , VMI 10 Jake McNamara 176 Devontae Houston 76 Jeremiah Harrison 71
team logo Cal Poly
@ team logo Montana
MONT 28 , CALPLY 9 Keali'i Ah Yat 257 Eli Gillman 123 Michael Wortham 84
team logo North Alabama
vs team logo Central Arkansas
CENARK 49 , NORTAL 21 Austin Myers 232 Landen Chambers 184 Malachi Henry 119
team logo Tennessee State
@ team logo Southeast Missouri State
SEMO 28 , TENNST 12 Johnny Weber 283 Cole Ruble 93 Cam Pedro 94
team logo Youngstown State
@ team logo North Dakota
NORDAK 35 , YSU 17 Beau Brungard 269 Sawyer Seidl 114 Ky Wilson 102
team logo Temple NAVY 32 , TEM 31 Evan Simon 341 Blake Horvath 155 Kajiya Hollawayne 138
team logo Charleston Southern
vs team logo Tennessee Tech
TNTECH 27 , CHSOU 13 Kekoa Visperas 157 Kekoa Visperas 72 Nebanye Moore 57
team logo Arkansas TENN 34 , ARK 31 Taylen Green 256 DeSean Bishop 146 Braylon Staley 109
team logo San Diego
vs team logo Drake
DRAKE 19 , SD 16 Chase Spellman 128 Adam Criter 108 Cole Monach 82
team logo Idaho
vs team logo Northern Colorado
NORCOL 49 , IDAHO 33 Eric Gibson Jr. 350 Rocco Koch 81 Brayden Munroe 151
team logo UAB FLAATL 53 , UAB 33 Caden Veltkamp 297 Kaden Shields-Dutton 77 Asaad Waseem 105
team logo Austin Peay
@ team logo Eastern Kentucky
EASTKY 34 , APSU 20 Chris Parson 283 Brady Hensley 99 Jaden Robinson 145
team logo Northern Arizona
@ team logo UC Davis
UCDAV 45 , NOARI 24 Caden Pinnick 348 Jordan Fisher 104 Isaiah Eastman 135
team logo San Jose State WYO 35 , SJSU 28 Kaden Anderson 304 Samuel Harris 47 Danny Scudero 180
team logo Florida TEXA&M 34 , FLA 17 DJ Lagway 245 Jadan Baugh 65 Mario Craver 77
team logo Wisconsin IOWA 37 , WISC 0 Mark Gronowski 107 Kamari Moulton 96 Lance Mason 29
team logo Murray State
vs team logo Illinois State
ILLST 46 , MUR 32 Tommy Rittenhouse 338 Jawaun Northington 71 Daniel Sobkowicz 162
team logo Northwestern State
@ team logo Houston Christian
HOUCHR 20 , NWST 17 Abram Johnston 124 Xai'Shaun Edwards 214 Ja'Ryan Wallace 37
team logo East Texas A&M
vs team logo Lamar
LAMAR 33 , ETA&M 23 Aiden McCown 285 KJ Shankle 59 Kyndon Fuselier 71
team logo Grambling State
vs team logo Texas Southern
TXSO 21 , GRAM 20 KJ Cooper 89 Athean Renfro 152 Kerien Charlo 48
team logo Louisiana-Monroe COASTC 23 , UL-MON 8 Aidan Armenta 176 Samari Collier 86 Jonathan Bibbs 79
team logo Michigan USC 31 , MICH 13 Jayden Maiava 265 King Miller 158 Andrew Marsh 127
team logo Rice TX-SA 61 , RICE 13 Owen McCown 236 Daelen Alexander 128 AJ Wilson 77
team logo Auburn UGA 20 , AUBURN 10 Gunner Stockton 217 Jackson Arnold 55 Zachariah Branch 57
team logo Kansas TTU 42 , KU 17 Jalon Daniels 228 Cameron Dickey 263 Boden Groen 76
team logo Purdue MINN 27 , PUR 20 Drake Lindsey 232 Devin Mockobee 98 Darius Taylor 67
team logo Boston College CLEM 41 , BC 10 Cade Klubnik 280 Turbo Richard 75 Bryant Wesco Jr. 106
team logo South Carolina LSU 20 , SCAR 10 Garrett Nussmeier 254 Matt Fuller 83 Trey'Dez Green 119
team logo Arizona BYU 33 , ARI 27 Noah Fifita 219 LJ Martin 162 Parker Kingston 117
team logo Utah Tech
vs team logo Tarleton State
TARLST 41 , UTAHTE 23 Bronson Barben 174 James Paige 114 Eric Olsen 75
team logo Weber State
vs team logo Sacramento State
SAC 55 , WEB 27 Dijon Jennings 157 Cardell Williams 139 Chauncey Sylvester 54
team logo Texas State TROY 48 , TXST 41 Tucker Kilcrease 415 Greg Burrell 136 DJ Epps 148
team logo New Mexico BOISE 41 , NM 25 Maddux Madsen 226 Dylan Riley 101 Ben Ford 78
team logo Arizona State UTAH 42 , ASU 10 Jeff Sims 124 Devon Dampier 120 Ryan Davis 68
team logo Nevada SDSU 44 , NEVADA 10 Jayden Denegal 205 Lucky Sutton 81 Jordan Napier 110
Sunday, October 12, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Utah State HAWAII 44 , USU 26 Micah Alejado 413 Miles Davis 102 Jackson Harris 117

All times are in ET. Tap on each match's time to view it in your local timezone.

College Football Schedule

Rose Bowl

The United States probably has the biggest following with respect to any college sport in the world. In fact, there are plenty of people in America who are not as gung ho about the professional sports leagues such as the NFL, NBA, MLB, etc. as they are about the NCAA (National Collegiate Athletics Association) sports. There could be several reasons for this but the one thing that stands out is the passion individuals have for their school and the respective college team.

The college football season typically starts from the end of August to the early part of January. Teams generally play anywhere between 8 to 12 games a year. They play an equal number of home and away games throughout the season but the scheduling process is quite complex to understand.

Ad

Understanding how the NCAA runs college football games can be quite confusing. The NCAA for instance does not control all aspects of college football games. It only has control over the rules and compliances on the field, apart from that everything else including the money and the tournaments is managed by the respective conferences of college football.

NCAA Football Conferences

Ad

The NCAA football constitutes first and foremost of four divisions which are Division 1 FBS, Division 1 FCS, Division 2, and Division 3. Most of the college football teams belong to either one of these divisions. Although not everything is set in stone, it is generally considered that playing college football for a Division 1 school will get you the maximum chance of going professional in the future.

We will check out only the Division 1 FBS in this article as it is the most important one and really the only one that matters. FBS stands for Football Bowl Subdivision and within this division, we have a total of 10 different conferences. The four teams of Notre Dame, Brigham Young University, Army, and Navy do not belong to any of the conferences despite being in the FBS.

Out of these ten, there are five conferences known as the Power Five Conferences, which are the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), Big Ten Conference, Big 12 Conference, Pac-12 Conference, and Southeastern Conference (SEC).

Ad

The remaining five conferences which are at times referred to as the Non-Power Five (Group of 5) Conferences are the American Athletic Conference (AAC), Conference USA Conference, Mid-American Conference (MAC), Mountain West Conference (MWC), and the Sun Belt Conference (SBC).

NCAA Football Schedule Process

Ad

This is where things start getting tricky because every conference in college football has its individual freedom. That means all conferences have the autonomy to create their own schedules, but it is not as simple as just assigning two teams to play each other within their own conference.

Every conference has its own set of rules and guidelines which they use to schedule games. In addition to that, some conferences have more pull than others thereby directly impacting which teams get to play the best games. To create one national schedule from this is one tough ask.

It may come as a surprise that in today's day and age when the simplest of simple things are done with the help of an algorithm run by software, that college football schedules are drawn up by speaking to one another and agreeing to terms. The conference officials and the athletic directors all must come together and work out a possible schedule that works for everyone and which also allots an equal number of home and away games to each team.

Ad

There are three main factors which go into consideration during the scheduling of college football games. They are conference scheduling, non-conference scheduling, and TV broadcasting.

Ad

Conference scheduling

Since each conference has its own method of scheduling games, the process remains unique to all conferences. Generally, all the schools will play the other schools within their conference at least once a year. The Power Five conferences also play a few cross-divisional games in addition to their conference games.

Non-conference scheduling

Ad

These are the games that each team needs to play outside of their own conference against other teams. As each team must figure out with whom they will play and when and where, this can get a bit complicated, especially for the smaller school.

Power Five teams will normally play one or two non-conference games with other Power Five conferences as well as one or two games with teams from Group of Five conferences. Since the reward is greater for Group of Five teams when they go up against the Power Five competition, teams from the former conferences will generally try to play more games with the latter. In doing so, Group of Five teams will get a significantly more amount of revenue.

TV Broadcasting

Ad

The third factor that goes into scheduling college football games is that of TV broadcasting. This is because all top networks want to show the best possible games at the best time slots on their respective networks. Therefore, many times the TV networks will also have a say in the scheduling matters and may request any changes or modifications as they see fit.

Power 5 and Group of 5 Conferences

Typically, the best of the best teams are all in the Power 5 conferences. They are the ones who receive the maximum media attention, the maximum revenue, and boast of the maximum fan following as well. The teams in these conferences have a long-standing history of winning and producing the best talent that will carry forward to the professional league.

Each conference in the Power Five has its own rules for scheduling and not all conferences play the same number of games within their own conference. For example, teams in the Big Ten conference will play nine conference games and three non-conference games, but the same is not the case with the SEC as they play only eight conference games and four non-conference games.

Ad

However, a lot of mixing up and shaking up of the conferences and their rules keep taking place and therefore not everything can be attributed to a permanent way of functioning. For instance, some teams are looking to jump from one conference to another while some conferences that are playing eight inter-conference games want to move to nine.

Therefore, for the various conferences to make their schedules, a lot of attention must be given to all the guidelines and a committee needs to monitor all the intricacies such as the competitive balance between the teams, broadcast terms and conditions, an equal number of home and away games, and more.

Ad

As for the Group of Five conferences, most of them will play eight inter-conference games and four non-conference games. The same level of thought process must go into making the schedule for these conferences as well. But one disadvantage for the Group of 5 teams is that they must strive harder to get a matchup with some of the Power 5 teams.

Conference Scheduling

Ad

Since all conferences have their unique ways of creating a schedule, not all teams will play each other from their respective conference on an annual basis. Such a case arises because there are a greater number of teams in conferences than the number of games a team can play. Therefore, each conference needs to resort to a rotation-based design to ensure that teams will play each other once every few years.

For example, if we look at the Big 12 conference, it has a total of ten teams. This conference plays 9 conference and 1 non-conference game throughout the season. Thus, as per the rotation policy, each team will play all other teams in the conference at least once in two years.

Ad

Taking the example of the SEC, which is probably the most popular conference today, it has fourteen teams within the conference and it is also subdivided into two divisions, namely: the East and the West. Each team will play a total of eight conference games out of which six are from their own division and the other two are from the other division. This conference also has 1 permanent rival for each team and it rotates the other seven conference games every year.

Non-Conference Scheduling

Ad

Scheduling the non-conference games does not require any rotational policy as teams are free to select their opponents mutually. However, teams will want to play games against top-quality opposition to ensure they remain at a high level when they play their conference games. Also, the Group of 5 conference teams can take this opportunity to not only see where they are in terms of performance with the top tier teams, but they can also generate much more income from these games as more media and revenue are associated with the Power 5 teams.

When it comes to non-conference scheduling, there are many teams that have created matchups with one another years in advance. This is done as careful planning is required to generate proper revenue for home games and to maintain steady competition. Teams will alternate between easy and difficult games every other year as a way of balancing out their schedules.

Ad

FBS Power 5 Conferences

ACC Scheduling

From 2023, the ACC will play their games with the newly introduced 3-5-5 format. That means that each team will play three of their rivals on a permanent basis which leaves ten teams. These ten teams will be separated into two groups of five and they will be flipped every other year. Therefore, within the conference the ACC will play eight teams and then they will play a further four teams outside of their conference as well.

As of 2023, the ACC consists of 14 schools in the conference which are as follows:

Ad
  1. Boston College Eagles
  2. Clemson Tigers
  3. Duke Blue Devils
  4. Florida State Seminoles
  5. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
  6. Louisville Cardinals
  7. Miami Hurricanes
  8. North Carolina Tar Heels
  9. North Carolina State Wolfpack
  10. Pittsburgh Panthers
  11. Syracuse Orange
  12. Virginia Cavaliers
  13. Virginia Tech Hokies
  14. Wake Forest Demon Deacons

The permanent matchups for the ACC teams are as below:

UniversityRival 1Rival 2Rival 3
Boston CollegeMiamiPittsburghSyracuse
ClemsonFlorida StateGeorgia TechNC State
DukeNorth CarolinaNC StateWake Forest
Florida StateClemsonMiamiSyracuse
Georgia TechClemsonLouisvilleWake Forest
LouisvilleGeorgia TechMiamiVirginia
MiamiBoston CollegeFlorida StateLouisville
North CarolinaDukeNC StateVirginia
NC StateClemsonDukeNorth Carolina
PittsburghBoston CollegeSyracuseVirginia Tech
SyracuseBoston CollegeFlorida StatePittsburgh
VirginiaLouisvilleNorth CarolinaVirginia Tech
Virginia TechPittsburghVirginiaWake Forest
Wake ForestDukeGeorgia TechVirginia Tech

Big 10 Scheduling

Ad

The Big 10 which is divided into the East and West division follows a nine game conference schedule. Seven teams are placed in both divisions based upon their locality. The Big 10 schedules six divisional games and three cross divisional games. The Indiana and Perdue game is an annual cross division game which is a permanent fixture. Apart from this, each team will face three non-conference teams as well.

As of 2023, the Big Ten’s two divisions and their respective teams are as follows:

Ad
EastWest
Ohio State BuckeyesMinnesota Golden Gophers
Rutgers Scarlet KnightsIowa Hawkeyes
Maryland TerrapinsWisconsin Badgers
Michigan WolverinesIllinois Fighting Illini
Michigan St. SpartansPurdue Boilermakers
Penn St. Nittany LionsNorthwestern Wildcats
Indiana HoosiersNebraska Cornhuskers

Big 12 Scheduling

The Big 12’s current scheduling system is a 14 team round robin event. Upon its conclusion, the top two teams in the conference will fight it out in the Championship game to declare the eventual winner of the conference.

The current teams playing in the Big 12 conference are:

Ad
  1. BYU Cougars
  2. Cincinnati Bearcats
  3. Houston Cougars
  4. Iowa State Cyclones
  5. Kansas Jayhawks
  6. Kansas State Wildcats
  7. Oklahoma Sooners
  8. Oklahoma State Cowboys
  9. Texas Longhorns
  10. UCF Knights
  11. Baylor Bears
  12. TCU Horned Frogs
  13. Texas Tech Red Raiders
  14. West Virginia Mountaineers

PAC-12 Scheduling

The PAC-12 which once followed divisions of two has done away with them and now hold a round robin system similar to that of the Big 12. Once the season comes to an end the top two teams in the conference will play the Championship game.

The PAC-12 football conference is made up of the following teams:

Ad
  1. USC Trojans
  2. Arizona Wildcats
  3. Arizona State Sun Devils
  4. California Golden Bears
  5. Colorado Buffaloes
  6. Oregon Ducks
  7. Oregon State Beavers
  8. Stanford Cardinal
  9. UCLA Bruins
  10. Utah Utes
  11. Washington Huskies
  12. Washington State Cougars

SEC Scheduling

Considered by many to be the best conference in college football at least since the past few years, the SEC operates in a division format with two divisions of seven teams each. However, with more teams joining next year, it is expected that the current system will undergo a change to better accommodate the expansion of the conference. At present though, each team within the conference plays eight conference games.

From the division itself, each team plays all the other six teams every year. Then, each team has a permanent cross division rival for the seventh game and the eighth game is a cross divisional rotation.

Ad

The SECs permanent cross-divisional matchups are:

  1. Alabama vs. Tennessee
  2. Arkansas vs. Missouri
  3. Auburn vs. Georgia
  4. LSU vs. Florida
  5. Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
  6. Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt
  7. Texas A&M vs. South Carolina.

The teams participating in the SEC conference as of 2023 are:

EastWest
Vanderbilt CommodoresAlabama Crimson Tide
Georgia BulldogsArkansas Razorbacks
Kentucky WildcatsAuburn Tigers
Missouri TigersOle Miss Rebels
Tennessee VolunteersMississippi State Bulldogs
Florida GatorsTexasA&M Aggies
South Carolina GamecocksLSU Tigers
Ad

FBS Group of Five Conferences

AAC Scheduling

The AAC scheduling system has just recently undergone a change which is expected to be continued till 2026. Featuring a conference of 14 teams, each team is set to play 8 conference games. As per this schedule, each team within the conference will face every other team twice in a period of four years getting one home game and one away game respectively. The ACC has also included six annual matchups which are as follows:

  1. North Texas vs. SMU
  2. UAB vs. Memphis
  3. Rice vs. UTSA
  4. Charlotte vs. East Carolina
  5. Florida Atlantic vs. South Florida
  6. Navy vs. Temple
Ad

The 14 members of the AAC are as follows:

  1. Memphis Tigers
  2. Charlotte 49ers
  3. Florida Atlantic Owls
  4. Navy Midshipmen
  5. Rice Owls
  6. SMU Mustangs
  7. South Florida Bulls
  8. Temple Owls
  9. Tulane Green Wave
  10. Tulsa Golden Hurricane
  11. UAB Blazers
  12. UTSA Roadrunners
  13. East Carolina Pirates
  14. North Texas Mean Green

C-USA Scheduling

This conference has been quite unstable since its formation. Several teams have left to join different conferences while new teams are making their way to the C-USA. This conference is set to expand further by next year making it one of the most unpredictable conferences in college football. As a result, the current schedule is in place only for the 2023 season and is expected to undergo some type of modification before the 2024 season. As for now, all nine teams from the conference will play each other in a round robin format.

The nine teams which make up the C-USA conference are:

Ad
  1. Liberty Flames
  2. Jacksonville State Gamecocks
  3. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
  4. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
  5. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
  6. Sam Houston Bearkats
  7. FIU Panthers
  8. New Mexico State Aggies
  9. UTEP Miners

MAC Scheduling

The MAC conference is quite simple as it is divided into divisions featuring six teams each. Teams in this conference are set to play eight conference games which includes five divisional games and three cross divisional games.

The divisions of the MAC are as below:

EastWest
Ohio BobcatsCentral Michigan Chippewas
Akron ZipsEastern Michigan Eagles
Bowling Green FalconsNorthern Illinois Huskies
Miami (OH) RedHawksToledo Rockets
Buffalo BullsWestern Michigan Broncos
Kent State Golden FlashesBall State Cardinals
Ad

MWC Scheduling

The MWC has made a change from 2023 onwards. Earlier this conference had a divisional system but now that has been scrapped. The twelve-team conference will play a 2-6 format wherein the 2 games will be against fixed opponents every year. The remaining six games will be rotation based and will be flipped every other year.

The teams making up the Mountain West Conference are:

Ad
  1. Air Force Falcons
  2. Fresno State Bulldogs
  3. Wyoming Cowboys
  4. San Diego State Aztecs
  5. New Mexico Lobos
  6. UNLV Rebels
  7. Utah State Aggies
  8. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
  9. San Jose State Spartans
  10. Colorado State Rams
  11. Boise State Broncos
  12. Nevada Wolf Pack

The two permanent fixtures per team are as below:

UniversityRival 1Rival 2
Air ForceColorado StateWyoming
Boise StateNew MexicoUtah State
Colorado StateAir ForceWyoming
Fresno StateNevadaSan Jose State
HawaiiSan Diego StateUNLV
NevadaFresno StateUNLV
New MexicoBoise StateSan Jose State
San Diego StateHawaiiUtah State
San Jose StateFresno StateNew Mexico
UNLVHawaiiNevada
Utah StateBoise StateSan Diego State
WyomingAir ForceColorado State

SBC Scheduling

Ad

The SBC conference is another one divided into two divisions of seven teams each. According to their scheduling, each team will play two cross divisional games, one at home and one away. Furthermore, each team will play against all six divisional opponents every year for a total of eight conference games.

The divisions of the SBC conference are as below:

EastWest
Old Dominion MonarchsLouisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Georgia Southern EaglesSouth Alabama Jaguars
Georgia State PanthersSouthern Miss Golden Eagles
James Madison DukesTexas State Bobcats
Marshall Thundering HerdTroy Trojans
Appalachian State MountaineersArkansas State Red Wolves
Coastal Carolina ChanticleersLouisiana Ragin' Cajuns

Independents (FBS) Scheduling

Ad

The Independent programs in college football are very few today with only four of them left. Most of the independent schools from earlier have joined other conferences as they can then earn revenue from television broadcasting. In addition to that, joining a conference makes their scheduling worries easier. However, the independent schools do get more flexibility to schedule their matchups as they are not conference bound. This gives them added advantage in having interesting games throughout the year.

The four independent football schools that are remaining are:

Ad
  1. Army West Point Black Knights
  2. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
  3. Connecticut Huskies
  4. Massachusetts Minutemen

The Army has fixed annual games against the Navy and Air Force. They also have a rivalry game with Notre Dame but it is not on an annual basis and is scheduled quite randomly. As for Notre Dame, they have many long-standing rivalry matchups throughout the year and they also have a deal with the ACC which gives them five games every year.

UConn was earlier part of the AAC but their other sports faced some issues due to which they had to leave the conference in 2020. Nowadays, as their football program is not so strong, many FBS schools play against them in order to fill out their schedules.

Ad

FCS Conferences

The conferences in the FCS division of college football are undergoing regular changes with new conferences coming up and teams leaving and joining every passing year. As a result of which the scheduling format for these conferences keep on changing and information pertaining to the same is scantily available.

Ad

Big Sky Scheduling

The Big Sky Conference consists of twelve teams currently. Their schedule from 2022 to 2024 is set at eight league games which comprises two fixed annual opponents and six rotating ones. This new format was put into action to make sure that teams would get to play other teams in the conference more frequently than earlier. Teams have also been afforded the flexibility to choose at least one of their permanent opponents.

The Big Sky’s twelve-member conference is as follows:

Ad
  1. Idaho Vandals
  2. Montana Grizzlies
  3. Sacramento State Hornets
  4. Weber State Wildcats
  5. Cal Poly Mustangs
  6. Montana State Bobcats
  7. UC Davis Aggies
  8. Eastern Washington Eagles
  9. Idaho State Bengals
  10. Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
  11. Northern Colorado Bears
  12. Portland State Vikings

Big South Scheduling

The Big South Conference is one of the newest conferences in college football. Initially starting out with nine teams, it has quickly been reduced to only four at present. This conference has decided to merge with the Ohio Valley Conference in 2026 as both conferences do not have sufficient teams. Due to so many ongoing changes, the exact scheduling format for the Big South Conference is not available.

The four teams in the Big South Conference are as below:

Ad
  1. Bryant Bulldogs
  2. Charleston Southern Buccaneers
  3. Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
  4. Robert Morris Colonials

Coastal Athletic Association Conference Scheduling

The CAA conference which consists of fifteen teams has each team playing eight games in the conference. Moreover, each team has been allotted two permanent rivals annually while the remaining six games are on rotation basis. This means each team will play every other team at home and away at least once in eight years.

The fifteen members of the CAA conference are:

Ad
  1. William & Mary Tribe
  2. Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
  3. Monmouth Hawks
  4. Rhode Island Rams
  5. Villanova Wildcats
  6. Hampton Pirates
  7. New Hampshire Wildcats
  8. Albany Great Danes
  9. Elon Phoenix
  10. Maine Black Bears
  11. North Carolina A&T Aggies
  12. Richmond Spiders
  13. Campbell Fighting Camels
  14. Towson Tigers
  15. Stony Brook Seawolves

Independents (FCS) Conference Scheduling

In the FCS division of college football, the Kennesaw State Owls are the only team which are playing as an independent conference. The Owls are slowly beginning their transition from the FCS to the FBS as they are moving to Conference USA football conference in 2024.

Ad

Ivy League Conference Scheduling

There are a total of eight Ivy League Schools featuring in the college football program. The Ivy League Conference usually starts a little later than the other conferences, mostly near mid-September. These schools play ten games each which include a complete round-robin system where each team plays all the other seven teams. The remaining three games are scheduled against non-conference teams.

Ivy League Conference teams include:

  1. Dartmouth Big Green
  2. Harvard Crimson
  3. Columbia Lions
  4. Princeton Tigers
  5. Cornell Big Red
  6. Penn Quakers
  7. Yale Bulldogs
  8. Brown Bears
Ad

Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Scheduling

The MEAC is a conference consisting of six football teams. As per their schedule for the 2023 season, teams will play non-conference games at the start and the end of the season with conference games being sandwiched in between.

The six participating teams in MEAC are”

  1. North Carolina Central Eagles
  2. Howard Bison
  3. Morgan State Bears
  4. Norfolk State Spartans
  5. Delaware State Hornets
  6. South Carolina State Bulldogs

Missouri Valley Conference Scheduling

Ad

The Missouri Valley Conference is one of those which has somewhat of a complex history. It has undergone a couple of name changes over the years as well. This conference uses a simple round robin system to decide the eventual conference champion. The first three weeks are usually reserved for non-conference matchups while the remaining nine weeks are for conference games. Teams are also allowed to make changes to their schedule provided both teams have a written agreement in place.

  1. Teams participating in this conference currently are:
  2. Illinois State Redbirds
  3. North Dakota Fighting Hawks
  4. North Dakota State Bison
  5. South Dakota State Jackrabbits
  6. Southern Illinois Salukis
  7. Murray State Racers
  8. South Dakota Coyotes
  9. Youngstown State Penguins
  10. Indiana State Sycamores
  11. Missouri State Bears
  12. UNI Panthers
  13. Western Illinois Leathernecks
Ad

Northeast Conference Scheduling

The Northeast Conference features eight teams which will all play each other. Each team will get four home games and three away games in the conference. Each team will also play three away non-conference games for the 2023 season.

The eight teams making up the Northeast Conference are:

Ad
  1. Stonehill Skyhawks
  2. Duquesne Dukes
  3. LIU Sharks
  4. Merrimack Warriors
  5. Sacred Heart Pioneers
  6. Saint Francis U Red Flash
  7. Wagner Seahawks
  8. Central Connecticut State Blue Devils

Ohio Valley Conference Scheduling

The Ohio Valley Conference has joined forces with the Big South Conference as both conferences had lost several teams. Now the two conferences together have a total of ten teams and will play a schedule consisting of six conference games. As prior commitments with teams are still prevalent, more conference games cannot be played currently.

The Ohio Valley Conference teams are:

Ad
  1. Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
  2. Eastern Illinois Panthers
  3. Tennessee State Tigers
  4. UT Martin Skyhawks
  5. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
  6. Lindenwood Lions

Patriot League Conference Scheduling

The Patriot League Conference features seven teams which are as follows:

  1. Georgetown Hoyas
  2. Fordham Rams
  3. Bucknell Bison
  4. Holy Cross Crusaders
  5. Lafayette Leopards
  6. Lehigh Mountain Hawks
  7. Colgate Raiders

Pioneer League Conference Scheduling

This conference is truly a one-of-a-kind conference given the fact that it has teams from both coasts and many more through the heart of the country. The eleven team conference boasts teams such as:

  1. Stetson Hatters
  2. Butler Bulldogs
  3. Dayton Flyers
  4. Morehead State Eagles
  5. Presbyterian Blue Hose
  6. St. Thomas (MN) Tommies
  7. Marist Red Foxes
  8. Davidson Wildcats
  9. Drake Bulldogs
  10. San Diego Toreros
  11. Valparaiso Beacons
Ad

Southern Conference Scheduling

The Southern Conference is a nine-team conference which is comprised of the following teams:

  1. Western Carolina Catamounts
  2. Mercer Bears
  3. Chattanooga Mocs
  4. ETSU Buccaneers
  5. Furman Paladins
  6. VMI Keydets
  7. Citadel Bulldogs
  8. Wofford Terriers
  9. Samford Bulldogs

Southland Conference Scheduling

With eight teams featuring in the Southland Conference, each team will play against the other teams in a round-robin format in 2023. This is the first time since 2013 that the round-robin format has been implemented. Apart from these seven games, teams will also play non-conference games.

The Southland Conference is made up of the following eight teams:

Ad
  1. Houston Christian Huskies
  2. UIW Cardinals
  3. Lamar Cardinals
  4. McNeese Cowboys
  5. Nicholls Colonels
  6. Northwestern State Demons
  7. Southeastern Louisiana Lions
  8. Texas A&M-Commerce Lions

Southwestern Athletic Conference Scheduling

The SWAC has been divided into two divisions and since 2021, it has implemented the following schedule to its football program. Each team will play five divisional and three non-divisional games. Three teams from the other division will be rotated every two years. The team with the best record in the conference will get the chance to host the Championship game.

The two divisions of the SWAC are as follows:

Ad
EASTWEST
Florida A&M RattlersPrairie View A&M Panthers
Mississippi Valley State Delta DevilsAlcorn State Braves
Alabama A&M BulldogsArkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions
Alabama State HornetsGrambling State Tigers
Bethune-Cookman WildcatsSouthern University Jaguars
Jackson State TigersTexas Southern Tigers

United Athletic Conference Scheduling

The United Athletic Conference is a newly formed conference with the merger of two previously independent conferences, namely, the ASUN Conference and the Western Athletic Conference. Having nine teams currently as part of its membership, the UAC will be limited to six conference games for the 2023 season before it switches to a full round-robin system in 2024.

The UAC teams at present include:

Ad
  1. Tarleton State Texans
  2. Abilene Christian Wildcats
  3. Central Arkansas Bears
  4. Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
  5. Austin Peay Governors
  6. Eastern Kentucky Colonels
  7. Southern Utah Thunderbirds
  8. Utah Tech Trailblazers
  9. North Alabama Lions

Conclusion

In short, college football scheduling is not the same for each team as it has more flexibility. This is the case because the NCAA does not have a say in scheduling matters which is being handled by the respective conferences. Furthermore, each conference has its own set of rules that it follows to prepare its unique schedule taking into consideration various factors such as home and away games, conference, and non-conference games, and of course the broadcasting terms and conditions.

Sometimes, another issue which crops up during scheduling is the lack of availability of a stadium due to various factors beyond the team’s control. Considering all these factors, the committee members of each conference come out with a schedule which is then overseen by the NCAA.

Ad
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications