College Football Schedule 2025-26

Conference Schedules icon
Tuesday, October 14, 2025
Wednesday, October 15, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Delaware JACST 38 , DEL 25 Nick Minicucci 422 Cam Cook 117 Kyre Duplessis 90
team logo Sam Houston UTEP 35 , SAMHOU 17 Skyler Locklear 236 Landan Brown 110 Wondame Davis Jr. 79
Thursday, October 16, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Tulsa ECU 41 , TLSA 27 Katin Houser 300 London Montgomery 125 Anthony Smith 150
Friday, October 17, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Miami (FL) LOU 24 , MIA-FL 21 Carson Beck 271 Isaac Brown 113 Chris Bell 136
team logo Nebraska MINN 24 , NEB 6 Dylan Raiola 177 Darius Taylor 148 Jalen Smith 59
team logo San Jose State USU 30 , SJSU 25 Walker Eget 340 Steve Chavez-Soto 102 Anthony Garcia 121
team logo North Carolina CAL 21 , UNC 18 Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele 209 Kendrick Raphael 81 Jacob De Jesus 105
Saturday, October 18, 2025
MATCHUP RESULT HI PASS HI RUSH HI REC
team logo Army West Point TULN 24 , ARMY 17 Jake Retzlaff 261 Cale Hellums 155 Brady Anderson 97
team logo LSU VANDY 31 , LSU 24 Garrett Nussmeier 225 Diego Pavia 86 Zavion Thomas 75
team logo Arizona HOU 31 , ARI 28 Noah Fifita 269 Dean Connors 100 Tre Spivey 70
team logo Baylor TCU 42 , BAYLOR 36 Sawyer Robertson 318 Kevorian Barnes 106 Jordan Dwyer 111
team logo Boston College UCONN 38 , BC 23 Joe Fagnano 362 Jordan McDonald 123 Skyler Bell 125
team logo Duke GT 27 , DUKE 18 Darian Mensah 373 Haynes King 120 Cooper Barkate 172
team logo Washington MICH 24 , UW 7 Bryce Underwood 230 Jordan Marshall 133 Zack Marshall 72
team logo Bowling Green CMU 27 , BGSU 6 Lucian Anderson III 153 Angel Flores 72 Collin Payne 63
team logo Eastern Michigan MIA-OH 44 , EASTMI 30 Noah Kim 309 Jordan Brunson 122 Harold Mack 179
team logo Dayton
vs team logo Butler
BUTLER 23 , DAYTON 17 Reagan Andrew 256 Luke Hansen 105 Ethan Loss 93
team logo Brown
vs team logo Princeton
PRINCE 40 , BROWN 21 Kai Colon 212 Ethan Clark 120 Josh Robinson 91
team logo Stonehill
@ team logo Yale
YALE 47 , STONEH 7 Dante Reno 267 Josh Pitsenberger 69 Jaxton Santiago 150
team logo Robert Morris
@ team logo LIU
LIU 17 , RMOR 7 Zach Tanner 177 O'Shawn Ross Jr. 110 Ethan Shine 119
team logo Furman
@ team logo Wofford
WOF 31 , FURMAN 13 Trey Hedden 257 Ihson Jackson-Anderson 75 Isaiah Scott 91
team logo Merrimack
@ team logo Harvard
HARV 31 , MERRIM 7 Jaden Craig 305 DJ Gordon 104 Brady Blackburn 110
team logo South Carolina OKLA 26 , SCAR 7 John Mateer 150 Tory Blaylock 101 Isaiah Sategna III 73
team logo Davidson
@ team logo Drake
DRAKE 45 , DAV 0 Coulter Cleland 252 Nick Herman 134 Ivan Hoyt 148
team logo Eastern Illinois
@ team logo Southeast Missouri State
SEMO 42 , EASTIL 13 Johnny Weber 283 Cole LaCrue 99 Donnie Cheers 165
team logo Illinois State
vs team logo Youngstown State
YSU 40 , ILLST 35 Beau Brungard 328 Beau Brungard 200 Ethan Wright 86
team logo Southern Illinois
vs team logo North Dakota
NORDAK 38 , SIU 19 DJ Williams 258 Sawyer Seidl 108 Fabian McCray 97
team logo West Virginia UCF 45 , WVU 13 Tayven Jackson 277 Jaden Nixon 116 Chris Domercant 89
team logo Stetson
@ team logo Presbyterian
PRESBY 42 , STET 7 Collin Hurst 236 Cayden Betts 65 Cincere Gill 107
team logo Hampton
@ team logo Villanova
VILL 56 , HAMP 14 Pat McQuaide 166 Earl Woods III 102 Chris Colby 65
team logo Stony Brook
@ team logo Monmouth
MONM 49 , STNYBR 21 Derek Robertson 204 Rodney Nelson 141 Josh Derry 109
team logo Indiana State
vs team logo North Dakota State
NDAKST 38 , INST 7 Cole Payton 149 Barika Kpeenu 113 Bryce Lance 74
team logo Bucknell
@ team logo Cornell
COR 30 , BUCK 20 Christopher Dietrich 220 Jordan Triplett 107 Sam Milligan 78
team logo Fordham
vs team logo Dartmouth
DART 30 , FORD 13 Grayson Saunier 281 D.J. Crowther 91 Grayson O'Bara 104
team logo Colgate
@ team logo Georgetown
GTOWN 21 , COLG 17 Jake Stearney 344 Savion Hart 67 Reed Swanson 183
team logo Gardner-Webb
vs team logo UT Martin
TN-MAR 37 , G-WEBB 7 Cole Pennington 236 John Gentry 90 Chris Lofton 130
team logo Columbia
vs team logo Penn
PENN 35 , COLUM 21 Caleb Sanchez 311 Liam O'Brien 81 Jared Richardson 157
team logo ETSU
@ team logo Chattanooga
CHAT 42 , EASTTN 38 Camden Orth 343 Devontae Houston 171 Markell Quick 125
team logo VMI
vs team logo Samford
SAM 24 , VMI 22 Collin Shannon 419 Aslin Shipe 66 Owen Sweeney 208
team logo Valparaiso
@ team logo St. Thomas (MN)
STTHMN 55 , VALPO 17 Amari Powell 265 Michael Mansaray 121 Quentin Cobb-Butler 81
team logo Murray State
vs team logo South Dakota State
SDAKST 35 , MUR 14 Jim Ogle 327 Julius Loughridge 88 Darius Cannon 100
team logo Lindenwood
vs team logo Tennessee Tech
TNTECH 52 , LINDEN 28 Nate Glantz 294 Quintell Quinn 135 Jalen Smith 102
team logo UNI
vs team logo South Dakota
SOUDAK 17 , UNI 14 Aidan Bouman 202 L.J. Phillips Jr. 73 JC Roque Jr. 91
team logo Kent State TOL 45 , KENTST 10 Tucker Gleason 294 Kenji Christian 113 Trayvon Rudolph 119
team logo Marist
@ team logo Morehead State
MOR 23 , MARIST 21 Sonny Mannino 207 Isaac Stopke 88 Ryan Upp 109
team logo Richmond
vs team logo Holy Cross
HOLYCR 28 , RICH 22 Kyle Wickersham 218 Kyle Wickersham 80 Ja'Vion Griffin 71
team logo Citadel
vs team logo Western Carolina
WCU 45 , CIT 38 Taron Dickens 369 Quentin Hayes 90 James Tyre 112
team logo Massachusetts BUFF 28 , UMASS 21 Ta'Quan Roberson 395 Brandon Hood 179 Nik McMillan 115
team logo Sacred Heart
@ team logo Montana
MONT 43 , SHEART 21 Keali'i Ah Yat 349 Mitchell Summers 87 Michael Wortham 132
team logo Louisiana-Monroe TROY 37 , UL-MON 14 Tucker Kilcrease 223 Zach Palmer-Smith 78 Tray Taylor 89
team logo Purdue NW 19 , PUR 0 Malachi Singleton 187 Joseph Himon II 87 Devin Mockobee 52
team logo Arkansas-Pine Bluff
vs team logo Grambling State
GRAM 20 , ARK-PB 16 Christian Peters 204 Tre Bradford 123 Jordan Jackson 99
team logo Wyoming AF 24 , WYO 21 Kaden Anderson 211 Liam Szarka 141 Jaylen Sargent 65
team logo UNLV BOISE 56 , UNLV 31 Maddux Madsen 253 Dylan Riley 201 Chris Marshall 96
team logo UTSA UNT 55 , TX-SA 17 Drew Mestemaker 277 Robert Henry Jr. 136 Wyatt Young 102
team logo Arkansas TEXA&M 45 , ARK 42 Marcel Reed 280 Mike Washington Jr. 147 O'Mega Blake 118
team logo Wisconsin OHIOST 34 , WISC 0 Julian Sayin 393 Isaiah West 55 Carnell Tate 111
team logo Appalachian State COASTC 45 , APP 37 JJ Kohl 278 Samari Collier 74 Davion Dozier 70
team logo Old Dominion JMU 63 , ODU 27 Alonza Barnett III 295 Alonza Barnett III 153 Tre' Brown III 138
team logo Texas State MARSH 40 , TXST 37 Brad Jackson 444 Carlos Del Rio-Wilson 93 Chris Dawn Jr. 180
team logo Charlotte TEM 49 , CHAR 14 Evan Simon 194 Jay Ducker 114 Kajiya Hollawayne 85
team logo Ole Miss UGA 43 , MISS 35 Gunner Stockton 289 Nate Frazier 72 De'Zhaun Stribling 96
team logo Clemson SMU 35 , CLEM 24 Christopher Vizzina 317 Chris Johnson Jr. 59 Jordan Hudson 131
team logo Michigan State IU 38 , MSU 13 Fernando Mendoza 332 Kaelon Black 64 Omar Cooper Jr. 115
team logo Akron BALLST 42 , AKRON 28 Ben Finley 291 Qua Ashley 143 Tim Grear Jr. 87
team logo Northern Illinois OHIO 48 , NIU 21 Parker Navarro 205 Sieh Bangura 147 Chase Hendricks 108
team logo Albany
vs team logo Rhode Island
URI 58 , ALBANY 17 Devin Farrell 333 Antwain Littleton, Jr. 72 Greg Gaines III 153
team logo Campbell
vs team logo New Hampshire
UNH 24 , CAMP 10 Matt Vezza 230 Myles Thomason 75 Daniel Lopes 88
team logo Elon
@ team logo William & Mary
W&M 26 , ELON 21 Tyler Hughes 190 Landen Clark 83 Isaiah Fuhrmann 92
team logo Texas Tech ASU 26 , TTU 22 Sam Leavitt 319 Raleek Brown 69 Jordyn Tyson 105
team logo Memphis UAB 31 , MEM 24 Ryder Burton 251 Solomon Beebe 106 Iverson Hooks 172
team logo Western Illinois
vs team logo Charleston Southern
CHSOU 29 , WESTIL 24 Cason Carswell 375 Markell Holman 71 Christian Anaya 98
team logo UT Rio Grande Valley
@ team logo Lamar
LAMAR 23 , UTRGV 21 Aiden McCown 203 Aiden McCown 88 Blake Thomas 77
team logo Alcorn State
@ team logo Florida A&M
FLAA&M 33 , ALC 28 RJ Johnson III 323 Thad Franklin Jr. 67 Kenari Wilcher 83
team logo Mississippi State FLA 23 , MSST 21 Blake Shapen 324 Jadan Baugh 150 Brenen Thompson 155
team logo Portland State
vs team logo Weber State
WEB 43 , PORST 27 Tyrese Smith 170 Chauncey Sylvester 135 Andre Miller 82
team logo Louisiana SOUMIS 22 , UL-LAF 10 Braylon Braxton 230 Lunch Winfield 98 Micah Davis 134
team logo Northwestern State
@ team logo Southeastern Louisiana
SELA 49 , NWST 0 Kyle Lowe 134 Calvin Smith Jr. 68 Jaylon Domingeaux 74
team logo Southern University
vs team logo Prairie View A&M
PVA&M 24 , SOU 3 Cameron Peters 224 Trey Holly 99 Chase Bingmon 52
team logo Wagner
vs team logo Central Connecticut State
CENTCT 24 , WAGNER 17 Brady Olson 251 Elijah Howard 83 Malik Cooper 65
team logo Howard
@ team logo Tennessee State
TENNST 24 , HOW 7 Byron McNair 174 Byron McNair 47 CJ Neely 56
team logo UIW
vs team logo East Texas A&M
ETA&M 52 , INCWOR 45 EJ Colson 275 Jaylon Spears 85 Paul Odidi 112
team logo Mercyhurst
vs team logo Duquesne
DUQ 37 , MERCYH 0 Adam Urena 83 Ness Davis 158 Joey Isabella 55
team logo Washington State UVA 22 , WSU 20 Zevi Eckhaus 183 J'Mari Taylor 47 Joshua Meredith 108
team logo Rutgers ORE 56 , RUT 10 Dante Moore 290 Noah Whittington 125 Kenyon Sadiq 80
team logo Maryland UCLA 20 , MD 17 Nico Iamaleava 221 Anthony Frias II 97 Titus Mokiao-Atimalala 102
team logo Idaho
@ team logo Eastern Washington
EASTWA 21 , IDAHO 14 Nate Bell 177 Nate Bell 134 Marquawn McCraney 105
team logo Colorado State HAWAII 31 , CSU 19 Micah Alejado 301 Landon Sims 59 Jackson Harris 109
team logo Penn State IOWA 25 , PSU 24 Ethan Grunkemeyer 93 Kaytron Allen 145 Kaden Wetjen 21
team logo Eastern Kentucky
@ team logo North Alabama
NORTAL 35 , EASTKY 14 Myles Burkett 133 Destin Wade 109 Marcus Calwise Jr. 63
team logo West Georgia
@ team logo Tarleton State
TARLST 45 , WESTGA 10 Victor Gabalis 268 James Paige 106 Cody Jackson 78
team logo Houston Christian
@ team logo McNeese
MCNE 27 , HOUCHR 0 Jake Strong 133 Xai'Shaun Edwards 130 Ja'Ryan Wallace 63
team logo Nicholls
@ team logo Stephen F. Austin
SFA 34 , NICH 7 Sam Vidlak 179 Jerrell Wimbley 69 Clayton Wayland 68
team logo Georgia State GASO 41 , GAST 24 Cameran Brown 280 Cameran Brown 120 OJ Arnold 85
team logo Kentucky TEX 16 , UK 13 Cutter Boley 258 Cutter Boley 45 Seth McGowan 68
team logo Tennessee BAMA 37 , TENN 20 Joey Aguilar 268 DeSean Bishop 123 Braylon Staley 92
team logo Florida Atlantic USF 48 , FLAATL 13 Byrum Brown 263 Byrum Brown 111 Jeremiah Koger 90
team logo Syracuse PITT 30 , SYR 13 Mason Heintschel 143 Ja'Kyrian Turner 42 Johntay Cook 66
team logo USC ND 34 , USC 24 Jayden Maiava 328 Jeremiyah Love 228 Ja'Kobi Lane 111
team logo Auburn MIZZOU 23 , AUBURN 17 Beau Pribula 252 Jeremiah Cobb 111 Cam Coleman 108
team logo Utah BYU 24 , UTAH 21 Devon Dampier 244 LJ Martin 122 Ryan Davis 66
team logo Oklahoma State CIN 49 , OKST 17 Brendan Sorsby 270 Rodney Fields Jr. 164 Joe Royer 63
team logo Abilene Christian
@ team logo Southern Utah
SOUT 31 , ABICHR 24 Stone Earle 225 Joshua Dye 179 Javon Gipson 77
team logo Northern Colorado
@ team logo Sacramento State
SAC 40 , NORCOL 35 Eric Gibson Jr. 321 Rodney Hammond Jr. 134 Carver Cheeks 223
team logo Nevada NM 24 , NEVADA 22 Carter Jones 202 Jack Layne 71 Marshaun Brown 75
team logo Lafayette ORST 45 , LAF 13 Dean DeNobile 176 Anthony Hankerson 204 Elijah Steward 68
team logo Florida State STAN 20 , FSU 13 Tommy Castellanos 242 Cole Tabb 118 Micahi Danzy 106

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.

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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

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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).

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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:

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  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

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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:

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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:

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  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:

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  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.

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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
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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
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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:

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  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
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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:

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  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

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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

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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:

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  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.

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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.

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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:

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  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:

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  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:

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  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.

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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
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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

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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
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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:

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  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:

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  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
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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:

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  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:

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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:

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  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.

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