By Patrick Weider
The college football season is three months away, but it is never too early to start looking at the upcoming games.
For this article, I am going to break down the top five nonconference games. A lot of fun and intriguing matchups to break down. Three of the fives games on this list are played on the first weekend of the season, so we should be able to see where a lot of the top teams stack up early on.
Ohio State vs Texas will reportedly be a noon kickoff game 😳
— College Football Report (@CFBRep) May 12, 2025
This will be Ohio State’s 23rd appearance on Big Noon Kickoff, the most out of any team by 6 games. pic.twitter.com/0E1Ddt7agJ
1. Texas at Ohio State (Aug. 30)
The last time Ohio State and Texas met was in the semifinal match-up in the College Football Playoff back in January. Less than nine months later, they will match up against each other in week one of the regular season. Both teams are very different compared to last year’s respected teams. Ohio State had 14 players drafted in the NFL. Texas also had a big number of players drafted into the NFL, with 12. Texas will have Arch Manning starting this year, so the excitement around Texas will be huge. Ohio State will be specifically replacing eight starters on defense, but bring back wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs, two of the best players in all of college football. This game should be a heavyweight battle between two great programs.
LSU at Clemson in Week 1 is scheduled to kick off at 7:30 PM EST on ABC. 🐯🐅 pic.twitter.com/Sv4DPDZHvq
— CFB Kings (@CFBKings) May 13, 2025
2. LSU at Clemson (Aug. 30)
Another showdown between two top teams in LSU and Clemson. Both teams are legitimate national championship teams and are led by star quarterbacks in Cade Klubnik (Clemson) and Garrett Nussmeier (LSU). Clemson’s Death Valley is a tough place to play, but LSU is also a talented squad, so it should be a fun week one matchup. Whoever wins this game should have a leg up in the national title race.
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Notre Dame At Miami Week 1 ☘️🏈 pic.twitter.com/AHmZEZ0NRs
— Here Come The Irish (@herecometheiris) February 28, 2025
3. Notre Dame at Miami (Aug. 31)
The third straight top matchup for week one when Notre Dame travels to Miami. Both teams are expected to be CFP contenders, and in the case of Notre Dame, they are coming off a national championship game appearance last season. Whoever wins this game will have a big win for the year to help them through the rest of the season. Plus, this game recaptures an old rivalry in the 1980s when they were both two of the best teams in the sport. This will be an exciting week one match-up.
4. Michigan at Oklahoma (Sept. 6)
This is a fascinating game between two teams coming off down seasons. Under first year head coach Sherrone Moore, Michigan ended the season with a high note by beating Ohio State and Alabama, but still has lots of question marks on this team. Oklahoma head coach Brent Venables also struggled last year and cleaned house with his offensive coaching staff, and is hoping for an improved offensive attack this year. This is a big game for both coaches, trying to prove themselves to their fan bases.
South Carolina picks off Cade Klubnik to seal the deal on a MASSIVE Palmetto Bowl win.
— Jack Veltri (@Jacktveltri) November 30, 2024
Game for the ages. pic.twitter.com/4FFLhYI4HV
5. Clemson at South Carolina (Nov. 29)
This Palmetto Bowl was once dominated by Clemson as the Tigers won seven straight games from 2014-2021 in the series. More recently, South Carolina has won two of the last three games. Both teams are expected to be good this season, with Clemson expecting to be a national championship contender. South Carolina should be able to compete for an SEC title this year as well. This is also the latest matchup on this list as they both play each other in the last regular season game.
