College Football Schedule 2025-26
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IAST 24 , KSU 21 | Avery Johnson 273 | Carson Hansen 71 | Jayce Brown 78 |
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NICH 20 , INCWOR 6 | Deuce Hogan 221 | Jaylon Spears 49 | Chedon James 59 |
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UNLV 38 , IDAST 31 | Jordan Cooke 380 | Jai'Den Thomas 147 | Jaden Bradley 131 |
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TARLST 42 , PORST 0 | Victor Gabalis 152 | Tre Page III 170 | Cody Jackson 96 |
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KU 31 , FRES 7 | E.J. Warner 179 | Daniel Hishaw Jr. 69 | Cam Pickett 77 |
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WESTKY 41 , SAMHOU 24 | Maverick McIvor 401 | Hunter Watson 91 | Matthew Henry 148 | |
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HAWAII 23 , STAN 20 | Micah Alejado 210 | Micah Ford 113 | Pofele Ashlock 69 |
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NCCENT 31 , SOU 14 | Walker Harris 183 | Chris Mosley 174 | Chance Peterson 42 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
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USF 34 , BOISE 7 | Maddux Madsen 223 | Alvon Isaac 52 | Chas Nimrod 96 | |
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RUT 34 , OHIO 31 | Athan Kaliakmanis 252 | Parker Navarro 93 | Chase Hendricks 115 |
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BGSU 26 , LAF 7 | Dean DeNobile 112 | Kaderris Roberts 66 | RJ Garcia II 32 | |
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YSU 24 , MERCYH 15 | Adam Urena 311 | Beau Brungard 145 | Dylan Evans 95 |
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UL-MON 29 , STF-PA 0 | Aidan Armenta 95 | Braylon McReynolds 113 | Tyler Griffin 32 | |
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EASTIL 24 , DAYTON 14 | Bryce Schondelmyer 261 | Cole LaCrue 193 | Gavin Lochow 124 |
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STTHMN 35 , LINDEN 13 | Nate Glantz 318 | Joseph Koch 154 | Drew Krobath 128 |
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WYO 10 , AKRON 0 | Kaden Anderson 260 | Sam Scott 132 | Chris Durr Jr. 146 |
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NCSU 24 , ECU 17 | Katin Houser 366 | Hollywood Smothers 76 | Wesley Grimes 121 | |
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UCF 17 , JACST 10 | Tayven Jackson 282 | Myles Montgomery 79 | Myles Montgomery 71 |
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DEL 35 , DELST 17 | Nick Minicucci 270 | Marquis Gillis 130 | Jake Thaw 92 |
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TOWSON 27 , NOR 7 | Otto Kuhns 219 | Kemarrion Battles 79 | DreSean Kendrick 125 |
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MIZZOU 61 , CENARK 6 | Beau Pribula 283 | Ahmad Hardy 102 | Marquis Johnson 134 |
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OKST 27 , TN-MAR 7 | Zane Flores 136 | Kalib Hicks 56 | Terrill Davis 75 | |
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WESTGA 34 , SAM 3 | Davin Wydner 209 | Latrelle Murrell 129 | Preston Bird 95 |
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DUKE 45 , ELON 17 | Darian Mensah 389 | Anderson Castle 69 | Cooper Barkate 117 |
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HOU 27 , SFA 0 | Conner Weigman 159 | Dean Connors 50 | Tanner Koziol 63 |
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MINN 23 , BUFF 10 | Drake Lindsey 290 | Darius Taylor 141 | Jalen Smith 76 | |
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NWST 20 , ALC 10 | Jaylon Tolbert 182 | Abram Johnston 69 | Elijah Griffin 58 |
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UAB 52 , ALST 42 | Andrew Body 312 | Jevon Jackson 166 | Jalen Jones 174 |
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NEB 20 , CIN 17 | Dylan Raiola 243 | Emmett Johnson 108 | Nyziah Hunter 65 |
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WISC 17 , MIA-OH 0 | Danny O'Neil 120 | Dilin Jones 73 | Vinny Anthony II 57 | |
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SDSU 42 , STNYBR 0 | Jayden Denegal 208 | Lucky Sutton 100 | Jacob Bostick 56 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
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TARLST 30 , ARMY 27 | Victor Gabalis 152 | Caleb Lewis 107 | Noah Short 81 |
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URI 31 , CAMP 20 | Devin Farrell 275 | Antwain Littleton, Jr. 85 | Marquis Buchanan 167 |
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APP 34 , CHAR 11 | AJ Swann 368 | Rashod Dubinion 111 | Jaden Barnes 134 | |
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WAKE 10 , KENNST 9 | Robby Ashford 218 | Coleman Bennett 65 | Gabriel Benyard 103 | |
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MSU 23 , WESTMI 6 | Aidan Chiles 163 | Makhi Frazier 114 | Baylin Brooks 85 | |
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MONM 42 , COLG 39 | Derek Robertson 491 | Rodney Nelson 169 | Treyvhon Saunders 223 |
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FIU 42 , B-C 9 | Keyone Jenkins 187 | Marqui Johnson 76 | Javon Ross 109 |
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MARIST 31 , NEWHAV 14 | AJ Duffy 377 | Sonny Mannino 109 | Joshua Tracey 145 |
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KU 46 , WAGNER 7 | Jalon Daniels 280 | Daniel Hishaw Jr. 89 | Emmanuel Henderson Jr. 130 |
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ILL 52 , WESTIL 3 | Luke Altmyer 217 | Aidan Laughery 101 | Hank Beatty 108 |
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GT 27 , CU 20 | Kaidon Salter 159 | Haynes King 156 | Bailey Stockton 48 |
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AUBURN 38 , BAYLOR 24 | Sawyer Robertson 419 | Jackson Arnold 137 | Kole Wilson 134 |
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UNLV 38 , SAMHOU 21 | Anthony Colandrea 249 | Landan Brown 85 | Jaden Bradley 125 |
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CMU 16 , SJSU 14 | Walker Eget 308 | Nahree Biggins 102 | Danny Scudero 189 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
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MSST 34 , SOUMIS 17 | Blake Shapen 272 | Davon Booth 80 | Brenen Thompson 92 | |
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TULN 23 , NW 3 | Preston Stone 161 | Jake Retzlaff 113 | Omari Hayes 74 |
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MD 39 , FLAATL 7 | Malik Washington 258 | DeJuan Williams 54 | Easton Messer 87 |
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NAVY 52 , VMI 7 | Collin Shannon 197 | Braxton Woodson 180 | Owen Sweeney 126 |
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TENN 45 , SYR 26 | Steve Angeli 274 | Star Thomas 91 | Braylon Staley 95 | |
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OHIOST 14 , TEX 7 | Arch Manning 170 | Quintrevion Wisner 80 | Jack Endries 50 | |
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PITT 61 , DUQ 9 | Eli Holstein 215 | Desmond Reid 66 | Joey Isabella 120 | |
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PUR 31 , BALLST 0 | Ryan Browne 311 | Kiael Kelly 63 | Arhmad Branch 101 |
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KENTST 21 , MERRIM 17 | Ayden Pereira 176 | Ayden Pereira 103 | Cade Wolford 109 | |
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NDAKST 38 , CIT 0 | Cole Payton 192 | Cole Payton 101 | RaJa Nelson 60 |
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LEHIGH 21 , RICH 14 | Hayden Johnson 135 | Jaden Green 88 | Geoffrey Jamiel 68 |
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UK 24 , TOL 16 | Tucker Gleason 270 | Dante Dowdell 129 | Junior Vandeross III 88 |
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GTOWN 51 , DAV 14 | Danny Lauter 135 | Savion Hart 123 | Savion Hart 78 |
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UNI 38 , BUTLER 14 | Matthew Schecklman 214 | Harrison Bey-Buie 81 | Ethan Loss 81 |
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WVU 45 , RMOR 3 | Nicco Marchiol 224 | Jahiem White 93 | Cam Vaughn 127 | |
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BC 66 , FORD 10 | Dylan Lonergan 268 | Turbo Richard 48 | Lewis Bond 138 | |
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UCONN 59 , CENTCT 13 | Joe Fagnano 260 | Cam Edwards 115 | Skyler Bell 135 | |
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SHEART 12 , STONEH 7 | Jack O'Connell 212 | Chuck Webb 82 | Dean Hangey 67 |
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FURMAN 23 , W&M 21 | Tyler Hughes 208 | Tyler Hughes 57 | Evan James 68 |
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IU 27 , ODU 14 | Fernando Mendoza 193 | Colton Joseph 179 | Omar Cooper Jr. 52 |
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JKST 28 , HAMP 14 | JaCobian Morgan 143 | Ahmad Miller 172 | MarShawn Ferguson Jr 59 |
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LOU 51 , EASTKY 17 | Miller Moss 223 | Isaac Brown 126 | Chris Bell 63 | |
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AF 49 , BUCK 13 | Ralph Rucker IV 126 | Tariq Thomas 80 | Cade Harris 83 | |
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IAST 55 , SOUDAK 7 | Rocco Becht 278 | Dylan Lee 81 | Gabe Burkle 85 | |
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NIU 19 , HOLYCR 17 | Cal Swanson 155 | Chavon Wright 77 | Max Mosey 71 | |
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PSU 46 , NEVADA 11 | Drew Allar 217 | Chubba Purdy 55 | Kyron Hudson 89 | |
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UGA 45 , MARSH 7 | Gunner Stockton 190 | Gunner Stockton 73 | Zachariah Branch 95 |
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TEM 42 , UMASS 10 | Evan Simon 248 | Jay Ducker 128 | Jacquon Gibson 132 |
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FSU 31 , BAMA 17 | Ty Simpson 254 | Tommy Castellanos 72 | Germie Bernard 146 | |
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ORE 59 , MONTST 13 | Dante Moore 213 | Noah Whittington 68 | Taco Dowler 107 |
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LIB 28 , MAINE 7 | Ethan Vasko 197 | Sincere Baines 118 | Reese Smith 40 |
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HOW 10 , FLAA&M 9 | RJ Johnson 183 | Thad Franklin Jr. 37 | Jalen Rogers 51 |
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ARK 52 , ALAA&M 7 | Taylen Green 322 | Mike Washington Jr. 79 | O'Mega Blake 121 |
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MEM 45 , CHAT 10 | Brendon Lewis 199 | Brendon Lewis 94 | Cortez Braham Jr. 52 |
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TENNST 24 , NCA&T 21 | Braxton Thomas 169 | Kendric Rhymes 174 | Devaughn Slaughter 102 |
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SOU 34 , MSVL 29 | Josh Brown 146 | Jason Gabriel 97 | Mekhi Norris 73 |
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EASTTN 45 , MUR 17 | Jim Ogle 226 | Devontae Houston 128 | Darius Cannon 86 |
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OKLA 35 , ILLST 3 | John Mateer 392 | Wenkers Wright 47 | Keontez Lewis 119 |
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IOWA 34 , ALBANY 7 | Jack Shields 134 | Xavier Williams 122 | Caden Burti 56 |
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UVA 48 , COASTC 7 | Chandler Morris 264 | Chandler Morris 50 | Cam Ross 124 |
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JMU 45 , WEB 10 | Alonza Barnett III 134 | George Pettaway 99 | Michael Scott 38 | |
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G-WEBB 52 , WCU 45 | Nate Hampton 263 | Patrick Boyd Jr. 142 | Chris Lofton 102 |
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UNH 27 , NCCENT 10 | Matt Vezza 186 | Chris Mosley 106 | Caleb Burke 78 |
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PRESBY 15 , MERC 10 | Collin Hurst 303 | Zach Switzer 33 | Dominic Kibby 114 |
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SCST 16 , WOF 15 | William Atkins IV 175 | KZ Adams 50 | Jalen Johnson 93 |
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ARKST 42 , SEMO 24 | Jaylen Raynor 345 | Brandon Epton Jr. 61 | Donnie Cheers 96 | |
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USA 38 , MORGST 21 | Bishop Davenport 166 | Kentrel Bullock 127 | Devin Voisin 69 | |
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TROY 38 , NICH 20 | Deuce Hogan 184 | Tae Meadows 186 | Miequle Brock Jr. 87 |
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TEXA&M 42 , TX-SA 24 | Marcel Reed 289 | Robert Henry Jr. 177 | Mario Craver 122 | |
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APSU 34 , MIDDTN 14 | Chris Parson 142 | Jekail Middlebrook 50 | Shemar Kirk 69 |
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WESTKY 55 , NORTAL 6 | Maverick McIvor 305 | Jaden McGill 46 | K.D. Hutchinson 113 | |
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VANDY 45 , CHSOU 3 | Diego Pavia 275 | Sedrick Alexander 83 | Eli Stowers 86 | |
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KSU 38 , NORDAK 35 | Avery Johnson 318 | Sawyer Seidl 62 | Jayce Brown 109 | |
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SDAKST 20 , SAC 3 | Chase Mason 190 | Julius Loughridge 159 | Lofton O'Groske 76 |
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INCWOR 31 , EASTWA 21 | Richard Torres 332 | Harlan Dixon 75 | Jameson Garcia 146 |
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FLA 55 , LIU 0 | Tramell Jones Jr. 131 | Jadan Baugh 104 | Vernell Brown III 79 |
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USC 73 , MOSTU 13 | Jayden Maiava 295 | King Miller 77 | Makai Lemon 90 |
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USU 28 , UTEP 16 | Bryson Barnes 233 | Miles Davis 88 | Kenny Odom 97 | |
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LATECH 24 , SELA 0 | Trey Kukuk 126 | Clay Thevenin 58 | Luke Besh 60 | |
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TTU 67 , ARK-PB 7 | Behren Morton 201 | Cameron Dickey 89 | Reggie Virgil 56 | |
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MICH 34 , NM 17 | Bryce Underwood 251 | Justice Haynes 159 | Marlin Klein 93 |
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LSU 17 , CLEM 10 | Cade Klubnik 230 | Caden Durham 74 | Aaron Anderson 99 |
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MISS 63 , GAST 7 | Austin Simmons 341 | Kewan Lacy 108 | Harrison Wallace III 130 |
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CALPLY 41 , SD 17 | Ty Dieffenbach 263 | Adam Criter 79 | Michael Briscoe 110 |
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BYU 69 , PORST 0 | Bear Bachmeier 97 | LJ Martin 131 | Carsen Ryan 47 |
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RICE 14 , UL-LAF 12 | Walker Howard 88 | Quinton Jackson 119 | Shelton Sampson Jr. 59 |
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TXST 52 , EASTMI 27 | Noah Kim 248 | Lincoln Pare 167 | Beau Sparks 82 | |
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UNT 51 , LAMAR 0 | Drew Mestemaker 329 | Kiefer Sibley 38 | Cameron Dorner 98 | |
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TLSA 35 , ABICHR 7 | Kirk Francis 218 | Dominic Richardson 142 | Javon Gipson 73 |
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PVA&M 22 , TXSO 21 | Cameron Peters 295 | Athean Renfro 66 | Kheagian Heckaman 73 |
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SOUT 46 , IDAST 24 | Jordan Cooke 334 | Joshua Dye 180 | Michael Shulikov 115 |
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NMST 19 , BRYANT 3 | Logan Fife 171 | Elijah Elliott 29 | Donovan Faupel 70 | |
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SMU 42 , ETA&M 13 | Kevin Jennings 171 | Chris Johnson Jr. 34 | Romello Brinson 102 |
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FRES 42 , GASO 14 | JC French IV 120 | Bryson Donelson 73 | Josh Dallas 48 | |
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ASU 38 , NOARI 19 | Sam Leavitt 131 | Kyson Brown 49 | Jordyn Tyson 83 | |
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WSU 13 , IDAHO 10 | Jaxon Potter 78 | Joshua Wood 56 | Joshua Meredith 31 | |
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UCDAV 31 , UTAHTE 24 | Caden Pinnick 253 | Jordan Fisher 105 | Samuel Gbatu Jr. 93 |
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ARI 40 , HAWAII 6 | Micah Alejado 74 | Quincy Craig 54 | Tre Spivey 27 |
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CAL 34 , ORST 15 | Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele 150 | Kendrick Raphael 24 | Trond Grizzell 71 |
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UW 38 , CSU 21 | Demond Williams Jr. 24 | Jalen Dupree 59 | Jonah Coleman 22 | |
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UTAH 43 , UCLA 10 | Devon Dampier 51 | Wayshawn Parker 31 | Smith Snowden 26 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
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SCAR 24 , VATECH 11 | Kyron Drones 222 | Oscar Adaway III 60 | Nyck Harbor 99 | |
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MIA-FL 27 , ND 24 | CJ Carr 221 | Mark Fletcher Jr. 66 | Eli Raridon 97 |
MATCHUP | RESULT | HI PASS | HI RUSH | HI REC | |
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TCU 48 , UNC 14 | Josh Hoover 284 | Kevorian Barnes 113 | Jordan Dwyer 136 |
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.
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
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).
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
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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:
- Boston College Eagles
- Clemson Tigers
- Duke Blue Devils
- Florida State Seminoles
- Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
- Louisville Cardinals
- Miami Hurricanes
- North Carolina Tar Heels
- North Carolina State Wolfpack
- Pittsburgh Panthers
- Syracuse Orange
- Virginia Cavaliers
- Virginia Tech Hokies
- Wake Forest Demon Deacons
The permanent matchups for the ACC teams are as below:
University | Rival 1 | Rival 2 | Rival 3 |
Boston College | Miami | Pittsburgh | Syracuse |
Clemson | Florida State | Georgia Tech | NC State |
Duke | North Carolina | NC State | Wake Forest |
Florida State | Clemson | Miami | Syracuse |
Georgia Tech | Clemson | Louisville | Wake Forest |
Louisville | Georgia Tech | Miami | Virginia |
Miami | Boston College | Florida State | Louisville |
North Carolina | Duke | NC State | Virginia |
NC State | Clemson | Duke | North Carolina |
Pittsburgh | Boston College | Syracuse | Virginia Tech |
Syracuse | Boston College | Florida State | Pittsburgh |
Virginia | Louisville | North Carolina | Virginia Tech |
Virginia Tech | Pittsburgh | Virginia | Wake Forest |
Wake Forest | Duke | Georgia Tech | Virginia Tech |
Big 10 Scheduling
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:
East | West |
Ohio State Buckeyes | Minnesota Golden Gophers |
Rutgers Scarlet Knights | Iowa Hawkeyes |
Maryland Terrapins | Wisconsin Badgers |
Michigan Wolverines | Illinois Fighting Illini |
Michigan St. Spartans | Purdue Boilermakers |
Penn St. Nittany Lions | Northwestern Wildcats |
Indiana Hoosiers | Nebraska 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:
- BYU Cougars
- Cincinnati Bearcats
- Houston Cougars
- Iowa State Cyclones
- Kansas Jayhawks
- Kansas State Wildcats
- Oklahoma Sooners
- Oklahoma State Cowboys
- Texas Longhorns
- UCF Knights
- Baylor Bears
- TCU Horned Frogs
- Texas Tech Red Raiders
- 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:
- USC Trojans
- Arizona Wildcats
- Arizona State Sun Devils
- California Golden Bears
- Colorado Buffaloes
- Oregon Ducks
- Oregon State Beavers
- Stanford Cardinal
- UCLA Bruins
- Utah Utes
- Washington Huskies
- 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.
The SECs permanent cross-divisional matchups are:
- Alabama vs. Tennessee
- Arkansas vs. Missouri
- Auburn vs. Georgia
- LSU vs. Florida
- Mississippi State vs. Kentucky
- Ole Miss vs. Vanderbilt
- Texas A&M vs. South Carolina.
The teams participating in the SEC conference as of 2023 are:
East | West |
Vanderbilt Commodores | Alabama Crimson Tide |
Georgia Bulldogs | Arkansas Razorbacks |
Kentucky Wildcats | Auburn Tigers |
Missouri Tigers | Ole Miss Rebels |
Tennessee Volunteers | Mississippi State Bulldogs |
Florida Gators | TexasA&M Aggies |
South Carolina Gamecocks | LSU Tigers |
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:
- North Texas vs. SMU
- UAB vs. Memphis
- Rice vs. UTSA
- Charlotte vs. East Carolina
- Florida Atlantic vs. South Florida
- Navy vs. Temple
The 14 members of the AAC are as follows:
- Memphis Tigers
- Charlotte 49ers
- Florida Atlantic Owls
- Navy Midshipmen
- Rice Owls
- SMU Mustangs
- South Florida Bulls
- Temple Owls
- Tulane Green Wave
- Tulsa Golden Hurricane
- UAB Blazers
- UTSA Roadrunners
- East Carolina Pirates
- 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:
- Liberty Flames
- Jacksonville State Gamecocks
- Louisiana Tech Bulldogs
- Western Kentucky Hilltoppers
- Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders
- Sam Houston Bearkats
- FIU Panthers
- New Mexico State Aggies
- 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:
East | West | |
Ohio Bobcats | Central Michigan Chippewas | |
Akron Zips | Eastern Michigan Eagles | |
Bowling Green Falcons | Northern Illinois Huskies | |
Miami (OH) RedHawks | Toledo Rockets | |
Buffalo Bulls | Western Michigan Broncos | |
Kent State Golden Flashes | Ball State Cardinals |
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:
- Air Force Falcons
- Fresno State Bulldogs
- Wyoming Cowboys
- San Diego State Aztecs
- New Mexico Lobos
- UNLV Rebels
- Utah State Aggies
- Hawaii Rainbow Warriors
- San Jose State Spartans
- Colorado State Rams
- Boise State Broncos
- Nevada Wolf Pack
The two permanent fixtures per team are as below:
University | Rival 1 | Rival 2 |
Air Force | Colorado State | Wyoming |
Boise State | New Mexico | Utah State |
Colorado State | Air Force | Wyoming |
Fresno State | Nevada | San Jose State |
Hawaii | San Diego State | UNLV |
Nevada | Fresno State | UNLV |
New Mexico | Boise State | San Jose State |
San Diego State | Hawaii | Utah State |
San Jose State | Fresno State | New Mexico |
UNLV | Hawaii | Nevada |
Utah State | Boise State | San Diego State |
Wyoming | Air Force | Colorado State |
SBC Scheduling
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:
East | West |
Old Dominion Monarchs | Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks |
Georgia Southern Eagles | South Alabama Jaguars |
Georgia State Panthers | Southern Miss Golden Eagles |
James Madison Dukes | Texas State Bobcats |
Marshall Thundering Herd | Troy Trojans |
Appalachian State Mountaineers | Arkansas State Red Wolves |
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers | Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns |
Independents (FBS) Scheduling
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:
- Army West Point Black Knights
- Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Connecticut Huskies
- 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.
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.
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:
- Idaho Vandals
- Montana Grizzlies
- Sacramento State Hornets
- Weber State Wildcats
- Cal Poly Mustangs
- Montana State Bobcats
- UC Davis Aggies
- Eastern Washington Eagles
- Idaho State Bengals
- Northern Arizona Lumberjacks
- Northern Colorado Bears
- 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:
- Bryant Bulldogs
- Charleston Southern Buccaneers
- Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs
- 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:
- William & Mary Tribe
- Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens
- Monmouth Hawks
- Rhode Island Rams
- Villanova Wildcats
- Hampton Pirates
- New Hampshire Wildcats
- Albany Great Danes
- Elon Phoenix
- Maine Black Bears
- North Carolina A&T Aggies
- Richmond Spiders
- Campbell Fighting Camels
- Towson Tigers
- 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.
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:
- Dartmouth Big Green
- Harvard Crimson
- Columbia Lions
- Princeton Tigers
- Cornell Big Red
- Penn Quakers
- Yale Bulldogs
- Brown Bears
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”
- North Carolina Central Eagles
- Howard Bison
- Morgan State Bears
- Norfolk State Spartans
- Delaware State Hornets
- South Carolina State Bulldogs
Missouri Valley Conference Scheduling
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.
- Teams participating in this conference currently are:
- Illinois State Redbirds
- North Dakota Fighting Hawks
- North Dakota State Bison
- South Dakota State Jackrabbits
- Southern Illinois Salukis
- Murray State Racers
- South Dakota Coyotes
- Youngstown State Penguins
- Indiana State Sycamores
- Missouri State Bears
- UNI Panthers
- Western Illinois Leathernecks
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:
- Stonehill Skyhawks
- Duquesne Dukes
- LIU Sharks
- Merrimack Warriors
- Sacred Heart Pioneers
- Saint Francis U Red Flash
- Wagner Seahawks
- 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:
- Southeast Missouri State Redhawks
- Eastern Illinois Panthers
- Tennessee State Tigers
- UT Martin Skyhawks
- Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles
- Lindenwood Lions
Patriot League Conference Scheduling
The Patriot League Conference features seven teams which are as follows:
- Georgetown Hoyas
- Fordham Rams
- Bucknell Bison
- Holy Cross Crusaders
- Lafayette Leopards
- Lehigh Mountain Hawks
- 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:
- Stetson Hatters
- Butler Bulldogs
- Dayton Flyers
- Morehead State Eagles
- Presbyterian Blue Hose
- St. Thomas (MN) Tommies
- Marist Red Foxes
- Davidson Wildcats
- Drake Bulldogs
- San Diego Toreros
- Valparaiso Beacons
Southern Conference Scheduling
The Southern Conference is a nine-team conference which is comprised of the following teams:
- Western Carolina Catamounts
- Mercer Bears
- Chattanooga Mocs
- ETSU Buccaneers
- Furman Paladins
- VMI Keydets
- Citadel Bulldogs
- Wofford Terriers
- 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:
- Houston Christian Huskies
- UIW Cardinals
- Lamar Cardinals
- McNeese Cowboys
- Nicholls Colonels
- Northwestern State Demons
- Southeastern Louisiana Lions
- 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:
EAST | WEST |
Florida A&M Rattlers | Prairie View A&M Panthers |
Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils | Alcorn State Braves |
Alabama A&M Bulldogs | Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions |
Alabama State Hornets | Grambling State Tigers |
Bethune-Cookman Wildcats | Southern University Jaguars |
Jackson State Tigers | Texas 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:
- Tarleton State Texans
- Abilene Christian Wildcats
- Central Arkansas Bears
- Stephen F. Austin Lumberjacks
- Austin Peay Governors
- Eastern Kentucky Colonels
- Southern Utah Thunderbirds
- Utah Tech Trailblazers
- 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.