Schedule superlatives: The toughest, easiest and most interesting matchups of 2025

There isn't overmuch surrounding assemblage shot that isn't successful thing of a authorities of flux.

The discussions surrounding the aboriginal playoff format bounce astir similar a pingpong ball. Schools are for the archetypal clip successful past sharing gross with athletes. Conference realignment marches onward, and the overhaul of rosters via the transportation portal continues astatine a dizzying pace.

All the while, the commencement of the 2025 play is little than a period away.

What that means is it's clip to instrumentality a magnifying solid to the 2025 docket and manus retired immoderate superlatives, immoderate flattering and immoderate not truthful flattering. All rankings referenced are from ESPN's post-spring Top 25, and Notre Dame, contempt being an independent, volition beryllium considered a Power 4 schoolhouse for our purposes.

Before we dive in, an yearly reminder: Schedule spot tends to look a batch antithetic successful July than it does successful precocious October.

Toughest wide Power 4 schedule: Florida

A twelvemonth agone Billy Napier and his Florida shot squad epitomized resiliency. Despite an disfigured 1-2 start, Napier ne'er mislaid the locker country and guided the Gators to 4 consecutive wins to extremity the play with an 8-5 finish. But conscionable similar a twelvemonth ago, Florida's docket is again brutal.

The Gators are the lone squad successful the SEC facing the league's 3 highest-ranked preseason teams (No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Georgia and No. 6 LSU), with the Georgia and LSU games distant from home. The Sept. 13 travel to LSU is followed by a travel to No. 21 Miami the adjacent week. In a five-week agelong from Sept. 13 done Oct. 11, which includes a bye connected Sept. 27, Florida plays astatine LSU, astatine Miami, astatine location against Texas and astatine Texas A&M. The Gators' yearly showdown with Georgia successful Jacksonville connected Nov. 1 is followed by back-to-back SEC roadworthy games against Kentucky and No. 24 Ole Miss.

Wisconsin is simply a adjacent 2nd successful this category. Luke Fickell and the Badgers could usage a beardown bounce-back play aft losing 5 successful a enactment to extremity 2024 and missing a vessel crippled for the archetypal clip successful 22 years. Like Florida, Wisconsin faces six ranked teams, including 4 of the apical 11 -- astatine No. 9 Alabama connected Sept. 13, location against No. 5 Ohio State connected Oct. 18, astatine No. 8 Oregon connected Oct. 25 and location against No. 11 Illinois connected Nov. 22.

Easiest wide Power 4 schedule: Wake Forest

Jake Dickert takes implicit for Dave Clawson astatine Wake Forest and has his enactment chopped retired to get the programme backmost into the precocious tier of the ACC. But helium faces lone 1 preseason Top 25 squad successful 2025: SMU astatine location Oct. 25, with a bye the preceding week. The Deacons debar Clemson, Miami and Louisville successful the ACC. Their archetypal 4 games are astatine location on with 2 of their past 3 games. A crippled astatine No. 24 Ole Miss was replaced by a travel to Oregon State, meaning determination are nary Power 4 nonconference foes connected the Deacons' schedule. Their lone back-to-back league games connected the roadworthy are against Florida State and Virginia connected Nov. 1 and Nov. 8, and those teams finished a combined 7-17 past season.

Missouri, coming disconnected back-to-back seasons of astatine slightest 10 wins nether Eliah Drinkwitz, has a docket tailor-made to marque it 3 consecutive seasons with double-digit wins. The Tigers' archetypal six games are astatine home, and they debar Texas, Georgia and LSU successful the SEC. Their toughest nonconference crippled is against Kansas astatine home.

Toughest wide non-Power 4 schedule: Kent State

This 1 doesn't look fair. Kent State went 1-23 implicit the past 2 seasons, fired manager Kenni Burns successful April and replaced him with interim manager Mark Carney. Not lone bash the Golden Flashes person to play 3 Power 4 nonconference teams connected the road, including No. 16 Texas Tech connected Sept. 6 and No. 25 Oklahoma connected Oct. 4, but they look MAC preseason favourite Toledo connected Oct. 18 connected the road.

South Florida's docket is arsenic daunting. The Bulls unfastened the play against Boise State, Florida and Miami successful successive weeks (Florida and Miami connected the road) and look American Athletic Conference contenders Navy, Memphis and North Texas connected the road.

Easiest wide non-Power 4 schedule: Liberty

The Flames are a repetition victor here, which means Jamey Chadwell's nine should beryllium a premier campaigner to beryllium the Group of 5 typical successful the playoff. Liberty doesn't look immoderate Power 4 nonconference opponents, though James Madison's travel to Lynchburg connected Sept. 20 volition beryllium a crippled to watch. The toughest Conference USA situation mightiness travel successful Week 2 against Jacksonville State connected the road. Otherwise, Liberty received a favorable gully successful the conference. In different words, not returning to the Conference USA title crippled for the 2nd consecutive play would beryllium a large disappointment connected the Mountain. Elsewhere, North Texas' way to the American title crippled is helped by avoiding Tulane and Memphis, and its toughest nonconference crippled is against Washington State astatine location Sept. 13.

Toughest Power 4 nonconference schedule: Clemson

This was a coin flip betwixt Clemson and Stanford until backmost Jake Retzlaff departed BYU. Now the travel to No. 10 BYU connected Sept. 6 doesn't look rather arsenic daunting for the Cardinal, who extremity the play Nov. 29 astatine location against No. 7 Notre Dame.

So Clemson gets the nod. The Tigers unfastened the play Aug. 30 astatine location against No. 6 LSU, past adjacent the play Nov. 29 connected the roadworthy against bitter rival South Carolina, which is ranked No. 13. Clemson besides faces Troy, a apical contender successful the Sun Belt Conference, astatine location a week aft the LSU opener.

Miami has 3 pugnacious early-season matchups retired of conference, albeit each 3 astatine home, against No. 7 Notre Dame connected Aug. 31, South Florida connected Sept. 13 and No. 19 Florida connected Sept. 20.

Easiest Power 4 nonconference schedule: Penn State

It's Penn State by a mile, oregon astir arsenic agelong arsenic it takes to get to Happy Valley from conscionable astir immoderate large airport. This should beryllium James Franklin's champion and astir balanced team, but 1 that volition beryllium untested erstwhile it rolls into Big Ten play against Oregon astatine location Sept. 27. The "warmups" travel successful the archetypal 3 weeks of the season, each astatine home, against Nevada, Florida International and Villanova, followed by a bye week earlier facing the Ducks.

We can't fto Indiana wholly disconnected the hook. For the 2nd consecutive season, the Hoosiers won't play a nonconference crippled against a Power 4 foe. They unfastened the play with 3 consecutive location games against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State (without Larry Bird). To beryllium fair, Indiana is besides the lone Big Ten squad that has to play Penn State and Oregon connected the road.

Must-see nonconference games

To beryllium clear, neutral-site games don't number for this list:

• Auburn astatine Baylor, Aug. 29
• Utah astatine UCLA, Aug. 30
• Texas astatine Ohio State, Aug. 30
• Notre Dame astatine Miami, Aug. 30
• LSU astatine Clemson, Aug. 30
• Alabama astatine Florida State, Aug. 30
• Michigan astatine Oklahoma, Sept. 6
• Kansas astatine Missouri, Sept. 6
• Texas A&M astatine Notre Dame, Sept. 13
• Florida astatine Miami, Sept. 20
• USC astatine Notre Dame, Oct. 18
• Clemson astatine South Carolina, Nov. 29

Better beryllium careful

Some sneaky bully games matching Power 4 teams against Group of 5 teams:

• Toledo astatine Kentucky, Aug. 30
• James Madison astatine Louisville, Sept. 5
• UCLA astatine UNLV, Sept. 6
• Army astatine Kansas State, Sept. 6
• South Florida astatine Florida, Sept. 6
• Arkansas State vs. Arkansas, successful Little Rock, Sept. 6
• Duke astatine Tulane, Sept. 13
• Arkansas astatine Memphis, Sept. 20
• Tulane astatine Ole Miss, Sept. 20
• BYU astatine East Carolina, Sept. 20
• San José State astatine Stanford, Sept. 27
• Boise State astatine Notre Dame, Oct. 4

Toughest Power 4 location schedule: Mississippi State

Jeff Lebby, successful his 2nd season, volition pb the Bulldogs against 4 playoff teams from a twelvemonth agone astatine Davis Wade Stadium: Arizona State connected Sept. 6, Tennessee connected Sept. 27, Texas connected Oct. 25 and Georgia connected Nov. 8. If that's not enough, the Bulldogs adjacent the play astatine location Nov. 28 successful their yearly Egg Bowl matchup with No. 24 Ole Miss. Nearly 80% of Mississippi State's roster is made up of first- oregon second-year players with 60 caller players added for this season.

Easiest Power 4 location schedule: Texas

Only 1 preseason Top 25 squad volition sojourn DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium this season, and that's astatine the precise extremity erstwhile No. 23 Texas A&M makes the 105-mile travel to Austin. After opening against No. 5 Ohio State connected the road, Texas plays San José State, UTEP and Sam Houston the adjacent 3 weeks astatine home. Other than Texas A&M, Texas' different 2 location dates the last period of the play are against Vanderbilt connected Nov. 1 and Arkansas connected Nov. 22. In an unusual twist, Texas doesn't play a crippled successful Austin successful the period of October. Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi State are each connected the road, and the Red River Showdown crippled against Oklahoma, arsenic always, is successful Dallas.

Toughest Power 4 docket distant from home: Syracuse

Fran Brown was a first-year caput manager past season, but helium showed the poise and precision of a 20-year seasoned successful starring Syracuse to 10 wins, lone the 3rd clip since 2000 that the Orange had won 10 games. As an encore, helium faces an tremendous challenge. Syracuse mislaid astir of its cardinal playmakers from a twelvemonth agone and faces a brutal docket distant from home. The Aug. 30 opener against Tennessee successful Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium volition beryllium a quasi-home crippled for the Vols, and that's conscionable the start. The Orange play astatine No. 2 Clemson connected Sept. 20, astatine No. 15 SMU connected Oct. 4, astatine No. 21 Miami connected Nov. 8 and astatine No. 7 Notre Dame connected Nov. 22.

Easiest Power 4 docket distant from home: Missouri

The Tigers play 8 of their 12 games this play astatine Faurot Field, and lone 1 of their 4 roadworthy games is against a ranked opponent, No. 25 Oklahoma connected Nov. 22. The different 3 are against Auburn (Oct. 18), Vanderbilt (Oct. 25) and Arkansas (Nov. 29). It's ne'er casual connected the roadworthy successful the SEC, but the Tigers are avoiding immoderate of the astir treacherous stops.

Toughest adjacent to the season: Rutgers

Granted, Rutgers' docket extracurricular the Big Ten is cushy (home games the archetypal 3 weeks against Ohio University, Miami (Ohio) and Norfolk State), but the adjacent to the play -- ouch! Rutgers' past six games are No. 8 Oregon astatine location Oct. 18, astatine Purdue connected Oct. 25, astatine No. 11 Illinois connected Nov. 1, Maryland astatine location Nov. 8, astatine No. 5 Ohio State connected Nov. 22 and No. 1 Penn State astatine location Nov. 29. The Scarlet Knights are the lone Big Ten squad this play that has to play Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon.

Easiest adjacent to the season: Illinois

Illinois is poised for different banner play nether Bret Bielema with astir of its cardinal players backmost from the 10-win play a twelvemonth ago. The Fighting Illini's docket is beforehand loaded arsenic they play 4 of their last six games astatine home, and 3 of the past 4 are location games against Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern. The lone roadworthy crippled successful that agelong is astatine Wisconsin connected Nov. 22. Illinois won't look a preseason Top 25 hostile the past 5 weeks of the season.

Toughest three-game stretch: Oklahoma

The criteria for this class are 3 games successful 3 consecutive weeks with nary byes. Brent Venables and the Sooners volition person a accidental to physique immoderate momentum, but they look an October grind that could interruption immoderate team. It starts with No. 3 Texas successful Dallas connected Oct. 11, followed by a roadworthy crippled astatine No. 13 South Carolina connected Oct. 18 and past a location crippled against No. 24 Ole Miss connected Oct. 25. If you privation to agelong it retired to 4 games, things don't get overmuch amended for the Sooners. They spell connected the roadworthy the adjacent week to play Tennessee connected Nov. 1 successful Neyland Stadium. Three of those 4 games are distant from home.

Basking successful Florida's sunshine

Miami doesn't play a crippled extracurricular the authorities of Florida until traveling to look SMU connected Nov. 1. Six of the Hurricanes' archetypal 7 games are astatine location astatine Hard Rock Stadium, and a seventh is successful Tallahassee against Florida State connected Oct. 4. Included are 3 consecutive all-Florida affairs against South Florida connected Sept. 13, Florida connected Sept. 20 and astatine FSU connected Oct. 4

Dabo and the SEC

Clemson's Dabo Swinney gets different changeable astatine the SEC to unfastened the play successful the Battle of Death Valleys connected Aug. 30 against LSU. Clemson is 18-12 vs. the SEC since the commencement of the 2012 season, but the Tigers person mislaid 7 of their past 10 games to SEC opponents, opening with a 42-25 nonaccomplishment to LSU successful the 2019 nationalist title game.

Mountains are calling

From conscionable eastbound of Marys Peak, Oregon State volition question crossed the state to the Blue Ridge Mountains to instrumentality connected Appalachian State successful Boone, North Carolina, connected Oct. 4. Talk astir 2 places that are hard to get to, but 2 gorgeous campuses.

Taking Saturdays off

Houston plays 3 Friday games (Sept. 12 vs. Colorado, Sept. 26 astatine Oregon State and Nov. 7 astatine UCF). The Cougars unfastened the play connected a Thursday astatine home, Aug. 28 vs. Stephen F. Austin.

Walking successful Memphis

Ryan Silverfield has guided Memphis to 10 oregon much wins successful each of the past 2 seasons, a archetypal successful programme history, and enters his sixth play amid large expectations successful the American Conference with a roster afloat of caller faces via the transportation portal. The Tigers are 11-2 astatine location the past 2 years, which bodes good for 2025. Just astir each of Memphis' toughest games are astatine home, including Arkansas' sojourn connected Sept. 20. In league play, apical contenders South Florida (Oct. 25), Tulane (Nov. 7) and Navy (Nov. 27) each travel to Memphis' Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium.

Avoiding campuses

Tennessee, for the 11th consecutive year, volition not play a nonconference regular-season crippled connected an opposing team's campus. The past clip the Vols played a nonconference roadworthy crippled (not counting the playoff crippled past play astatine Ohio State) connected the opposing school's field was Sept. 13, 2014, erstwhile they mislaid 34-10 to No. 4 Oklahoma successful Norman. The Vols did triumph astatine Pittsburgh successful 2022, a 34-27 overtime victory, but the Panthers play their location games astatine the Steelers' stadium, Acrisure Stadium, formerly known arsenic Heinz Field, which stands on the Ohio River connected the northbound broadside of Pittsburgh. The opener against Syracuse successful Atlanta volition beryllium Tennessee's sixth neutral-site crippled successful the past 10 years.

Power outages

Houston, Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Wake Forest and Washington don't play immoderate nonconference games against Power 4 opponents successful 2025. Every schoolhouse successful the ACC but Wake Forest plays astatine slightest 1 Power 4 nonconference team, and 9 schools (Boston College, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, SMU, Syracuse, Stanford and Virginia Tech) play 2 nonconference games against Power 4 foes. As ACC commissioner Jim Phillips likes to say, "Go ACC!" There are a fewer caveats. Some of the teams not playing Power 4 opponents are playing Oregon State oregon Washington State, and that includes Ole Miss. Wake Forest pulled retired of the backmost fractional of its home-and-away bid with Ole Miss past season, and the Rebels had to scramble, adding Washington State astatine the past minute.

Jet-lagged Huskies

The lone clip each play Washington plays back-to-back location games is against Colorado State and UC Davis to unfastened the season. From there, it's backmost and distant and each implicit the representation for the Huskies. Consider: After playing astatine Washington State successful Pullman connected Sept. 20 (not an casual trip), Washington comes backmost location connected Sept. 27 to look Ohio State, past hits the roadworthy the pursuing week to play Maryland connected Oct. 4, past backmost location against Rutgers connected Oct. 10 (a Friday), backmost connected the roadworthy against Michigan connected Oct. 18, backmost location against Illinois connected Oct. 25, and past aft a bye, backmost connected the roadworthy against Wisconsin connected Nov. 8. Thank goodness for charter flights.

Vols flopping Dawgs and Gators

Georgia and Tennessee conscionable Sept. 13 successful Knoxville, the earliest the teams person met successful a play since 1995 (Sept. 9) erstwhile Kirby Smart was a freshman antiaircraft backmost for the Bulldogs. The Vols won 30-27 successful the last seconds connected a tract goal. Smart ne'er bushed Tennessee arsenic a player, but helium has won 8 consecutive successful the bid arsenic a coach. Tennessee, meanwhile, doesn't look Florida until Nov. 22 astatine the Swamp, the latest those teams person played (not counting the 2020 COVID season) since 2001 (Dec. 1) erstwhile Tennessee won 34-32 successful the Swamp successful a crippled that was postponed due to the fact that of the Sept. 11 attacks. Tennessee is simply a combined 12-38 against Georgia and Florida since 2000, 2-6 nether Josh Heupel.

Hogs debuting connected the SEC roadworthy ... again

For the 3rd consecutive season, Arkansas opens its SEC play connected the road, the lone schoolhouse successful the league having to play 3 consecutive openers distant from home. The Hogs won 24-14 past play astatine Auburn and mislaid 34-31 astatine LSU successful 2023. Arkansas opens SEC play this play astatine Ole Miss connected Sept. 13. In fact, Arkansas plays its archetypal 2 SEC games connected the road, traveling to Tennessee connected Oct. 11. Arkansas, Auburn and Vanderbilt are the lone 3 SEC teams that person to play their archetypal 2 league games connected the road. All 5 of Arkansas' roadworthy opponents this play won astatine slightest 9 games a twelvemonth ago, and 4 (Memphis, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas) won 10 oregon much games.

Border War returns

Kansas and Missouri volition renew their bid Sept. 6 successful Columbia, the archetypal clip they've played since 2011. It's the archetypal of a four-game statement to bring backmost the series, which dates to 1891, and volition beryllium Kansas' archetypal sojourn to Faurot Field since 2006, erstwhile Missouri won 42-17. Their 2011 gathering was astatine Arrowhead Stadium, with Missouri winning 24-10. The teams had met 93 years successful a enactment earlier the bid was not renewed pursuing the 2011 game; astatine the time, it was the second-most-played rivalry successful Division I-A shot history.

Catching up with aged teammates

With full-scale escaped bureau live and good successful assemblage football, much and much players from the transportation portal are going up against their erstwhile schools and teammates. Some notable examples this season:

• Duke backmost Darian Mensah astatine Tulane connected Sept. 13

• Ole Miss violative defender Patrick Kutas vs. Arkansas connected Sept. 13

• Oregon cornerback Theran Johnson astatine Northwestern connected Sept. 13

• Auburn backmost Jackson Arnold astatine Oklahoma connected Sept. 20

• Texas A&M receiver Mario Craver vs. Mississippi State connected Oct. 4

• Ohio State choky extremity Max Klare astatine Purdue connected Nov. 8

• Texas Tech antiaircraft tackle Lee Hunter vs. UCF connected Nov. 15

• Missouri receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. vs. Mississippi State connected Nov. 15

• Oregon violative defender Emmanuel Pregnon vs. USC connected Nov. 22

• Oregon antiaircraft tackle Bear Alexander vs. USC connected Nov. 22

• LSU receiver Nic Anderson astatine Oklahoma connected Nov. 29

Homecoming for Helton

Clay Helton gets a homecoming, benignant of anyway. Helton, with a caller five-year declaration aft winning 8 games past play astatine Georgia Southern, returns to Los Angeles erstwhile the Eagles look USC connected Sept. 6 successful the Coliseum. With 1 crippled arsenic interim caput manager successful 2013, Helton was USC's authoritative caput manager for 7 seasons earlier being fired aboriginal successful the 2021 campaign. He was 46-24 wide and won the Rose Bowl pursuing the 2016 play (52-49 implicit Penn State), which is the Trojans' past quality successful the Rose Bowl. The adjacent season, Helton guided the Trojans to the 2017 Pac-12 championship, which is their past league championship.

They're playing where?

It's ever absorbing (and entertaining) to spot Power 4 teams playing connected the roadworthy astatine Group of 5 teams, particularly erstwhile it's connected campus. Case successful point: Bill Belichick's 2nd crippled arsenic North Carolina's manager volition travel Sept. 6 against in-state foe Charlotte successful 15,300-seat Jerry Richardson Stadium. Some of the others this season: West Virginia astatine Ohio University connected Sept. 6 and Oklahoma astatine Temple (Lincoln Financial Field), Iowa State astatine Arkansas State, SMU astatine Missouri State and Utah astatine Wyoming, each Sept. 13.

Not precise Belichickian

Speaking of Belichick, helium didn't get a atrocious gully successful his archetypal play astatine North Carolina. And, yes, we cognize he's not 1 to look up until it's "on to whomever." But the Tar Heels look TCU astatine location successful the Sept. 1 Monday nighttime opener, and if they triumph that one, it's conceivable they could beryllium 5-0 going into their location crippled against Clemson connected Oct. 4. The Tar Heels get a bye week anterior to the Clemson crippled aft playing astatine UCF connected Sept. 20.

Fear the Terps

Maryland dipped to 4-8 a twelvemonth agone aft 3 consecutive winning seasons nether Mike Locksley. The Terps' docket successful 2025 is manageable capable that they should person a accidental to instrumentality to their winning ways. Their nonconference docket consists of Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois and Towson, each astatine home, and Maryland is the lone Big Ten squad that avoids Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon. The Terps person 3 ranked teams connected their schedule, and 2 of those games (Indiana and Michigan) are astatine home.

Run-down Red Raiders

Texas Tech, ranked No. 15 successful the preseason, is pushing each its chips successful connected this play and reportedly spent much than $28 cardinal connected its roster. Led by manager Joey McGuire, the Red Raiders are looking to scope double-digit wins for the archetypal clip since the precocious Mike Leach led Tech to 11 wins successful 2008. But to bash it, they're going to person to propulsion done a seven-week gauntlet of Big 12 games. That's right, 7 consecutive Big 12 games without a bye from Oct. 4 to Nov. 15 -- astatine Houston, vs. Kansas, astatine Arizona State, vs. Oklahoma State, astatine Kansas State, vs. BYU and vs. UCF.