Best non-conference college football games of 2025 season: Week 1 is stuffed with must-watch matchups
While some power conference teams are dodging marquee games outside of league play, others are embracing them.
This year's Week 1 slate is full of those can't-miss non-con joys. Yahoo Sports is starting there, but we're also flagging a handful of additional games you should circle on your calendar this season.
Texas @ Ohio State: 12 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30
It's SEC-Big Ten; it's a College Football Playoff semifinal rematch; it's Lee Corso's final 'College GameDay' show; and it's Arch Manning's debut as Texas' full-time starting quarterback, of course against the defending national champion Buckeyes. Jack Sawyer's cinematic strip sack and 83-yard scoop-and-score dashed Texas' national title hopes in last season's Cotton Bowl. For the second year in a row, the Longhorns reached the doorstep of the big game, only to fall a play or two short.
But head coach Steve Sarkisian's team enters the 2025 campaign with larger expectations than the state it plays in. Manning has finally taken over as QB1, and he's a trendy Heisman pick. He'll be under the microscope in Columbus versus a Buckeyes team that looks different than the one that sported 14 draft picks in 2024. That said, Ohio State still has two of the best players in college football — wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and safety Caleb Downs — and a staff hungry to prove this year's squad can win it all too.
Alabama @ Florida State: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30
Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos gave Alabama plenty of bulletin board material last month during an interview with On3's Pete Nakos. Castellanos, a transfer from Boston College, said Alabama no longer has 'Nick Saban to save them' and that he doesn't 'see them stopping me.' He also noted that he feels like he 'tore the ACC up by my damn self for the last two years.'
Castellanos may have been trying to instill some much-needed confidence into an FSU program that crawled to a 2-10 finish last season. But the dual-threat quarterback — who recorded 1,113 rushing yards and 28 total touchdowns in 2023 before posting the lowest QBR of all qualifying ACC quarterbacks in 2024 — might have woken up a napping giant. In its first season under Kalen DeBoer, Alabama won fewer than 10 games for the first time since 2007, Saban's first year at the helm. The Crimson Tide are looking to return to SEC dominance and the CFP in 2025.
LSU @ Clemson: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 30
LSU is leaving Death Valley to play in the other Death Valley against the other Tigers in a prime-time, Week 1 showdown. Clemson brought back a wealth of talent from last season. After winning the ACC championship, Clemson put up a respectable fight at Texas in the first round of the College Football Playoff. Cade Klubnik's three touchdown passes weren't enough that day, but the now-senior enters this season as a Heisman candidate headlining an offense with more fireworks than Clemson's Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers' offensive line returns four senior starters. Their wide receiver corps includes Antonio Williams, Bryant Wesco Jr. and T.J. Moore, a trio that combined for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns last season. On the other side of the ball, Clemson has a star-studded duo up front in defensive end T.J. Parker and defensive tackle Peter Woods. LSU has myriad stars as well — namely quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and linebacker Whit Weeks — but this game will be an opportunity for Clemson to prove its preseason expectations are fitting, not nostalgic.
Notre Dame @ Miami: 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 31
This is one of two Sunday night, Week 1 bangers (the other is Virginia Tech-South Carolina). Notre Dame is playing Miami for the first time since 2017, and only the second time since 2012. The 2017 meeting started as a highly anticipated, top-10 matchup and ended as a 33-point, head-turning Miami victory. It was the perfect storm for the turnover-chain-wearing Hurricanes, who created four takeaways for the fourth straight week and sniffed 250 rushing yards.
It took Miami seven years to author another 10-win campaign. The Hurricanes reached that win total last season, but their late-season sputter cost them a trip to the CFP, where Notre Dame marched its way to the national title game. Cam Ward and Riley Leonard are now in the NFL. Miami's newest transfer quarterback is former Georgia signal-caller Carson Beck. This time around, the Fighting Irish are staying in-house with redshirt freshman CJ Carr. Beck and Carr will duel in Hard Rock Stadium during the latest iteration of a series that once featured 'Catholics vs. Convicts.'
TCU @ North Carolina: 8 p.m., Monday, Sept. 1
Bill Belichick will be coaching college football for the first time, except he'll be doing so on a Monday night, giving his UNC debut some NFL flavor. The 73-year-old, six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach transitioned to media after his awkward parting with the New England Patriots in 2023 and then surprised everyone with his now-well-documented relationship, plus his decision this offseason to head up the Tar Heels.
It's a bit of a mystery what UNC will look like under Belichick. He's known for his defenses, but of the 16 Tar Heel defenders who logged at least 200 snaps last year, only three returned — all of them defensive backs. TCU is the guinea pig, litmus test, whatever you want to call it. The Horned Frogs will get the first stab at Belichick. TCU quietly won six of its last seven games this past season. Quarterback Josh Hoover is a name to know. He's joined by a seasoned offensive line and some key pieces from a defense that coordinator Andy Avalos seemed to figure out down the stretch of 2024.
Michigan @ Oklahoma: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6
These schools last met during the Orange Bowl that ultimately decided the 1975's consensus national champion. Oklahoma earned that title after winning a 14-6 rock fight against Michigan, and after then-No. 1 Ohio State was upset in the Rose Bowl by Dick Vermeil's UCLA team. At the time, Oklahoma was in the Big Eight, which eventually folded into the Big 12. Now, of course, the Sooners are in their second season in the SEC, where they struggled last year. The injury bug bit Oklahoma badly, the offensive line underperformed and Jackson Arnold didn't pan out at quarterback.
Brent Venables has a chance to wipe away his second 6-7 record in three years with a bounce-back 2025. Oklahoma's portal reinforcements could do the trick, led by former Washington State quarterback John Mateer. In Week 2, he'll likely go head-to-head with Michigan true freshman Bryce Underwood, a former five-star prospect who was Rivals' No. 3 overall recruit in the 2025 class. The Wolverines are looking to return to national prominence, too, following an impressive end to an otherwise turbulent 2024 campaign.
Florida @ Miami: TBD, Saturday, Sept. 20
Billy Napier somehow survived a chaotic start to his third season as Florida head coach. Napier started the year on the hot seat, then had just about everyone calling for his head in September. That early-season stretch began with an embarrassing 41-17 defeat to Miami. Ward, the No. 1 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft, threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns in his Hurricanes debut. Droves of Florida fans were on their way out of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in the third quarter. Napier was criticized for calling run plays on a pair of third-and-5s, and for his team's lack of discipline after his defense committed two roughing-the-passer penalties, each extending Miami touchdown drives in the first half.
Eventually, Florida found itself last season. The defense thrived during the Gators' final four games. The legs and arm of then-true freshman DJ Lagway, Rivals' top dual-threat quarterback in the 2024 class, were as advertised. Florida ended the year with four straight wins, including victories over then-No. 21 LSU and then-No. 9 Ole Miss, the latter of which knocked the Rebels out of CFP contention. As a sophomore, Lagway will have the benefit of some All-SEC-caliber linemen, his leading rusher returning and a pair of noteworthy receivers in Eugene Wilson III and Aidan Mizell. The Gators will get another crack at Miami in Week 4 when the schools meet for just the fifth time in the last 20 years.
Boise State @ Notre Dame: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Oct. 4
Because Notre Dame remains an independent — sorry, James Franklin — its schedule is overflowing with non-conference entertainment. The back half of the Irish's home-and-home with Texas A&M will be cool, and so will their first-ever meeting with Arkansas. Another round of the Holy War in Chestnut Hill could be more competitive with Bill O'Brien steering the ship at Boston College. Oh, and Notre Dame's rivalry game against USC is always worth a watch. But the Irish's only opponent this season that joined them in the first-ever 12-team CFP is Boise State.
The programs have never met before. Their first showdown won't be on blue turf, but 'Touchdown Jesus' will have the best seat in the house. Yes, Boise State lost Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty to the NFL. That doesn't mean the Broncos' playoff hopes are gone. Far from it, actually — they're returning 67% of the production from last year's playoff team, per ESPN. The offensive line is plenty deep, and there are more backs in the stable Jeanty left. Plus, the Broncos return quarterback Maddux Madsen and a host of playmakers on defense.
Georgia @ Georgia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta): 3:30 p.m., Friday, Nov. 28
If you didn't watch last year's game between these two, go watch the highlights and then come back. It took eight overtimes for the Bulldogs to hold off the Yellow Jackets in Athens. That stung for Georgia Tech, which briefly returned to the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2015 early in the season but finished 7-6 with two particularly agonizing losses. The first was at Syracuse, where the Jackets' comeback bid fell short. The second was at Georgia, where the Bulldogs completed a come-from-behind victory in a marathon of a game that saw the in-state rivals trade overtime successes and failures like tennis players in a tiebreak.
Past midnight, the Bulldogs prevailed with one final two-point conversion attempt that crossed the plane and unearthed a wave of emotion across the field. Still, Georgia Tech pocketed top-10 wins over an ultimately mega-disappointing FSU team and a CFP-caliber Miami team last year, and quarterback Haynes King and Co. are ready to take another swing at a program breakthrough in 2025. Georgia won the SEC in a down year of sorts and now has another crew of blue-chippers, as well as an intriguing portal pool, to revamp the roster.
Clemson @ South Carolina: 12 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 29
Rivalry Week has another must-watch, in-state ACC-SEC battle that packed a similar cardiac punch last time around. South Carolina entered the fourth quarter trailing by a touchdown and left Clemson with a three-point victory. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers scored from 20 yards out with 1:08 remaining, and the Gamecocks picked off Klubnik in the game's waning seconds to hold on for their sixth straight win, four of which came against ranked opponents.
Sellers, like Klubnik, is a Heisman candidate. The dual-threat sensation totaled 3,208 yards from scrimmage and 25 touchdowns last season. The Shane Beamer experience in Columbia has been a roller coaster, but the highs have offered peak memories. This year, the Gamecocks have brought back foundational pieces such as Sellers and star defensive end Dylan Stewart — who notched 6.5 sacks and three forced fumbles as a true freshman — but they're relying on transfers and unproven players at a handful of spots, particularly in the trenches and in the backfield. This game could have CFP implications again, and this time it could affect the Heisman race too.
Honorable Mentions
Nebraska vs. Cincinnati (Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City): 9 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 28
Auburn @ Baylor: 8 p.m., Friday, Aug. 29
South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta): 3 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 31
Baylor @ SMU: 12 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6
Kansas @ Missouri: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6
Vanderbilt @ Virginia Tech: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6
UCLA @ UNLV: 8 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 6
Wisconsin @ Alabama: 12 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 13
Pitt @ West Virginia: 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 13
Texas A&M @ Notre Dame: 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 13
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