We can't wait! The best non-conference games of the 2021 season
There’s no doubt that annual conference rivalry games truly get fans’ blood boiling. Thankfully, though, more and more schools have begun playing truly meaningful non-conference games, and the proposed expanded College Football Playoff field almost certainly would mean even more of those contests.
This season has no shortage of anticipated non-conference matchups. Here, then, is our list of the 20 best non-conference games of 2021. (Preference was given to non-conference games that don’t occur annually.)
20. Army at Wisconsin, October 16
The buzz: This will be the first time these teams have met. In Army’s most recent trips to play Power 5 schools, the Black Knights lost to Michigan in overtime in 2019 and to Oklahoma in overtime in 2018. And given that both these teams like to keep the ball on the ground, we’re thinking the over-under on the number of attempted passes should be set around 20. We’re also setting the over-under on how long it takes to play this at 2 hours, 49 minutes.
19. Missouri at Boston College, September 25
The buzz: There might not be a true buzz about these teams, but there is at least a “hmmm” out there. Mizzou looks to be the third-best team in the SEC East, and BC has a legit shot at finishing second in the ACC Atlantic Division, behind Clemson. Both have returning starters at quarterback, and both should be 3-0 when they meet.
18. Texas A&M at Colorado, September 11
The buzz: The Buffs were surprisingly good last season, which was the first for coach Karl Dorrell. RB Jarek Broussard is a star. A&M has more talent, for sure, but this game is early in the season and the Aggies will be breaking in a new starting quarterback and have a rebuilt offensive line. There’s also the altitude for them to worry about.
17. Oklahoma State at Boise State, September 18
The buzz: This will be the first regular-season visit to Boise by a Power 5 team since Virginia in 2017. Oklahoma State rolled when the teams met in 2018 in Stillwater. Boise will enter the season as perhaps the favorite to win the Mountain West, which would put them in position to garner the Group of 5’s New Year’s Six bid. But the Broncos already will have played UCF, so the “big bowl hopes” thing could be on the line.
16. Liberty at Ole Miss, November 6
The buzz: Just call it the “Hugh Freeze Bowl.” (Oh, my, the potential for “commemorative” T-shirts for this one are enormous.) Liberty looks to be the second-best independent in the nation this season and this will be a tough game for the Rebels, coming a week after they travel to Auburn and the week before they host Texas A&M. Two of the best quarterbacks in the nation will be on view in Liberty’s Malik Willis and Ole Miss’ Matt Corral.
15. Nebraska at Oklahoma, September 18
The buzz: On paper, this should be a rout for the home team. But it’s also a rare meeting between programs that annually used to play one of the most anticipated games of the season (this will be the 87th meeting, but the first since the 2010 Big 12 title game and just the ninth in the past 24 years). It’s also the 50th anniversary season of one of the best games in college football history, the Huskers’ 35-31 victory over the Sooners in 1971.
14. LSU at UCLA, September 4
The buzz: LSU is expected to bounce back from a mediocre 2020 season, but the Bruins could be a tough out. This is the fourth season for Chip Kelly in Westwood, and going by the end of last season, it looks as if all the offensive kinks have been worked out. The Bruins have 19 starters back, but can a secondary that returns intact handle LSU’s receivers? And while this is a UCLA home game, will anyone be surprised if there are more LSU fans in the stands?
13. Boise State at UCF, September 2
The buzz: A big-time Thursday night showdown between Group of 5 powerhouses. Boise State traveled to the state and beat Florida State in 2019, but this UCF team is better than that FSU team. Both coaches will be making their debuts: Andy Avalos at Boise and Gus Malzahn at UCF. How closely will their offenses resemble the ones the teams have played of late?
12. Iowa at Iowa State, September 11
The buzz: Last season’s game was canceled by COVID; it was the first time the teams hadn’t played since 1976. Iowa has the upper hand by a wide margin in the series, but Iowa State will be in the top 10 and favored to win. In other words, little brother will be looking to beat up on big brother.
11. USC at Notre Dame, October 23
The buzz: The teams had played every season since 1946 until COVID canceled last year’s game. The Irish have won seven of the past 10 in the series. The Irish already will have played Wisconsin and Cincinnati and get North Carolina the next week.
10. Auburn at Penn State, September 18
The buzz: This is the first regular-season meeting between the programs, who have met twice in bowls. This will be the first tough game for new coach Bryan Harsin and the Tigers; the Nittany Lions open with Wisconsin and get MAC favorite Ball State in the second game. In other words, Penn State will come in well-tested — and maybe even in desperation mode. This is the only regular-season game in 2021 matching Big Ten and SEC teams.
9. Washington at Michigan, September 11
The buzz: These teams were scheduled to meet last season in Seattle, but COVID intervened. Both open with eminently winnable games before meeting in week two. There are questions about both offenses, with the big one being if either can effectively throw the ball. Both want to mash on both sides of the ball, so expect a physical matchup. The Pac-12 sorely needs some national credibility, and a Huskies win over the Wolverines — even if Michigan isn’t as good as it should be — would be big.
8. Cincinnati at Indiana, September 18
The buzz: A couple of years ago, this game would have been met with a collective “who cares?” Now, it’s an important early game between teams who will open the season in the top 20. Two weeks after this, Cincy plays at Notre Dame; two weeks before this, Indiana will have played Iowa. Cincinnati heads into the season as the favorite to earn the Group of 5’s New Year’s Six bid. A loss here for the Bearcats makes things a lot more interesting. Meanwhile, if IU opens with a win against Iowa, then beats Cincinnati, it sets up the Hoosiers for their first 10-win season since … forever. IU has been playing football since 1899 but never has won more than nine games.
7. Louisiana at Texas, September 4
The buzz: The first game for Steve Sarkisian at Texas is a tough one. The Ragin’ Cajuns are coming off a 10-win season — they finished 15th in the nation in the Associated Press poll, and that included a rout of Iowa State in Ames — and are one of the co-favorites to win the Sun Belt (along with Coastal Carolina). Louisiana returns 20 starters, and a win in the opener gives it a legit chance to get to a New Year’s Six bowl game. Texas has more talent, of course, and a burgeoning superstar in RB Bijan Robinson. But all the pressure is on Texas, and that hasn’t boded well for the Longhorns in recent seasons.
6. Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin in Chicago, September 25
The buzz: This is the first meeting between the teams since 1964 and just the fourth since 1944 (that the game is at Soldier Field will make it even more special). This is the second “big game” of the season for the Badgers, who open at home against Penn State; Notre Dame, meanwhile, gets Cincinnati the week after this showdown. The overriding storyline: Jack Coan, Notre Dame’s new quarterback, is a Wisconsin transfer.
5. Cincinnati at Notre Dame, October 2
The buzz: Raise your hand if you ever thought Cincinnati would be ranked higher than Notre Dame when playing the Irish. That’s a distinct possibility in this one, as long as Cincy beats Indiana on September 18. This is monster game for the Bearcats for their New Year’s Six hopes and for further national validation. These teams have met once, in 1900, a 58-0 Irish win. This comes the week after the Irish play Wisconsin.
4. North Carolina at Notre Dame, October 30
The buzz: The Irish beat the Tar Heels in a conference game last season; this season, it’s ACC team vs. independent program. UNC is considered the second-best team in the ACC this season, thanks to the return of star QB Sam Howell, and the Heels should be unbeaten when they travel to South Bend. The Irish, on the other hand, already will have played Wisconsin, Cincinnati and USC. A big-time performance on national TV under the watchful eyes of “Touchdown Jesus” would do wonders for Howell’s Heisman campaign.
3. Alabama vs. Miami in Atlanta, September 4
The buzz: This one is all about the quarterbacks. This will be the first start for new Tide QB Bryce Young; the Hurricanes, meanwhile, absolutely need D’Eriq King — who suffered a torn ACL during UM’s Cheez-It Bowl loss to Oklahoma State on December 29 — to be as close to 100 percent as possible. Without King, UM has no shot. This also will be the first game for new Tide offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien; he will be matching wits with Miami coach Manny Diaz, who has taken over defensive coordinator duties for the ’Canes.
2. Oregon at Ohio State, September 11
The buzz: Like Michigan-Washington, this is another Big Ten-plays-Pac-12 matchup that was canceled by COVID last season. And like Washington, Oregon goes on the road this season after it was scheduled to host in 2020. As long as the Ducks get solid quarterback play, their starting 22 can hang with almost anybody’s. But as well as Oregon has recruited under Mario Cristobal, it can’t come close to matching Ohio State’s depth. The Ducks look to be the Pac-12’s best team, and the league as a whole desperately needs a good showing by its current marquee program. The last time these teams met, Cardale Jones and Ohio State beat Marcus Mariota and Oregon in the CFP championship game following the 2014 season. (An aside: A week later, Oregon welcomes in Stony Brook. Seriously … Ohio State one week, Stony Brook the next.)
1. Clemson vs. Georgia in Charlotte, September 4
The buzz: A matchup of two of the top four or five rosters in college football. The D.J. Uiagalelei era begins for Clemson, while Georgia hopes J.T. Daniels picks up where he left off at the end of last season. Both defensive fronts are fearsome; some of the best d-linemen in the nation will be on view. Can the o-lines handle it? Clemson looks to have the advantage at receiver, Georgia at running back. (Another aside: Daniels and Uiagalelei attended high schools about 20 miles apart in the L.A. suburbs, and will meet in Charlotte while leading two top-five teams located about 75 miles apart in the Deep South.)
(Top photo: Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)