Ranking the top 10 upcoming college football nonconference series

Nonconference matchups dominated the opening weeks of the college football season. This upcoming fall, top nonconference games include Texas visiting Ohio State in Week 1, followed by Michigan traveling to Oklahoma in Week 2. North Carolina and Bill Belichick open the year against TCU, too.

The opportunity to see matchups between top programs that fans typically would not see always adds more excitement. On3 is breaking down the top 10 upcoming, scheduled nonconference series to look forward to. Here’s the breakdown:

1. Alabama-Ohio State

Alabama and Ohio State scheduled a home-and-home for the 2027 and 2028 seasons back in June 2020. Since then, the Crimson Tide beat the Buckeyes in the 2021 College Football Playoff national championship game. Alabama holds the all-time series record at 4-1. The first game in the home-and-home will take place in Columbus on Sept. 18, 2027, with the Buckeyes heading to Tuscaloosa on Sept. 9, 2028. It is the first home-and-home meeting between Ohio State and Alabama. It’s not often that the blue-blood superpowers meet, but it’s even more of a rarity for either program to head into Big Ten and SEC territory, respectively.

2. Michigan-Notre Dame

Michigan and Notre Dame have met 44 times in the schools’ history. But the Fighting Irish and Wolverines meeting rekindles a rivalry dating back to 1887, when Michigan won 8-0 in South Bend. The Wolverines hold the all-time series record at 25-17-1. The last meeting came in October 2019, when No. 19 Michigan routed No. 8 Notre Dame 45-14. The teams are scheduled to meet again in 2033 and 2034 following a 14-year break. The series has seen a meeting between No. 1 Notre Dame vs. No. 2 Michigan in 1989, with Rocket Ismael returning two kick returns for touchdown. The Fighting Irish threw just two passes in the win.

3. Georgia-Ohio State

The two college football super powers have only met twice on the field before, with Georgia owning a 2-0 all-time record. The last meeting came in the infamous College Football Playoff semifinal in January 2023, when the Bulldogs rallied to escape with a 42-41 win. Ohio State will make its first trip to Georgia’s Sanford Stadium on Sept. 14, 2030. Georgia will visit Ohio Stadium for the first time on Aug. 30, 2031, barring any home games in the College Football Playoff before then. Outside of the CFP semifinal meeting, the other lone meeting between the two programs was a  a 21-14 Georgia win in the 1993 Citrus Bowl. Ohio State and Georgia have pieced together six consecutive top-10 recruiting classes.

4. Clemson-Oklahoma

The thought of Brent Venables and Dabo Swinney meeting on the field presents plenty of storylines. But time will tell if both coaches are still in the respective roles when Clemson and Oklahoma meet. The Sooners will make their first trip to Clemson, for a Sept. 15, 2035, contest and will host the Tigers on Sept. 13, 2036, in Norman. The home-and-home series was scheduled when Brent Venables was still on the Clemson staff as defensive coordinator; he’s now entering his fourth season as the Sooners’ head coach. The Tigers hold the all-time record at 2-0, with the last meeting coming in the 2015 College Football Playoff, with Clemson knocking off Oklahoma 37-17 in a semifinal matchup.

5. Florida-Notre Dame

As Notre Dame continues to build out its future nonconference schedule, the Fighting Irish are expanding into the SEC. Florida and Notre Dame have only faced each other one before, a 1992 Sugar Bowl meeting with the No. 18 Fighting Irish beating the No. 3 Gators 39-28. Notre Dame will open the series by hosting the Gators for a matchup on Nov. 15, 2031. The next season, the Irish will visit The Swamp on Sept. 11, 2032. 

6. Nebraska-Oklahoma

A historic rivalry that is currently on a break, Nebraska and Oklahoma have not played since 2022, when the Sooners won 49-14 in Lincoln. Because the former Big Eight rivals have split off into new conferences, no annual meeting is scheduled. In 2016, the schools added a home-and-home series for the 2029 and 2030 season. Oklahoma holds the all-time series record at 47-38-3. The two have played in plenty big-time games, arguably none bigger than the Nov. 25, 1971, Game of the Century meeting, when the programs entered No. 1 and No. 2 in the AP poll.

7. Colorado-Florida

Despite four national title and 35 conference championships combined between the two, Colorado and Florida have never met on the field. The programs announced a future home-and-home in 2019. The Gators will face the Buffaloes in The Swamp on Sept. 9, 2028, and UF will travel to Boulder for a showdown on Sept. 8, 2029. Entering the 2025 season, only three years separate Florida and Colorado from their first matchup, meaning Deion Sanders leading the Buffs into The Swamp is a possibility.

8. Notre Dame-Texas

Notre Dame will host Texas on Sept. 9, 2028, and the Irish will visit Austin on Sept. 22, 2029. The Fighting Irish hold a 9-3 all-time record against Texas, with the most recent meeting in 2016. Texas escaped with a 50-47 double overtime win in Austin. In the 12 previous matchups between the two programs, Notre Dame has been ranked in nine of the games, and both teams have been ranked in seven of the meetings. The first game between the teams came in 1913 at Texas, a 30-7 Notre Dame win. The Fighting Irish and Longhorns have combined for 15 claimed national championships

9. Alabama-Notre Dame

The last two times Alabama and Notre Dame have met, both matchups came in the postseason. Alabama beat Notre Dame at the Rose Bowl in the 2021 College Football Playoff semifinal, a 31-14 win. Before that, the Crimson Tide and Fighting Irish met in the 2013 BCS national championship game, with Alabama dominating in a 42-14 win. Both programs have new head coaches since the home-and-home was set. Marcus Freeman is coming of a 2024 season where he led Notre Dame to a national title berth, while Kalen DeBoer is looking to rebound after an up-and-down first year at Alabama. The series was originally scheduled to begin with Notre Dame hosting Alabama at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Ind., on Sept. 2, 2028 and conclude with the Crimson Tide hosting the Fighting Irish at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala., on Sept. 1, 2029. Notre Dame will host Alabama in South Bend on Sept. 1, 2029, and will travel to face the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa the following season on Sept. 14, 2030. The Fighting Irish lead the series between the two programs 5-3.

10. Auburn-Miami

Barring a CFP or bowl matchup, Miami and Auburn will meet for the first time since 1984 in 2029. The last meeting was in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in 1984, with Miami escaping with a 20-18 win. The first first matchup of the upcoming home-and-home is scheduled at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium on Sept. 1, 2029, with the return matchup taking place at Auburn’s Jordan-Hare Stadium on Aug. 31, 2030. It will be the 11th matchup between the two schools, with Auburn holding a 7-4 all-time record over Miami.