Toughest, easiest nonconference schedules of 2025 season

The college football season kicks off in less than 50 days, with Week 0 scheduled for Aug. 23 with Kansas State and Iowa State meeting in Ireland. But when Week 1 rolls around, most of the top programs in college football will dive into their nonconference slates.

Notable nonconference games this season include Texas at Ohio State, LSU at Clemson and Notre Dame at Miami. Some top programs have scheduled early-season Power Four tests, while others have loaded up on FCS and Group of Five opponents.

With the season just five weeks away, On3 is looking at the toughest and easiest nonconference schedules of the 2025 season:

Toughest nonconference schedules

Baylor: The Bears kick off the season hosting a new-look Auburn team led by Oklahoma transfer quarterback Jackson Arnold. Dave Aranda’s program turns around and visits an SMU team that made the College Football Playoff last season. Those two matchups alone make for a tough nonconference slate, closed out by a visit from Samford

Miami: The Hurricanes have one of the toughest nonconference lineups this season. Miami opens the year with Notre Dame headed down to South Beach and closes out September with a visit from Florida. Sandwiched between the two are games with Bethune-Cookman and USF. The Bulls are expected to take a step forward with quarterback Byrum Brown’s return.

TCU: Similar to its Big 12 counterpart, Baylor, TCU has two Power Four matchups scheduled in its three nonconference games. The Horned Frogs open up the year at North Carolina in Bill Belichick’s first career collegiate game. They host Abilene Christian, which made the FCS playoffs, before rival SMU visits on Sept. 20.

Duke: Manny Diaz has his quarterback of the future in Darian Mensah, but the Blue Devils have a notable nonconference slate. Duke opens the year at home against Elon, then hosts Illinois in one of the top nonconference matchups of the college football season. The Blue Devils then hit the road for games at Tulane and UConn — two programs that both made bowl games in 2024.

Clemson: The Tigers host LSU in Death Valley in one of the most hyped games of Week 1. The Tigers also close out the year at South Carolina, which could be a game with College Football Playoff implications. Clemson also hosts Troy and Furman.

Syracuse: Fran Brown’s program opens the year in Atlanta against Tennessee, in what is expected to be a Volunteer-heavy crowd. The Orange return to upstate New York for home games against UConn and Colgate before having to travel to Notre Dame in late November, in what could be a homecoming for quarterback Steve Angeli.

Kent State: The Golden Flashes continue to line up guaranteed games to cash in. Kent State is scheduled to Texas Tech, Florida State and Oklahoma this season. The program opens up the season against Merrimack. Interim head coach Mark Carney stepped in this spring following Kenni Burns’s firing.

Ohio: The Bobcats will face three Power Four opponents this fall, marked by trips to Rutgers and Ohio State. West Virginia is scheduled to visit Athens on Sept. 6. The lone non-Power Four game will be when Gardner-Webb visits on Sept. 20.

Tulane: Head coach Jon Sumrall has been adamant that for Tulane to contend for a CFP berth, loading up a tough nonconference schedule will only help the Green Wave. This fall is highlighted by matchups with Northwestern, Ole Miss and Duke. Both the Wildcats and Blue Devils visit New Orleans. A trip to South Alabama comes after Northwestern and before Duke.

“We have an opportunity, in particular with our nonconference schedule, that if we handle our own business, we should be in that conversation,” Sumrall said.

Florida: The Gators open the season against FCS LIU, but then face three in-state opponents in USF, Miami and Florida State. Florida’s trip to Coral Gables on Sept. 20 will be a key test for Billy Napier’s program, which was embarrassed in The Swamp by the Hurricanes a year ago.

Florida State: Mike Norvell’s program is coming off a 2-10 season but won’t have a minute to settle into the season. The Seminoles host Alabama in Week 1, and quarterback Thomas Castellanos has already sent a warning shot at the Crimson Tide. FSU’s games with East Texas A&M and Kent State are manageable, but the Seminoles close out the year at Florida.

Easiest nonconference schedules

Wake Forest: On paper, this is one of the easier nonconference schedules to navigate. But first-year head coach Jake Dickert has had to rebuild the Wake Forest roster this offseason. The Demon Deacons have home games against Kennesaw State, Western Carolina and Delaware. The toughest nonconference test will come with a November trip to Oregon State.

Vanderbilt: The 2025 nonconference schedule sets up nicely for Diego Pavia and Vanderbilt to seriously contend for the CFP. The Commodores visit Virginia Tech on Sept. 6, but the rest of the nonconference load is filled with games against Charleston Southern, Georgia State and Utah State. Vanderbilt did lose at Georgia State a year ago.

Georgia: The Bulldogs host Marshall, Austin Peay and Charlotte this fall. And the annual rivalry game against Georgia Tech is being played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta instead of on a campus.

Tennessee: The Volunteers will play in Atlanta against Syracuse in Week 1 in front of a Tennessee-heavy crowd. From that point, the Vols play ETSU, UAB and New Mexico State.

Missouri: Missouri does not have to go on the road once in nonconference. The Tigers host rival Kansas in Week 2, but the rest of the slate is filled with home games against Central Arkansas, Louisiana and UMass.

Ole Miss: Tulane will be the toughest test of the nonconference slate for Ole Miss and first-year starter Austin Simmons. The Rebels are also set to host Georgia State, Washington State and The Citadel.

Auburn: Week 1 at Baylor will prove to be an early-season test for Auburn entering Year 3 of the Hugh Freeze era. But from there, the Tigers play host to Ball State, South Alabama and Mercer.

Penn State: The Nittany Lions are viewed as the potential No. 1 team entering the 2025 season, but they do not face a single Power Four opponent in nonconference. Penn State has built out a noncon schedule that features Nevada, FIU and Villanova.

Maryland: Similar to Penn State, Maryland will not have to leave the confines of their stadium in noncon. The Terrapins are set to host Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois and Towson.

Indiana: The Hoosiers stay home the entire noncon slate with matchups against Old Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State.

Texas Tech: The Red Raiders spent over $28 million on this year’s roster and brought in the No. 1 portal class, but they will not play a Power Four program in nonconference. Texas Tech plays host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State and Oregon State to open the year.