The 7 biggest non-conference games we’re looking forward to in 2025

As we near the start of spring football practices on college campuses nationwide, everyone's attention begins to turn toward the 2025-26 college football season.

One particular area that tends to interest many fans is the potentially thrilling non-conference games on the schedule. Many of these can help shape the narrative and storylines throughout the season as teams battle to make the college football playoff, while others involve the renewal of epic rivalries or debuts of new players and coaches that have been hyped up throughout the preseason.

Here are a few non-conference college football games fans can look forward to during the upcoming season.

1. Texas Longhorns at Ohio State Buckeyes (Aug. 30)

The first week of the new season starts with a bang as the Longhorns and Buckeyes meet for a rematch of their College Football Playoff semifinal game, this time in Columbus. The Buckeyes took down the Longhorns just a few weeks ago in the Cotton Bowl Classic, dominating at the most critical points of the game on their way to a national title.

This will be Texas' second straight year with a trip to the defending national champion in the Big Ten, besting the Michigan Wolverines 31-12 in Ann Arbor last September.

Both Texas and Ohio State will likely enter the season as top-10 teams and contenders for the College Football Playoff, given last season's results and the talent both teams will have added to their squads.

However, Jack Sawyer, Treveyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, Will Howard, Emeka Egbuka, Cody Simon and a slew of other Buckeyes will be in the NFL by the time this game comes along, as will key Texas players like Quinn Ewers, Jaydon Blue, Matthew Golden, Jahdae Barron, and Gunnar Helm.

This game will also be the first official game of the Arch Manning Era as the redshirt sophomore takes over as starting quarterback for the Longhorns, making it one of the most anticipated matchups of the season.

2. LSU Tigers at Clemson Tigers (Aug. 30)

"The Battle of the Tigers" and "the Battle of the Death Valleys" will also take place during Week 1. It's also a rematch of the 2019-20 National Championship game that LSU won behind a lethal offense led by quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receivers Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase, all currently excelling in the NFL.

Both teams had fallen off since that time, with neither making the College Football Playoff until Clemson broke the drought by defeating SMU in the ACC Championship to claim a spot in the inaugural 12-team field last season. The Tigers were quickly ousted by Texas in the first round.

Still, Clemson will be determined to prove it was no fluke as it enters one of the most hostile environments in college football, likely as a top-25 team after last season's success. Clemson gets a big [piece of its offense back as quarterback Cade Klubnik decided to bypass the NFL and return to school to pursue another chance at a championship.

Meanwhile, LSU will be looking to contend in the SEC after a nine-win season in which it played three teams that were ranked in the top 15 at the time of their matchup. Quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will have plenty of pressure on him as a senior looking to raise his draft stock and leave a legacy for himself, and LSU may still have the firepower on offense to help him do it.

This will be the fifth meeting between the schools' football programs. LSU holds a 3-1 advantage. Clemson's lone victory came in the 2012 Chick-Fil-A Bowl in Atlanta.

3. Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Miami (FL) Hurricanes (Aug. 31)

The new season also brings the return of one of college football's most heated and iconic rivalries.

The Fighting Irish and the Hurricanes met annually from 1971 through 1990 (except for 1986) but have rarely seen each other since. There have only been four meetings between the schools over the last 35 years (2010, 2012, 2016, 2017). Miami won the most recent meeting in a 41-8 blowout in 2017.

They were supposed to play in South Bend in 2024, but it was postponed to 2026 due to a scheduling error. Now, they will begin a home-and-home series at Miami's Hard Rock Stadium to kick off the latest campaign. Notre Dame looks to build off a national championship appearance while Miami tries to rebound with a new quarterback after playing with fire all year and faltering in the ACC race late last season.

Both teams should be in the top 25 at a minimum to start the season, adding higher stakes to a long-awaited renewal that didn't necessarily need any additional motivation for either side. That makes this game even more important, and those who remember the days of the original rivalry will definitely look forward to this one.

4. TCU Horned Frogs at North Carolina Tar Heels (Sept. 1)

This game makes the list for one reason and one reason only: it's Bill Belichick's debut as North Carolina's head football coach. The legendary, eight-time Super Bowl champion NFL coach shocked the football world by taking the Tar Heels' job in January, returning to the field in the college ranks as the replacement for Mack Brown when everyone suspected he was waiting for an NFL offer.

Some may wonder why Belichick took this particular job, but it one where he is coaching his father's alma mater, so there might be something sentimental to it. However, the more intriguing storyline is that Belichick has never been a college coach. He began his career as an NFL assistant and worked his way up the ranks in the pros to gain the legendary winning status he has now.

So how will things work out for the Tar Heels? It'd be hard to do worse. North Carolina did make a bowl game last season, but the 6-7 record was tied for the program's worst during Brown's tenure. But regardless of past results, the Tar Heels swung for the fences and landed the biggest fish on the market. Everyone will be watching to see how it works out, and opinions will form quickly.

On the other side, TCU is no stranger to star-studded debuts. The Horned Frogs were Deion Sanders's first opponent when he joined Colorado in 2023, and they beat the Buffaloes in a back-and-forth, high-paced shootout. Will they be just as poised facing another all-time great?

5. Iowa Hawkeyes at Iowa State Cyclones (Sept. 6)

The Battle for the CyHawk Trophy tends to be one of the more competitive rivalry games year in and year out, no matter where Iowa and Iowa State end up in their respective conferences. The last three games have come down to one possession, and 11 meetings since 2011 have been decided by 10 points or fewer.

It's never pretty football between these two teams, with both owning substantial reputations for having better defenses than offenses most seasons, but sometimes that's exactly what college football needs. Most fans don't want to see big games become blowouts (unless the team they root for is the one winning), and that should draw more unaffiliated fans to this game.

Iowa State has won two of the last three meetings in this series, stealing a road win with a 54-yard field goal in the final seconds in 2024. Both Cyclone wins have surprisingly come on the road at Iowa's Kinnick Stadium, which is notoriously difficult for opponents to play. However, this year's game is on the Iowa State campus in Ames, where Iowa State has not beaten the Hawkeyes since 2011.

As far as national and conference implications are concerned, the winner of the CyHawk Trophy has reached its conference championship game three times since 2021 (Iowa - 2021, 2023; Iowa State - 2024). While there are many more seasons where the result is virtually irrelevant, the recent history between these two teams and the success they've had on the field shows that this game often means something, and not always just when it comes to state bragging rights.

6. Texas A&M Aggies at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Sept. 13)

All games are technically non-conference for Notre Dame, but this one stands out after last year's meeting in College Station, particularly with former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko on the opposing sideline in his second year as Texas A&M's head football coach.

These two teams delivered an excellent defensive battle in primetime during the opening weekend last season, with Notre Dame clinching the win on a late touchdown run from running back Jeremiyah Love. It set the stage for big years for both teams as Notre Dame reached the national championship game, and Texas A&M spent most of the season near the top of the SEC.

This time around, Texas A&M has a better idea of its identity and a more firm plan at quarterback with Marcel Reed supplanting last season's opening day starter, Conner Weigman. The Aggies should also have running backs Rueben Owens and Le'Veon Moss back from injuries, forming a lethal backfield that also includes Amari Daniels and Reed's unique running prowess as a quarterback.

Notre Dame will be built similarly, as it was a defense-first type of team most of last season anyway. The Fighting Irish leaned on the run all year, even with an experienced quarterback in Riley Leonard under center. Both teams also struggled with the passing game, so expect a similar type of game for the second go-round.

A key difference this time will be that Texas A&M's players will have past experience in hostile environments on which to lean, while Notre Dame will have a slightly less experienced team at some critical positions. How much of a difference will that make? It could be huge when it comes to another potential top-25 matchup early in the season.

7. SMU Mustangs at TCU Horned Frogs (Sept. 20)

If the current situation holds, this will be the final "Battle for the Iron Skillet" for an indefinite time period. The Horned Frogs and Mustangs have played annually since 1989 (except for the 2020 COVID season) but announced a hiatus from their rivalry matchup in August 2023 as both schools manage realignment.

SMU got the best of TCU last September with a 66-42 home victory in Dallas, snapping a two-game losing streak against the Horned Frogs a year after head coach Rhett Lashlee felt like his team let an opportunity slip away in Fort Worth. Still, the Mustangs have won three of the last five in this series after dropping seven in a row (2012-2018).

Adding more intrigue to this matchup is TCU head coach Sonny Dykes, who defected to the other side of the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex in November 2021 after four years leading the SMU football program. Dykes drew the attention of SMU fans last season as he was ejected during the loss as he returned to Dallas for the second time with his new team.

This game might not make many headlines nationally, but it should. Both teams are now Power Four programs and had good seasons last year. Plus, it's an in-state matchup between schools that are separated by only about 39 miles. That's why many were surprised the series was ending, and now it's reached its final act even though non-conference play still exists.

If there is no further announcement to save the Battle for the Iron Skillet, the 2025 winner will be able to claim college football supremacy in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for the foreseeable future. Those stakes are enough to make fans tune in.