Tag: nonconference games

Best nonconference matchups of the 2023 college football season

The best 20 nonconference games of the 2023 season.

We are under 100 days to the college football season but who is counting anyway? Well, just about everyone is. Teams are gearing up to make a run at the College Football Playoffs and end Georgia’s run of dominance. The Bulldogs are 29-1 over the last two seasons where they won the title in both.

Can anyone step up and prevent them from joining the Minnesota Golden Gophers in college football immortality? Minnesota won three straight titles in the early to mid-1930s. A feat that has seems impossible to repeat, until now. Almost a century later, we could be witnessing history.

Before we get to the CFP, there is plenty more that needs to be addressed. Teams have fall camps, nonconference games, and the run to their respective conference championship games.

In their 100 storylines to follow, CBS Sports ranked the best 20 nonconference matchups of the 2023 college football season. Plenty of eyes will be on the likes of Alabama, Colorado, Texas, and Texas A&M, but who else should we be paying attention to ahead of conference play?

One notable matchup missing is the opening game of the season in Dublin, Ireland, where Notre Dame and Navy are set to meet on the gridiron. That game was among our must-see games in each week of the 2023 college football season.

Check out the list from CBS Sports:

College Football: Best nonconference games of 2023

The 2023 nonconference slate is loaded with exciting matchups.

Anticipation is already building for the 2023 college football season. Fans are being treated to one of the best nonconference slates in recent memory.

We are set to see plenty of unique matchups in the early weeks of the season.

Florida State and LSU kick off the year in Orlando with loads of preseason hype. Jayden Daniels and Jordan Travis provide an exciting quarterback battle for the two college football playoff hopefuls.

Texas travels to Alabama for a potential top-10 matchup between the two bluebloods. The Tide defeated the Longhorns in an instant classic in Austin a season ago, Quinn Ewers and Texas are looking for a statement victory.

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Notre Dame hosts Ohio State in the premiere Week 3 contest. It is always special when these two brands get together, Marcus Freeman is looking for his signature win as the head coach of the Irish.

Here is a look at some of the best nonconference games of the 2023 college football season.

Texas mentioned twice on On3’s most intriguing nonconference games of 2022

All eyes on Texas. Two of their three nonconference games are considered among the top 25 to watch this season.

After an underwhelming 5-7 record to kick off his Texas tenure last season, all eyes will be on Steve Sarkisian in 2022.

That’s not to say that it’s a championship or bust mentality, but his team must showcase significant improvements. The Longhorns certainly have the talent on the roster to compete for a Big 12 title, and anything fewer than four losses this year should be considered a step in the right direction.

Texas will be tested early on prior to starting conference play, and each of their three nonconference games will fortunately be played at Darrell K Royal Memorial Stadium in Austin.

Mike Huguenin of On3 recently ranked the best nonconference matchups on the schedule for the 2022 college football season. Texas was mentioned twice among the top 25 games mentioned.

Up first is one that many wouldn’t initially expect to be on a list of this nature. At No. 25, Huguenin put Texas vs. UTSA on Sept. 17 as one to watch.

This will be the first meeting between the schools, and it comes a week after Texas will have played Alabama. Will there be any kind of hangover for the Longhorns? UTSA won 12 games and the Conference USA title last season; while the Roadrunners don’t figure to be as good as they were in 2021, this is a solid program filled with players who weren’t recruited by Texas. Thus, think of it as a chance for the little guy to stick a finger (or maybe even a fist) in the eye of the bully on the block.

Much higher on Huguenin’s list at No. 4 is a matchup that most of the college football landscape is excited to see, Alabama at Texas on Sept. 10. This will serve as a good measuring stick for the Longhorns.

This will be just the 10th meeting all-time between these storied programs — and the first-regular-season game since 1922. Yep, 100 years. The most recent meeting was the BCS Championship Game following the 2009 season, and that is the Tide’s lone win over the Longhorns. This will be Game 2 in Steve Sarkisian’s second season at Texas, and everyone knows how Nick Saban treats his former assistants. Texas has some interesting offensive pieces, but how good is the Longhorns’ offensive line? And can Texas’ defense slow Alabama’s offense?

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