The 2026 college football season features 10 crucial non-conference games that could impact playoff standings. These matchups include significant rematches and first-time meetings at iconic venues.
Key points
2026 college football season features 10 important non-conference games
Non-conference games can affect playoff standings
Boise State plays Oregon on September 5, 2026
These games include rematches and first-time meetings
A single loss can eliminate playoff contenders
Boise StateOregon
Non-conference games are usually appetizers. A big-time Power 4 program usually schedules one of the little guys, sometimes in the FCS. These games function as tune-ups, and the bigger school usually has to compensate the smaller team for the pleasure of taking an L. In the era of the 12-team College Football Playoff, they are part of the main course, especially as the conversations progress around who deserves a playoff spot late in the season.
A single September loss can knock a contender out of the field months before December, and a marquee win can carry a team all the way through a tough November. The 2026 schedule is loaded with these resume-makers. From rematches with revenge written all over them to first-time meetings at iconic venues, here are the 10 nonconference games that will shape the 2026 college football season.
10. Boise State at Oregon – Sat., Sept. 5 – Autzen Stadium (Eugene, OR)
The 2026 season kicks off with a sneaky-fun upset watch. Oregon enters as a top-three national title contender with quarterback Dante Moore back after passing on a likely first-round NFL exit. He threw for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns last fall. Boise State arrives with quarterback Maddux Madsen and a chip on its shoulder after a 9-5 finish derailed by injury.
Here is the kicker: the Broncos hold a 3-1 all-time edge in this series, with their last win coming back in 2009. Boise has a knack for ruining plans for the powers that be, and Autzen will be electric. An upset would shake up the CFP picture before October.
Q&A
What are the top non-conference college football games in 2026?
The article ranks the 10 best non-conference college football games of 2026, highlighting their potential impact on playoff standings.
How do non-conference games affect college football playoff chances?
Non-conference games can significantly influence playoff chances, as a single loss may eliminate a contender from the playoff race.
When does Boise State play Oregon in 2026?
Boise State is scheduled to play Oregon on September 5, 2026, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, OR.
Why are non-conference games important in college football?
Non-conference games serve as critical resume-builders for teams, impacting their chances for playoff selection and seeding.
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This neutral-site opener is loaded with storylines. Auburn beat Baylor 38-24 in Waco last August, completing the home-and-home with this Atlanta finale. New Auburn head coach Alex Golesh, hired in December to replace Hugh Freeze, makes his debut and brings transfer quarterback Byrum Brown with him from USF, where Brown was one of the FBS’s best passers.
On the other side, Baylor’s Dave Aranda is under serious pressure after a 5-7 season and turns to former five-star DJ Lagway, who transferred from Florida. The all-time series sits 2-2-1 dating back to 1954.
Georgia Tech surveyed its fans last fall and overwhelmingly chose to keep the game on campus rather than move it to Mercedes-Benz Stadium for a bigger payday. It will be Tennessee’s first trip to Bobby Dodd Stadium since 1986. The two programs have met only once in the last 38 years: the famous 42-41 double-overtime Tennessee win in the 2017 opener.
The Vols lead the all-time series 25-17-2, dating to 1902. Both teams enter with brand-new quarterbacks, with Tennessee picking between redshirt freshman George MacIntyre and five-star Faizon Brandon. Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets finished 9-4 and ranked No. 24 last season. A loud Atlanta crowd plus an SEC-vs-ACC clash equals must-see TV.
7. Louisville vs. Ole Miss – Sun., Sept. 6 – Nissan Stadium (Nashville, TN)
7. Trinidad Chambliss — Ole Miss
Trinidad Chambliss — Ole Miss
The inaugural Music City Kickoff lands the perfect opener: a primetime SEC-vs-ACC clash on ABC at 7:30 p.m. ET. Ole Miss is coming off the best season in modern program history at 13-2, with a College Football Playoff semifinal run that ended in the Fiesta Bowl against Miami. Pete Golding makes his full-season debut as head coach after taking over when Lane Kiffin left for LSU. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss returns after winning a legal battle for a sixth year of eligibility. He finished eighth in 2025 Heisman voting.
Louisville counters with its own intrigue. Jeff Brohm just signed a reported eight-year, $64 million extension after consecutive nine-win seasons, and Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz takes over at quarterback. The two programs have only met once before. Ole Miss won 43-24 in the 2021 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. With CFP positioning on the line for both, this one matters from kickoff.
This one should be pure spectacle. The Shamrock Series brings Notre Dame to Lambeau Field for the first time, in only the third college football game ever played at the historic venue. Lambeau is named after Curly Lambeau, a former Notre Dame player from 1918 who later founded the Green Bay Packers. The game was originally scheduled for October 2020 before COVID postponed it, and now it kicks off a Sunday primetime slot on NBC. Notre Dame is the designated home team and won the first leg of the series 41-13 at Soldier Field in 2021.
The stakes are real on both sides. Notre Dame returns as a national title contender behind quarterback CJ Carr and head coach Marcus Freeman, coming off a 10-2 finish at No. 10 in the AP poll. Wisconsin is in prove-it mode after consecutive losing seasons. Luke Fickell enters Year 4 on a warm seat with a new projected starting quarterback, Colton Joseph from Old Dominion, and 33 transfer portal additions. The Badgers desperately need a signature win.
5. Florida State at Alabama – Sat., Sept. 19 – Bryant-Denny Stadium (Tuscaloosa, AL)
This one screams revenge for the Tide. Florida State stunned No. 8 Alabama 31-17 in last year’s season opener in Tallahassee, one of the most shocking results of 2025. Now the home-and-home wraps in Tuscaloosa, marking FSU’s first trip there since 1974. Alabama is 2-0 all-time at home against the Seminoles and very much wants to flip the script.
Both sides arrive with new quarterbacks. Alabama lost Ty Simpson to the NFL after he was drafted in the first round, leaving Kalen DeBoer to choose between Austin Mack and redshirt freshman Keelon Russell. FSU brings in transfer Ashton Daniels (Auburn, Stanford) to replace Tommy Castellanos. Mike Norvell enters his seventh season squarely on the hot seat after a 5-7 finish, while DeBoer’s Crimson Tide are coming off a CFP quarterfinal loss to Indiana. There is real pressure on both sidelines.
This may be a CFP-or-bust spot for both programs. Notre Dame and BYU were the two highest-ranked teams left out of the 2025 College Football Playoff, finishing No. 10 and No. 11 in the final AP poll. The game came together after Notre Dame’s USC series ended and BYU lost Cal as an opponent. It is the first meeting in Provo since 2004, when BYU stunned the Irish 20-17. Notre Dame leads the all-time series 7-2.
The quarterback matchup is a must-watch. CJ Carr returns for Notre Dame after a strong 2025 as a redshirt freshman. BYU counters with sophomore Bear Bachmeier, who threw for 3,033 yards and ran for 11 touchdowns as a true freshman while leading the Cougars to 12-2 and a Pop-Tarts Bowl win. Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year LJ Martin is back, too. LaVell Edwards Stadium is one of the loudest venues in the Big 12. Both teams know they cannot afford to slip again.
3. Oklahoma at Michigan – Sat., Sept. 12 – Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, MI
This rematch carries some serious weight. Oklahoma beat Michigan 24-13 in Norman last September, with quarterback John Mateer running and throwing his way past a true-freshman Bryce Underwood, who finished 9-of-24 passing. Now the home-and-home flips, and both quarterbacks are back. Underwood, the No. 1 recruit in the 2025 class, returns more experienced. Mateer returns after passing on the NFL Draft and leading the Sooners to the College Football Playoff.
The bigger story is on the Michigan sideline. Kyle Whittingham, the longtime Utah head coach, was hired in late December after Sherrone Moore was fired with cause. He brings Utah offensive coordinator Jason Beck with him. Whittingham makes his Michigan home debut just one week earlier against Western Michigan, but this is the real first test. Both programs view 2026 as a CFP year. Whoever loses this gets a bad taste early.
2. Miami at Notre Dame – Sat., Nov. 7 – Notre Dame Stadium (South Bend, IN)
This is a rematch between the last two national runners-up. Miami stunned then-No. 6 Notre Dame 27-24 in the 2025 season opener at Hard Rock Stadium, effectively knocking the Irish out of the CFP race in Week 1. The Hurricanes rolled all the way to the national championship game before losing to Indiana. Notre Dame finished 10-2 after winning its final 10 games. This is Miami’s first trip to South Bend since 2016 in a primetime NBC slot.
The quarterback matchup is loaded. CJ Carr returns for Notre Dame as a 2025 Manning Award finalist, the same player who tied the opener at 24 before Miami’s late field goal. Miami counters with Darian Mensah, who threw for 3,973 yards and 34 touchdowns at Duke in 2025 before transferring. With playoff positioning at stake for both, this is the heaviest game on Notre Dame’s schedule.
1. Ohio State at Texas – Sat., Sept. 12 – Texas Memorial Stadium (Austin, TX)
This is the headliner of the entire 2026 college football season. Ohio State and Texas meet for the third straight year, and both teams return their starting quarterbacks. Julian Sayin was a 2025 Heisman finalist after completing nearly 80 percent of his passes for the Buckeyes. Arch Manning enters his second full year as Texas’s starter. The 2025 opener in Columbus went to Ohio State 14-7, and the Buckeyes also beat Texas in the 2024 CFP semifinal at the Cotton Bowl. Texas wants payback at home.
The stakes are massive. Ohio State went 12-2 in 2025 before losing to Indiana in the Big Ten title game and to Miami in the playoff quarterfinals. Texas finished 9-3 and missed the playoff entirely. Both enter 2026 as preseason top-tier teams with national championship expectations. Throw in receiver Jeremiah Smith returning for Ohio State and a primetime ESPN slot in Austin, and this game has everything.
