There are plenty of games every year that are worth looking forward to in the college football season. Specifically, nonconference games can have a lot of hype to them. Here are the 10 best nonconference games in college football in 2023.
Florida and Utah matched up last year in the swamp and provided fans with a great game. Now, Florida will travel across the country to match up with the Utes in Utah.
The Gators return just seven total starters and will have to replace quarterback Anthony Richardson. They have plenty of skill players returning like running backs Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne, but will need to have better play in the trenches. The defense has plenty of turnover from last season, but also plenty of talent. This game will be a great way to see what Billy Napier can do at Florida early on in year two.
Utah will be looking to make their third straight Pac-12 Championship Game, but this game could prepared them for the rest of the season. Cameron Rising returns at quarterback and his experience operating the offense gives them a chance to repeat as Pac-12 champs. He’ll be joined by five returning starters on offense and six on defense.
Utah is currently favored by 9.5 points, but Florida surprised last season and could have another good game.
9. Texas Tech Red Raiders at Oregon Ducks (Sep. 9)
Texas Tech and Oregon features two teams that each had successful seasons last year. There is also a former Oregon quarterback who now suits up for Texas Tech, making the game a tad more interesting.
The Red Raiders won eight games in Joey Maguire’s first year as head coach. Having Tyler Shough healthy at quarterback against his former team could be crucial for their chances in this game. They have six starters back on both sides of the ball and Maguire could help the program take a step forward in 2023.
Oregon was a few points away from competing for a Pac-12 Championship last season, but still won 10 games. Bo Nix has seen a resurgence since suiting up for Oregon and will have skill position players to work with, but the Ducks will have a lot of new faces on the offensive line. If their line and defense can come together they have a great chance in this game.
The Tyler Shough revenge game against his former team gives the game more juice, but both of these teams should be solid this year, which is why the game makes the list.
Colorado playing TCU has plenty of headlines because of the Buffaloes new head coach and TCU’s trip to the College Football Playoff last season.
This offseason, Colorado brought in Deion Sanders to coach and he has carried with him many talented transfers. It was a total overhaul of the roster, but that is likely a good thing, as Colorado won just one game last season. With former top recruit Travis Hunter playing cornerback and Shedeur Sanders playing quarterback, Colorado has a chance to improve vastly this season.
TCU lost a lot of talent to the NFL Draft, but do have 10 starters returning. Chandler Morris will take over the reins of the offense and will have transfers at the skill positions waiting to help him out. The defense has some room for improvement, as they bring back seven starters.
Right now the Horned Frogs are 20.5 point favorites. They do have a lot of pieces to fit together and Colorado does have some talent, even if they won’t be competing for National Championships any time soon.
7. Florida State Seminoles at Florida Gators (Nov. 25)
Florida State playing Florida in the last game of the regular season is a good matchup because of the rivalry and it may have a lot on the line.
The Seminoles won 10 games last season, as Mike Norvell has righted the ship. They return 14 starters with the most important one being quarterback Jordan Travis, who showed the ability to create plays out of chaos last season. Getting Jared Verse back as a great passrusher will bolster the defense. Expectations are high for the Seminoles, but they have to get through some pretty tough games in both the conference and nonconference schedule.
Florida has some potential this season, as mentioned earlier. They would love to upset their rivals, even if the Seminoles are projected to do much better this season.
Even if both teams disappoint this season, this rivalry is worth watching. It feels though that his might have a little more importance this season though.
North Carolina going up against South Carolina gives us a matchup of intriguing quarterbacks in the first week of the season.
Drake Maye had a fantastic season in 2022 and is now one of the Heisman frontrunners. With 12 other starters returning, the offense should be solid, but the defense really needs to improve. If the defense is better, competing for the ACC is in the cards for the Tar Heels.
Spencer Rattler started off last season slowly, but finished the season strong by helping the Gamecocks defeat Tennessee and Clemson in the last few weeks of the season. If Rattler plays like he did at the end of last season, the Gamecocks are a top 25 team, so they’ll want to get him started off on the right foot in this game.
There should be a lot of offense and some good quarterback play to make this game worth watching in week 1.
Notre Dame and Clemson have provided college football fans with some great matchups over the last several years and both team are projected to be good again this season.
The Fighting Irish have 15 returning starters from a nine-win team in 2022. After starting slow, they finished the season strong and have now upgraded at quarterback with Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman coming in. If he improves the passing offense, the defense and running game should both be able to hold up to their own ends of the bargain.
Clemson had some struggles last season, but it still resulted in an 11-win season. They have 15 returning starters and the Tigers have some hope that new quarterback Cade Klubnik can help fix some of their offensive issues after he played a little bit last year and showed some flashes. The defense can be elite, especially given their immense talent at linebacker.
Both teams will be looking to make the CFP this season, but even if they fall short, this game can deliver.
Another rivalry game makes the list with potentially a lot to play for on both sides.
USC was a Pac-12 Championship win away from being in the CFP last season. Quarterback Caleb Williams won the Heisman last year and returns with 13 other starters. The offense can expected to be high-powered, but the defense has to improve for USC to be serious contenders.
Notre Dame lost the head to head matchup last season and will be looking for revenge. They have roster stability and a new quarterback to help them. It will be hard for hem to contain Williams, but maybe they learned something from last season, where they really struggled to limit him.
The rivalry and stakes of this game make it one of the best nonconference games.
These two storied programs gave college football a great game that was closer than many expected. The rematch is a preview of a future conference matchup with Texas joining the SEC.
Texas has 15 returning starters and will be looking for quarterback Quinn Ewers to take a step forward. He was playing well, along with Texas as a team, before getting injured against Alabama last season. The offensive line has a lot of experience returning and could be the key to pulling off the upset at Alabama.
The Crimson Tide should never be doubted, but they only have nine starters returning. Odds are that Nick Saban will have the new wave of talent come in and be productive, but with the game being so early in the season, it could cause trouble. Alabama needs Jalen Milroe to develop into a star and this could be his coming out party.
With the teams playing close last year and Texas returning a lot of talent, Steve Sarkisian could help his team compete with Alabama to the very end of this game.
Ohio State and Notre Dame played last season in a battle of historic teams. It was a good game, but this year’s edition may be even better.
The Buckeyes return 12 starters from a team that made the College Football Playoff last season. They do have to replace C.J. Stroud, but Kyle McCord has some familiarity with top target Marvin Harrison Jr., as he was his high school quarterback. Filling in the trenches and shoring up the defense are bigger worries for the Buckeyes, as they lost talent and the defense wasn’t great in big games last season.
Notre Dame could’ve won the game at Ohio State last season with some better quarterback play. After addressing that, they will need to win in the trenches to win in the game. They have plenty of tough games this season and should be able to compete in all of them.
Ohio State has the talent to win by a few touchdowns in this game, but Notre Dame could give them struggles if McCord hasn’t solidified himself as a good quarterback in the first few games of the season.
Last season, these two teams matched up and played in a wacky game with so many twists and turns. Now there are bigger expectations for each team heading into the first week of the season.
As mentioned, Florida State finished with 11 wins last season. They have hopes of making the College Football Playoff, but will need their skill position players to make a difference in this game. Trey Benson is back at running back after a solid season and wide receiver Johnny Wilson provides a productive big-bodied target. Their ability to pick up yards and keep position will really help their chances of winning.
Brian Kelly exceeded expectations in his first season at LSU by making the SEC Championship Game. The Tigers have 11 starters back, which includes quarterback Jayden Daniels, who operated Kelly’s offense well. He’ll have plenty of talent up front returning, while the defense will need to find playmakers around star linebacker Harold Perkins. The loss of talent will make things tough, but Kelly recruited well and LSU has high hopes for the season.
Something has to give for these two teams in the first week of the season. Hopefully the end result is as fun and wild of a game as the two teams produced last season.
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