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Chris Low, ESPN Senior WriterJul 31, 2024, 07: 00 AM ET
As we approach the 2024 season, it is exhausting to focus your thoughts on all the movements in college football.
Can you picture suggesting to someone that Oregon would be in the Big Ten, Oklahoma would be in the SEC, Stanford would be in the ACC, and UCF would be in the Great 12 as we were just starting out? Welcome to the world of superconferences, or as one former event director called them, “associations”.
In 2024, the Pac-12 has been split into its own two groups, Oregon State and Washington State, and the Big 12 and Big Ten have many changed their looks. Units will not be present in any of the remaining Power 4 conferences, and the exchange portal’s roster reform makes NFL free agency appear unimpressive.
As we do every year at this moment, we’ll realize some routine superlatives for the 2024 period– some flattering and some no so appealing. All positions referenced are from ESPN’s post-spring Major 25. And yes, it’s important to keep in mind that schedule power can vary significantly between late October and the summertime.
Toughest general Power 4 plan: Florida
No, it’s not a terrible desire for Billy Napier and the Florida sports program. The Gators are trying to avoid their third straight losing season in Gainesville, which has n’t happened since the 1930s, as Napier enters a crucial next year there. They play seven Top 25 groups, and three of their four nonconference games are against Power 4 opponents. They face four top-15 team away from home, with a three-game stretch of No. 1 Georgia ( in Jacksonville ) on Nov. 2, No. 3 Texas on the road on Nov. 9 and No. 14 Louisiana at apartment on Nov. 16.
Georgia Tech even belongs in this discussion. In Dublin, the Yellow Spencer kick off the winter against No. 11 Florida State, win the street game at No. 1 Georgia. In between, they face four more ranked competitors, including No. 5 Notre Dame in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Oct. 19.
Easiest general Power 4 plan: SMU
Rhett Lashlee’s championship victory at SMU was not much for her. In his next year as a Mustangs, the agency’s first seminar title since 1984, the Mustangs won the AAC tournament in Dallas. The plan is reasonable enough for the Mustangs to regain their position for double-digit victories as the ACC comes into existence. Their only Top 25 foe ( Florida State ) is at home on Sept. 28. In reality, four of their first five matches are at home, and they end the season against Pittsburgh, Boston College, Virginia and Cal. Just Virginia travels by street.
Missouri and Syracuse both obtain “honorable” mentions around. Particularly delicate is the Tigers ‘ nonconference plan.
Toughest total non-Power 4 plan: Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana-Monroe has always been a tough job, and Bryant Vincent does n’t get any breaks with the schedule in his first season as coach. The Warhawks, who past had a winning season in 2012, go to No. The following two weeks will feature James Madison at house on October 5 and Troy on Sept. 28 before Texas faces two of the top Sun Belt Conference opponents. Therefore late in the season, ULM goes back on the road against SEC rival Auburn on Nov. 16 and ends the time at home against Louisiana, one of the favorites to win the Sun Belt’s West Division.
Easiest general non-Power 4 routine: Liberty
Liberty won the Fiesta Bowl last year, and Jamey Chadwell led the team to an unbroken regular season. The pathway back to another big season does n’t appear overly treacherous. Both of the Flames ‘ toughest meeting games, Western Kentucky and Jacksonville State, are at home, and there are no nonconference games against Power 4 competitors. The expanded 12-team postseason routine is designed to task for a second consecutive Conference USA name and the Group of 5’s place in it.
Toughest Power 4 nonconference deadline: USC
The Trojans will also have some extra-conference work to accomplish, in addition to USC’s move to the Big Ten. They open the time on Sept. 1 against No. 14 Louisiana in Las Vegas and shut the season Nov. 30 at home against No. 5 Notre Dame. It’s not easy to play a match of this magnitude after a conflict match against USC the week before in Pasadena, where the Irish have won five of the line ‘ six matches. Additionally, USC do play two nonconference games against teams that were preseasonally ranked nationally for the first time since 2018.
Let’s not ignore Florida, sometimes. As if the Gators ‘ SEC slate were n’t enough, they face No. 24 Miami at home to start the time, travel to UCF halfway through the winter, and travel to No. 11 Florida State.
Easiest Power 4 nonconference deadline: Ohio State
Next year, Michigan got the nod around. This year, it’s Ohio State that should n’t break a sweat in its three nonconference games, all at home against non-Power 4 opponents. The Buckeyes play Akron and Western Michigan before taking a year off before traveling to Marshall on September 21. In other words, Ohio State is now 3-0. The Buckeyes play road games against Oregon and Penn State and house game against Iowa and Michigan in the Big Ten, which are both terrible. In 2024 and 2025, Ohio State had originally planned to face Washington, a new Big Ten member, in a home game, but the program was canceled in 2023, and the team had to pay a$ 500,000 fine to avoid those games, adding an eighth home game this year.
Toughest non-Power 4 nonconference routine: Kent State
In Kenni Burns ‘ first year as mentor, the Golden Flashes won one activity. At least in terms of the nonconference schedule, it wo n’t get any easier in Year 2. The opening is Aug. 31 at Pittsburgh, and after a home day with FCS player Saint Francis, Kent State moves to No. 15 Tennessee on Sept. 14 and to No. 12 Penn State on Sept. 21. In four days, that would result in three trips to Power 4 institutions. The Golden Flashes ‘ purchase of sports merits every penny they can get.
As Lebby begins his second year in Starkville, Jeff Lebby and the Bulldogs win the grand “prize” in this case, which is only real road game. If there’s such a thing as an effortless activity in this labyrinth, it’s a cross-country walk to confront Arizona State in Week 2. Next in SEC enjoy, Mississippi State appointments three top-10 teams– No. 3 Texas on Sept. 28, No. 1 Georgia on Oct. 12 and No. 6 Old Miss on Nov. 29 to shut the time. There’s also a journey to No. 15 Tennessee on Nov. 9. And if that’s not much, Mississippi State gets No. The Egg Bowl will take place on Friday at 8 versus Missouri on November 23 to prepare for a quick month of play. The single SEC team this year that will travel to both Georgia and Texas is Mississippi State.
Arizona State’s away schedule is n’t as hard as Mississippi State’s, but the Sun Devils play six true road games.
Toughest available to the year: Clemson
It does n’t get much tougher than facing No. 1 Georgia in the Aug. 31 openers at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. A week later, Appalachian State comes to Death Valley. The Mountaineers are undoubtedly the best team in the Sun Belt Conference, and they are no stranger to challenging the big guys. After a farewell, Clemson faces a pair of top-15 groups over the next three months– No. 13 N. C. State at apartment Sept. 21 and No. 11 Florida State on the road Oct. 5. The plan is top-heavy for the Tigers, significance we may know by mid-October if they’re a major playoff contender.
Toughest close to the winter: Florida
Sure, the Gators afterwards. From Oct. 12 on, they play six of their last seven games against Major 25 adversaries– four of those away from home. They end the time by playing five right week, all against top-15 groups. Napier claimed earlier this month that this will be his best staff since moving to Florida. If the Gators are to come from the marshy lakes of the past few seasons, it will need to be, and then some.
Cushiest available to the winter: Ole Miss
Fox poison update! The Grove’s anticipated schedule for Old Miss ‘ season opener sets up for some serious drinking. The Insurgents, ranked in the top 10 in most camp surveys, perform four of their first five games at home, against Furman, Middle Tennessee, Georgia Southern and Kentucky. Wake Forest will play Week 3 of that expand as the apart game. If we extend our perspective to six weeks, Ole Miss will travel to South Carolina on October 5, which means there will be many long faces in the Sip if the Rebels are n’t 6-0.
Toughest three-game span: UCLA
Three matches in three straight days without a bye are considered in this class. DeShaun Foster, in his first year as head coach at his alma mater, is rewarded with the most painful three-game gauntlet in college football. The Bruins cross the border to face No. 14 Louisiana in Baton Rouge on Sept. 21, then come back home to confront No. 4 Oregon on Sept. 28, then fly up across the country to enjoy No. On October 5, 12 Penn State played at Beaver Stadium, all while the program was in its sixth immediately week without a crack.
Must-see nonconference sports
For this record, we’re considering only games that are played on college, never at a natural site:
• Miami at Florida, Aug. 31
• Notre Dame at Texas A&, M, Aug. 31
• Penn State at West Virginia, Aug. 31
• Texas at Michigan, Sept. 7
• Colorado at Nebraska, Sept. 7
• Alabama at Wisconsin, Sept. 14
• Oregon at Oregon State, Sept. 14
• UCLA at LSU, Sept. 21
• Florida State at Notre Dame, Nov. 9
• Florida at Florida State, Nov. 30
• Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 30
Better be careful
Some shady, fun activities that pit Group of 5 teams against Power 4 groups:
• Boise State at Oregon, Sept. 7
• Kansas State at Tulane, Sept. 7
• Appalachian State at Clemson, Sept. 7
• Arizona State at Texas State, Sept. 12
• UNLV at Kansas, Sept. 13
• Colorado at Colorado State, Sept. 14
• Memphis at Florida State, Sept. 14
• Tulane at Oklahoma, Sept. 14
• Miami at South Florida, Sept. 21
• South Alabama at LSU, Sept. 28
• Syracuse at UNLV, Oct. 4
• Fresno State at UCLA, Nov. 30
Energy interruptions
The Pac-12’s remaining two schools, Notre Dame or Ohio State Buckeyes, are the only two Power 4 schools that do not play nonconference games against one other Power 4 class. For the first time since 1936, Ohio State has n’t played a “marquee” nonconference game in the AP polls. The Buckeyes play a class that is either already a Power 4 meeting, a Pac-12 conference, or Notre Dame every other year. In 2019, Ohio State’s toughest nonconference activity was against Cincinnati, which at the time was a part of the AAC. However, that Cincinnati squad won 11 game and finished the year No.1. 21 in the AP surveys. This incident changes considerably the next few months for the Buckeyes, who play Texas in 2025 and 2026 and Alabama in 2027 and 2028.
Frequent flyer miles
If this time the Bears experience a little jet lag, accept Cal. The players should now have some frequent flier points because we are in the NIL universe. Cal plays Sept. 7 at Auburn (2, 466 miles ), Sept. 21 at Florida State (2, 575 ), Oct. 12 at Pitt (2, 572 ), Nov. 8 at Wake Forest (2, 769 ) and Nov. 30 at SMU ( 1, 754). That’s a total of 12, 136 yards for five away game.
Pleasant to the SEC
The Sooners ‘ club plan in Year 1 was stubbed on by SEC visitors Texas and Oklahoma, which gave them the short end of the stick. Only two of the Sooners ‘ eight SEC games are played against Top 25 opponents, compared to six of the Sooners ‘ eight against Top 25 opponents.
The Big Ten: welcome to the group
Washington faces five Major 25 teams in league enjoy, including Oregon, Penn State and Iowa on the road. Michigan and USC come to Seattle.
No group for Sparty
Michigan State is the only institution in the new Big Ten to perform No. 2 Ohio State, No. 4 Oregon and No. 10 Michigan. The Ohio State and Oregon sports are in back-to-back days, Sept. 28 and Oct. 4, which is a Friday, making it a little week for the Spartans. Both the Oregon and Michigan ( Oct. 26 ) games are on the road.
Alabama‘s SEC five-pack
Alabama is the only SEC group that faces meeting critics in five subsequent days– Sept. 28 vs. Georgia at house, Oct. 5 vs. Vanderbilt on the road, Oct. 12 vs. South Carolina at home, Oct. 19 vs. Tennessee on the road and Oct. 26 vs. Missouri at home. The Tide get a goodnight on each close of that span, at least. However, two hard road games are scheduled for Nov. 9 at LSU and Wisconsin on Sept. 14.
The Scarlet Knights managed to avoid Iowa, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and Penn State this time, the single group in the Big Ten to do so. Rutgers is also one of four teams in the league, along with Maryland, UCLA and Wisconsin, that wo n’t have to play either Michigan or Ohio State.
City-hopping Pigs
To kick off the season, Arkansas will perform five matches across five places. The Swine face Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Little Rock on Aug. 29, Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma, on Sept. 7, UAB in Fayetteville, Arkansas, on Sept. 14, Auburn in Auburn, Alabama, on Sept. 21 and Texas A&, M in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 28.
Carolina on their head
Before traveling to Virginia on October 26, North Carolina will only play one activity outside of North Carolina. The Tar Heels enjoy six straight game in their home state before having a holiday week, which is scheduled for August 29th, starting at Minnesota. Then they eventually faced off against the Cavaliers.
Catching up with old friends
People going against their previous schools and former colleagues are becoming increasingly frequent as the transfer website becomes a major component of college football. Some of the more significant examples from this year:
• Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff and cornerback Jamon-Dumas Johnson vs. Georgia on Sept. 14 in Lexington.
• Florida State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei vs. Clemson on Oct. 5 in Tallahassee.
• Kansas State running up Dylan Edwards vs. Colorado on Oct. 12 in Boulder.
• UCF health Deshawn Pace vs. Cincinnati on Oct. 12 in Orlando.
• Louisiana health Jardin Gilbert vs. Texas A&, M on Oct. 26 in College Station.
• Michigan security Jaden Mangham vs. Michigan State on Oct. 26 in Ann Arbor.
• Georgia running up Trevor Etienne vs. Florida on Nov. 2 in Jacksonville.
• Penn State device Julian Fleming vs. Ohio State on Nov. 2 in State College.
• N. C. State running up Jordan Waters vs. Duke on Nov. 9 in Raleigh.
• Missouri unpleasant address Cayden Green vs. Oklahoma on Nov. 9 in Missouri.
• Oregon corner Jabbar Muhammad vs. Washington on Nov. 30 in Eugene.
Friday nights lights
Duke plays three Friday evening activities– Elon at home on Aug. 30, at Northwestern on Sept. 6 and Florida State at apartment on Oct. 18.
Conference conflict
Looking forward to the one trip that might change things and give the meeting races some clarity? Year 7 has certain options:
• American: Memphis at South Florida
• Sun Belt: Appalachian State at Louisiana
• SEC: Old Miss at Louisiana
• SEC: Florida at Tennessee
• SEC: Texas vs. Oklahoma at Dallas
• Big Ten: Ohio State at Oregon
• Big Ten: Penn State at USC
• Big 12: Kansas State at Colorado
Conference enemy, nonconference game
Arizona and Kansas State, despite being Big 12 people in 2024, may sing a nonconference activity Sept. 13 in Manhattan, Kansas. Before Arizona‘s new restructuring, the teams now had a home-and-home collection scheduled, so they kept the game as a nonconference sport.
Related circumstances exist for Baylor‘s Sept. 7 game against Utah. In the 2015 home-and-home line, Utah won the second matchup last year in the Pac-12’s swan song.
