Top 15 Non-Conference College Football Games to Watch This Year

Jan 2, 2015; Tempe, AZ, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Chris Petersen looks on during the first half against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the 2015 Cactus Bowl at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

11. Washington Huskies at Boise State Broncos; Friday, Sept. 4

There is no way we could leave this one off the list. The story here is obviously Chris Petersen. As head coach of Boise State, he took the Broncos to unprecedented heights with two BCS Bowl wins and forced the college football world to look at mid-major programs.

Now he is at Washington, but here is the real kicker: Boise State did not take a step backward with Bryan Harsin as head coach, and Washington is still needing to adjust to Petersen’s system.

All of that makes this game a toss-up and potentially one that should favor Boise State. Both teams lost lots of talent, both run efficient, pro-style offenses, and while Washington is a northwest team in the Pac-12, Boise State is a northwest team that certainly could be in the Pac-12.

The winner of this game could be on track to do seriously big things, particularly for Boise State, who will have no problem with representing the Group of Five at the end of the year again. And with both teams running such similar styles, we could see a very evenly-matched game of talent and intellect.

This is a Friday night season-opener for both teams that you simply will not want to miss.

Next: #10: Michigan at Utah