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

Sep 13, 2014; Norman, OK, USA; Oklahoma Sooners head coach Bob Stoops shakes hands with Tennessee Volunteers head coach Butch Jones after the game at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

8. Oklahoma Sooners at Tennessee Volunteers; Saturday, Sept. 12

This year’s game is going to have an extremely different feel to it than last year’s did. The Tennessee Volunteers are playing at home, and they are the ones with excitement this year thanks to the returning starters, last year’s strong finish, and Butch Jones’s amazing recruiting.

Meanwhile, Oklahoma and Bob Stoops are stumbling as a program that appears to be on a slow, downward spiral.

So a win is crucial to both teams here. Oklahoma has desperately got to reverse that spiral. Winning this game would get them momentum and on track to do that.

But losing this game would just reinforce what many people perceive about them, and they likely will be the underdogs.

Meanwhile, Tennessee desperately needs an early big win to show it is being restored to its rightful place among the elite in college football. A win against Oklahoma helps to establish that.

But a loss, at home, could send this team on its own downward spiral that could shoot the confidence of these guys. After all, despite their experience, they have no idea how to deal with success or heartbreak. Heartbreak in a loss to Oklahoma could cause the season to sink for the Vols.

So this is definitely worth the watch.

Next: #7: Florida State at Florida