One of the biggest points of contention regarding last season’s College Football Playoff was how to deal with non-conference scheduling. Some argued that playing tough non-conference games are beneficial for preparing your team against better competition while others believed that playing cupcakes and picking up easy wins provided a clearer path to the playoff. With most non-conference games scheduled far in advance, only time will tell how school’s will go about this predicament.
These games do give a glimpse of who teams really are early in the season and are often used as a measuring stick when comparing one conference to another. With the upcoming college football season quickly approaching, here are the power conference teams with the toughest non-conference schedules in 2025.
The Gamecocks will certainly be challenged with these four games on top of a tough SEC schedule. They will end their regular season with two non-conference games at home taking on one of the most consistently good Group of 5 teams in Coastal Carolina and a rivalry matchup with Clemson that could have massive playoff implications.
UCLA has a trio of challenging games to open their season. I would not be surprised to see the Bruins start 0-2 with an opening matchup against former Pac-12 rival Utah and a Week 2 game at UNLV who is a top contender for the Group of 5 playoff spot.
Carson Beck and the Canes will be tested early when they take on Notre Dame in the Week 1 Sunday night spot. All of these games will be played on their home field, but it will be interesting to see what kind of crowd advantage they get when they welcome in the Gators.
Arkansas has the perfect mix of two easy wins and two challenging, but winnable, matchups in their non-conference schedule. Their game against Notre Dame will be played at Razorback Stadium in what could be a pivotal win in a make or break season for Sam Pittman.
The two toughest games for Clemson in 2025 will likely both be non-conference. No team will start and finish the season with tougher matchups than the Tigers who will begin with LSU and end with South Carolina. However, they do have a very favorable ACC schedule, and could likely still be comfortably in the playoff if they drop both of those games.
Florida once again has one of the hardest schedules overall in the country. Their two rivalry games against Miami and Florida State contribute to that, but both of those teams have a lot of question marks going into this season.
I believe the Bears could go 3-0 and be in the top 25 just as easily as they could go 1-2 and Dave Aranda's seat gets scorching hot. The opening week contest between Baylor and Auburn will be a massive measuring stick game for two teams who have a lot of hype coming into this season.
Syracuse is likely looking at a 2-2 split in this slate. They are coming off of one of the most successful seasons in recent program history, but will have a first time starter at QB with transfer Rickie Collins. Their opening game against Tennessee is set to be played at a neutral site in Mercedes-Benz Stadium and will feature so much orange.
Mike Norvell and Florida State will not have it easy as they try to bounce back from a 2-10 record last year. They do get Alabama at home in their season opener, but are currently +11.5 point underdogs in that game.
An opening game against a Texas team that many have as No. 1 in their preseason rankings will give us an idea of what the defending champion Buckeyes will be in 2025. They will also meet with in-state foe and the defending MAC champion Ohio Bobcats.