Late-season drama around conference championships, titles games and playoff positioning may capture most of the attention, but September — even August — can matter while also providing fun games.
Think of 2016, when Ohio State won at Oklahoma in mid-September and used that to still make the College Football Playoff without a conference championship. A win before the leaves change colors can make a difference come December.
So as the 2023 season marks the last year of the four-team College Football Playoff era, let's take a look at 10 early season nonconference games that could matter for CFP hopes but also serve as perfect entertainment.
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Florida at Utah — 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31
Say goodbye to August with Florida's return trip to Utah. Last year, the Gators used a late Anthony Richardson touchdown run to beat top-10 Utah. It looked like that would catapult the Gators to something special, but while Florida slumped to a 6-7 mark, Utah went 10-4, won the Pac-12 title by upsetting USC and then played in the Rose Bowl again. In a brutal SEC East, Billy Napier's team could use an eye-opening win against a Pac-12 power.
North Carolina vs. South Carolina (in Charlotte, North Carolina) — 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 2
UNC got to 9-1 and inside the top 15 before a four-game slide brought a disappointing finish. But QB Drake Maye (4,321 passing yards) should have a huge sophomore season on a program still looking for a huge season in Mack Brown's second stint as coach. Meanwhile, while Georgia and Tennessee understandably grabbed much SEC East attention for most of 2022, the Gamecocks did crush the top-5 Vols 63-38 and won at rival Clemson in an 8-5 campaign. QB Spencer Rattler is back and may need a huge season if Shane Beamer and his Gamecocks surprise again. This matchup will serve as ESPN's first College Gameday stop.
Florida State vs. LSU (in Orlando, Florida) — 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 3
Last year's meeting was a wild one, as a blocked extra point gave FSU a 24-23 win in a game between unranked teams. But things changed from there, as the Seminoles went on to a 10-win season and a bowl win and LSU regrouped to a 10-4 season in Brian Kelly's first season. We'll see if either or both can do even better this season, as the winner would affirm its status as a CFP contender.
Nebraska at Colorado — 12 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
Unless preseason prognostications are way, way off, it's unlikely this will matter much in the CFP picture. But that doesn't mean it's lacking in anticipation. Both the Huskers and Buffaloes have headline-grabbing additions as head coaches this year: Matt Rhule with Nebraska and Deion Sanders with Colorado. The status of this one will be interesting, as both Nebraska (at Minnesota) and Colorado (at TCU) have brutal openers. If one or both can surprise, the hype for this would be drastically elevated.
Ole Miss at Tulane — 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
OK, what can Tulane do for an encore? The Green Wave lost some talent but do return QB Michael Pratt (3,009 passing yards, 37 total touchdowns) and have confidence after a 12-2 season that culminated with a thrilling win against USC in the Cotton Bowl. Tulane likely won't match its top-10 finish from a year ago, but an early September win at home against an SEC school would be huge. Keep in mind Tulane also has to deal with UTSA, Memphis and others in the new-look AAC. In fact, UTSA's visit to Tennessee on Sept. 23 could also be included on this list.
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Texas A&M at Miami (Fla.) — 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
Like a few games on this list, the interest is centered on curiosity more than CFP chances. Texas A&M opened in the top 10 last year but shockingly missed a bowl game (five losses by 6 points or fewer), even with a 15-point win against LSU to close things out. The Aggies should be much better, but they'll have to show it. Miami also went 5-7 in 2022 but hope to see a better Tyler Van Dyke at quarterback. The winner of this would be thinking big things.
Texas at Alabama — 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
The Longhorns were agonizingly close to topping the top-ranked Tide last year, falling 20-19 on a late field goal. With Steve Sarkisian now in his third season, he and Texas are hoping for a breakout 2023 (5-7 in 2021, 8-5 in 2022). Beating Alabama would do just that. The Tide missed the CFP last year as Georgia's two-year run as national champions has led to a change in pecking order in the SEC. So Alabama could also use this as a return to the top.
Oregon at Texas Tech — 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 9
Look, sometimes you just want to watch good teams score a bunch of points. Oregon, with QB Bo Nix (3,593 passing yards, 43 total touchdowns) and plenty of returning starters, is a leading Pac-12 contender. Texas Tech went 8-5 in Joey McGuire's first season as QB Tyler Shough — an Oregon transfer — is hopefully fully healthy. The Red Raiders had three quarterbacks throw for at least 1,000 yards last season yet still averaged more than 34 points per game.
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Pitt at West Virginia — 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 16
When it's the Backyard Brawl, you have to watch. Pitt won last year 38-31 in the series' first meeting since 2011. Now the two head to Morgantown for a WVU home game. Pitt has a very manageable first half of the schedule, but Neal Brown and his Mountaineers could derail things early in the season for their heated rival.
Ohio State at Notre Dame — Saturday, Sept. 23
The Buckeyes wore down the Irish last year as OSU started the season 11-0 (don't ask about the finish...). The first full season under Marcus Freeman slumped a bit from there, with a defeat to Marshall souring things even more. But the Irish battled through a 9-4 record and a bowl win against a ranked South Carolina team. The quarterback situation will be fun to watch, as Wake Forest transfer Sam Hartman takes over for Notre Dame and Ohio State replaces C.J. Stroud.
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