College football future schedules: Best nonconference games from 2018-22

Bill Bender

College football future schedules: Best nonconference games from 2018-22 image

With talk that Alabama and Notre Dame are reportedly negotiating a home-and-home in the future, Sporting News decided to look at the best nonconference games for the future. 

The 2018 season features several must-watch September games, but the College Football Playoff era has helped created even better matchups for the future.

MORE: 18 predictions for 2018

Here's a closer look at the best nonconference games throughout the 2022 season (Notre Dame's best ACC matchups included): 

2018

Sept. 1: Michigan at Notre Dame
Sept. 1: Auburn vs. Washington (Atlanta)
Sept. 1: Louisville vs. Alabama (Orlando)
Sept. 1: Texas Tech vs. Ole Miss (Houston)
Sept. 1: Tennessee vs. West Virginia (Charlotte)
Sept. 2: Miami vs. LSU (Arlington)
Sept. 8: UCLA at Oklahoma
Sept. 8: Clemson at Texas A&M
Sept. 8: Colorado at Nebraska
Sept. 8: Penn State at Pitt
Sept. 8: Michigan State at Arizona State
Sept. 15: Boise State at Oklahoma State
Sept. 15: Ohio State vs. TCU (Arlington)
Sept. 15: USC at Texas
Sept. 21: Florida Atlantic at UCF
Nov. 10: Florida State at Notre Dame

2019

Aug. 31: Northwestern at Stanford
Aug. 31: Duke vs. Alabama (Atlanta)
Aug. 31: Miami vs. Florida (Orlando)
Aug. 31: Florida State vs. Boise State (Jacksonville)
Aug. 31: South Carolina vs. North Carolina (Charlotte)
Aug. 31: Oregon vs. Auburn (Arlington)
Sept. 2: Notre Dame at Louisville
Sept. 7: Texas A&M at Clemson
Sept. 7: Nebraska at Colorado
Sept. 7: LSU at Texas
Sept. 14: Pitt at Penn State
Sept. 14: Arizona State at Michigan State
Sept. 14: Oklahoma at UCLA
Sept. 21: Notre Dame at Georgia
Oct. 26: Notre Dame at Michigan

MORE: CFP 2018: Five scenarios to make everyone mad

2020

Sept. 5: Michigan at Washington
Sept. 5: Florida State vs. West Virginia (Atlanta)
Sept. 5: Baylor vs. Ole Miss (Houston)
Sept. 7: Virginia vs. Georgia (Atlanta)
Sept. 12: Tennessee at Oklahoma
Sept. 12: Ohio State at Oregon
Sept. 12: Penn State at Virginia Tech
Sept. 12: Texas at LSU
Sept. 26: Miami at Michigan State
Oct. 3: Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin (Green Bay)
Nov. 7: Clemson at Notre Dame
Nov. 21: Louisville at Notre Dame

2021

Sept. 4: Alabama vs. Miami (Atlanta)
Sept. 4: Kansas State at Stanford
Sept. 4: LSU at UCLA
Sept. 6: Notre Dame at Florida State
Sept. 11: Pitt at Tennessee
Sept. 11: Oregon at Ohio State
Sept. 11: Texas at Arkansas
Sept. 11: Washington at Michigan
Sept. 18: Michigan State at Miami
Sept. 18: Auburn at Penn State
Sept. 18: Nebraska at Oklahoma
Sept. 18: Oklahoma State at Boise State
Sept. 18: Virginia Tech at West Virginia
Sept. 25: Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin (Chicago)

MORE: SN's post-spring way-too-early top 25

2022

Sept. 3: West Virginia at Pitt
Sept. 3: Notre Dame at Ohio State
Sept. 10: Alabama at Texas
Sept. 10: Tennessee at Pitt
Sept. 10: UCLA at Michigan
Sept. 10: Mississippi State at Arizona
Sept. 10: Missouri at Kansas State
Sept. 17: Miami at Texas A&M
Sept. 17: Penn State at Auburn
Sept. 17: Michigan State at Boise State
Sept. 17: Oklahoma at Nebraska
Sept. 24: West Virginia at Virginia Tech

Bill Bender

Bill Bender Photo

Bill Bender graduated from Ohio University in 2002 and started at The Sporting News as a fantasy football writer in 2007. He has covered the College Football Playoff, NBA Finals and World Series for SN. Bender enjoys story-telling, awesomely-bad 80s movies and coaching youth sports.