- Andrea AdelsonESPN Staff Writer
The start of the 2019 season is seven and a half months away, but it's never too early to look ahead at the biggest nonconference games on the schedule. This list features several rematches, renewed rivalries and a Notre Dame first. But perhaps most important, all of these games figure to have College Football Playoff implications.
Here's a quick glance at the biggest matchups we can't wait to see:
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1. Notre Dame at Georgia, Sept. 21
[h=1]EDITOR'S PICKS[/h]
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[h=2]The 2019 Way-Too-Early Top 25[/h]Clemson is the new king, but Alabama will be back, along with Georgia, Ohio State and Notre Dame, while a couple of teams from Texas elbow their way into the top 10.
- [h=2]Final 2018 college football Power Rankings[/h]From national champion Clemson to No. 25 Iowa, here are the best teams from the 2018 college football season.
3. Notre Dame at Michigan, Oct. 26
4. Texas A&M at Clemson, Sept. 7
5. Auburn vs. Oregon, AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Texas), Aug. 31
6. Miami vs. Florida, Camping World Stadium (Orlando, Florida), Aug. 31
7. Florida State vs. Boise State, TIAA Bank Field (Jacksonville, Florida), Aug. 31
8. Stanford at UCF, Sept. 14
9. Houston at Oklahoma, Aug. 31
10. Nebraska at Colorado, Sept. 7
Others:
South Carolina vs. North Carolina, Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, N.C.), Aug. 31: Mack Brown begins his second stint as North Carolina coach against a South Carolina team that had a disappointing 2018.
Arizona State at Michigan State, Sept. 14: Arizona State pulled off one of the biggest nonconference upsets a year ago with a field goal as time expired to beat Michigan State. Bet the Spartans have a little extra juice for this one.
Oklahoma at UCLA, Sept. 14: Oklahoma beat UCLA badly in 2018, and this game will be a huge measuring stick to see where the Bruins are in Year 2 under Chip Kelly.
Pitt at Penn State, Sept. 14: This is the last scheduled meeting between the two rivals, so you can bet Pitt is going to want to play a little bit better than it did in 2018, when it lost 51-6 at home to the Nittany Lions.