The 2014 NCAA football season was a blast, as fans got to see the first ever College Football Playoff go down. Year two comes in 2015, as numerous teams have title aspirations and a litany of NFL-bound stars will grace the field trying to prove their worth as they try to lead their team to the promised land.
Needless to say, college football fans are in for several marquee matchups that should yield plenty of star players and some gritty play. We’ve narrowed an exciting schedule down to five must-see college football games that, for one reason or another, die hard NCAA football fans won’t want to miss out on. The crazy part? These killer games come before bowl season even starts:
Texas Longhorns @ Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Sep. 5th)
Charlie Strong is trying to build the prestigious Longhorns back into a contender and Brian Kelly is aiming for the next positive step towards a national title. It’s possible neither make it happen in 2015, but this is a battle everyone will want to see. The craziest part is this is a huge game for college football in general, as these two sides haven’t graced the same field in almost 20 years (1996).
Wisconsin Badgers vs. Alabama Crimson Tide – Cowboys Classic in Texas (Sep. 5th)
This game is played on a neutral field and jumps out off the schedule for two reasons: these are two very good teams from arguably the two best conferences in the nation and this is also a matchup we just don’t see very often. The Badgers run the ball as good as anyone in the country and could have a defense to mess with the Crimson Tide. On the flip side, if the Badgers can’t attack Alabama’s studly defense through the air, this one could be a blowout. Fans from both sides are going to be very interested to see how these two play each other and this could go down as one of the better games of the year if everything breaks right.
Alabama Crimson Tide @ Georgia Bulldogs (Oct. 3rd)
Here are the Crimson Tide again, who figure to be in the running for the nation’s best team. Naturally, Alabama has one of the best coaches and best systems in the nation, and they’re typically always a threat to make a run for the title. We could have this entire top-five list consist of their top games, but that’d get a tad boring. Instead, this battle with the hated Bulldogs should come in as their most-hyped SEC battle (slightly above a clash with the Auburn Tigers). Not only do these teams hate each other, but this could be a preview of the SEC championship and should boast two elite teams that could easily be undefeated coming into this showdown.
USC Trojans @ Oregon Ducks (Nov. 21st)
If the Ducks or Trojans want to vie for the NCAA title in 2015 they’ll have to beat each other up first. USC has dominated this conference rivalry throughout history (37-19-2), but the Ducks have been by far the better team over the past several years. The Trojans obviously want to return to their previous elite level, though, and the best way to do that is to take down one of the best teams in the nation in the Ducks. It’s extra sugar on top that Oregon is a hated rival.
Ohio State Buckeyes @ Michigan Wolverines (Nov. 28th)
Is there a better matchup on the 2015 college football schedule than Ohio State and Michigan? Even when these two teams aren’t playing elite football the rivalry and heat brought into this matchup generally still makes for entertaining football. It’s going to be as heated as ever with Urban Meyer leading Cardale Jones and a Buckeyes team that won the title a year ago against Jim Harbaugh and his band of misfits. The Wolverines may not be ready to compete at Ohio State’s level just yet, but Harbaugh is as fiery as they come on the sidelines and should have his team ready to try to shock the world.
Think another college football showdown belongs in our top-five or want to rank them for us? Hit us up with some logic in the comments below!
