Ranking the top non-conference games of the 2024 college football season

The countdown to the 2024 college football season is on.

It’s been a long offseason, one that I’ve spent reading and studying rosters, transfer portal additions and attrition, 2024 recruiting classes, changes in coaches, changes in philosophy, changes in athletic department administration, strength of schedule, star players, and players I expect will become household names by season’s end. I accounted for all of those details when ranking all 134 programs in the Football Subdivision, which you can read here.

In doing this, it became clear to me that there are several non-conference games that will have a huge impact on my ultimate 134 rankings. In fact, there is even a non-conference showdown taking place in November between two programs ranked in the top 16 of my rankings, which should have major College Football Playoff implications as well.

[Related: 2024 college football rankings: RJ Young’s Ultimate 134]

With that, here is a look at five non-conference games on this year’s college football schedule that I believe will impact my rankings and ultimately shape the CFP. 

Let’s count down from 5-to-1:

Nick Saban wouldn’t lose sleep over Wisconsin. Kalen DeBoer might if he heads into Alabama’s bye week with a loss ahead of hosting UGA. That’s what is at stake here. Alabama will enter Camp Randall as the favorite, giving the Badgers the unique opportunity of earning an upset win that matters at home.

All eyes will be on Tyler Van Dyke, who is all about the gunslinging, air raiding, high-octane missile strikes that Phil Longo’s offense affords. He figures to be the front-runner at quarterback for Wisconsin. Van Dyke is an experienced starter who has passed for 2,700 yards and 19 TDs in two out of the last three years. When he’s on, he’s one of the best in the sport with 11 300-yard passing performances in 30 games, including one for 497 in 2021. He’s also got seven games with multiple picks.

Defensively, Hunter Wohler is the best box safety in the sport. I believe Wohler might be elevated to the Cooper DeJean spot as the best defensive back folks will have to talk themselves into come NFL Draft season. Last year, Wohler posted 120 tackles — the most by a Big Ten DB — and became the first Big Ten DB with 110 or more tackles, two or more INTs and a sack since safety Jordan Kovacs notched 116, a sack and two INTs at Michigan in 2010. He’s the first Badger to perform that feat since Reggie Holt in 1991.

With a big game against a QB who has been known to throw the ball to the other team — Jalen Milroe, yes, I’m talking about you — and without a dominant wideout for the second year in a row, there’s every reason to believe the Badgers might actually want Bama. Wisconsin becomes a CFP contender and an upstart to make the Big Ten title game with a win.

Given the Noles and Fighting Irish are each likely to be a part of the CFP conversation, a lot would have to go wrong for this game not to matter.

However, each program will start a new QB under center this season, with Riley Leonard at ND and DJ Uiagalelei at FSU. Despite each possessing starting experience at Duke and Clemson, respectively, there are questions that must be answered for both as players who can lead their programs to a national title bid. 

For Leonard, there’s the hope that whatever super serum scheme Mike Denbrock shot in Jayden Daniels’ arm last year will work for the former Duke QB this year. After a mostly middling career, Daniels turned into Captain America in purple and gold, leading LSU to a 10-win season while quarterbacking an offense that was the best scoring unit in the country and taking home the program’s second Heisman in four years. While there are injury concerns for Leonard, who is coming off of a second ankle surgery before taking a snap at ND, he has demonstrated the talent to operate an offense that did not have the tools available to him that he has in South Bend. Still, the ACC’s second-ranked all-time leading passer, Sam Hartman, couldn’t do what Leonard will attempt to — get ND into the CFP.

For Uiagalelei, his career has turned into the kind that could be a five-star boom or bust story. After entering the sport as the second-best player at his position out of high school behind eventual Heisman winner Bryce Young, he’s now entered his third school since 2020 and has yet to lead any of those programs to a conference title or playoff berth. I fully expect Uiagalelei to go hunting for a title this season.

3. No. 2 Georgia vs. No. 19 Clemson, Aug. 31

The last time these two programs played, neither team scored an offensive touchdown and only one touchdown was scored in the entire game. However, the only major holdovers from that 2021 matchup are the head coaches: Kirby Smart at Georgia and Dabo Swinney at Clemson.

Clemson offensive coordinator Garrett Riley ain’t new to UGA. As a matter of fact, UGA handed Riley and Texas Christian the worst bowl loss in history — 65-7 in the national title game in January 2023. I’d like to know if Riley remembers that, and, betting he does, what he plans to do about it come Aug. 31? Chances are quarterback Cade Klubnik will be his best chance at revenge, and this game might be Klubnik’s best chance to reach his potential against a great opponent.

No one is talking about Klubnik winning the Heisman now, but they will if Clemson puts foot-to-behind against the Dawgs. I watched Klubnik lead Westlake past a Quinn Ewers-led Southlake Carroll team. I don’t see much in the way of talent that says he can’t do the same to UGA. Meanwhile, UGA will look to put on a show that has Tyler from Spartanburg on Line 1 on Swinney’s coach’s show.

2. No. 7 LSU vs. No. 17 USC, Sept. 1

These two programs feature the sport’s last two Heisman winners and three of the last five: Daniels in 2023, Caleb Williams in 2022, Joe Burrow in 2019. Not only are both teams replacing their Heisman winners, but their starting QBs. And both are also replacing their defensive coordinators, mostly because they coordinated the kind of defenses Williams and Daniels would torch.

LSU gave up 28 points per game last year, including 30 to Texas A&M, 31 to Arkansas, 35 to Florida, 39 to Missouri, 42 to Alabama, 45 to Florida State and 55 to Ole Miss. And that sentence is why Blake Baker coordinates the LSU defense and “Matt House” is met with a profane gesture in the state of Louisiana.

When the Bayou Bengals see USC in Week 1, they will see tape of a Lincoln Riley offense that has scored 40 or more points in 52% of games he’s coached (48). If Baker doesn’t have Harold Perkins and that defense ready to attack the Trojans like Achilles and the Myrmidons, it ain’t gonna be Hector’s body LSU fans are gonna want to see dragged around the walls of Tiger Stadium.

As for the Trojans, if Miller Moss turns out to be yet another Riley-coached QB that wins the Heisman — like three of the last four who started multiple games for him — we’re going to have to talk about him as the best quarterback coach who ever lived. And the coach who has yet to win a national title. One of the reasons he hasn’t been able to win a national championship is his defenses and their coordinators. USC gave up 34.9 points per game last season. That ranked 123rd out of 133 teams. That’s how Alex Grinch got fired. Meanwhile, D’Anton Lynn’s defense at UCLA allowed just 18.4 points per game — 14th-best in the country.

And before Lynn calls a play, he made certain strength coach Bennie Wylie beefed that team up — by over 1,450 pounds — for Big Ten play. But the first test will be against the vaunted SEC.

1. No. 3 Texas at No. 8 Michigan, Sept. 7 on FOX

In the first top 10 showdown of the two super conferences, Texas travels to Ann Arbor, Michigan, for the first time ever. This game would rate high on most Saturdays, but with the Wolverines entering the season as not just the defending national champions, but back-to-back-to-back Big Ten champions, they are the standard-bearer for the most dominant football team north of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Meanwhile, the Longhorns are coming off their best season since 2009, which included a conference title and the program’s first-ever CFP appearance. Texas is a legitimate national title contender this season. Going on the road to play Michigan will be a measuring stick not only for the Longhorns, but for the SEC.

If the Longhorns can beat Michigan, just like they did Alabama last season at soon-to-be-named Nick Saban Field, you’re gonna find quite a few folks ready to say Texas is gonna win the SEC title. However, Michigan has met most comers with a stiff Windsor Knot around the neck, khakis a little tight around the waist, and a swift kick in the ass to anybody that has wanted to try them at the Big House. The Wolverines are 22-0 at home since the COVID-19 season, and they’ll be sure to remind Texas that Ann Arbor ain’t Austin.

RJ Young is a national college football writer and analyst for FOX Sports and the host of the podcast “The Number One College Football Show.” Follow him at @RJ_Young and subscribe to “The RJ Young Show” on YouTube.

[Want great stories delivered right to your inbox? Create or log in to your FOX Sports account, follow leagues, teams and players to receive a personalized newsletter daily.]

---

---