College football in September brings plenty of good non-conference matchups, with some league games happening as well. Depending on a team’s non-conference slate and a league game snuck in there somewhere, it could make for a challenging beginning of the season. Just ask first-year Oregon coach Dan Lanning, who travels to Atlanta to face Georgia and hosts BYU’s high-flying offense later in the month.
“Our goal is to win every single game at the University of Oregon,” Lanning said at Pac-12 Media Day when asked about the program’s matchup against Georgia being important for the conference. “Certainly, it’s an important game, just like every game is important. After that game, the next game will be the next most important game. So, we’re going to focus on that. Oregon — like I said — is a national brand.
“And it’s fun when you’re in a place where you get to play premier opponents like Georgia.”
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Oregon is far from the only team with a tough September slate, and does not even crack the top-three of the 15 toughest schedules for the month.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Utah, Sept. 10 vs. Kentucky, Sept. 17 vs. USF, Sept. 24 at Tennessee
Welcome to the SEC, Billy Napier. Florida gets two sure-fire teams to start the year that will be ranked in the preseason AP Top 25 poll, and potentially a third in Tennessee on the road at the end of the month. Luckily for the Gators, the games against Utah and Kentucky are in The Swamp. The Utes enter Gainesville as the reigning Pac-12 champions, while Kentucky is off a 10-win season. The Vols had one of the most electrifying offenses in college football a season ago and return quarterback Hendon Hooker.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. ULM, Sept. 10 vs. Alabama, Sept. 17 vs. UTSA, Sept. 24 at Texas Tech
Facing off against Alabama at home carries most of the weight for the Longhorns being ranked this high, but do not discount the rest of their slate. UTSA went 12-2 in 2021 and saw itself climb as high as No. 15 in the AP Top 25. Texas Tech went to a bowl game despite firing former head coach Matt Wells in the middle of the season. Facing the Crimson Tide on the second Saturday in September should only help the Longhorns as the season goes on.
The slate: Sept. 3 at Ohio State, Sept. 10 vs. Marshall, Sept. 17 vs. Cal, Sept. 24 at North Carolina
Marcus Freeman coached in his first game as Notre Dame head coach in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma State, which ended in defeat. Now the real show, and what better way to do it? The Fighting Irish travel to face Freeman’s alma mater in Ohio State, who will land in the top five of the preseason AP Top 25 poll. Like Texas’ matchup against Alabama, this matchup carries most of the weight for Notre Dame’s ranking, but do not sleep on a late September trip to North Carolina, as Mack Brown and company aim to rebound from a disappointing season.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Georgia (Atlanta), Sept. 10 vs. Eastern Washington, Sept. 17 vs. BYU, Sept. 24 at Washington State
Quite the beginning for Lanning, who arrives from his position as Georgia’s defensive coordinator, where he helped the Bulldogs win the 2021 national championship. Oregon opens against the Bulldogs in Atlanta — a game that is a big challenge for anyone yet alone a first-year staff. That is not all for the month though. The Ducks welcome one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the country in BYU’s Jaren Hall to Eugene and hit the road to play Washington State, a team that went 7-5 a year ago while battling loads of adversity. Lanning has his work cut out for him.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Georgia State, Sept. 10 at Arkansas, Sept. 17 vs. Georgia, Sept. 24 vs. Charlotte
South Carolina exceeded expectations in Year 1 under Shane Beamer, going 7-6 and capping off its season with a win over North Carolina in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl. Beamer and company get to get their feet wet a little bit, but are then thrown into the fire. The Gamecocks go on the road in the SEC the second weekend of September to face an Arkansas team on the rise and then welcome the defending champs one week later. Those are two massive tests for transfer quarterback and former five-star recruit Spencer Rattler.
The slate: Sept. 5 vs. Clemson (Atlanta, Monday), Sept. 10 vs.Western Carolina, Sept. 17 vs. Ole Miss, Sept. 24 at UCF
The Yellow Jackets have never won more than three games in a season under Geoff Collins since his arrival from Temple in 2019, and boy does he have his work cut out for him in the first four weeks of the season. At the least, Georgia Tech must compete in September, and Collins and company might have to steal one in order to keep the chatter down regarding his job security.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Murray State, Sept. 10 vs. Houston, Sept. 17 at NC State, Sept. 24 vs. Texas
Joey McGuire takes over at Texas Tech, and there is not much time for the fourth first-year head coach in the rankings to get adjusted. Houston won 12 games a season ago and were up big on the Red Raiders in Week 1 last fall before a big comeback. NC State is set to be a preseason-top-25 team and has one of the best quarterbacks in the country in Devin Leary, while the Longhorns are ready to greet Tech in Lubbock upon return from Raleigh. The schedule makers were not kind to some first-year head coaches, and McGuire is the latest victim.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Southeast Missouri, Sept. 10 at Iowa, Sept. 17 vs. Ohio, Sept. 24 vs. Baylor
Two games carry the weight for the Cyclones, as they travel to Iowa City for the Cy-Hawk game and face a Hawkeyes team coming off a 10-win season. Iowa State has not won the rivalry game since 2014. The schedule does not let up after that with defending Big 12 champ Baylor pulling into Ames towards the end of the month. Last year was disappointing for Matt Campbell and his staff, and it will not be easy to get off to a hot start this season.
The slate: Sept. 3 at USF, Sept. 10 vs. Baylor, Sept. 17 at Oregon, Sept. 24 vs. Wyoming, Sept. 29 vs. Utah State (Thursday)
BYU’s schedule is loaded in the fall, and it starts right away in September. If the Cougars are able to pull off wins against Baylor at home and knock off Oregon at Autzen Stadium, the talk of running the table as well as the College Football Playoff buzz in Provo will be very, very real.
The slate: Sept. 1 vs. Northern Arizona (Thursday), Sept. 10 at Oklahoma State, Sept. 17 vs. Eastern Michigan, Sept. 24 vs. Utah
Herm Edwards has all sorts of problems going on in Tempe, and this schedule will not help make things better. The Sun Devils travel to face an Oklahoma State team that won 12 games a year ago and was the Big 12 runner-up and welcome in defending Pac-12 champ Utah. With the massive roster exodus Arizona State experienced, it would not be a surprise to see one or both of those games get ugly.
The slate: Sept. 1 at Purdue (Thursday), Sept. 10 vs, Ohio, Sept. 17 at Auburn, Sept. 24 vs. Central Michigan
Purdue or Auburn might not be ranked to start the season, with the latter having an ugly offseason, but no team goes on the road into two environments like Penn State does. James Franklin and company got a mulligan for the COVID-impacted 2020 season, and the Nittany Lions were 5-0 before Sean Clifford got banged up in early October. Penn State has the talent advantage to go 4-0 in this stretch, but it will without a doubt be a challenge.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Sam Houston State, Sept. 10 vs. Appalachian State, Sept. 17 vs. Miami, Sept. 24 vs. Arkansas (Arlington, Texas)
The Aggies welcoming Miami is one of the best non-conference games played in one team’s home stadium this season. Both figure to be ranked in the top 25. The Aggies look for revenge the following week against Arkansas at AT&T Stadium. Those games coming in back-to-back weeks is tough. Do not dismiss Appalachian State either. The Mountaineers have won nine or more games in each of the last seven seasons, posting double-digits in five of them. They are one of college football’s best Group of Five programs.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Notre Dame, Sept. 10 vs. Arkansas State, Sept. 17 vs. Toledo, Sept. 24 vs. Wisconsin
Ohio State faces off against two very notable opponents in the first month of the season, but have the benefit of not leaving home until Oct. 8. Notre Dame and Wisconsin might not have top of the line offenses, but those opponents should be a good indicator for the defense having a bounce back season under first-year defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Albany, Sept. 10 at BYU, Sept. 17 at Texas State, Sept. 24 at Iowa State
Dave Aranda showed that the COVID-impacted season in 2020 when the Bears went 2-7 meant absolutely nothing. Baylor went 12-2 in 2021, won the Big 12 and defeated Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl. The expectations in Waco are set, and the Bears have a big test by going on the road against BYU, who seeks revenge for last year’s game in Waco. It is especially a big test for the Baylor defense that was one of the best units in the country a season ago. The first league game of the season being on the road against a formidable Iowa State squad caps off the month.
The slate: Sept. 3 vs. Oregon (Atlanta), Sept. 10 vs. Samford, Sept. 17 at South Carolina, Sept. 24 vs. Kent State
Georgia should go 4-0 in this stretch. It is a significant betting favorite against Oregon and figures to be heavily favored at South Carolina. With that being said, there could be some slight growing pains for the defending national champions, who lost 15 players in the 2022 NFL Draft. Facing a likely preseason-top-25 team in Oregon and going on the road against a Gamecocks team that surprised a year ago.
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