The 5 most important games of the college football season
· Yahoo Sports
In college football, every game matters. But some matter more than others.
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As the college football season fast approaches, here are the five most important games of the college football season as it relates to the College Football Playoff conversation.
Honorable Mention: LSU at Ole Miss – September 19
An SEC showdown between playoff contenders LSU and Ole Miss would already have plenty of juice, but the added storyline of Lane Kiffin returning to Oxford is enough to push it over the top.
Based on the preseason rankings and the expectations surrounding the teams, both LSU and Ole Miss could find themselves squarely on the College Football Playoff bubble by the end of the season, which makes this early-season matchup absolutely crucial for playoff resumes.
A win in this game could ultimately prove which team gets into the playoff and which team gets left out of the playoff, just like Miami’s early-season win over Notre Dame did last year.
5. Georgia at Alabama – October 10
While both of these teams have a few other marquee matchups on their schedule, with Oklahoma and Ole Miss on the schedule for Georgia and Texas A&M and LSU on the slate for Alabama, this is a massive rivalry showdown between the two programs that have dominated the SEC the past decade and a rematch of last season’s SEC title game.
Both teams enter the season with playoff and national title game aspirations after disappointing showings in the College Football Playoff last season, and they’ll have a chance to set the tone for the season with an early October matchup.
In a crowded SEC, a game like this can go a long way toward separating playoff contenders.
4. Texas at Texas A&M – November 27
Texas enters the season looking to return to the College Football Playoff after narrowly missing out last season. There’s a strong chance that a potential playoff berth is going to have to go through rival Texas A&M.
Texas and Texas A&M are set to meet in their traditional end-of-the-season rivalry showdown. With both teams having preseason playoff hopes, this game is one of the biggest games of the season for both teams, and it also happens to be a rivalry showdown at the end of the season when a win or a loss can make or break your season.
Both of these teams play quite a few important games this fall, but this is undoubtedly one of the most important showdowns of the entire season.
3. Miami at Notre Dame – November 7
Miami and Notre Dame have each reached the College Football Playoff national title game the past two years, with Miami falling to Indiana last season and Notre Dame falling to Ohio State the year before. Both programs will be looking to get back to the playoff this year, but they’ll have to go through each other.
In early November, the two programs will meet in South Bend in what could be a huge game for both teams’ playoff chances. This is one of the few marquee games on the schedule for both of these teams, so a win would be massive for bolstering a College Football Playoff resume.
Last year, this game essentially decided which of these two teams would go to the College Football Playoff as Miami got the nod over Notre Dame thanks to its early-season victory. This year could be much the same.
2. Ohio State vs. Oregon – November 7
Ohio State and Oregon enter the season as the two top-ranked teams in the country, and they’re set to meet in Columbus on Nov. 7 in what could decide the Big Ten and shape the playoff picture.
The Ducks return Dante Moore at quarterback, along with running backs Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr., bringing back the core of a team that’s made consecutive playoff runs. This is undoubtedly the biggest game of the regular season for Oregon, which is seeking a bit of revenge after Ohio State’s blowout win over the Ducks in the Rose Bowl during the Buckeyes’ 2025 national title run.
For Ohio State, this is the capstone of a brutal fall gauntlet. As the Buckeyes face Iowa, Indiana, USC, and Oregon all in the span of a month. If the Buckeyes were to drop one of those other games, that could set up a must-win game against the Ducks. If they don’t, there’s a chance that this is a No. 1 vs. No. 2 battle.
1. Ohio State at Texas – September 12
It might sound strange for such an early-season game to carry such strong playoff implications, but that’s pretty undeniable for the Sept. 12 showdown between Ohio State and Texas.
While a loss so early in the season certainly doesn’t doom a team in the 12-team playoff era, the reality is that Texas probably would have made the College Football Playoff had they beaten Ohio State in the season-opening matchup last year. Ohio State, meanwhile, had essentially already locked up a playoff spot even before its rivalry showdown with Michigan on the road thanks to this early-season marquee win.
This year, both Ohio State and Texas face absolutely brutal schedules, with the Buckeyes facing five preseason top-25 opponents while Texas faces six. An early-season slip-up could come back to haunt either of these teams if they drop more games throughout the season.
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