CFB: Top Five Most Intriguing Non-Conference Games of 2021
Let’s talk about some games! It’s an arbitrary process to rank these games and to only choose five of them is extremely difficult. I’ll be deciding this on a variety of factors: playoff impact, the rarity of matchups, conference implications, etc. It should be fun, let’s dive into it.
5. Cincinnati at Notre Dame - Oct 2nd
Does Cincinnati feel like it’s not getting a fair shot at the CFP? Well, a win in South Bend will go a long way to getting the Bearcats into the conversation. Cincy will face old defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman, who took the same job at Notre Dame in the offseason. At least Cincy HC keeps his QB Desmond Ridder, who could be the ultimate X-Factor in this game, while Notre Dame breaks in a new starter, who we assume will be Jack Coan.
4. Miami vs Alabama - Sept 4th
Why is this game ranked so low? Because it will probably be a blowout. That doesn’t take away from the overall excitement of the opening weekend and the clash of two historic programs on the neutral site. The health of D’Eriq King is the biggest question here, having torn up his knee towards the end of 2020. College football fans as a whole would LOVE to see King on this big stage against the defending national champions and see how Miami’s roster can stack up against the best in a new year. This will also be the full-season debut of Bryce Young as a starter. Can he live up to the hype? What will Alabama’s offense look like without Sark? Can the next wave of ‘Bama WRs step up?
3. Oregon at Ohio State - Sept 11th
We were supposed to get the west coast version of this last year, but COVID had something to say about that (I personally think the Autzen environment in Eugene would’ve been a little cooler than another game at Ohio Stadium, but alas). The premier west-coast program vs the premier midwest program. Both programs are consistently recruiting in the top ten, will feature new faces at quarterback, and the pressure of playoff brownie points, ESPECIALLY for the Ducks. The Pac-12 hasn’t had a playoff team in five seasons, and a win for Oregon would absolutely put the Ducks in the driver's seat for a spot.
2. Notre Dame vs Wisconsin - Sept 25th
I LOVE neutral-site college football games at unique sites (aka not Atlanta, Dallas, Miami, LA, etc), and this classic matchup features just that when Notre Dame and Wisconsin clash at Soldier Field in Chicago in late September. The location is perfect, just about halfway between the two campuses and two passionate fanbases. Jack Coan, the presumed starter, gets to face off with his old team and the guy who replaced him: Graham Mertz, while Coan replaces the winningest quarterback in Notre Dame History (Ian Book). These two programs have been amongst the gold standard of college football for the past decade, setting up what should be a fantastic game in the windy city.
Clemson vs Georgia - Sept 4th
Of course, this game is getting the No. 1 spot. Intrigue, excitement, playoff implications, etc. This opening week game has it all. Clemson has been the gold standard of college football, sans Alabama, the last half-decade and continues to get stronger, and gets to test itself against arguably the strongest team Kirby Smart has had at Georgia. The Tigers and Bulldogs will treat us to the first top-tier quarterback matchup of the season, putting the veteran JT Daniels against the sophomore DJ Uiagalelei, with a pair of elite defenses on the other side. The winner of this would have a clear track to No. 1 seed in the CFP, while the loser, assuming a close loss, wouldn’t be eliminated from playoff chances in week one. We would have to assume winning out the rest of the way would do the trick for either program. Bring on week one!
Writer
-By: TJ Mathewson