There are 101 days until Sam Houston kicks off the FBS season in Texas with a conference game at Western Kentucky. The other 12 FBS programs get started in Week 1 with Houston playing on Thursday night against SFA and Baylor hosting Auburn on Friday. The other schools play on Saturday of Week 1 except for TCU, which faces North Carolina on the road on a Monday night. 

The non-conference slate in 2025 is loaded with marquee matchups for teams in the state of Texas. And with just over 100 days until our drought ends, we decided to rank the 10 best to help build excitement for what’s ahead. 

1. Texas at Ohio State (Week 1) 

The clash between the Horns and the Buckeyes is not only the biggest non-conference game this year involving a Texas team, but it might also be the biggest game of the entire season. This is a rematch of a semifinal in the most recent College Football Playoff and will be the first nationally televised start for quarterback Arch Manning. It wouldn’t be a shock if these were the top two teams in the country in preseason polls. 

2. Texas A&M at Notre Dame (Week 3) 

A rematch of last year’s Week 1 contest in College Station when Notre Dame won 23-13 in Mike Elko’s first game as Texas A&M’s head coach. The Aggies start the year with home games against UTSA and Utah State so this is their first road trip of the season. The Fighting Irish played for the national championship last year and will be a Top 10 team in the country heading into the year. The Aggies should also start the season in the Top 25. 

3. SMU at TCU (Week 4) 

The last scheduled edition of the “Battle for the Iron Skillet” takes place in Fort Worth. SMU blew out TCU in the final contest in Dallas last season. That game included an ejection of Sonny Dykes. This rivalry fell off the national radar in the decades that SMU and TCU weren’t Power conference peers and it is a shame that it is going away as soon as both teams are on equal footing. Regional rivalries are what makes the sport of college football so important. 

4. Baylor at SMU (Week 2) 

Old heads and Southwest Conference truthers unite. The Bears are a Big 12 contender with a lot of preseason hype. The Ponies raced to the ACC championship game and the College Football Playoff last season. Two of the best quarterbacks in the state – Sawyer Robertson and Kevin Jennings – get to duel on the Hilltop. Both defenses are the question marks heading into the year, so expect some fireworks. 

5. TCU at North Carolina (Week 1) 

Will Bill Belichick even be the coach of the Tar Heels by the time TCU travels to North Carolina to start the season on a Monday night? Remember, it was Dykes’ Horned Frogs who welcomed Deion Sanders to FBS football a couple of years ago when Travis Hunter arrived on the national scene. This game might be bigger for off-the-field reasons than on-field reasons, but it is a good early test for a TCU squad that feels disrespected heading into the year. 

6. Baylor vs. Auburn (Week 1)

Hype surrounding Baylor is growing across the Big 12 landscape and a home game against an improving Auburn squad in Week 1 can provide some truth serum. The Bears return nine starters on offense and believe they have improved personnel on the defensive side of the ball. Slow starts have plagued Baylor the last few seasons and 2025 will test that with Auburn, SMU, and Arizona State in the first month of the season.  

7. Texas State at UTSA (Week 2) 

Speaking of regional rivalries, the best one in the G5 ranks takes place in San Antonio in Week 2 of the season. The Bobcats beat the Roadrunners for the first time in series history last season and both squads enter 2025 with conference championship aspirations. This might become a Top 5 attended game for UTSA at the Alamodome, a place where head coach Jeff Traylor is 29-3 as a Roadrunner. 

8. Texas State at Arizona State (Week 3) 

This was an awesome non-conference game last year in San Marcos. In fact, the Bobcats likely win that game without a few costly turnovers late. Arizona State went on to win the Big 12 and nearly knock off Texas in the College Football Playoff. This would top the 2023 win over Baylor as the biggest win for G.J. Kinne & Co. 

9. North Texas vs. Washington State (Week 3) 

North Texas is positioned for a big year thanks to a favorable schedule and what should be an improved defense. How good the Mean Green can be in 2025 will be revealed in the Week 3 home game against Washington State. North Texas hopes to sell out the stadium and use this as momentum for a run toward an AAC championship game appearance. 

10. Houston at Oregon State (Week 5) 

The Cougars start the season with non-conference games against SFA and Rice before beginning Big 12 play in Week 3 against Colorado. The biggest test of the non-conference takes place two weeks later on the road against Oregon State. Reaching a bowl game is paramount for the rebuilding project underway by Willie Fritz, and this feels like a must-win game.