Top 25 Games to Watch Across the G6

We ranked the top 25 Group of Six teams. We broke down the 12 CFP contenders. Now we turn to the games themselves.

Twenty-five matchups in chronological order — championship races, Power 4 tests, rivalry renewals and the games that will decide who earns the one guaranteed CFP bid. Ten honorable mentions at the end for the games that didn't quite make the cut but could still make noise.

Week 0 — Aug. 29

1. Memphis at UNLV — Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas

The G6 season opens under the lights in Vegas. Both programs rebuilt around new quarterbacks — Charles Huff assembled 51 portal transfers at Memphis, while Dan Mullen replaced MW Offensive Player of the Year Anthony Colandrea with former five-star Jackson Arnold. This is their first meeting ever, and the winner enters September with a cross-conference signature win.

2. Hawaii at Stanford

ESPN's pick for the G6 CFP bid opens at a Power 4 opponent. Sophomore QB Micah Alejado threw for more than 3,100 yards last season and this is his first Power 4 audition. Stanford represents a winnable Power 4 road game — the kind of result the committee notices in November.

3. Jacksonville State at North Dakota State — Fargodome, Fargo, N.D.

NDSU plays its first game as an FBS program. Jacksonville State drew the assignment. Two former FCS powers meeting at the Fargodome, where the Bison built a dynasty and a home-field edge that survives the division change.

Week 1 — Sept. 4-6

4. Fresno State at USC — Sept. 4, Friday night, Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum

Fresno State opens its first Pac-12 season under Friday night lights at the Coliseum. Few G6 programs get a better non-conference TV window. This is the stage to announce the program's arrival in a new conference.

5. Boise State at Oregon — Sept. 5

The biggest game on the G6 calendar. Boise State is 3-1 all-time against the Ducks. Spencer Danielson does not schedule Power 4 games for the experience. Win this and the committee cannot dismiss the Broncos. The Pac-12 path opens immediately.

6. Tulane at Duke — Sept. 5

The defending American champion at the defending ACC champion. A win over Duke helped build Tulane's CFP resume last season. Will Hall inherits a program that knows how to win this kind of game — and this is his Week 1 chance to prove the transition didn't break what Jon Sumrall built.

7. Liberty at James Madison — Sept. 5

The Battle of the Blue Ridge. Jamey Chadwell rebuilt Liberty with 28 portal transfers after a 4-8 collapse — the program's first losing season in 20 years. Billy Napier makes his JMU debut after arriving from Florida. Two new-look rosters, two coaches with something to prove and a rivalry that carries real regional weight.

8. Washington State at Washington — Sept. 6, Sunday, NBC

The Apple Cup as a non-conference game for the first time. Washington left for the Big Ten. Washington State stayed in the Pac-12. What was once an in-conference rivalry is now a cross-conference reunion, and for Washington State, a chance to prove the Pac-12 still belongs in the conversation with the conference that raided it.

Week 2 — Sept. 12

9. Memphis at Boise State

The most consequential early-season game for the G6 CFP bid. If Memphis beats UNLV and Boise in the first three weeks, Charles Huff's rebuilt roster enters American play with the strongest non-conference resume in the Group of Six. If Boise wins, the Pac-12 path becomes the presumptive favorite. This game will be referenced in every committee conversation in November.

Week 3 — Sept. 19

10. JMU at San Diego State

Two potential conference champions from two leagues. JMU's only chance at a win outside the Sun Belt that the committee might respect. For San Diego State, a home win over the reigning Sun Belt champions validates Sean Lewis's program in its first Pac-12 season.

11. Tulane at Kansas State

A Big 12 road game in Week 3. Last season, two Power 4 road wins in the first three weeks built the foundation of Tulane's CFP resume. If Will Hall's Green Wave beat both Duke and Kansas State, the formula repeats — and the American has a credible CFP contender even if Navy or Memphis stumbles.

12. New Mexico at Oklahoma

The Lobos' one Power 4 test. New Mexico went 9-4 under Jason Eck last season, tied for the program's best since 1982. Everything about the Lobos' ceiling depends on whether their rebuilt roster can be competitive in Norman. This game is probably a loss — but how competitive New Mexico looks here sets the tone for a conference title run.

Week 4 — Sept. 26

13. Boise State at Western Michigan — Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo, Mich.

The Pac-12 favorite visits the defending MAC champion. This is the biggest non-conference home game in Western Michigan history. Lance Taylor's program gets a measuring-stick game against the G6's consensus No. 1 team — and for Boise, it is a trap game sandwiched between Oregon and the start of Pac-12 play.

October

14. Jacksonville State at Kennesaw State — Oct. 7, Wednesday

Conference USA Championship Game rematch. Kennesaw State won that game 19-15, ending Jacksonville State's title run. This is the Gamecocks' first conference road test, and it comes on a Wednesday night in a hostile environment against the defending champion. The winner controls its C-USA destiny.

15. USF at UTSA — Oct. 8, Alamodome, San Antonio

Brian Hartline's loaded roster gets its first true American road test. USF recruited the No. 1 G6 portal class — 41 transfers, 24 from Power 4 programs — but the talent has to prove it can win in a hostile conference environment. UTSA will be fighting for its own American positioning, and the Alamodome is not a kind place for visiting teams. Both programs need this one to stay in the conference race.

16. Tulane vs. Army — Oct. 10, Michie Stadium, West Point, N.Y.

Rematch of the 2024 American Athletic Conference Championship Game. Army took that title. Tulane took the next one. A trip to West Point in mid-October against the Black Knights' triple option demands specific preparation, and this comes during the meat of the American's conference schedule.

17. Memphis at Tulane — Oct. 16, Friday night, Yulman Stadium, New Orleans

Friday night at Yulman. Two top-five American teams in a game that could determine who reaches the conference championship game. If Memphis survived the UNLV-Boise gauntlet and Tulane survived Duke and Kansas State, this becomes the American's game of the year.

18. Troy at James Madison — Oct. 29, Thursday

Sun Belt Championship Game rematch. Troy's players still remember the snowballs in Harrisonburg. JMU won that title game, and Gerad Parker has circled this date since the schedule came out. A Thursday night road game with Sun Belt title implications — this is the biggest game on Troy's 2026 schedule.

19. Navy at Notre Dame — Oct. 31, Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.

One of the oldest rivalries in college football. Notre Dame will be a top-five team. Braxton Woodson — who inherits the job from Blake Horvath with three career starts — faces the biggest test of his season at a neutral site in Foxborough. Navy expects to lose this game. What matters is what the Midshipmen look like doing it.

November

20. UNLV at New Mexico — Nov. 14, 5:30 p.m. MT, The CW Network

The de facto Mountain West championship game. UNLV is the consensus conference favorite. New Mexico is coming off a nine-win breakthrough. The loser is probably eliminated from the MW title race. Phil Steele projects this as a meeting of the MW's top two teams and the best-case scenario for the conference is a close one between two ranked teams under national TV lights.

21. San Diego State at Boise State — Nov. 21, 7:30 p.m. MT, USA Network

Pac-12 title eliminator on the blue turf. If both programs enter this game in the conference title hunt, the loser is done. Boise's home-field advantage at Albertsons Stadium has been one of the G6's most reliable edges for two decades. Late November in Boise is not a kind environment for a visiting California team.

22. Memphis at Navy — Nov. 21, Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, Annapolis, Md.

Late-season road trip to Annapolis. The triple option is uniquely difficult for a defense still learning to play together — and by late November, Memphis will have ground through months of midweek games and short weeks. If the American title race comes down to one game, this might be it.

23. Western Kentucky at Liberty — Nov. 21, Williams Stadium, Lynchburg, Va.

C-USA title implications. Western Kentucky is the projected conference champion. Liberty is the bounce-back contender. Jamey Chadwell's rebuilt roster will have had a full season to gel. Win this at home and Liberty is probably playing for a conference championship. Lose it and a second straight losing season starts to look like a trajectory.

24. Miami (OH) at Western Michigan — Nov. 24, Tuesday, Waldo Stadium, Kalamazoo, Mich.

MACtion. The 2025 MAC Championship Game rematch on a Tuesday night. Western Michigan returns most of its offensive core from the championship team, including MAC Offensive Player of the Year Broc Lowry. If the Broncos are running the table, this is the last test before a second straight conference title game.

December

25. Army-Navy — Dec. 12, 3 p.m., CBS, MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.

The 127th meeting. America's Game. Army won the American title in 2024. Navy has won back-to-back Commander-in-Chief's Trophies. Both programs are in their best era together in decades. MetLife Stadium. December football. Nothing else on the schedule competes with it.

Honorable Mentions

UAB at Memphis — Oct. 10. Battle for the Bones. The Blazers pulled the upset in 2025, beating No. 22 Memphis as 23.5-point underdogs. Trap game for Memphis between the UNLV/Boise gauntlet and the American grind.

Troy at South Alabama — Nov. 14. Battle for the Belt. Sun Belt rivalry at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. Whoever wins owns bragging rights across the state of Alabama for a full year.

Troy at Missouri — Sept. 19. SEC road trip for the defending Sun Belt West champs. Gerad Parker's biggest non-conference stage.

South Alabama at Kentucky — Sept. 26. SEC road trip for a program trying to prove it can compete on the biggest stages under Major Applewhite.

Texas State at Texas — Sept. 5. First meeting since 1930. GJ Kinne takes his Pac-12 Bobcats to Austin in a game that pits the newest version of the Pac-12 against the SEC.

Liberty at Coastal Carolina — Sept. 24, Thursday. Jamey Chadwell returns to Conway. He built Coastal Carolina into a national brand and left for Liberty. Thursday night. Extra juice.

USF at East Carolina — Nov. 6, Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2. Josh Aldridge built ECU's No. 1 defense in the American in 2025, then left for USF. Friday night at Dowdy-Ficklen. Revenge game.

UNLV vs. California — Oct. 3. UNLV's only Power 4 home opponent at Allegiant Stadium. A win validates the Rebels' CFP credentials against a Pac-4 program.

Marshall at Penn State — Sept. 5. Carlos Del Rio-Wilson — considered the best quarterback in the Sun Belt — visits Happy Valley. Marshall's trip to a top-tier Power 4 program is a measuring stick for Tony Gibson's rebuilt roster.

Miami (OH) at Cincinnati — Sept. 19, Victory Bell. The oldest non-conference rivalry in FBS, dating to 1888. This is the final scheduled meeting — 138 years of history, ending on a September Saturday in Cincinnati.

Jax State at Western Kentucky — Nov. 14. C-USA showdown between top-three conference contenders. Late-season title implications at Houchens Industries-L.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green.

Next up: G6 Power Rankings — Monday, July 20