School soccer schedule superlatives for 2025 season

There is not a lot surrounding school soccer that is not in one thing of a state of flux.

The discussions surrounding the long run playoff format bounce round like a pingpong ball. Faculties are for the primary time in historical past sharing income with athletes. Convention realignment marches onward, and the overhaul of rosters through the switch portal continues at a dizzying tempo.

All of the whereas, the beginning of the 2025 season is lower than a month away.

What which means is it is time to take a magnifying glass to the 2025 schedule and hand out some superlatives, some flattering and a few not so flattering. All rankings referenced are from ESPN’s post-spring Top 25, and Notre Dame, regardless of being an impartial, will probably be thought of a Energy 4 college for our functions.

Earlier than we dive in, an annual reminder: Schedule energy tends to look lots completely different in July than it does in late October.

Hardest total Energy 4 schedule: Florida

A 12 months in the past Billy Napier and his Florida soccer staff epitomized resiliency. Regardless of an unsightly 1-2 begin, Napier by no means misplaced the locker room and guided the Gators to 4 straight wins to finish the season with an 8-5 end. However identical to a 12 months in the past, Florida’s schedule is once more brutal.

The Gators are the one staff within the SEC going through the league’s three highest-ranked preseason groups (No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Georgia and No. 6 LSU), with the Georgia and LSU video games away from residence. The Sept. 13 journey to LSU is adopted by a visit to No. 21 Miami the following week. In a five-week stretch from Sept. 13 by Oct. 11, which features a bye on Sept. 27, Florida performs at LSU, at Miami, at residence towards Texas and at Texas A&M. The Gators’ annual showdown with Georgia in Jacksonville on Nov. 1 is adopted by back-to-back SEC highway video games towards Kentucky and No. 24 Ole Miss.

Wisconsin is an in depth second on this class. Luke Fickell and the Badgers might use a powerful bounce-back season after dropping 5 in a row to finish 2024 and lacking a bowl recreation for the primary time in 22 years. Like Florida, Wisconsin faces six ranked groups, together with 4 of the highest 11 — at No. 9 Alabama on Sept. 13, residence towards No. 5 Ohio State on Oct. 18, at No. 8 Oregon on Oct. 25 and residential towards No. 11 Illinois on Nov. 22.

Best total Energy 4 schedule: Wake Forest

Jake Dickert takes over for Dave Clawson at Wake Forest and has his work reduce out to get this system again into the higher tier of the ACC. However he faces just one preseason High 25 staff in 2025: SMU at residence Oct. 25, with a bye the previous week. The Deacons keep away from Clemson, Miami and Louisville within the ACC. Their first 4 video games are at residence together with two of their final three video games. A recreation at No. 24 Ole Miss was changed by a visit to Oregon State, that means there are not any Energy 4 nonconference foes on the Deacons’ schedule. Their solely back-to-back convention video games on the highway are towards Florida State and Virginia on Nov. 1 and Nov. 8, and people groups completed a mixed 7-17 final season.

Missouri, coming off back-to-back seasons of at the least 10 wins underneath Eliah Drinkwitz, has a schedule tailored to make it three straight seasons with double-digit wins. The Tigers’ first six video games are at residence, and so they keep away from Texas, Georgia and LSU within the SEC. Their hardest nonconference recreation is towards Kansas at residence.

Hardest total non-Energy 4 schedule: Kent State

This one would not appear honest. Kent State went 1-23 over the previous two seasons, fired coach Kenni Burns in April and changed him with interim coach Mark Carney. Not solely do the Golden Flashes need to play three Energy 4 nonconference groups on the highway, together with No. 16 Texas Tech on Sept. 6 and No. 25 Oklahoma on Oct. 4, however they face MAC preseason favourite Toledo on Oct. 18 on the highway.

South Florida’s schedule is equally daunting. The Bulls open the season towards Boise State, Florida and Miami in successive weeks (Florida and Miami on the highway) and face American Athletic Convention contenders Navy, Memphis and North Texas on the highway.

Best total non-Energy 4 schedule: Liberty

The Flames are a repeat winner right here, which implies Jamey Chadwell’s membership must be a first-rate candidate to be the Group of 5 consultant within the playoff. Liberty would not face any Energy 4 nonconference opponents, though James Madison’s journey to Lynchburg on Sept. 20 will probably be a recreation to observe. The hardest Convention USA problem would possibly are available in Week 2 towards Jacksonville State on the highway. In any other case, Liberty obtained a good draw within the convention. In different phrases, not returning to the Convention USA championship recreation for the second straight season could be a giant disappointment on the Mountain. Elsewhere, North Texas’ path to the American championship recreation is helped by avoiding Tulane and Memphis, and its hardest nonconference recreation is towards Washington State at residence Sept. 13.

Hardest Energy 4 nonconference schedule: Clemson

This was a coin flip between Clemson and Stanford till quarterback Jake Retzlaff departed BYU. Now the journey to No. 10 BYU on Sept. 6 would not look fairly as daunting for the Cardinal, who finish the season Nov. 29 at residence towards No. 7 Notre Dame.

So Clemson will get the nod. The Tigers open the season Aug. 30 at residence towards No. 6 LSU, then shut the season Nov. 29 on the highway towards bitter rival South Carolina, which is ranked No. 13. Clemson additionally faces Troy, a high contender within the Solar Belt Convention, at residence every week after the LSU opener.

Miami has three robust early-season matchups out of convention, albeit all three at residence, towards No. 7 Notre Dame on Aug. 31, South Florida on Sept. 13 and No. 19 Florida on Sept. 20.

Best Energy 4 nonconference schedule: Penn State

It is Penn State by a mile, or about so long as it takes to get to Comfortable Valley from nearly any main airport. This must be James Franklin’s finest and most balanced staff, however one which will probably be untested when it rolls into Large Ten play towards Oregon at residence Sept. 27. The “warmups” come within the first three weeks of the season, all at residence, towards Nevada, Florida Worldwide and Villanova, adopted by a bye week earlier than going through the Geese.

We will not let Indiana utterly off the hook. For the second straight season, the Hoosiers will not play a nonconference recreation towards a Energy 4 foe. They open the season with three straight residence video games towards Outdated Dominion, Kennesaw State and Indiana State (with out Larry Chook). To be honest, Indiana can be the one Large Ten staff that has to play Penn State and Oregon on the highway.

Should-see nonconference video games

To be clear, neutral-site video games do not rely for this checklist:

• Auburn at Baylor, Aug. 29
• Utah at UCLA, Aug. 30
• Texas at Ohio State, Aug. 30
• Notre Dame at Miami, Aug. 30
• LSU at Clemson, Aug. 30
• Alabama at Florida State, Aug. 30
• Michigan at Oklahoma, Sept. 6
• Kansas at Missouri, Sept. 6
• Texas A&M at Notre Dame, Sept. 13
• Florida at Miami, Sept. 20
• USC at Notre Dame, Oct. 18
• Clemson at South Carolina, Nov. 29

Higher watch out

Some sneaky good video games matching Energy 4 groups towards Group of 5 groups:

• Toledo at Kentucky, Aug. 30
• James Madison at Louisville, Sept. 5
• UCLA at UNLV, Sept. 6
• Military at Kansas State, Sept. 6
• South Florida at Florida, Sept. 6
• Arkansas State vs. Arkansas, in Little Rock, Sept. 6
• Duke at Tulane, Sept. 13
• Arkansas at Memphis, Sept. 20
• Tulane at Ole Miss, Sept. 20
• BYU at East Carolina, Sept. 20
• San José State at Stanford, Sept. 27
• Boise State at Notre Dame, Oct. 4

Jeff Lebby, in his second season, will lead the Bulldogs towards 4 playoff groups from a 12 months in the past at Davis Wade Stadium: Arizona State on Sept. 6, Tennessee on Sept. 27, Texas on Oct. 25 and Georgia on Nov. 8. If that is not sufficient, the Bulldogs shut the season at residence Nov. 28 of their annual Egg Bowl matchup with No. 24 Ole Miss. Practically 80% of Mississippi State’s roster is made up of first- or second-year gamers with 60 new gamers added for this season.

Best Energy 4 residence schedule: Texas

Just one preseason High 25 staff will go to DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium this season, and that is on the very finish when No. 23 Texas A&M makes the 105-mile journey to Austin. After opening towards No. 5 Ohio State on the highway, Texas performs San José State, UTEP and Sam Houston the following three weeks at residence. Aside from Texas A&M, Texas’ different two residence dates the ultimate month of the season are towards Vanderbilt on Nov. 1 and Arkansas on Nov. 22. In an odd twist, Texas would not play a recreation in Austin within the month of October. Florida, Kentucky and Mississippi State are all on the highway, and the Pink River Showdown recreation towards Oklahoma, as all the time, is in Dallas.

Hardest Energy 4 schedule away from residence: Syracuse

Fran Brown was a first-year head coach final season, however he confirmed the poise and precision of a 20-year veteran in main Syracuse to 10 wins, solely the third time since 2000 that the Orange had received 10 video games. As an encore, he faces an infinite problem. Syracuse misplaced most of its key playmakers from a 12 months in the past and faces a brutal schedule away from residence. The Aug. 30 opener towards Tennessee in Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium will probably be a quasi-home recreation for the Vols, and that is simply the beginning. The Orange play at No. 2 Clemson on Sept. 20, at No. 15 SMU on Oct. 4, at No. 21 Miami on Nov. 8 and at No. 7 Notre Dame on Nov. 22.

Best Energy 4 schedule away from residence: Missouri

The Tigers play eight of their 12 video games this season at Faurot Subject, and solely one in all their 4 highway video games is towards a ranked opponent, No. 25 Oklahoma on Nov. 22. The opposite three are towards Auburn (Oct. 18), Vanderbilt (Oct. 25) and Arkansas (Nov. 29). It is by no means simple on the highway within the SEC, however the Tigers are avoiding among the most treacherous stops.

Hardest near the season: Rutgers

Granted, Rutgers’ schedule exterior the Large Ten is comfortable (residence video games the primary three weeks towards Ohio College, Miami (Ohio) and Norfolk State), however the near the season — ouch! Rutgers’ final six video games are No. 8 Oregon at residence Oct. 18, at Purdue on Oct. 25, at No. 11 Illinois on Nov. 1, Maryland at residence Nov. 8, at No. 5 Ohio State on Nov. 22 and No. 1 Penn State at residence Nov. 29. The Scarlet Knights are the one Large Ten staff this season that has to play Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon.

Best near the season: Illinois

Illinois is poised for one more banner season underneath Bret Bielema with most of its key gamers again from the 10-win season a 12 months in the past. The Combating Illini’s schedule is entrance loaded as they play 4 of their remaining six video games at residence, and three of the final 4 are residence video games towards Rutgers, Maryland and Northwestern. The one highway recreation in that stretch is at Wisconsin on Nov. 22. Illinois will not face a preseason High 25 opponent the final 5 weeks of the season.

Hardest three-game stretch: Oklahoma

The standards for this class are three video games in three consecutive weeks with no byes. Brent Venables and the Sooners can have an opportunity to construct some momentum, however they face an October grind that would break any staff. It begins with No. 3 Texas in Dallas on Oct. 11, adopted by a highway recreation at No. 13 South Carolina on Oct. 18 after which a house recreation towards No. 24 Ole Miss on Oct. 25. If you wish to stretch it out to 4 video games, issues do not get significantly better for the Sooners. They go on the highway the following week to play Tennessee on Nov. 1 in Neyland Stadium. Three of these 4 video games are away from residence.

Basking in Florida’s sunshine

Miami would not play a recreation exterior the state of Florida till touring to face SMU on Nov. 1. Six of the Hurricanes’ first seven video games are at residence at Onerous Rock Stadium, and a seventh is in Tallahassee towards Florida State on Oct. 4. Included are three straight all-Florida affairs towards South Florida on Sept. 13, Florida on Sept. 20 and at FSU on Oct. 4

Dabo and the SEC

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney will get one other shot on the SEC to open the season within the Battle of Demise Valleys on Aug. 30 towards LSU. Clemson is 18-12 vs. the SEC because the begin of the 2012 season, however the Tigers have misplaced seven of their previous 10 video games to SEC opponents, starting with a 42-25 loss to LSU within the 2019 nationwide championship recreation.

Mountains are calling

From simply east of Marys Peak, Oregon State will journey throughout the nation to the Blue Ridge Mountains to tackle Appalachian State in Boone, North Carolina, on Oct. 4. Speak about two locations which might be exhausting to get to, however two beautiful campuses.

Taking Saturdays off

Houston performs three Friday video games (Sept. 12 vs. Colorado, Sept. 26 at Oregon State and Nov. 7 at UCF). The Cougars open the season on a Thursday at residence, Aug. 28 vs. Stephen F. Austin.

Ryan Silverfield has guided Memphis to 10 or extra wins in every of the previous two seasons, a primary in program historical past, and enters his sixth season amid massive expectations within the American Convention with a roster full of latest faces through the switch portal. The Tigers are 11-2 at residence the previous two years, which bodes nicely for 2025. Nearly all of Memphis’ hardest video games are at residence, together with Arkansas’ go to on Sept. 20. In convention play, high contenders South Florida (Oct. 25), Tulane (Nov. 7) and Navy (Nov. 27) all come to Memphis’ Simmons Financial institution Liberty Stadium.

Avoiding campuses

Tennessee, for the eleventh straight 12 months, won’t play a nonconference regular-season recreation on an opposing staff’s campus. The final time the Vols performed a nonconference highway recreation (not counting the playoff recreation final season at Ohio State) on the opposing college’s campus was Sept. 13, 2014, once they misplaced 34-10 to No. 4 Oklahoma in Norman. The Vols did win at Pittsburgh in 2022, a 34-27 extra time victory, however the Panthers play their residence video games on the Steelers’ stadium, Acrisure Stadium, previously generally known as Heinz Subject, which stands alongside the Ohio River on the north facet of Pittsburgh. The opener towards Syracuse in Atlanta will probably be Tennessee’s sixth neutral-site recreation up to now 10 years.

Energy outages

Houston, Indiana, Maryland, Northwestern, Ole Miss, Penn State, Rutgers, Texas Tech, Wake Forest and Washington do not play any nonconference video games towards Energy 4 opponents in 2025. Each college within the ACC besides Wake Forest performs at the least one Energy 4 nonconference staff, and 9 colleges (Boston School, Miami, NC State, North Carolina, Pittsburgh, SMU, Syracuse, Stanford and Virginia Tech) play two nonconference video games towards Energy 4 foes. As ACC commissioner Jim Phillips likes to say, “Go ACC!” There are just a few caveats. Among the groups not enjoying Energy 4 opponents are enjoying Oregon State or Washington State, and that features Ole Miss. Wake Forest pulled out of the again half of its home-and-away collection with Ole Miss final season, and the Rebels needed to scramble, including Washington State on the final minute.

Jet-lagged Huskies

The one time all season Washington performs back-to-back residence video games is towards Colorado State and UC Davis to open the season. From there, it is backwards and forwards and everywhere in the map for the Huskies. Contemplate: After enjoying at Washington State in Pullman on Sept. 20 (not a simple journey), Washington comes again residence on Sept. 27 to face Ohio State, then hits the highway the next week to play Maryland on Oct. 4, then again residence towards Rutgers on Oct. 10 (a Friday), again on the highway towards Michigan on Oct. 18, again residence towards Illinois on Oct. 25, after which after a bye, again on the highway towards Wisconsin on Nov. 8. Thank goodness for constitution flights.

Vols flopping Dawgs and Gators

Georgia and Tennessee meet Sept. 13 in Knoxville, the earliest the groups have met in a season since 1995 (Sept. 9) when Kirby Sensible was a freshman defensive again for the Bulldogs. The Vols received 30-27 within the remaining seconds on a area aim. Sensible by no means beat Tennessee as a participant, however he has received eight straight within the collection as a coach. Tennessee, in the meantime, would not face Florida till Nov. 22 on the Swamp, the soap opera these groups have performed (not counting the 2020 COVID season) since 2001 (Dec. 1) when Tennessee received 34-32 within the Swamp in a recreation that was postponed due to the Sept. 11 assaults. Tennessee is a mixed 12-38 towards Georgia and Florida since 2000, 2-6 underneath Josh Heupel.

Hogs debuting on the SEC highway … once more

For the third straight season, Arkansas opens its SEC season on the highway, the one college within the league having to play three straight openers away from residence. The Hogs received 24-14 final season at Auburn and misplaced 34-31 at LSU in 2023. Arkansas opens SEC play this season at Ole Miss on Sept. 13. In reality, Arkansas performs its first two SEC video games on the highway, touring to Tennessee on Oct. 11. Arkansas, Auburn and Vanderbilt are the one three SEC groups that need to play their first two league video games on the highway. All 5 of Arkansas’ highway opponents this season received at the least 9 video games a 12 months in the past, and 4 (Memphis, Ole Miss, Tennessee and Texas) received 10 or extra video games.

Border Struggle returns

Kansas and Missouri will renew their collection Sept. 6 in Columbia, the primary time they’ve performed since 2011. It is the primary of a four-game settlement to carry again the collection, which dates to 1891, and will probably be Kansas’ first go to to Faurot Subject since 2006, when Missouri received 42-17. Their 2011 assembly was at Arrowhead Stadium, with Missouri successful 24-10. The groups had met 93 years in a row earlier than the collection was not renewed following the 2011 recreation; on the time, it was the second-most-played rivalry in Division I-A soccer historical past.

Catching up with outdated teammates

With full-scale free company alive and nicely in school soccer, an increasing number of gamers from the switch portal are going up towards their former colleges and teammates. Some notable examples this season:

• Duke quarterback Darian Mensah at Tulane on Sept. 13

• Ole Miss offensive guard Patrick Kutas vs. Arkansas on Sept. 13

• Oregon cornerback Theran Johnson at Northwestern on Sept. 13

• Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold at Oklahoma on Sept. 20

• Texas A&M receiver Mario Craver vs. Mississippi State on Oct. 4

• Ohio State tight finish Max Klare at Purdue on Nov. 8

• Texas Tech defensive deal with Lee Hunter vs. UCF on Nov. 15

• Missouri receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. vs. Mississippi State on Nov. 15

• Oregon offensive guard Emmanuel Pregnon vs. USC on Nov. 22

• Oregon defensive deal with Bear Alexander vs. USC on Nov. 22

• LSU receiver Nic Anderson at Oklahoma on Nov. 29

Homecoming for Helton

Clay Helton will get a homecoming, kind of anyway. Helton, with a brand new five-year contract after successful eight video games final season at Georgia Southern, returns to Los Angeles when the Eagles face USC on Sept. 6 within the Coliseum. With one recreation as interim head coach in 2013, Helton was USC’s official head coach for seven seasons earlier than being fired early within the 2021 marketing campaign. He was 46-24 total and received the Rose Bowl following the 2016 season (52-49 over Penn State), which is the Trojans’ final look within the Rose Bowl. The following season, Helton guided the Trojans to the 2017 Pac-12 championship, which is their final convention championship.

They’re enjoying the place?

It is all the time attention-grabbing (and entertaining) to see Energy 4 groups enjoying on the highway at Group of 5 groups, particularly when it is on campus. Working example: Invoice Belichick’s second recreation as North Carolina’s coach will come Sept. 6 towards in-state foe Charlotte in 15,300-seat Jerry Richardson Stadium. Among the others this season: West Virginia at Ohio College on Sept. 6 and Oklahoma at Temple (Lincoln Monetary Subject), Iowa State at Arkansas State, SMU at Missouri State and Utah at Wyoming, all Sept. 13.

Not very Belichickian

Talking of Belichick, he did not get a foul attract his first season at North Carolina. And, sure, we all know he is not one to look forward till it is “on to whomever.” However the Tar Heels face TCU at residence within the Sept. 1 Monday night time opener, and in the event that they win that one, it is conceivable they might be 5-0 going into their residence recreation towards Clemson on Oct. 4. The Tar Heels get a bye week previous to the Clemson recreation after enjoying at UCF on Sept. 20.

Concern the Terps

Maryland dipped to 4-8 a 12 months in the past after three straight successful seasons underneath Mike Locksley. The Terps’ schedule in 2025 is manageable sufficient that they need to have an opportunity to return to their successful methods. Their nonconference schedule consists of Florida Atlantic, Northern Illinois and Towson, all at residence, and Maryland is the one Large Ten staff that avoids Penn State, Ohio State and Oregon. The Terps have three ranked groups on their schedule, and two of these video games (Indiana and Michigan) are at residence.

Run-down Pink Raiders

Texas Tech, ranked No. 15 within the preseason, is pushing all its chips in on this season and reportedly spent greater than $28 million on its roster. Led by coach Joey McGuire, the Pink Raiders want to attain double-digit wins for the primary time because the late Mike Leach led Tech to 11 wins in 2008. However to do it, they will need to push by a seven-week gauntlet of Large 12 video games. That is proper, seven straight Large 12 video games with out a bye from Oct. 4 to Nov. 15 — at Houston, vs. Kansas, at Arizona State, vs. Oklahoma State, at Kansas State, vs. BYU and vs. UCF.