A year ago, my editor asked me to write a travel-themed list of must-see college sports destinations over the course of a school year. Some were iconic events (the Rose Bowl, the College World Series), some were fabled rivalries (Army-Navy, Duke-UNC), and a few were season-specific (Texas-Ohio State football, UConn vs. Notre Dame in women's hoops).
For the 2026-27 edition, I tried to avoid repeat choices (save for two), spotlight different venues and include a variety of divisions and teams, so please cross-check last year's before complaining about your favorite school's exclusion.
While football appears most frequently, it is just one of 10 different sports that made the list of 20.
Come for preseason No. 1 Ohio State vs. No. 5 Texas in football, stay for preseason No. 1 Texas vs. No. 6 Wisconsin in volleyball. You'll spend Saturday at 100,000-seat Darrell K. Royal Memorial Stadium, watching Arch Manning and Jeremiah Smith, and on Sunday experience a different sport that's exploded in popularity.
The atmosphere at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium that night will be off the charts as reviled pariah Lane Kiffin returns to Ole Miss for the first time since ditching the Rebels on the eve of a CFP appearance. What a great excuse to take in the legendary pregame tailgating scene at the Grove.
Akron may be a have-not in football/basketball, but it fields a powerhouse soccer program that's reached four College Cup finals (winning the title in 2010) and produced 40 MLS draft picks since 2005. The fifth-ranked Hoyas and 12th-ranked Zips are Big East division favorites.
There has likely never been a bigger football game in the 66-year history of Memorial Stadium, where the defending national champs will host this year's preseason No. 1 team in a rematch of last year's Big Ten title game. Go to Nick's and order a pitcher of Curt Cignetti's favorite beer, Hoosier Gameday Lager.
The "Catholics vs. Convicts" tagline has faded over the past 38 years, but the two are still viewed as rivals. Even more so after last year's jarring 11th-hour decision by the committee to vault Miami into the last CFP at-large spot at the expense of the Irish (who they beat in Week 1). The rematch should be spicy.
"The Real SC" series, which began last year, was missing a key figure: JuJu Watkins. The Trojans superstar is fully recovered from her knee injury and should be ready to take on Dawn Staley's perennial national title contender.
College football's most-played rivalry is not Ohio State-Michigan or Harvard-Yale; it's two FCS schools located 20 minutes apart that will meet for the 162nd time. Bonus: Lafayette's Fisher Stadium turns 100 this year.
After years of lopsided East vs. West matchups, the Big Ten scrapped its divisions in 2024, leading to last year's Ohio State-Indiana No. 1 vs. No. 2 game. The Buckeyes and Oregon start this season ranked No. 1 and 2 in the AP poll.
Vegas has become the new epicenter of Feast Week. Sixteen teams, led by defending national champ Michigan, play in Tuesday's Players Era first round, and the Huskies and Blue Devils stage an Elite 8 rematch the next night.
Autzen Stadium is one of college football's most enjoyable venues, highlighted by the fans' gigantic "Shout" singalong between the third and fourth quarters. Enjoy Dante Moore vs. Demond Williams Jr. in this 119-year-old rivalry.
The annual mid-December showdown makes a repeat appearance on this list, though this time in a different Eastern city. Navy has won the last two, including a 17-16 thriller last year, but Army won six of eight before that.
North Dakota State moved up to FBS this year, opening the door for some new blood. Montana State beat Illinois State in an overtime classic last season and starts No. 1 this season, followed by Montana and South Dakota State.
Trojans superstar JuJu Watkins is back after missing all of last season recovering from a knee injury. The future WNBA No. 1 pick should get at least two meetings with the reigning national champions in Westwood.
The nation's top programs (last year's field included Oklahoma, Nebraska, UCLA and Texas Tech) play four days of games against each other on adjoining fields. The relaxed setting is a goldmine for young autograph seekers.
Florida, led by star Thomas Haugh, is expected to be the preseason No. 1 team for 2026-27. Mark Pope's Kentucky team has high expectations as always. Perhaps one or both will be playing for an SEC championship that day.
It's not an NBA Finals or Kelce-Swift wedding, but the last time Madison Square Garden hosted March Madness, Kansas State took down Michigan State in overtime, then Cinderella FAU advanced to the Final Four.
College hockey's crown jewel is known for intense single-elimination games, and the best programs aren't typically big football brands. Recent champs include UMass, Quinnipiac, Western Michigan and 11-time champ Denver.
The last four schools standing compete simultaneously in an atmosphere that's equal parts joyful and suspenseful. Recent participants include Olympians Jordan Chiles (UCLA), Jade Carey (Oregon State) and Aleah Finnegan (LSU).
Franklin Field on the University of Pennsylvania campus plays host each April to the nation's longest-running track festival, which began in 1895. Athletes from D-I, D-II, D-III and high schools all compete in one place.
For the first time, all three NCAA divisions will crown their champions at the same site, with the D-I semis on Friday, the D-II and D-III finals on Saturday and the D-I championship on Sunday. Northwestern is the reigning D-I champ.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic .
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