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And then there were 39: Where each college football unbeaten will lose its first game
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- And then there were 39: Where each college football unbeaten will lose its first game
The unbeaten season, the Holy Grail of college football championship royalty , is on the verge of extinction.
Parity through an expanded College Football Playoff , free-flowing NIL dollars and rampant player movement (and off-field distractions) will quickly put an end to this once attainable goal.
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It began last season when national champion Ohio State lost in the regular season final against Michigan , and then won the CFP as the No. 8 seed .
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There were 12 unbeaten national champions in the first 25 years of the 2000s. There may not be 12 in the next 75 years.
Or as Penn State coach James Franklin said earlier this summer, "(Parity) is around every corner during a season."
A ranking of the current 39 undefeated Football Bowl Subdivision teams, their strength of schedule ranking per Jeff Sagarin ratings that includes Championship Subdivision teams, and where the dream ends.
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1. Miami
Schedule:77.
Where it ends:An unbeaten regular season. Have you seen the schedule? A road trip to rival Florida State is the only potential hiccup for a complete team with motivated QB Carson Beck.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck (11) carries the football for a touchdown against South Florida during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium.
2. LSU
Schedule:10.
Where it ends:Nov. 29, at Oklahoma . The LSU defense is special, and will dictate nearly every game. Until it meets Oklahoma star QB John Mateer , and his season-long vengeance tour .
3. TCU
Schedule:97.
Where it ends:Nov. 22, at Houston. This TCU team has 2022 vibes . But a dangerous quarterback and an opportunistic defense meet a team (under Willie Fritz) with a developing giant killer identity.
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4. Oklahoma
Schedule:84.
Where it ends:Nov. 15, at Alabama . The Tide will be a completely different team by November, playing at home against the Sooners with a chance to strengthen a CFP resume. They won't blow it this time .
5. Iowa State
Schedule:61.
Where it ends:Nov. 8, at TCU. Let's be honest, nothing about this team is pretty. But it's operationally flawless to a fault. Only a dangerous TCU offense can stop it in the Big 12.
6. Navy
Schedule:242.
Where it ends:Nov. 8, at Notre Dame. Nothing quite like winning your first eight games, and losing your last four (Notre Dame, South Florida, at Memphis, vs. Army).
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7. Georgia
Schedule:71.
Where it ends:Nov. 1 vs. Florida. But for an injury to QB DJ Lagway , the Gators would've beaten Georgia last year. An elite Florida defense will be the difference this time in a bitter rivalry.
8. Penn State
Schedule:213.
Where it ends:Nov. 1, at Ohio State. At some point, the Lions (and QB Drew Allar ) have to find a way to beat Ohio State. It won't be this season — at least, not in the regular season.
9. Georgia Tech
Schedule:33.
Where it ends:Nov. 1, at North Carolina State . The fourth quarter of last year's game: combined 36 points, and a last-second, game-winning Georgia Tech touchdown. This one will be just as wild.
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10. Texas A&M
Schedule:21.
Where it ends:Oct. 25, at LSU. The LSU defense was embarrassed in this game in 2024, and the loss – as much as anything – led to wholesale changes from the transfer portal. Watch the LSU defense dominate this time around.
11. UNLV
Schedule:186.
Where it ends:Oct. 18, at Boise State . Broncos may be the only team to get the Rebels, which could be bad news for UNLV's ability to keep coach Dan Mullen (hello, Virginia Tech ).
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12. Texas Tech
Schedule:254.
Where it ends:Oct. 18, at Arizona State . This sets up exactly how you'd think. Tech has enough talent to navigate dicey early tests, but Sun Devils and QB Sam Leavitt are too much in Tempe.
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13. Washington
Schedule:173.
Where it ends:Oct. 18, at Michigan. Huskies fortunate to get games against Maryland and Rutgers after Ohio State, but long trip to play physical Michigan team is too difficult to overcome.
14. Illinois
Schedule:168.
Where it ends:Oct. 11, Ohio State. Bad news: the unbeaten season ends. The good news: Illini would only need a win at Washington the following game (not an easy ask) to all but lock up a CFP spot.
Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer (9) drops back to throw against Penn State during their game at Beaver Stadium.
15. Missouri
Schedule:147.
Where it ends:Oct. 11, Alabama. As bad as it looked against Florida State , the Tide is stabilizing — and that's not good for anyone on the schedule.
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16. North Carolina State
Schedule:51.
Where it ends:Oct. 11, at Notre Dame. Irish QB CJ Carr gets three games against overmatched defenses ( Purdue , Arkansas , Boise State ) to set up critical game for already shaky CFP run.
17. Florida State
Schedule:94.
Where it ends:Oct. 4, Miami. Affect the quarterback, protect the quarterback. The Canes do it as well as any team in the nation, and will ride that formula in Tallahassee.
18. Vanderbilt
Schedule:34.
Where it ends:Oct. 4, at Alabama. If there's one game Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer must win this season, it's Vandy. Imagine anyone ever saying that about any Alabama team.
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19. Houston
Schedule:141.
Where it ends:Oct. 4, Texas Tech. No better illustration of what happens when you spend multimillions in private NIL deals on the roster (Texas Tech), and when you don't (Houston).
20. Ohio State
Schedule:87.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, at Washington. The first road game for an offense still figuring it out. A brutal environment (noise and weather), and dealing with underrated Washington QB Demond Williams Jr.
21. Oregon
Schedule:81.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, at Penn State. The environment, the Penn State defense, the line in the sand moment for coach James Franklin in Happy Valley.
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22. Mississippi
Schedule:32.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, LSU. This isn't about Ole Miss revenge from 2024 loss, it's about Rebels' inability to block the LSU front seven.
23. Southern California
Schedule:136.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, at Illinois. This is about as predictable as it gets: finesse USC vs. ground and pound Illinois, and more fuel for Lincoln Riley detractors .
24. Louisville
Schedule:172.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, at Pittsburgh. Hell hath no fury like a Pat Narduzzi-coached Pitt team with two weeks to prepare after blowing the Backyard Brawl. Or something like that.
25. Mississippi State
Schedule:113.
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Where it ends:Sept. 27, Tennessee . The home win over Arizona State was impressive, but things get serious when SEC play begins against a team that – but for a missed field goal against Georgia at the end of regulation – should be on this list.
26. California
Schedule:118.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, at Boston College . A fun Cal team with exciting freshman quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele (just call him JKS) traveling 3,083 miles to Chesnut Hill, Massachusetts, to play a football game. Ridiculous.
27. Central Florida
Schedule:248.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, at Kansas State . A horrific start for K-State, and two weeks to prepare for UCF . If QB Avery Johnson is ever going to elevate the team with his play, this is it.
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28. Arizona
Schedule:155.
Where it ends:Sept. 27, at Iowa State . QB Noah Fifita is one of the most exciting players in the country. And then there's the rest of the Arizona team.
29. Utah
Schedule:109.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, Texas Tech. These aren't the Utes of the past. Texas Tech is a significant step up from UCLA , Cal Poly and Wyoming .
30. Nebraska
Schedule:226.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, Michigan. Dylan Raiola , meet Wink Martindale. Get ready to be blitzed from the moment you run out of the tunnel at Memorial Stadium.
31. Indiana
Schedule:228.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, Illinois. The Illini will do what the CFP selection committee couldn't for six weeks in 2024: expose a laughable schedule.
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32. Tulane
Schedule:55.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, at Ole Miss . Understand this: if Tulane somehow finds a way in Oxford, the odds of an unbeaten regular season significantly increase.
33. Auburn
Schedule:89.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, at Oklahoma. The first loss, and the fuse is lit on Hugh Freeze's powder keg of a crossroads season. Buckle up, lovely people on Toomer's Corner.
34. Michigan State
Schedule:146.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, at USC. Not only do the Spartans have to travel across the country to Los Angles, kickoff is 8 p.m. local. Or 11 p.m. in the heads of all things Sparty.
35. Brigham Young
Schedule:218.
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Where it ends:Sept. 20, at East Carolina . A one-time bluechip recruit at Michigan State, QB Katin Houser is off to a big start in Year 2 at ECU. He'll be on someone's roster in the NFL in 2026.
36. Memphis
Schedule:134.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, Arkansas . A trendy upset pick, but Memphis hasn't seen an offense like Arkansas. Hogs will get to bowl eligibility by simply outscoring teams.
37. Maryland
Schedule:191.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, at Wisconsin . Freshman QB Malik Washington looks like Cam Newton , but he can't do it all to avoid three consecutive losses — beginning with a suddenly desperate Badgers team.
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38. North Texas
Schedule:174.
Where it ends:Sept. 20, at Army. You want to deal with these guys after an emotional win at Kansas State?
39. Rutgers
Schedule:191.
Where it ends:Sept. 19, Iowa. Two of the Big Ten's best defenses and worst offenses. Translation: take the under, and Iowa defensive coordinator Phil Parker.
Matt Hayes is the senior national college football writer for USA TODAY Sports Network. Follow him on X at @MattHayesCFB .
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: When will college football unbeatens lose? Dates for all 39 teams
