More than 1,100 colleges and universities sponsor NCAA sports, including 136 in FBS football. Visiting all of them would be impossible. On top of that, some of the most important college sports events of the year take place in off-campus venues.

With the 2025-26 school year about to begin, we figured we’d narrow down 25 college sports places to visit over the next 10 months. It’s a blend of historic stadiums and arenas, renowned atmospheres, bitter rivalries and high-stakes matchups.

While football represents half our list, you’ll find that 11 other sports make appearances as well. One rule: No city or campus could appear twice. It was hard to narrow the list to 25. It would have been nice to include an FCS football game, for one, and perhaps some conference tournaments in basketball. The good news, though, is that we get to pick 26 for 2026 next year.

 

No. 1: Columbus, Ohio

The iconic Horseshoe hosts a potentially iconic game.

Texas at Ohio State, Aug. 30 (football)

Start the college football season strong with a preseason No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup at “The Horseshoe,” one of Ohio Stadium’s nicknames. ESPN College GameDay enthusiasts should arrive early to get a prime spot behind the set for Lee Corso’s final headgear pick.

No. 2: Chapel Hill, N.C.

Reigning champions against an upstart favorite

Florida State at North Carolina, Sept. 17 (women’s soccer)

The Tar Heels play on Dorrance Field, named after legendary coach Anson Dorrance, who retired before last season. UNC is coming off the program’s 22nd national title and begins the 2025 season back at No. 1. It just so happens FSU is No. 3.

No. 3: State College, Pa.

An iconic nighttime atmosphere

The White Out game, Sept. 27 (football)

Arguably the greatest atmosphere in college football takes place just once a year: Under the lights at Beaver Stadium, where 106,000 Penn State fans light up in white. This season’s matchup is awesome. Oregon takes on Penn State, both of which are in the preseason top 10.

No. 4: Dallas

For football and fried things

The Red River Rivalry, Oct. 11 (football)

Everyone should experience a football game played smack dab in the middle of the Texas State fair, where the aroma of corny dogs (not a typo) and fried everything fills the air. This year, the 50/50 Sooners-Longhorns crowd at the Cotton Bowl gets to see a juicy quarterback matchup: Texas’ Arch Manning vs. Oklahoma’s John Mateer.

No. 5: South Bend, Ind.

It could be the last chance in a while to see this rivalry game.

USC at Notre Dame, Oct. 18 (football)

A trip to see Touchdown Jesus and the Grotto should be near the top of any football fan’s bucket list, but especially for this game. After all, USC has been threatening to discontinue the annual battle for the Jeweled Shillelagh, just as the Fighting Irish are turning back into a national power.

No. 6: Jacksonville, Fla.

Experience the famous tailgate before its two-year hiatus.

The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party, Nov. 1 (football)

Like Oklahoma-Texas in the Red River Rivalry, the neutral-site setting for Florida-Georgia only adds to its mystique. Get there this year before the game moves in 2026 and 2027 due to stadium renovations. Oh my, the Halloween costumes you’ll see.

No. 7: Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Saturday night in the SEC

LSU at Alabama, Nov. 8 (football)

There is truly nothing like a Saturday night in the SEC. While several stadiums give you the full ear-splitting 100,000-seat experience, these two rivals clashing at Bryant-Denny after a full day of tailgating is as good as it gets. Here’s guessing both will still be in College Football Playoff contention.

The Cornhuskers have sold out Memorial Stadium since the 1960s. (Dylan Widger / Imagn Images)No. 8: Lincoln, Neb.

A Black Friday sporting bonanza

Iowa at Nebraska (football) and Penn State at Nebraska (women’s volleyball), Nov. 28

First, experience the Sea of Red at Memorial Stadium, which has sold out every game since 1962. Then head over to watch a preseason No. 1 vs. No. 2 volleyball showdown in the sport’s best home atmosphere.

No. 9: Ann Arbor, Mich.

Witness The Athletic‘s No. 1 all-time rivalry

The Game, Nov. 29 (football)

Michigan-Ohio State has gotten particularly heated recently with Michigan’s four consecutive victories, sign-stealing accusations, flag-planting and pepper spray at last year’s game in Columbus. Oh, and Ohio State answering Michigan’s national championship the year prior.

No. 10: Lawrence, Kan.

An early-season nonconference banger 

UConn-Kansas, Dec. 2 (men’s basketball)

Allen Fieldhouse is a must-see college basketball cathedral. Why wait for the Jayhawks’ Big 12 schedule when you can swoop in and see a big nonconference game against Dan Hurley’s Huskies, which welcome back forward Alex Karaban for what feels like his 27th season?

No. 11: Baltimore

The pomp and circumstance of a 125-year-old rivalry

Army-Navy, Dec. 13 (football)

Nothing matches the pageantry of this 125-year-old rivalry, from the pregame “March On” to the joint singing of alma maters by the two teams at the end. It just so happens that both academies are coming off double-digit win seasons.

No 12: Pasadena, Calif.

The Granddaddy remains the postseason’s most prestigious game.

The Rose Bowl, Jan. 1 (college football)

The Granddaddy is still the one postseason game you’ve got to experience, even more so than the national championship. It will be a quarterfinal CFP game played against the unparalleled backdrop of the San Gabriel Mountains, with the sun setting mid-third quarter.

No. 13: Storrs, Conn.

To see a top WNBA projected pick in one of women’s basketball’s best environments.

Notre Dame-UConn, Jan. 19 (women’s basketball)

Time to pay a visit to Geno Auriemma’s defending national champions. WNBA rookie star Paige Bueckers may be gone, but UConn’s Azzi Fudd and is currently projected to go in the top 3 of next spring’s draft.

No. 14: Iowa City, Iowa

These teams have combined to win 16 of the past 17 national titles.

Penn State-Iowa wrestling, date TBD (men’s wrestling)

College wrestling’s most heated rivalry returns to Carver-Hawkeye Arena, where Iowa has led the country in attendance since 2007. The two programs have combined to earn 16 of the past 17 national championships, with the Nittany Lions winning the past four.

No. 15: Boston

Bundle up for this old college tradition. 

Men’s Beanpot Tournament, Feb. 2 & 9 (men’s hockey)

It’s a tradition that dates back to 1952: Boston College, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern square off over consecutive Mondays at TD Garden. A ton of future NHL greats have participated, and more will be there this year.

No. 16: Columbia, S.C.

Don’t sleep on this state capital’s buzzy sports scene.

Tennessee-South Carolina, Feb. 8 (women’s basketball)

Dawn Staley’s Gamecocks have led the country in attendance for the past 11 seasons, averaging 16,437 fans last season. They’ve won or reached three of the last four national title games and will be one of the favorites again this season.

No. 17: Syracuse, N.Y.

March up from Marshall Street

A regular-season lacrosse game (men’s lacrosse)

The Orange hold the sport’s most national titles (10, though none since 2009), and JMA Wireless Dome (the former Carrier Dome) is considered the best atmosphere in college lacrosse. When the schedule comes out, check if Cornell or Johns Hopkins is coming to town.

No. 18: Durham, N.C.

The most famous college basketball area in the world?

Duke-North Carolina, March 6 (unofficial) (men’s basketball)

Every college basketball fan should experience the Cameron Crazies once, ideally for an installment of the sport’s top rivalry. Cooper Flagg is gone to the Dallas Mavericks, but top-5 recruits Cameron Boozer Jr. (Duke) and Caleb Wilson (North Carolina) are ready to take their turns.

Cameron Indoor Stadium has one of the most well-known game day atmospheres in all sports. (Zachary Taft / Imagn Images)No. 19: Salt Lake City

The Red Rocks held the NCAA record for attendance of any women’s sport for many years.

A regular-season Utah gymnastics meet (women’s gymnastics)

The Huntsman Center is usually sold out and rollicking whenever the Red Rocks compete, including last March when they knocked off Olympian Jordan Chiles and UCLA. Utah’s Makenna Smith is a 10-time All-American and electrifying crowd favorite. The Red Rocks at the time set the NCAA record for attendance for a women’s single-meet event at 16,019 on March 6, 2015. The fire marshal was called in due to overcapacity.

No. 20: Fort Worth, Texas and Sacramento, Calif.

Set up the Final Four over two nights.

NCAA Tournament Elite Eight, March 29-30 (women’s basketball)

Because the NCAA splits the women’s regionals into two sites, not four, you can watch half the Final Four field decided over two nights. It was this round two years ago when Iowa’s Caitlin Clark put up 41 points to exact revenge on Angel Reese and LSU.

No. 21: Indianapolis

One of America’s most event-friendly downtowns plays host 

NCAA Tournament Final Four, April 4-6 (men’s basketball) 

The Final Four isn’t just about basketball. It’s like a big family reunion where coaches, players, athletic directors, agents and notable alumni all convene in one place. Indy is the ideal city for the event, as Lucas Oil Stadium, the concerts and almost all events are walkable from most hotels.

No. 22: Baton Rouge, La.

Million-dollar coaches prove their worth

Any regular-season conference series at LSU (baseball)

College baseball is huge in the South, and no one does it quite like LSU. The Tigers won their eighth national championship last season while also boasting the nation’s top home attendance (11,185). Yes, there will be tailgating and plenty of jambalaya.

No. 23: Oklahoma City

This midwestern town is riding high on sporting events.

Women’s College World Series Championship, June 3-5 (softball)

Sparkling 13,000-seat Devon Park hosts the annual mecca for college softball, as the initial field of eight winnows to two finalists that play a three-game series. The home-state Sooners will be itching to get revenge on Texas Tech, which knocked them out last season.

No. 24: Eugene, Ore.

Track Town, USA

NCAA Track and Field Championships, June 10-13

Eugene is known as Track Town USA, and no other venue matches the history of Hayward Field, built in 1919 and renovated in 2020. Generations of Olympic gold medalists competed here. You can bet future gold medalists will compete here in June.

No. 25: Omaha, Neb.

More than 75 years of history for this event

Men’s College World Series Championship, June 20-22 (baseball)

Your 25th and final stop is an event that’s called Omaha home since 1950. Around 25,000 fans pack Charles Schwab Field Omaha for the final series, which follows a format similar to the women’s. Check out the Jello Shot Challenge at Rocco’s while you’re in town.

 

(Illustration: Kelsea Petersen / The Athletic; Sean Rayford / Getty, Richard Gagnon / Getty, Paul Vernon / AP, Scott Winters / AP)