There’s less than a month until Ohio State-USC. Excited? Of course you are. It’s college football season.

This high-powered matchup usually reserved for the Rose Bowl tops Athlon’s 2008 list of the 10 best non-conference games.

Regardless of your opinion of Ohio State, the Buckeyes must be commended for their penchant for playing attractive out of conference matchups, such as this one against USC. The Trojans must be commended as well.

As a Texas fan, I remember vividly a few years ago when the Longhorns and Buckeyes met for the first time in 2005. The game couldn’t have been hyped any more. And that was part of the fun. Regardless of the outcome, the Longhorns and Buckeyes were playing a home-and-home series. That’s good for college football.

Take a look at the opponents Ohio State has on its schedule in the upcoming years: USC (2008-09), Miami (2010-11), California (2012-13), Virginia Tech (2014-15), Oklahoma (2016-17). That’s some quality out of conference competition.

I’m not an Ohio State apologist by any means. Far from it. But conference supremacy comes and goes. It’s a great debate that fans can’t get enough of. That’s another reason non-conference football is so exciting. Fuel for the fire.

So without further ado, I bring you the top 10 non-conference games of the 2008 season. Whether you’re a die-hard fan of one of these teams below or just somebody looking to watch the best game each week, the following games — as voted on by Athlon’s editors — should keep you on your couch this fall.

Note: Number in () is Athlon’s preseason ranking

1. Ohio State (2) at USC (4) — Sept. 13

Unquestionably the non-conference matchup of the year. Ohio State has a lot to prove after taking a bad rap during the offseason while USC hasn’t won a national title since (gasp!) 2004. The Trojans have home field advantage but might be a little light on experience with a new quarterback leading the offense. That’s not a recipe for success against the nation’s premier defense a year ago. The best part about this game? No SEC fans within 1,500 miles.

2. Auburn (8) at West Virginia (7) — Oct. 23

West Virginia takes a step up in its SEC competition this season. After a home-and-home series with Mississippi State, the Mountaineers face Athlon’s projected SEC West champion Auburn on a Thursday night. Points will be scored faster than Rich Rodriguez can say “Opt out” in a game with two spread offenses working their magic. It will be interesting to see how the defenses respond, but since the game is in mid-October, both teams should have plenty of time to iron out their offseason coaching changes before they clash.

3. Georgia (5) at Arizona State (15) — Sept. 20

One of the reasons Georgia’s schedule is the toughest in the country (on paper) is this non-conference trip out west. The Sun Devils surprised college football in Dennis Erickson’s first season, but could be a candidate to fall off the pace a bit this year. A Week 4 battle with an SEC favorite will tell which direction they’re headed. Unless, of course, Erickson concedes the game before it starts because his athletes can’t possibly keep up with the SEC’s speed.

4. Illinois (16) vs. Missouri (6) in St. Louis — Aug. 30

This game seemed like an afterthought to start the season last year when Missouri won a 40-34 offensive shootout. Not this time. After Illinois reached the Rose Bowl and Missouri should have been invited to a BCS bowl of its own, this matchup brings some Juice to the first week of the season. Get it? Juice? Ha! That’s right, Illinois fans, buckle up for another year of clever and very original newspaper headlines featuring your star quarterback.

5. Alabama (30) vs. Clemson (10) in Atlanta — Aug. 30

This game gives college football fans another reason to get excited about Week 1. Clemson once again has sky-high expectations behind James Davis, C.J. Spiller and Cullen Harper and coach Tommy Bowden will try to push the Tigers over the hump. Nick Saban enters his second season as Alabama’s head coach with John Parker Wilson steering the ship and some high expectations of their own. Fortunately for the Tide, the schedule is a lot easier this year with Clemson replacing powerhouses like Louisiana-Monroe.

6. Kansas (13) at South Florida (20) — Sept. 12

A rare Friday game between two BCS conference schools should be a good one. Kansas and South Florida have two of the nation’s best junior quarterbacks in Todd Reesing and Matt Groethe and should give each other all they can handle at the beginning of the season. This non-conference game might be flying a bit under the radar nationally, but with the huge historic impact these two programs have had on college football, it’s hard to understand why.

7. Tennessee (17) at UCLA (29) — Sept. 1

The Volunteers open their second consecutive season in California, this time against UCLA. Tennessee got smoked by Cal — a top-10 team at the time — in Berkeley last year, but UCLA is a team in transition. Both squads have quarterback questions so the offensive lines could be the difference in this one. That and the intangible of Rick Neuheisel looking for vengeance after the Vols’ basketball team messed up his NCAA Tournament bracket by losing to Louisville.

8. Florida (1) at Florida State (26) — Nov. 29

Athlon’s preseason No. 1 plays both instate rivals Miami and Florida State this season, but the Seminoles look like the bigger threat. What these teams will be playing for — national title, conference title, Heisman Trophy, Baseball cards — won’t be known until the final week of the season, but pride is enough to make this game between schools separated by less than 150 miles competitive. Regardless of who wins, the bitterness will subside when the players realize that they’re all still living in Florida in November.

9. Michigan (28) at Notre Dame (60) — Sept. 13

Unbelievably, these teams were a combined 0-4 when they played each other in Week 3 last season. Michigan went on to a resounding 38-0 victory. This year, the Wolverines have a new coach and Notre Dame has the nation’s 119th-ranked offense. The good news for the Irish? They’ll likely be surging with a three-game winning streak when these teams meet! That’s right, Michigan, you could be No. 4 after Duke, Stanford and San Diego State.

10. Wisconsin (12) at Fresno State (25) — Sept. 13

A difficult non-conference schedule highlighted by this game against the Badgers could propel the Bulldogs toward a BCS berth. Pat Hill’s squad might even be favored in what should be a very good game. Wisconsin will definitely be looking to defend itself though after spending all offseason listening to Idaho, New Mexico State and Fresno State fans alike boasting about how much better their conference is than the Big Ten and chanting W-A-C, W-A-C.

10a. Fresno State (25) at Rutgers (22) — Sept. 1

This game gets the 10a designation because if Fresno State doesn’t win this one against Rutgers, the game against Wisconsin doesn’t mean nearly as much. Besides, if we called it game No. 11, this really wouldn’t be a top 10 list. And a top 11 list just wouldn’t make any sense, would it?

Also Receiving Votes:

Notre Dame (60) at Washington (50) — Oct. 25

The Ty Willingham bowl could be one of the most hyped matchups of the year. Will the Internet be able to withstand the onslaught of message board posts caused by this game?

Miami (43) at Florida (1) — Sept. 6

This game looks like a big mismatch on paper, but Miami’s got plenty of talent and a big desire to take down their instate rivals.

UCLA (29) at BYU (14) — Sept. 13

UCLA plays two tough games to open the season (see Tennessee above), but this will be BYU’s best chance to show they belong in the BCS Buster conversation.

Arkansas (55) at Texas (11) — Sept. 13

There’s bad blood between these old Southwest Conference foes. Arkansas knocked off Texas last time it visited Austin, will there be a repeat?

Notre Dame (60) at USC (4) — Nov. 29

To say this game did not live up to the hype last year (38-0 USC) would be an understatement. Notre Dame has a long ladder to climb in order to make this rivalry relevant this year.

Virginia Tech (22) at Nebraska (41) — Sept. 27

A few years ago, a Virginia Tech at Nebraska game would have been in the top 5 on this list. How the mighty have fallen.

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