September Gets Serious: College Sports Storylines to Watch
Conference play, rivalry games and ranked matchups headline a packed September across college soccer, volleyball, football and field hockey.
College Soccer
Illinois has picked up points in back-to-back home games, earning 0-0 and 1-1 draws against UIC and Saint Louis.
The match against Saint Louis was especially impressive because the Billikens came into the game ranked among the nation’s best. Illinois took the lead through Cayla Jackson, but Saint Louis responded through Audrey Smith to earn the draw.
The Illini now have two more nonconference games, both on the road, against Western Michigan and Virginia Tech.
Then the real test begins.
Illinois opens Big Ten play at home against Wisconsin before hosting Michigan. The Illini then travel to Iowa and Purdue before closing September at home against Oregon.
That is a demanding introduction to conference play, but the early draws against UIC and Saint Louis have given Illinois plenty of reason to be optimistic.
Penn State’s men’s team has had a much tougher start.
The Nittany Lions suffered a 3-1 loss to Missouri State before returning home and falling 2-1 to rival Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh game was particularly frustrating. Penn State battled back after Pittsburgh took the lead, with Amadou Kone scoring the equalizer, but the Panthers eventually found the winner.
Then comes an enormous challenge.
Penn State travels to face Washington, the 2025 national champions, before hosting Michigan State. Indiana follows on the road, and UCLA comes to Happy Valley to close September.
That is about as difficult an introduction to Big Ten play as Penn State could have asked for.
The women’s team has had a completely different experience.
Penn State opened the season with a 5-0 victory over Bucknell and followed it with a 6-0 demolition of Brown.
Nicole Crane was the star against Brown, scoring a hat trick in a performance that announced her arrival in a big way. It was also Senior Day, giving the victory an extra special feeling.
The Nittany Lions have one more nonconference match against West Virginia before conference play begins.
And then things get serious.
Penn State opens Big Ten play on the road against rival Ohio State before returning home to host Minnesota. Maryland follows on the road, with Iowa and USC coming to Happy Valley later in the month.
If the opening two games are any indication, Penn State could be ready for the challenge.
UCLA’s men’s team has started the season unbeaten.
The Bruins opened with a 1-1 draw against CSU Bakersfield before responding with a 3-0 victory over Denver.
The Denver match was particularly encouraging, with UCLA controlling the game and finding three different ways to break through the defense.
The Bruins will finish nonconference play against California on the road and Omaha at home.
Then comes Big Ten play.
UCLA travels to Rutgers before hosting Michigan. Maryland and Penn State await on the road later in the month.
That Penn State-UCLA matchup on September 28 could be one of the most interesting games of the month.
UCLA’s women’s team opened with a 2-0 victory over San Diego.
The Bruins then faced Stanford on the road and suffered a 3-0 defeat.
Now UCLA has an opportunity to regroup.
Santa Clara is next, followed by a home game against Pepperdine. Then Big Ten play begins with Purdue, Michigan State and Ohio State all visiting Los Angeles.
The Bruins close September with difficult road games against Rutgers and Maryland.
It is a challenging schedule, but UCLA will have plenty of opportunities to prove itself.
Missouri has experienced some frustrating results to begin the season.
The Tigers lost 1-0 on the road to Missouri State and then suffered another 1-0 defeat against Creighton.
But Missouri finally found its offense against Northern Illinois.
The Tigers exploded for a 4-0 victory, with Landis Canada scoring twice and freshmen Lana Adams and Petra Bandula each recording their first collegiate goals.
It was exactly the type of performance Missouri needed.
The Tigers will host Southeast Missouri before opening SEC play on the road against Oklahoma. Kentucky and Auburn follow at home before Missouri closes September against South Carolina on the road.
That South Carolina match could be one of the toughest environments Missouri faces all season.
Texas A&M defeated Air Force 2-1 in its latest match.
The Aggies got goals from Ireland Churchill and Finley Lacher and received several important saves from goalkeeper Makenna August to hold on.
Now comes the biggest nonconference challenge.
TCU visits College Station, followed by Stephen F. Austin. The Aggies then open SEC play on the road against Kentucky before facing Vanderbilt.
Alabama comes to College Station to close September.
That is a month that could tell us a lot about where Texas A&M stands.
Florida State entered the season with national championship aspirations.
The Seminoles suffered a 3-1 loss to rival Florida, meaning the next game against Georgia becomes especially important.
Florida State will then face Rice before opening ACC play at home against NC State. Louisville follows on the road.
The Seminoles have the talent to make a deep postseason run. Now they need to show how they respond after a disappointing rivalry loss.
North Carolina lost a wild 3-2 game against Memphis before bouncing back with a 1-0 victory over VCU.
The Tar Heels now jump straight into ACC play against California on the road.
Stanford follows at home, and North Carolina will then stay in Chapel Hill for games against American, Clemson, Lipscomb and West Florida throughout September.
The Stanford match immediately stands out as one of the biggest games of the month.
North Carolina’s women’s team faces Arizona and Arizona State before opening ACC play at home against California.
The Tar Heels then host NJIT, rival Duke and Alcorn State before traveling to Virginia.
The Duke match will obviously receive plenty of attention. Rivalry games always have an extra edge, and this one comes during the heart of conference play.
Illinois State’s women’s soccer team has opened the season with two draws, tying UT Martin at home and Northwestern on the road.
The Redbirds now have a difficult stretch.
They travel to Loyola Chicago before hosting Saint Louis. Purdue Fort Wayne follows at home, and then Illinois State begins a four-game road trip against Eastern Illinois, Western Illinois, Murray State and UIC.
The Saint Louis game could be particularly interesting because both teams have already shown they can compete against high-level opponents.
Saint Louis men’s soccer has already experienced the highest of highs and lowest of lows.
The Billikens opened with a dominant 4-0 victory over Seattle before suffering a surprising 4-0 home loss to SMU.
They responded exactly how a good team should.
Saint Louis traveled to face No. 8 Notre Dame and came away with a 1-1 draw. Tanner Anderson scored early to give the Billikens the lead before Notre Dame found a late equalizer.
That was a valuable point against one of the country’s top programs.
Saint Louis will host Green Bay before traveling to SIUE for the Bronze Boot.
Then Akron comes to Hermann Stadium, followed by a road trip to Dayton. Duquesne visits before Drake closes September.
The Bronze Boot is clearly the game everyone around St. Louis will have circled.
The Billikens’ women’s team also earned an impressive result against Illinois, drawing 1-1 in Champaign.
Audrey Smith scored the equalizer in the second half to give Saint Louis another valuable point.
The Billikens then traveled to Indiana.
Next comes a road game against Illinois State, followed by home games against Southeast Missouri and Kansas.
Atlantic 10 play begins with VCU at home, followed by Dayton on the road and George Mason at home.
BYU’s women’s team defeated Minnesota 1-0 in a game that required patience.
The Cougars eventually found the breakthrough through a Minnesota own goal late in the match and held on defensively.
BYU now hosts Colorado State and Oklahoma before traveling to Utah State.
Then Big 12 play begins at Arizona.
UCF and TCU follow at home, with the TCU matchup likely to be one of the biggest games of the early conference season.
SIUE’s men’s team has already endured two difficult Big Ten tests.
The Cougars lost 4-0 to Michigan State before falling 3-2 to Michigan.
The Michigan State game was a tough result against a ranked opponent, but the Michigan match was much more competitive. SIUE stayed within one goal and showed the fight that could become important later in the season.
Now comes the game everyone in the region is waiting for.
Saint Louis visits Edwardsville for the Bronze Boot.
After that, SIUE travels to Loyola Chicago before returning home for Bradley and Webster. Southern Indiana then comes to town to open OVC play.
SIUE’s women’s team has started the season with encouraging results.
The Cougars defeated Austin Peay 3-0 before drawing IU Indianapolis 2-2.
The Austin Peay match was a complete performance, while the IU Indianapolis game showed both the positives and the areas that still need work after SIUE surrendered a two-goal lead.
September brings a road-heavy schedule with Indiana State, Drake and SIU Carbondale.
The Cougars then open OVC play at home against Eastern Illinois.
College Volleyball
College volleyball has officially returned, and several of the teams on our watch list have already played some exciting matches.
BYU opened its season with a five-set victory over Florida State before defeating Florida Gulf Coast.
The Cougars then face Eastern Illinois and No. 4 Pittsburgh before traveling to Boise State.
UCLA visits Provo on September 11 in what should be one of the month’s best matchups.
BYU will also face Utah Valley, Weber State, Utah State and No. 21 Baylor during September.
Illinois State opened with a loss to Seton Hall but immediately responded by sweeping NJIT.
That bounce-back performance was important.
The Redbirds continue with Fairleigh Dickinson before traveling to Michigan for matches against Central Michigan and Eastern Michigan.
Illinois State then hosts Western Illinois, Lindenwood and Purdue Fort Wayne before another Michigan trip and a meeting with UIC.
SIUE opened against Arkansas and then played UT Arlington in a five-set battle.
The Cougars lost both matches, but the UT Arlington match was a much more encouraging performance after SIUE won the opening set and pushed the match all the way to five.
September brings Denver, Marist and Idaho before the Cougar Classic at home.
The Cougars will then face Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Chicago State and Northern Illinois before heading to the Austin Peay Governors Classic.
OVC play begins against UT Martin.
Saint Louis has started 2-0.
The Billikens defeated Buffalo 3-1 before surviving a five-set match against UIC.
The ability to win a close five-set match early in the season is something that could pay off later.
Saint Louis will travel to Southern Illinois and Xavier before facing Bowling Green and Austin Peay.
The Missouri Challenge then brings together Saint Louis, SEMO, UMKC and Missouri State.
The Billikens close September against George Washington and Loyola Chicago.
Illinois opened with a heartbreaking five-set loss to Cincinnati after winning the first two sets.
The Illini responded immediately by sweeping Syracuse.
That response is important because it showed the team could put a difficult loss behind it.
Illinois travels to Tennessee before heading to Houston for the Rice Invitational.
McNeese State and Rice follow, along with Lindenwood and Marquette.
Eastern Illinois, Arkansas and Arkansas State round out the September schedule.
Penn State entered the season with enormous expectations and opened with a sweep of UConn.
The Nittany Lions have a loaded September that includes Kentucky, DePaul, Stanford, Ohio, Villanova, South Florida and Tennessee.
Then Big Ten play begins.
Penn State travels to Michigan and Michigan State on September 25 and 27.
That weekend should provide an early indication of how the Nittany Lions stack up against the conference.
Nebraska entered the season ranked No. 1 and immediately showed why.
The Huskers swept UNLV and then faced No. 2 Texas in one of the biggest regular-season matchups imaginable.
Nebraska’s September schedule is just as ambitious.
The Huskers travel to South Dakota State and DePaul before facing Missouri at Wrigley Field.
New Mexico, Baylor and Georgia Tech follow at home, with Creighton and North Carolina also on the schedule.
September ends with Florida Gulf Coast before Big Ten play begins against Rutgers and Ohio State.
UCLA opened its season with a 3-1 victory over Long Beach State before sweeping Long Beach State in the second meeting.
The Bruins now face Kentucky, Miami, Utah State, BYU and Utah before heading to Las Vegas for the Lucky Aces Invitational.
September 11 against BYU could be a terrific matchup.
Big Ten play begins with Indiana on September 24 followed by Northwestern.
Missouri opened the season by sweeping Western Illinois and Towson.
The Tigers then face Oregon before traveling to Chicago for the highly anticipated matchup against Nebraska at Wrigley Field.
Louisville, Arkansas State, Wichita State, Dayton, Toledo and Bowling Green follow.
Missouri closes the month against Vanderbilt.
Texas A&M had a difficult opening weekend against Louisville and SMU but bounced back with wins over Grand Canyon and Arkansas State.
The Aggies now have a demanding September.
They face Purdue and Indiana in the Big Ten/SEC Challenge before meeting Stanford.
Wisconsin, Stephen F. Austin, Creighton, Rice and South Carolina also appear on the schedule.
The South Carolina match closes the month and should be a major test.
College Football
The college football season has officially arrived, and Illinois State wasted absolutely no time making a statement.
Illinois State opened the season with an incredible 76-0 victory over St. Francis (Illinois).
The Redbirds were in complete control from the opening kickoff and scored on their first 10 offensive possessions.
Quarterback Gage Roy threw three touchdown passes in his debut, while Tyler Lofton found the end zone twice.
The most impressive part of the game was how consistently Illinois State kept its foot on the gas. The defense never allowed St. Francis to get comfortable, while the offense kept producing.
It was a huge opening statement from a team that came into the season with extremely high expectations after finishing as the FCS national runner-up last season.
If Illinois State can carry this kind of energy into the rest of the season, the Redbirds could be a team to watch deep into the FCS playoffs.
Florida State also opened with a win, defeating New Mexico State 34-17.
The game was not always comfortable for the Seminoles, though.
New Mexico State stayed competitive for a significant portion of the game, forcing Florida State to keep working before eventually pulling away.
Ashton Daniels provided a spark at quarterback, while Samuel Singleton Jr. and Ousmane Kromah helped Florida State find its rhythm on the ground.
The most emotional moment of the night came before kickoff.
Linebacker Ethan Pritchard, who suffered a serious gunshot injury nearly a year ago, returned to Doak Campbell Stadium and walked onto the field with his teammates. It was an incredibly powerful moment for the Seminoles and everyone in the stadium.
Florida State is 1-0, but there is plenty to clean up before the competition gets tougher.
Still, the most important thing is that the Seminoles started the season with a win.
Field Hockey
Field hockey has also arrived, and the opening weekend immediately produced some spectacular games.
Iowa may have had the most impressive opening weekend of anyone on this list.
The No. 11 Hawkeyes faced No. 7 Wake Forest and found themselves down 3-0.
Instead of folding, Iowa completely changed the game.
The Hawkeyes battled all the way back and eventually won 4-3 in sudden-victory overtime.
It was a tremendous comeback against a ranked opponent, and it showed exactly what kind of resilience this Iowa team has.
Then came an even bigger challenge.
Iowa faced No. 2 North Carolina and pulled off another upset, defeating the Tar Heels 3-2.
North Carolina actually outshot Iowa 25-10 and earned seven penalty corners to Iowa’s two, but goalkeeper Abby Johnson came up with nine saves and the Hawkeyes’ defense held firm in the second half.
Going 2-0 against two top-seven teams is an incredible way to begin a season.
Iowa’s September schedule begins with Lehigh and Ball State at home before the Hawkeyes travel to Evanston for Miami of Ohio and Louisville.
Then Big Ten play begins.
Indiana visits Iowa City on September 18, followed by another meeting with Indiana on September 20. Ohio State comes to town September 25 and 27.
The Hawkeyes could not have asked for a better opening weekend, but September will provide an entirely different challenge.
North Carolina opened the season against No. 14 Michigan.
The Tar Heels were held scoreless through the first two quarters before Michigan finally broke through on a penalty stroke.
Then Carolina answered.
Coco Courtright made a brilliant run through the Michigan defense before finding Charly Bruder, who scored to tie the game in the fourth quarter.
Unfortunately for the Tar Heels, Michigan found the winner in overtime.
The 2-1 loss was a difficult way to begin the season, but the response was encouraging.
Then came Iowa.
The Tar Heels again battled a ranked opponent, but this time Iowa came out on top 3-2.
North Carolina has plenty of opportunities to regroup in September.
Penn and Princeton come to Chapel Hill before Old Dominion. The Tar Heels then travel to Richmond and host Virginia.
Stanford and California follow later in the month, making September another major test.
Penn State’s field hockey team began the season against No. 5 Virginia.
It looked like Virginia was going to control the game after building a lead, but Penn State completely changed the momentum in the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions scored three goals in less than six minutes to force overtime.
Chloe D’Hage, Ella Gaitan and Olivia Marthins provided the goals that brought Penn State back into the game.
Unfortunately, Virginia scored in overtime to escape with a 4-3 victory.
Despite the loss, there was a lot to like about Penn State’s response. The team could have folded after falling behind, but instead it produced one of the most exciting fourth-quarter comebacks of opening weekend.
Penn State faces Lock Haven next before hosting Villanova and Delaware.
Princeton comes to University Park on September 13, followed by the start of Big Ten play against Maryland on September 17.
Monmouth follows on the road before Penn State faces Bucknell.
The Nittany Lions will have to recover quickly because the Big Ten schedule is loaded.
Saint Louis opened its regular season against Michigan State at the neutral-site tournament in Athens, Ohio.
The Billikens fell 3-0.
Michigan State scored all three goals in the first period, including two penalty-stroke goals from Bianca Pizano. Saint Louis fought back defensively after that, but could not find the breakthrough against the Spartans.
The Billikens will face Ohio to close the opening weekend before returning home.
September begins with Louisville and Mercyhurst visiting St. Louis.
Saint Louis will then travel to Michigan for another meeting with Mercyhurst and Central Michigan before returning home to host Saint Joseph’s.
The month ends with road games against VCU and Old Dominion.
It is a challenging schedule, but Saint Louis will have plenty of opportunities to bounce back.
September Is Where Things Really Get Serious
The opening weeks of college sports have already delivered some fantastic storylines.
Illinois soccer is collecting valuable draws against strong competition. Penn State’s women’s soccer team has opened with two dominant victories, while the men’s team is trying to find its footing before entering one of the toughest stretches in the Big Ten.
Saint Louis has already battled Notre Dame in men’s soccer, while SIUE is preparing for the Bronze Boot.
Nebraska and Penn State volleyball entered the fall with massive expectations, Illinois and Illinois State have already experienced both exciting wins and difficult losses, and BYU and UCLA are preparing for some huge September matchups.
Then there is field hockey.
Iowa has already beaten two top-seven teams. North Carolina has played two overtime thrillers. Penn State nearly completed an incredible comeback against No. 5 Virginia, and Saint Louis has another chance to regroup after a difficult opening loss.
And, of course, college football has finally arrived.
Illinois State’s 76-0 demolition was about as loud a statement as possible, while Florida State’s 34-17 win got the Seminoles started on their quest to return to the national championship conversation.
September is where things really get serious.
Conference play begins. Rivalries return. Ranked opponents become regular opponents. And every game starts carrying a little more weight.
