Here's the best and worst of Ken Schreiber's college football travels

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Here's the best and worst of Ken Schreiber's college football travels

The biggest college football games of the season are still ahead of us, beginning with Miami and Ole Miss meeting in the Fiesta Bowl on Thursday, Jan. 8, but with the new year upon us, now is a good time to take a look back at the highlights and lowlights of our journey this past season. It started before Labor Day and ran across the country almost every week.

Here's what stood out from the 2025-26 season, so far:Most anticipated/disappointing game: Bill Belichick, arguably the greatest coach of all time, was going to turn North Carolina into an immediate national contender. When Caleb Hood scored a touchdown on Carolina’s first possession, Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill shook from its foundation. By the third quarter, I realized I had fallen for the hype and everybody left, including me. The Heels lost 48-14 to TCU.

North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick with the team before a game at Kenan Stadium back in October. UNC finished the year with a 4-8 record.

Nicest rivalry: We learned there really are a lot of potato fields when we traveled to Ames, Iowa for the first time to see the Iowa State Cyclones. Even though the whole state seemed to shut down for their game against rival Iowa, there’s no real bitterness, just some of the nicest folks in America. Iowa State won, 16-13.

Most exciting game: It's a tie. First is Oregon’s 30-24 double OT victory over Penn State back in September, before the Nittany Lions collapsed. Second, in a back and forth game, Texas A&M trailed 40-34 at Notre Dame and drove 74 yards in just over two culminating in quarterback Marcel Reed completing an 11-yard td pass to Nate Boerkircher with 13 seconds left that gave the Aggies the improbable win, 41-40.

Worst game. Easy. How about that CFP quarterfinal that saw Oregon defeat Texas Tech, 23-0. Never a moment of excitement and that’s saying a lot for a college football game.

Best pregame spread. For the tenth year in a row, Notre Dame. Everyone else finishes a distant second. Where else can you get filet eggrolls and ice cream in the same place?

A Tennessee fan yells during the Nov. 25 game between Tennessee and Vanderbilt at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn.

Most passionate fans. Winning has something to do with this. Nothing like LSU’s Death Valley which elevates from loud to a level that breaks glass. Unfortunately, they were demolished by Texas A&M 49-25, ending the Brian Kelly era. Tennessee fans are also madly obsessed with their Vols. Georgia fans showed their commitment during an electric atmosphere against Texas. It really does mean more down South. Nebraska still is a special place to go with five decades plus of sellouts, but losing takes the excitement away.

Most fickle fans. Lots of caution here. Don’t want to offend anyone. It’s actually a tie between Ohio State and Texas. Buckeyes think they should win every game and by a lot. Losing like they did in the epic Big Ten Championship, 13-10 to Indiana, was simply unacceptable. Texas is right there, not because they win a lot but because they've got the whole resumé and they’ll tell you that. Their own television network, beautiful campus, best outfits (Cowboy boots and matching hats), Hook’em Horns and Matthew McConaughey. 

Best entrance: When Tennessee fans start singing Rocky Top and their team comes charging through the band entering Neyland Stadium from the clubhouse, it’s magical! Clemson’s tradition of running down the hill from the top of Tiger Stadium to touch Howard’s Rock has been described as “the most exciting 25 seconds in college football” but it’s just better when Clemson is winning and that hasn’t happened in years.

Best press box. Hands down. Oregon. Why? Because it’s fully opened, no glass to mute the crowd noise and one of the loudest places on earth. When the USC/Oregon game became a de facto elimination game, we planned to travel cross country on Thursday for the Saturday 12:30 p.m. Pacific Coast time kickoff. Because of unforeseen circumstances, traveling Saturday was the only option and I did the unthinkable. Left Saturday morning for Eugene for a game that started nine hours later. Was in my seat five minutes before kickoff and 42 degrees in the press box. I didn’t care. Great atmosphere and those timber trees smelled great. After the game, drove two hours to Portland and red-eyed back it after spending just 10 hours in the State of Oregon. Show me the marquee game and I’ll find a way to get there.

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Best and worst of Ken Schreiber's college football travels in 2025-26

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