College Football 2024 Schedule - The One Game To Watch Each Week

By Simon Carroll

Seventeen days. That’s how close we are to the return of college football to our screens. It will be a season that feels different; the dynamic of a 12-team playoff changing perceptions and possibly – probably – making it even more exciting for more people than ever before. With the fervour building, here is the one game each week you should not miss out on:

Week 0: Florida State @ Georgia Tech (Aviva Stadium, Dublin)

Week 0 is a fairly new phenomena in college football, a means for football deprived fans to shorten the offseason by seven days, and for smaller programs to get some serious TV coverage. More recently, the ‘College Football Classic’ in Dublin, Ireland has gatecrashed the party and become almost the defacto curtain raiser for the year.

This year, Florida State and Georgia Tech head to the Emerald Isle. Considering the ACC rivalry and how close the Seminoles were to playoff football in 2023, this is clearly the marquee matchup of the week. Whether the Yellow Jackets can challenge DJ Uiagalelei and co. is largely irrelevant – even College Gameday is headed to Dublin for this one. This is fast becoming a tradition, and one I will be there to enjoy.

Week 1: Notre Dame @ Texas A&M

Let’s get one thing clear – this article is not going to please everyone, and I’m not apologising for it. There are too many big games each week to have every heavyweight clash included. It begins in Week 1, where I’ve eschewed Clemson-Georgia (and to a lesser extent, USC-LSU) for the Fighting Irish’s trip to College Station – and here’s why…

As mentioned in my previous article, both these teams will be expecting a spot in the new 12-team playoff this season. Whilst a loss this early in the season doesn’t make that an impossibility, these two teams in particular have gruelling schedules with many more opportunities to drop games. The Aggies, with a new head coach, may be a little more forgiving in 2024 – but the money poured into that program demands results. Can either of these teams afford to lose a game of this magnitude to start their season?

Week 2: Texas @ Michigan

With the greatest respect to the Cy-Hawk Trophy and the great state of Iowa, there is absolutely no doubt where your focus should be in Week 2. The reigning National Champs, hosting one of the other playoff teams from last season, is as big as it gets.

Michigan may have lost their head coach and some talent on offense, but they’re still expected to be in the mix in 2024. Despite last season’s indiscretions still hanging over the program and new leader Sherrone Moore, the Wolverines have shown they can block out the noise and be incredibly consistent. Match that with Steve Sarkisian and the brooding Longhorns, who seem to have replaced any departing stars with similar ones via the portal, and we’re in for one hell of a matchup in the Big House.

Week 3: Colorado @ Colorado State

It didn’t take me long to sneak a Group of Five school in here…

Week 3 takes a breath after a breakneck start to the 2024 season. Sure, there are some intriguing conference matchups in there as the SEC and Big 12 get underway, but nothing that quite reaches the heights of the two weeks before.

Twelve months ago, all anyone was talking about was Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. Well he’s still there, still presiding over roster chaos, and still making as much noise. The Buffs started off hot under Coach Prime last year but faded away – despite some growth, most people expect the next step this season. Last year’s rivalry game against Colorado State was a full on tinderbox in the run-up – Rams HC Jay Norvell was not scared of getting under his opposite number’s skin. The matchup was a doozy too, Colorado winning in double overtime. Anyone for round 2?

Week 4: NC State @ Clemson

Oh I was torn here. It was very tempting to put in Oklahoma’s first game in the SEC in there; hosting Tennessee I’m sure will be an occasion. But that conference is going to be healthily represented in this article, and I really didn’t want to pass up on Clemson a second time. The Tigers might have won 30 games in the last three years, but no playoff football is a problem for Dabo Swinney. His principled approach to NIL and the portal is admirable, but perhaps self-harming – and there’s pressure on him to get this program back to elite status in 2024.

I’m sure Clemson will have circled Georgia (Week 1) and Florida State (Week 6) as key fixtures, but NC State is a trap game they should be wary of. Dave Doeren and the Wolfpack beat the Tigers last year, and have definitely improved this offseason. Former Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall will be leading the charge – and won’t be intimidated by the Death Valley atmosphere.

Week 5: Georgia @ Alabama

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HERE. WE. GO.

Are Alabama still Alabama? Are Georgia the new Alabama? Or, with so much change in the SEC, is there room for a dominant team like that in the conference any more? Last year, you’d be excused for assuming a contest like this would determine the SEC champion – in fact it did, in the title game. This season there are many other variables, largely in the shape of Texas, Ole Miss and a handful of other pretenders – but these two blue chip programs remain the standard.

Kirby Smart will be using last year’s playoff snub as poster board material. Kalen De Boer will have the ghost of Nick Saban looking over his shoulder, and only all of the resources in the game at his disposal to build his own Tuscaloosa dynasty. Regardless of result you’d expect both of these two schools in the playoffs – but securing momentum at this stage of the season would be priceless.

Week 6: UCF @ Florida

Save for the Clemson-FSU game, Week 6 is fairly sedate in terms of big-name matchups. And seen as we’ve pencilled in to watch the two ACC foes already this season, why not turn your attention to maybe the first big firing of 2024?

Billy Napier is in serious jeopardy in Gainesville. Heading into his third season in Florida, he’s expected to make a significant improvement on the 5-7 record from last term. The only problem with that is that the Gators have the most difficult schedule in college football this year. Before we get to this game, he’ll already have had tricky matchups against Miami and Texas A&M to negotiate. Two losses in those and his seat will be very uncomfortable…

The last thing you want, just a week ahead of another difficult trip to Tennessee, is an in-state banana skin. But that’s what Gus Malzahn and UCF offer; a creditable six wins their first season in the Big 12, the Knights have a history of bug upsets – and Malzahn is very familiar with SEC football. He’ll have his team ready, and if they leave The Swamp with a victory, it could be curtains for Napier.

Week 7: Texas @ Oklahoma (Cotton Bowl, Dallas)

Passing up on what might be a top-three clash between Oregon and Ohio State must be for something very special indeed – and of course the Red River Rivalry game is just that. In terms of rivalry games, the Texas-Oklahoma shootout is probably bettered only by the Iron Bowl, such is the spectacle. Always high scoring, and usually dramatically close, the Longhorns and the Sooners have been doing battle in this game every year since 1929.

Last year we saw OU stun Texas on a game-winning drive from Dillon Gabriel, who has since moved on. That didn’t derail the UT playoff push, but it might have – this game has historically been as pivotal as you could imagine when it comes to the fortunes of these two teams. The move to the SEC means a lot of change in other ways, but this rivalry will endure no matter the affiliation: Texas and Oklahoma literally HATE each other.

Week 8: Georgia @ Texas

Yeah, I know, homer Longhorns fan here predictably picks back to back Texas games to watch. But considering the contests, I think I can be forgiven in this instance; what a brutal matchup for the Burnt Orange to contend with off the back of the Red River Shootout!

We’ve talked enough about these two schools already – we know what we’re getting in this contest. Carson Beck versus Quinn Ewers. Defensive mastermind Kirby Smart versus offensive genius Steve Sarkisian. Considering the schedules, I think playing this one at Darrell K. Royal Stadium is an evener and makes this game too close to call.

Bevo vs Uga round 2! College Football is awesome.

Week 9: Kansas @ Kansas State

With maybe Michigan-Michigan State being the only alternative here, I plumped for a matchup between two Big 12 programs that might have their eye on a conference title charge – and a place in the playoffs to go with it. How much better then, that it’s between two in-state rivals in Kansas and Kansas State?

‘The Sunflower Showdown’ might sound friendly, but don’t be fooled – stoked more by basketball than football perhaps, there is serious vitriol between these two. The Wildcats have had the better of it in recent times, winning the last 15 contests – but it’s the Jayhawks that lead the series 64-52. K-State moves into a new era with Will Howard gone to Ohio State – they’re confident sophomore Avery Johnson will fill those big boots without much dropoff. Meanwhile, in Lawrence, Jaylon Daniels is back healthy – and one of the most dynamic QB’s in the sport when he’s on the field. It should be an intriguing battle with two excellent head coaches in Chris Klieman and Lance Leipold – a marquee matchup from an always entertaining conference.

Week 10: Oregon @ Michigan

Oof.

I’ve passed on the annual ‘World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party’ to choose this game, so you know it’s going to be a good one! Oregon, under Dan Lanning, feel like they’re about to put the entirety of College Football on notice. Playing ‘rent-a-QB’ in the portal, the Ducks bring in Dillon Gabriel to replace Bo Nix, and despite joining a new conference in 2024 fully expect to be challenging for a Big Ten title and a spot in the new expanded playoff bracket.

To get there, they have a much more difficult schedule than the Pac-12 ever threw at them. After hosting Ohio State in Week 7, they visit the Wolverines in Week 10, sampling the best their new home has to offer in their debut campaign. The Michigan machine will likely be in full flow by this point of the season. Can the best the West Coast has to offer challenge the established elite of the MidWest?

Week 11: Georgia @ Ole Miss

Only two teams feature three times in this article; Texas and Georgia. And that’s as much about the strength and the prestige of their schedules as it is about how good they both are currently – they seem to have big games almost every week. The Bulldogs enter the year as either the #1 or #2 team in the nation depending on your opinion of Ohio State, but they have a real tough trip in Week 11 to contend with…

Ole Miss are going to be one hell of a team in 2024, and hopes have never been higher in Oxford, Mississippi. Nobody has played the portal quite like Lane Kiffin, and that’s despite losing Quinshon Judkins to the Buckeyes. LSU in Week 7 may be their earliest test, but this is certainly the toughest on their ‘24 slate. Beat the Bulldogs here, and the Rebels will catapult themselves into the National Champions conversation.

Week 12: Boston College @ SMU

A sleepy Week 12 in mid-November looked like the perfect chance to find a Group of Five tilt to my liking, but none really stood out. I was tempted to go for Nebraska-USC, as there might be a lot on the line for both coaches by this point – but in the end I bounced to a new conference matchup…

SMU has an infamous history that has left this football program in the doldrums for too long. Considering their location and vast resources, they should have been much better – and the move to a Power 4 conference likely opens up that door for them. The Ponies certainly haven’t joined the ACC to be cannon fodder, and I predict they make noise immediately. Preston Stone returns and leads a team that was in the top ten in scoring offenses last season.

A good test of where they’re at might be Boston College, who brought in Bill O’Brien as their new head coach this offseason. The Eagles have an intriguing QB in Thomas Castellanos and a double headed monster in the backfield in Kye Robichaux and Treshaun Ward; considering these two teams are attack-focused, we might have a shootout on our hands in Dallas.

Week 13: Washington State @ Oregon State

The Pac-2 title game! Okay, maybe a little belligerent considering the disgraceful way in which these two programs have been treated in the last 12 months – this is a game that, quite frankly, everyone should be watching. Washington State and Oregon State were left holding their jockstraps as the rest of their conference abandoned ship and headed to pastures new – leaving the Cougars and Beavers in something of a no-man’s land. A loose affiliation with the Mountain West has allowed them to build schedules for 2024 – but are they now considered Group of Five programs?

There’s a lot to iron out behind the scenes, but these are still two schools who know how to entertain on the gridiron. Trent Bray is promoted to head coach in Corvallis after Jonathan Smith’s departure to Michigan State, which gives the Beavs some consistency. But both teams have lost talent to the portal, including starting QB’s DJ Uiagalelei and Cam Ward. We don’t know much about what we will see from these two in 2024, but considering how they routinely upset bigger opponents the past decade,I’m really hoping they manage to stay relevant in the new college football landscape.

Week 14: Auburn @ Alabama

Ah. Rivalry Week. The best weekend in all of sports, as the majority of arch enemies do battle in the final game of the season. Florida-FSU, Notre Dame-USC, Michigan-Ohio State have all been regular servings in years past, and despite conference changes will be back again in 2024. They’ll be joined by the resumption of the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, which is of course a must watch – but not as much of a must watch as one of the best games of football every season…

The Iron Bowl is so important to the residents of Alabama, that a fan once got jailed for poisoning a tree precious to the other set of fans after a loss. Despite the recent superiority of the Crimson Tide over the Tigers, this game is always electric. Alabama, unsurprisingly, leads the series 50-37-1, but it’s the manner of some recent Auburn wins that have made this contest so special. Memories of the ‘Kick Six’ and the ‘Camback’ live long in the memory, despite ‘Bama’s incredible ‘4th and 31’ win last season.

Hugh Freeze has enjoyed a modest recruiting boost since Nick Saban’s departure, so this contest may even itself out in short time. The Tide will again be favourites in 2024, but as always, there will be SOMETHING that happens in this game to make your time worthwhile.

Week 16: Navy @ Army (Commanders Field, Landover)

Week 15 is Conference Championship Weekend, which might make you think that the regular season is over. Think again – the college football campaign is only truly complete once the Army-Navy game is in the books. Traditionally played at a neutral site, this season sees the 125th contest between these two service academies go head to head at the home of the NFL’s Washington Commanders.

In the heyday of head coach Ken Niumatalolo, Navy dominated this game, the Midshipmen winning 14 in a row between 2002 and 2015. Since then, the pendulum has swung in Army’s favour, with the Black Knights taking six of the last eight contests. Jeff Monken heads into his 11th season in charge at West Point, a year where his program joins a football conference for the first time. Their participation in the AAC (where Navy already compete) doesn’t affect this game, which remains a non-conference, stand alone contest and part of the Commander In Chief’s trophy which they compete for alongside Air Force.

With no other game on, this will be the one to watch by default. But don’t let that diminish its value; the Army-Navy game is special before, during and after the contest. Do not miss it.

Mock Draft

SIMON CARROLL

Lead Writer, Head of Content

PREVIOUSLY THE FOUNDER OF NFL DRAFT UK, SIMON HAS BEEN COVERING COLLEGE FOOTBALL AND THE NFL DRAFT SINCE 2009. BASED IN MANCHESTER, SIMON IS ALSO CO-CREATOR & WEEKLY GUEST OF THE COLLAPSING POCKET PODCAST.

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