Don’t look now, but the 2024 college football season is only 3 1/2 months away.
Granted, these 3 1/2 months are going to feel like 3 1/2 years, but the fact remains that we’re slowly but surely getting there.
Adding to the excitement are the flurry of matchups that have been officially announced for the first few weeks of the season.
Sure, we all knew what the matchups were going to be. But now we have kickoff times and networks set in stone as well.
Previously announced was the exciting news that ESPN’s College GameDay would be making history with its first-ever international trip on August 24th.
Nick Saban will be making his GameDay debut as he joins the guys on set in Dublin, Ireland ahead of the Florida State vs. Georgia Tech clash in “Week 0.”
The ACC showdown will kick-off at noon EST on ESPN.
The most exciting news has to do with an outstanding triple-header which will be showcased on ABC in Week 1 on August 31st.
At noon EST will be a pair of blue-bloods taking center stage as Clemson travels to Atlanta to take on Kirby Smart and the Georgia Bulldogs.
Along with Ohio State, the Dawgs are looked upon as national title favorites and will feature Heisman Trophy favorite Carson Beck at quarterback.
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney has been the butt of jokes for the past few years, and will no doubt be motivated to remind everyone where the Tigers stand in the college football landscape.
Swinney has a dark-horse Heisman candidate of his own under center in quarterback Cade Klubnik. (Relax! I said “dark-horse.”)
Then at 3:30pm EST, a fierce in-state rivalry will take stage as the Florida Gators will play host to the hated Miami Hurricanes.
Notably, this matchup will mark ABC/ESPN’s official takeover of the SEC package from CBS.
The two proud programs are hungry, and quite desperate, for bounce-back seasons.
Which coach is on the hotter seat: Billy Napier or Mario Cristobal???
Now, this is where it gets REALLY interesting.
ABC’s prime-time matchup on Week 1 will be the much-anticipated showdown between the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and the Texas A&M Aggies.
The clash will take place at 7:30pm EST and will mark Mike Elko’s official debut as Aggies head coach.
Notre Dame enters the season as legitimate national title contenders thanks to star quarterback Riley Leonard who transferred in from Duke, where he notably played under Elko.
Predictably, College Station will be the scene for ESPN’s College GameDay, which means Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit will assumingly be on the call for the epic Irish-Aggies matchup.
This will be the first appearance that GameDay has made at Texas A&M since 2018.
It’s safe to say the only thing that will be hotter than the Texas temperature that day will be the atmosphere surrounding the matchup.
That same evening, Kalen DeBoer’s debut as Nick Saban’s replacement at Alabama will be showcased on ESPN at 7:30pm EST as he leads his Crimson Tide against Western Kentucky.
Speaking of the SEC, a pair of traditional powers will mark their debut in the conference when the Oklahoma Sooners play host to Temple on Friday, August 30th (7pm EST, ESPN). While the Texas Longhorns welcome in Colorado State on August 31st (3:30pm EST, ESPN).
ABC’s traditional prime-time matchup on the Sunday of Week 1 (9/1) will take place in Las Vegas and will feature Brian Kelly’s LSU Tigers and Lincoln Riley’s USC Trojans.
Kickoff for that clash is set for 7:30pm EST.
Additionally, ESPN will showcase North Dakota State at Colorado on August 29th, TCU at Stanford on August 30th, and Boston College at Florida State on Monday, September 2nd, rounding out an action-packed start to the college football season.
ABC’s announcement follows NBC and FOX’s recent unveiling of their own captivating matchups, further fueling anticipation for the upcoming season.
Notably, the defending national champion Michigan Wolverines will begin life-after-Harbaugh on NBC’s “Big Ten Saturday Night” against the Fresno State Bulldogs.
Michigan will then own Week 2 as all eyes will be on Ann Arbor for the Wolverines showdown against Quinn Ewers and the Texas Longhorns on September 6th.
That sexy matchup will carry significant implications and will be featured on FOX’s “Big Noon Saturday.”
The following Big Noon matchup on September 13th will be almost as good as the Alabama Crimson Tide will head to Madison to take on Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin Badgers.
(And in case you’re wondering, the 2024 edition of “The Game” will take place on November 30th at noon EST.)
What are your thoughts on the announced matchups?
Which early-season clash are you MOST excited for?
At the end of the day, who do you think will end up winning the national championship???