No. 4 Texas vs Colorado State
Saturday, August 31 at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN
Any Longhorn fan should have their eyes strictly on Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium as the Longhorns kick off their 2024 season. Texas has been given its highest preseason ranking since 2009, the year the Longhorns made it all the way to the CFB National Championship. If you aren’t able to make it in person, or don’t want to sit in the direct sun on an August afternoon in Austin, the Longhorns will start their season at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. Texas’ opponent, the Colorado State Rams, might’ve gone 5–7 last year, but the team is the definition of must-watch football. The Mountain West team features a high-powered air-raid offense led by graduate student wide receiver Tory Horton, the only returning college football player with over 1,100 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons.
No. 1 Georgia vs No. 14 Clemson
Saturday, August 31 at 11:00 a.m. on ABC
Few week ones in college football have been as exciting as 2024’s first week. With a new generation of college football beginning thanks to the addition of the 12-team College Football Playoff, teams have taken advantage of the hype, scheduling multiple amazing matchups early in the season. Rivalry matchups like Pitt’s and West Virginia’s ‘Backyard Brawl’ and the historic Florida vs Miami rivalry headline the first full week of games, but none have the amount of anticipation as Clemson vs Georgia in Atlanta this weekend. The two powerhouses of the 21st century will battle it out in Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the Atlanta Falcons, to begin each team’s 2024 seasons, hoping for redemption after disappointing ends to 2023. The two schools combined won three of the last six national championships in the sport, and both rank within the top five of 247Sports’ 2024 Team Talent Composite, a calculation of the strength of every team’s players based on high school recruiting rankings. The two schools are set for big years in 2024, and Texas fans should be eyeing the top-ranked Bulldogs closely ahead of their matchup in October.
No. 20 Texas A&M vs No. 7 Notre Dame
Saturday, August 31 at 6:30 p.m. on ABC
If Texas fans can only watch one other game this weekend, it would have to be this one. Fans can argue about whether Oklahoma or Texas A&M are the Longhorn’s bigger rivals, but it can’t be argued which game will be more entertaining. While the Sooners will likely demolish a weak Temple team on Friday, the Aggies must host one of the best teams in the nation, No. 7 Notre Dame, to kick off the year. The night game is considered one of the most entertaining matchups of the non-conference schedule, up there with Texas’ visit to Ann Arbor to face Michigan next week. Texas has to keep a close eye on the Aggies for the first time in 13 years, as the Lone Star Showdown will return to the state of Texas for the first time in over a decade. Notre Dame is one of the most talented teams in the nation, but Texas A&M has a great defensive front and a talented quarterback. This will be must-see TV.
No. 23 USC vs No. 13 LSU
Sunday, September 1 at 6:30 p.m. on ABC
For those itching for NFL games to return, college football has you covered a week early. Though it’s not 14 games featuring some of the best football players in the nation, Las Vegas will be the exciting site for a high-powered matchup between two of the best offensive programs in the nation. In 2022, USC’s Caleb Williams took home the Heisman while supporting a top-three offense in the nation. One year later, 2023 Heisman winner Jayden Daniels turned LSU into the best offense in the country. The two became the first and second picks in the NFL Draft in 2024, but the coaching staffs that worked with the two star quarterbacks are still around and looking to turn their new gunslingers into Heisman winners. The two teams have plenty of defensive question marks, which means fans will see a lot of scoring on Sunday. The game takes place Iin the middle of the most energetic city in the world, adding to the game’s excitement.
