We are a mere nine weeks away from the unofficial start of college football season and 10 weeks away from meaningful football. If the front of your refrigerator is full of fall wedding invites and you’re struggling to decide which to RSVP ‘Yes’ to and which to RSVP ‘No’ to — if you even have that choice — we’re here to help.
Without further ado, here’s our weekly guide to the 2024 college football season.
Week 0: August 24th
Sadly, Week 0 is a bit of a snooze fest this year. The only noteworthy game is Florida State vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin, which likely won’t be close. However, if you think we won’t be watching every single game just to celebrate the return of football, you’d be very, very wrong.
Week 1: August 31st
Where Week 0 lacks, Week 1 thrives. The schedule makers set it up beautifully with all the best games spread out. Thursday night’s appetizer features Deion and Colorado against a North Dakota State team that could pull off the upset. Friday night also presents us with Michigan State’s first opportunity to lose.
The first big Saturday slate of the year features Clemson vs. Georgia at noon, Miami at Florida at 3:30 p.m., and Notre Dame at Texas A&M in primetime. For an early non-conference slate, that is pretty good. Did I mention USC at LSU in Las Vegas on Sunday night as the cherry on top?
Week 2: September 7th
Texas’s trip to Ann Arbor is the obvious highlight here. While that’s a must-watch game, it’s one of the only quality games of the week. Baylor at Utah could be a sneaky good game, as could Tennessee vs. NC State. Outside of that, it’s slim pickings.
Week 3: September 14th
Week 3 features quite a few second-tier rivalry games in Oregon at Oregon State, Washington State at Washington, LSU at South Carolina and Georgia at Kentucky. Alabama vs. Wisconsin is supposed to be the highlight of the week, but I have my doubts it will be a close game.
Week 4: September 21st
Sadly, Week 4 is a bit of a dud. Michigan may have the highest-rated game of the week yet again, as USC visits Ann Arbor for its first Big Ten game. Other notable matchups include Tennessee at Oklahoma and Utah at Oklahoma State. UCLA also visits LSU in what is a notable matchup in name only, as UCLA is expected to struggle this year. If you’re not a Michigan fan, this is an ideal wedding weekend.
Week 5: September 28th
The schedule starts to get very real in Week 5! Georgia at Alabama will be the biggest game of the season to date. In Ann Arbor, Michigan and Minnesota will battle for the Little Brown Jug. Elsewhere, Arkansas vs. Texas A&M is always entertaining, Wisconsin at USC could be a fascinating contrast of styles, and Notre Dame gets its first real test (potentially) in Louisville. Prepare to be glued to your couch this weekend.
Week 6: October 5th
Clemson at Florida State will likely be the marquee game of Week 6. The SEC schedule is largely boring this week, and while the Big Ten has a few intriguing matchups, none will move the needle nationally. Iowa travels to Columbus where it has had success before, but that seems like a long shot this year. Michigan travels to Seattle in a National Championship rematch, but it will be hardly reminiscent of what we saw in January.
Week 7: October 12th
While the Wolverines are on a bye, the rest of the slate is appointment television. The Red River Shootout should be the game of the week, but Ohio State at Oregon will put up massive numbers as well. Florida at Tennessee and Penn State at USC should be interesting, too. I’d recommend not telling your spouse it’s Michigan’s bye week; there are too many games this weekend.
Week 8: October 19th
Week 8 lacks depth but has two fantastic games to carry the weight. Alabama visits Tennessee to try to get revenge from its last trip to Knoxville. On top of that, Georgia visits Texas in what could be a top-five matchup.
Week 9: October 26th
In the Big Ten, Nebraska at Ohio State, Penn State at Wisconsin and Michigan State at Michigan highlight Week 9. The SEC has a few better games with Oklahoma at Ole Miss being the best of the bunch. Missouri at Alabama could be a barn-burner as well. Week 9 is solidly middle-of-the-pack when it comes to schedule intrigue.
Week 10: November 2nd
November weather means it’s peak Big Ten football season. The conference dominates the Week 10 slate with Oregon at Michigan and Ohio State and Penn State. Florida at Georgia highlights the non-Big Ten schedule, while Kentucky at Tennessee could be a sneaky good game as well. Cozy up by a fireplace this weekend and enjoy football all day long.
Week 11: November 9th
After the Big Ten dominated Week 10, the SEC carries the torch in Week 11. Georgia at Ole Miss could be a playoff deciding game, Alabama at LSU is always a sight to see, and Florida at Texas could be of intrigue. Florida State also travels to South Bend, and BYU travels to Utah for the 2024 iteration of the Holy War. Michigan has lowly Indiana this week, so make sure you’ve got fresh batteries in your remote for constant channel flipping.
Week 12: November 16th
Week 12 is the annual dead week in the middle of November. Half of the SEC plays cupcake games (looking at you, Mercer at Alabama). There are a few halfway decent games in Texas at Arkansas and Tennessee at Georgia, but that’s about it. Sounds like a good weekend for an apple orchard if it isn’t too cold.
Week 13: November 23rd
Sadly, the other half of the SEC plays their cupcake games in Week 13. Can Don Brown and UMass upset the Georgia Bulldogs in Athens? Definitely not, so why is it happening in Week 13? The Big Ten doesn’t have much better to offer, as Michigan hosts Northwestern and Ohio State hosts Indiana. Maybe USC at UCLA can pique your interest? If not, start getting ready for the final week of the regular season.
Week 14: November 30th
As expected, Week 14 is easily the best week of the regular season. The Egg Bowl (Mississippi State at Ole Miss) highlights Friday night. Saturday obviously has The Game, but also provides Auburn at Alabama, Florida at Florida State, Oklahoma at LSU, Texas at Texas A&M, Notre Dame at USC and South Carolina at Clemson. That’s about as good as it can get. Week 14 could feel different this year, though, as several top teams could have CFP spots locked up well prior to this week.
