Week 1 is here, and so is our weekly top 10 ranking of the best matchups in college football.
A handful of marquee matchups top this initial 2024 edition, but this season more than ever, there’s good reason to dip into the deep cuts. The newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff should elevate interest in each conference title race and shine a spotlight on the Group of 5 conferences, with the top G5 league winner earning an automatic berth to the Playoff.
The usual storylines never stop — yes, Coach Prime and Colorado are on this list — but you’d be wise to study up on your Sun Belt and Conference USA lesson plans, too. That material could be on the final exam.
Let’s rank the Week 1 slate, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable Mention: North Carolina at Minnesota (Thursday), Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt, UNLV at Houston, Georgia State at Georgia Tech, Wyoming at Arizona State.
(All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times are Eastern and on Saturday unless otherwise noted. All rankings are via the Associated Press Top 25.)
10. Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State, 8 p.m. Thursday, CBS Sports Network
Neither team is the favorite in its respective conference, but each won at least eight games and finished in the top portion of league standings last season. Jacksonville State, which finished 9-4 in 2023, is in Year 3 under Rich Rodriguez and Year 2 in CUSA since making the jump from FCS, with former Nebraska transfer Logan Smothers expected to start at quarterback. Coastal Carolina enters its second season under Tim Beck but without four-year starting QB Grayson McCall, who transferred to NC State. Either Ethan Vasko or Noah Kim will get the nod for the Chanticleers, who were picked third in the Sun Belt east division preseason poll.
Line: Jacksonville State -2.5
9. Boise State at Georgia Southern, 4 p.m., ESPNU
The Broncos and stud running back Ashton Jeanty are among the preseason favorites to claim the G5 Playoff bid, but the path is not easy. The Broncos open with back-to-back road trips to Georgia Southern and Oregon, with home games against Pac-2 leftovers Washington State and Oregon State bookending Mountain West play. Clay Helton’s Eagles are projected to be middle of the pack in the Sun Belt, but running back Jalen White could be a problem for first-year Boise State coach Spencer Danielson if the Broncos don’t start fast.
Line: Boise State -12.5
The Seminoles return stateside after a humbling loss to Georgia Tech and must immediately regroup for another conference showdown. There aren’t many expectations for Boston College and new head coach Bill O’Brien, but the program returns quarterback Thomas Castellanos — the first QB in school history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 last season — and running back Kye Robichaux. An FSU defense that got steamrolled by Georgia Tech’s running game in Ireland needs to buckle down, and the offense must get some explosive pass plays from quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. The Noles’ Playoff hopes aren’t dead in this new era, but they desperately need to get back on the winning track.
Line: Florida State -15.5
7. South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State, 2 p.m., ESPN+
The reigning back-to-back FCS national champion Jackrabbits travel to Stillwater to face a top-20 FBS opponent. The Pokes struggled early last season, including a home loss to South Alabama, but a repeat is unlikely. Doak Walker-winning running back Ollie Gordon II is back alongside a ton of returning production. Still, it’s not an opponent Mike Gundy’s squad can take lightly. SDSU has won 29 straight games dating back to a 7-3 loss to Iowa to open the 2022 season, and returning quarterback Mark Gronowski won the Walter Payton Award last season as MVP of FCS.
No line
6. North Dakota State at Colorado, 8 p.m. Thursday, ESPN
Deion Sanders has put a massive, media-fueled bull’s-eye squarely on Colorado football. So whether your interest is in what quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter can do on the field, or hate-watching because of whatever headlines Coach Prime has stirred up off of it, you know you want to watch this game. Colorado’s roster should be markedly improved from last season, particularly in the trenches, and much more competitive in the new Big 12. The Bison will be looking to make a season-opening statement under new head coach Tim Polasek after a double-overtime, semifinal exit from the FCS playoffs in 2023.
Line: Colorado -9.5
5. No. 19 Miami at Florida, 3:30 p.m., ABC
A fascinating start to a white-knuckle season for both programs and fan bases. The Hurricanes have plenty of Cam Ward-injected excitement and Playoff aspirations despite the lukewarm start to the Mario Cristobal era. They are also squarely in the “believe it when you see it” category. Florida has a brutal schedule and a head coach in Billy Napier whose seat has already been cranked to high heat. Both teams need to start the season with a win or the narratives will start churning, but the broader outlook is much more optimistic for the Canes.
Line: Miami -2.5
4. No. 23 USC vs No. 13 LSU, 7:30 p.m. Sunday, ABC
A neutral-site bout in Las Vegas featuring two programs that are uniquely intertwined. USC’s Lincoln Riley and LSU’s Brian Kelly were hired to their respective jobs a day apart in November 2021. Each had encouraging first seasons and disappointing second seasons. Each coached one of the past two Heisman Trophy winners and is breaking in a redshirt junior quarterback with one career start — Miller Moss for USC and Garrett Nussmeier for LSU. Both had ghastly defenses last year, with the Trojans swiping coordinator D’Anton Lynn from UCLA and LSU paying a pretty penny to lure coordinator Blake Baker from Missouri. Both are wading into deeper, division-less conferences, and both programs have sky-high expectations in the new Playoff era.
Line: LSU -4.5
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3. No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia, Noon, Fox
It’s a proper rivalry game in Morgantown. Penn State took care of business in the first leg in Happy Valley last season and is yet another team that expects to benefit from the expanded Playoff. West Virginia has some momentum bubbling as well. Head coach Neal Brown, the Billy Napier of 2023, flipped the script with a nine-win season and contract extension and still believes his Mountaineers are being overlooked. The offenses will be most interesting to watch in this one, with quarterback Drew Allar, a refreshed receivers group and new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki on the sticks for Penn State and one of the best rushing attacks in college football — quarterback Garrett Greene and running backs CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White — in the backfield for West Virginia.
Line: Penn State -8.5
2. No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m., ABC
If you can’t already tell, Playoff implications will loom over so many teams and matchups this season — maybe none more than Notre Dame. Without the backdrop of a conference title race, every game will feed into that Playoff horse race for the Fighting Irish, starting with this road trip to College Station. It’s tough to know exactly what we will get from the Aggies under new coach Mike Elko, but the former Duke coach certainly knows Irish quarterback (and former Blue Devils QB) Riley Leonard as well as anyone. With some injuries and inexperience on Notre Dame’s offensive line, can A&M’s defense rattle Leonard and ladle a healthy portion of early-season pressure on the Irish?
Line: Texas A&M -3
1. No. 14 Clemson vs No. 1 Georgia, Noon, ABC
This is a top-15 matchup between two teams that account for four of the last eight national championships … though Georgia being nearly a two-touchdown favorite shows how much things have changed for both programs over those past eight years. Is it possible Clemson has become underrated? The Tigers haven’t made the Playoff since a string of six straight appearances from 2015-20, and Dabo Swinney might be the most scrutinized coach not named Deion because of it, despite his history of success. Either way, the recent drop-off is concerning, and the criticism will only get louder if Clemson can’t hang with a Georgia squad that appears stacked and hungry after missing out on a chance to three-peat in 2023. This should be a fun measuring stick game to see just how dominant the Bulldogs can be, or if Clemson has a little more in the tank than it’s getting credit for.
Line: Georgia -13.5
(Photo of Garrett Greene: Dan Rainville / USA Today)
