College football fans spend a good portion, if not all, of the summer anticipating the return of their favorite sport. Each college football season is full of excitement, and the coming campaign is sure to provide its share of thrills. As summer winds down, fans anxious for the return of their favorite sport can look ahead to these five notable games on the 2024 college football schedule.
1. Western Kentucky at Alabama, Saturday, August 31: Though this game may not rival other opening week contests in terms of competitiveness, it marks the dawn of a new era for the Crimson Tide. All eyes will be on the Tide’s new head coach, Kalen DeBoer, who replaces recently retired legend Nick Saban. Saban coached at Alabama from 2007 to 2023, winning six national championships during his run in Tuscaloosa. Those are big shoes to fill, and DeBoer will undoubtedly be looking to make a statement in his debut.
2. Notre Dame at Texas A&M, Saturday, August 31: For those who want something juicier during college football’s first full weekend, this matchup between the Fighting Irish and the Aggies is sure to please. Mike Elko makes his debut as head coach of the Aggies, who are looking to turn the page after the underwhelming Jimbo Fisher era. Elko comes from Duke, where last season he and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman locked horns in a memorable contest that saw the Fighting Irish score the game-winning touchdown with just 31 seconds remaining.
3. Texas vs. Oklahoma (in Dallas), Saturday, October 12: College football is steeped in tradition, and the Red River Rivalry between these two programs that share a border is loaded with history. This particular installment of the rivalry is historic even before the opening kickoff, as it marks the first clash between the two schools in the newly expanded Southeastern Conference. Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian is looking to build off his team’s run to the College Football Playoff a year ago, while his counterpart Brent Venables is hoping to build upon his successful first year in Norman, during which the Sooners finished 10-3 in the program’s final year in the Big 12 Conference.
4. Michigan at Ohio State, Saturday, November 30: Rivalries have fueled the popularity of college football, and perhaps no such feud is more heated than this annual clash between the Wolverines and the Buckeyes. Ohio State has lost three straight to the Wolverines, but the architect of two of those victories, Jim Harbaugh, is now back coaching in the National Football League. Sherrone Moore, who coached the Wolverines to a memorable 30-24 victory over Ohio State in the suspended Harbaugh’s place a season ago, takes over the program this season on the heels of the school’s first national championship since 1997.
5. Ohio State at Oregon, Saturday, October 12: Longtime college football fans will need some time to adjust to the sport’s wildly different landscape in 2024, and perhaps no matchup underscores the new lay of the land better than this Big Ten clash between the Ducks and the Buckeyes. The Pac 12 is officially a thing of the past, and the Ducks will host their new conference rival Ohio State in Eugene in early October in what promises to be an exciting, contentious clash.
These are just five games on a 2024 college football slate that’s sure to entertain diehard fans who can’t wait for the season to kick off in late August.
