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Week 1 is here, and with it our weekly top 10 rankings of the best games in college football.
A handful of key games loom large in this inaugural 2024 season, but this season there’s more reason than ever to make the deep cuts. The newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff should ramp up interest in every conference title race and put the spotlight on the Group of 5 conferences, with the top G5 league winner earning an automatic playoff spot.
The usual storylines never end — yes, Coach Prime and Colorado are on this list — but you’d be wise to study your Sun Belt and Conference USA lesson plans, too. That material could be on the final exam.
Let’s take a look at the results from Week 1, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable Mention: North Carolina vs. Minnesota (Thursday), Virginia Tech vs. Vanderbilt, UNLV vs. Houston, Georgia State vs. Georgia Tech, Wyoming vs. Arizona State.
(All point spreads are from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times are Eastern and Saturday unless otherwise noted. All rankings are via the Associated Press Top 25.)
10. Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State, Thursday, 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Neither team is a favorite in their respective conference, but both won at least eight games and finished near the top of the league last season. Jacksonville State, which finished 9-4 in 2023, is in Year 3 under Rich Rodriguez and Year 2 in CUSA after moving 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. 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
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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 isn’t 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 to close out Mountain West play. Clay Helton’s Eagles are projected to finish in the middle of the pack in the Sun Belt, but running back Jalen White could pose a problem for first-year Boise State coach Spencer Danielson if the Broncos don’t get going soon.
Line: Boise State -12.5
The Seminoles return stateside after a humiliating 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 yards last season — and running back Kye Robichaux. An FSU defense that was run over by Georgia Tech’s running game in Ireland will have to brace itself, and the offense will need some explosive passing 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 vs. 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 to start last season, including a home loss to South Alabama, but a repeat is unlikely. Doak Walker-winning running back Ollie Gordon II is back with plenty of returning production. Still, it’s not an opponent Mike Gundy’s team 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 as FCS MVP last season.
No line
6. North Dakota State at Colorado, Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN
Deion Sanders has a huge, media-fueled bull’s-eye on Colorado football. So whether you’re interested in what quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter can do on the field, or you hate watching because of the headlines Coach Prime has stirred up about it, you know you’re going to want to watch this game. Colorado’s roster should be significantly improved from last season, particularly in the trenches, and much more competitive in the new-look Big 12. The Bison will look to make a statement in the season opener under new head coach Tim Polasek after a double-overtime, semifinal elimination from the 2023 FCS playoffs.
Line: Colorado -9.5
5. No. 19 Miami at Florida, 3:30 p.m., ABC
A fascinating start to a nail-biting season for both programs and fans. The Hurricanes have plenty of Cam Ward-infused excitement and playoff aspirations despite a lukewarm start to the Mario Cristobal era. They also fall firmly into the “believe it when you see it” category. Florida has a brutal schedule and a head coach in Billy Napier whose chair has already been pushed to the limit. Both teams need to start the season with a win or the stories will start to swirl, 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 game in Las Vegas features two programs that are uniquely intertwined. USC’s Lincoln Riley and LSU’s Brian Kelly were hired for their respective jobs a day apart in November 2021. Both had encouraging first seasons and disappointing sophomore seasons. They both coached one of the last two Heisman Trophy winners and are in the process of breaking in a redshirt junior quarterback with one career start: Miller Moss for USC and Garrett Nussmeier for LSU. Both had terrible defenses last year, with the Trojans poaching coordinator D’Anton Lynn from UCLA and LSU paying a pretty penny to lure coordinator Blake Baker from Missouri. Both are wading into deeper, divisionless conferences, and both programs have sky-high expectations heading into 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 true rivalry game in Morgantown. Penn State took care of business in its first game in Happy Valley last season and is another team expected to capitalize on the expanded playoff. West Virginia also has some momentum in the air. Head coach Neal Brown, the 2023 Billy Napier, flipped the script with a nine-win season and a contract extension and still believes his Mountaineers are being overlooked. The offense will be the most interesting thing to watch in this game, with quarterback Drew Allar, a revamped 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 C.J. 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 haven’t figured it out yet, Playoff implications will play out for so many teams and games this season — perhaps most notably Notre Dame. Without the backdrop of a conference title race, every game will contribute to that Playoff horse race for the Fighting Irish, starting with this road trip to College Station. It’s tough to know exactly what we’ll get from the Aggies under new coach Mike Elko, but the former Duke coach surely knows Irish quarterback (and former Blue Devils QB) Riley Leonard as well as anyone. Given some injuries and inexperience on Notre Dame’s offensive line, can A&M’s defense shake up Leonard and put a healthy dose of early-season pressure on the Irish?
Line: Texas A&M -3
1. No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia, Afternoon, ABC
This is a top-15 matchup between two teams that have won four of the last eight national championships … though Georgia is a near two-touchdown favorite, which shows how much has changed for both programs over the past eight years. Is it possible that Clemson has been underrated? The Tigers haven’t made the playoffs since a streak of six straight from 2015-20, and Dabo Swinney may be the most scrutinized coach not named Deion for it, despite his history of success. Either way, the recent slump is concerning, and the criticism will only get louder if Clemson can’t match up against a Georgia team that looks strong and hungry after missing out on a chance to three-peat in 2023. This should be a fun measuring stick to see how dominant the Bulldogs can be, or if Clemson has a little more left in the tank than it’s getting credit for.
Line: Georgia -13.5
(Photo by Garrett Greene: Dan Rainville/USA Today)
