ESPN College GameDay: Picks for Florida State vs. Georgia Tech, early Week 1 games

Saturday marks the long-awaited return of college football. Week 0 is here, and ESPN’s College GameDay has made its picks for the opener between Florida State vs. Georgia Tech and some early Week 1 matchups, as well.

Much like the college sports world, College GameDay has a new look this season as Nick Saban joins the ESPN panel of Rece Davis, Desmond Howard, Kirk Herbstreit and Pat McAfee. That means he’s also making his picks each week, starting with Saturday’s games.

CLICK HERE to go to PrizePicks and use code ON3 to receive a guaranteed $50 once you play $5 in lineups!

Since the show is in Ireland, WWE star Sheamus served as the guest picker in his home country. He spent Friday with McAfee at a Dublin pub as fans arrived ahead of the season kickoff game and hype continued to build for the opening game of the 2024 season.

Florida State and Georgia Tech get the first Saturday of games at Noon ET from Dublin. Here are College GameDay’s picks for that matchup and some early Week 1 games.

Watch College Football Games Live -Try for Free Fubo! Click HERE NOW

College GameDay predictions for Week 0, early Week 1 games:

North Carolina vs. Minnesota (Thursday, Aug. 29): One of the games on Thursday’s Week 1 slate, UNC will enter a new era as Drake Maye heads to the NFL. The Tar Heels head to Minnesota, where they’ll take on a Golden Gophers team that went 6-7 last year.

Colorado vs. North Dakota State (Thursday, Aug. 29): Deion Sanders is back for Year 2 in Boulder and will look to improve off last year’s 4-8 campaign with playmakers such as Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter returning. The Buffs will take on a tough North Dakota State team which is a perennial contender at the FCS level.

TCU vs. Stanford (Friday, Aug. 30): The Cardinal play their first game as an ACC team against a Horned Frogs team that appeared in the national championship two years ago. Stanford is entering the second year of the Troy Taylor era.

Florida State vs. Georgia Tech: The 2024 season opener will take place in Dublin, Ireland, with College GameDay in attendance. It marks the highly anticipated debut of DJ Uiagalelei and the new-look Seminoles against a Yellow Jackets team with a slew of production back from last year.

Full CGD analyst picks for Week 0, early Week 1 games: 

Desmond Howard: Minnesota, Colorado, TCU, Florida State

Pat McAfee: Minnesota, Colorado, TCU, Florida State

Celebrity Guest Picker — Sheamus: Minnesota, Colorado, TCU, Georgia Tech

Nick Saban: North Carolina, Colorado, TCU, Florida State

Kirk Herbstreit: North Carolina, Colorado, TCU, Florida State