Joel Klatt lists 10 college football games that will shape the 2024 season

College football as we know it has changed, with multiple aspects of the sport changing. Conference realignment and the expanded College Football Playoff are finally coming into effect. While things might look different, there are plenty of big-time matchups on the schedule.

FOX’s Joel Klatt has listed 10 games he believes will shape the 2024 season, all coming from the power conferences. Most involve Big Ten or SEC programs, with a couple even being matchups between the two conferences.

And then there are the ACC and Big 12, attempting to make their mark in the CFP by getting multiple programs into the tournament. Maybe not the same buzz as others listed but just as important when it comes to crowning a national champion.

LSU vs. USC (Las Vegas)

“I think USC and LSU are pretty similarly positioned within their conferences,” Klatt said. “Which is, a bit of an unknown. We believe in their coaches… We believe in their locations… And yet, we still don’t know in the new iteration of these conferences — where are they going to be at?”

Klatt believes USC winning this game would be big for the Big Ten, changing the perception of the conference in terms of the number of teams making the College Football Playoff. The same can be said about LSU due to the marquee nonconference win and a favorable home game schedule.

Texas at Michigan

Another Big Ten/SEC matchup, this will be Michigan’s first big test in the post-Jim Harbaugh era. Klatt says the folks in Ann Arbor want nothing to change despite some of the personnel being different. Beating a preseason-hyped team in Texas would certainly silence any doubters.

“The narrative right now, in the offseason, is that Texas is going to roll up there,” Klatt said. “They’re more talented, they got their quarterback Quinn Ewers, and they’re going to beat Michigan… I don’t hold Michigan in my top four right now in the offseason. If they were to beat Texas, that changes immediately, shaping the season.

Colorado at Nebraska

Early-season rivalry games can catapult seasons into successful ones, a scenario Klatt sees playing out when Colorado travels to Lincoln. He says Nebraska was better than their record a year ago due to injuries and quarterback turnovers, while Deion Sanders should have more depth at key positions.

Klatt argues the winner on Sept. 7 will vault itself into the CFP discussion, being a huge moment for the Big Ten and Big 12.

“We’re either going to plunge into Prime Time mania again or Nebraska is going to be for real,” Klatt said. “That game is highly interesting and will definitely shape the season.”

Georgia at Alabama

“I know that Bama won their last meeting but Georgia has won the more recent national championship,” Klatt said. “And the legend has stepped down. This is no longer Kirby Smart as the protege against the master Nick Saban. This is a Saban-less Alabama program. That’s why this game is so interesting.”

Georgia went 2-8 against Alabama while Saban was in Tuscaloosa and 1-5 with Smart as their head coach. Kalen DeBoer has taken over the Crimson Tide, beginning a new era of rivalry for college football’s top two programs over the last few seasons. A lot of narratives will be written based on the outcome.

Clemson at Florida State

If the ACC “relies” on getting two teams in the College Football Playoff, Klatt believes they will fall short. Earning the automatic birth through the conference championship game may be Clemson or Florida State’s only path, making their head-to-head matchup the ACC’s biggest game of the year.

“The ACC is going to be fighting for a second playoff spot,” Klatt said. “The winner of this game likely puts themselves in a firm — I would say seat, path, control of the ACC Championship Game. It gives them some cushion as it relates to playing for that conference title which would then get them the automatic birth into the College Football Playoff.”

Ohio State at Oregon

Oregon is a perceived top-four team heading into 2024 but now wearing Big Ten threads, nobody quite knows how the Ducks will handle a new conference.

In order to have success in the Big Ten, there are two teams to overcome — Michigan and Ohio State. Both are on the schedule but the Buckeyes come to Columbus as the potential preseason No. 1 team, giving Dan Lanning a chance to prove his program is for real.

“This is their first measuring stick,” Klatt said. “‘What are we in the Big Ten? Are we going to compete at the highest level in the Big Ten?'”

Georgia at Texas

Klatt takes the same logic he used with Oregon moving to the Big Ten and applied it to Texas jumping into the SEC. Georgia coming to Austin will be a monumental moment for the program, even if some big wins against Michigan and Oklahoma come earlier in the schedule.

“Texas moves into a conference, after being in the playoff, thinking ‘We put ourselves on the upper echelon of college football.’ Steve Sarkisian does an incredible job. And now, bam. You get the standard in college football,” Klatt said.

Missouri at Alabama

No divisions in the SEC have opened the conference up, potentially allowing somebody to sneak into the SEC Championship Game. Klatt circles Missouri as the team to circle in 2024 and if they can upset Alabama in Tuscaloosa, he predicts the Tigers will be in Atlanta.

“Missouri’s schedule is set up for them to find a way to that championship game,” Klatt said. “They do not play Georgia. They do not play Texas. They do not play Ole Miss. They do not play LSU. And they do not play Tennessee. This is their toughest SEC game.

“If they can beat Alabama, they’re going to be in Atlanta. Wrap your minds around that.”

Ohio State at Penn State

“This has been the hurdle for Penn State, beating Ohio State,” Klatt said. “They’ve got them at home. A win in Happy Valley over Ohio State would put Penn State in the absolute prime spot to go play for the Big Ten title.”

As Klatt mentioned, beating Ohio State is not something James Franklin has been able to do lately, especially in big moments. If Penn State is going to take advantage of the highly thought of 2022 recruiting class, beating the Buckeyes at home and competing for a Big Ten title is a must.

Michigan at Ohio State

After years of Ohio State dominating Michigan, the script has flipped. The Wolverines are now the kings of The Game, winning the past three matchups, three Big Ten championships, and the latest national championship.

You would have this game as a top-10 impactful one no matter the circumstances but this year’s contest almost feels like a must-win for Ohio State.

“Ryan Day and the Buckeyes have to win this game,” Klatt said. “They’re hosting this game, they’ve lost three straight, and they need it. They need it badly.”