Mapping out the premier Week 1 college football viewing guide

College football returns to action this weekend with four games in Week 0, but the unofficial true start of the 2024 season beings next Thursday and runs through Labor Day. 

Week 1 is always a glorious five-day bender of football. There’s a whopping 96 games featuring at least one FBS team — though just three ranked-on-ranked matchups. 

Football is back! But there’s only so much time the casual fan can enjoy a long, glorious college football weekend. You’ll have plenty of other opportunities this season to catch Ohio State, Texas, Ole Miss and Tennessee, so which games should you prioritize for optimal viewing in Week 1?

Like a great tasting menu, I’ve mapped out the perfect slate, starting with an amuse-bouche Thursday night, several spicy appetizers Saturday afternoon and multiple main courses throughout the weekend in primetime. 

Let’s dive into the perfect Week 1 viewing slate:

THURSDAY

8:00 p.m. — North Carolina at Minnesota (FOX) or North Dakota State at Colorado (ESPN)

This is a pick your favorite flavor affair to kickoff Week 1. The Tar Heels and Gophers are one of just eight power conference (and Notre Dame) matchups in Week 1, and there’s some intrigue in this game where Mack Brown has yet to name Drake Maye’s replacement at quarterback. Most believe it will be Texas A&M transfer Max Johnson, but he hasn’t won the job yet. On the other side, Minnesota will introduce Max Brosmer, the FCS passing leader in 2023, to a national audience. 

Meanwhile, ESPN is rerunning the 2023 Colorado playbook, hoping the Buffs get off to another hot start this season to juice the early ratings. North Dakota State isn’t quite the FCS powerhouse it once was, but the Bison are still among the FCS favorites this fall and could still give the Buffs a real scare. The spread is under double-digits, and what if Deion Sanders’ offensive line transfers aren’t ready for primetime? 

FRIDAY

10:30 p.m. — TCU at Stanford (ESPN)

Here’s where you have to pace yourself. There are just six games Friday night, and none are all that exciting. If you’re a member of the @SickosCommittee, perhaps you can get yourself jazzed up for FAU at Michigan State or Temple at Oklahoma, but here’s my suggestion: Go enjoy a nice dinner out at your favorite spot to celebrate the kickoff of the 2024 season. Then enjoy a night-cap of TCU at Stanford where the Horned Frogs are looking to rebound from last season’s disastrous 4-8 seasons, while the Cardinal have one of the nation’s best players most casual fans don’t know about in wideout Elic Ayomanor.

SATURDAY

12 p.m. — No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia (ABC)

(Second screen: No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia)

The Bulldogs and Tigers played a classic defensive slobber knocker in Charlotte in 2021, but this season’s opener stands to have a few more fireworks. With perhaps the nation’s best offensive line, quarterback Carson Beck and a versatile set of playmakers, Georgia should have one of the best offenses in the nation in 2024. The Bulldogs haven’t lost a regular-season game in three years and are 14-point favorites in this Top 25 matchup. Why? Well, while Dabo Swinney’s defense is expected to remain elite, there are continued questions about how good Cade Klubnik is and if a young set of receivers are ready to go on Day 1. 

If the game in Atlanta gets out of hand, then I’d advise switching over to Penn State at WVU. The Nittany Lions will walk into a hornet’s nest in Morgantown, and even though they’re the more talented team, it’s hardly a gimme opener for a Top 10 squad with playoff aspirations.

3:30 p.m. — No. 19 Miami at Florida 

The Sunshine State Showdown is the Anxiety Bowl of Week 1, as two third-year head coaches badly need to get off to a quick start in 2024 or really risk the ire of a couple of antsy fan bases. Mario Cristobal’s team has ACC Championship expectations this season, while Billy Napier is looking to prove he shouldn’t be considered a hot seat candidate. Whoever loses in The Swamp on Saturday is going to have a mighty uncomfortable next six days before they get to play again. 

7:30 p.m. — No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M

(Second screen: Fresno State at No. 9 Michigan)

Perhaps the premier game of the entire weekend. College GameDay will be in town for this one — highlighting Mike Elko’s debut as Texas A&M’s new head coach going up against his former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard. Led by transfer Nic Scourton, the Aggies’ defensive line could feast against an Irish OL that’s slated to start a true freshman at left tackle. Considering the rest of Notre Dame’s 2024 schedule, there’s real pressure on the Irish to win their opener or risk having to run the table the rest of the season. 

Elsewhere, we still don’t know who will start at quarterback for Michigan, but the bet here is multiple guys (likely Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle) play against the Bulldogs. 

If you’re feeling frisky and want some after-dark action, then perhaps you’d enjoy a late-night snack of New Mexico at Arizona (10:30 p.m., ESPN) where Bronco Mendenhall is now in charge of the Lobos and Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan are playing for new head coach Brent Brennan with the Wildcats. 

SUNDAY

7:30 p.m. — No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU

If not for Miami-Florida or Notre Dame-Texas A&M, then the Las Vegas Bowl could be the weekend’s most intriguing game. It certainly doesn’t lack storylines or narrative, which is why it gets a primetime, standalone slot in Week 1. Neither Lincoln Riley or Brian Kelly are in any danger of losing their jobs, but both enter pivotal Year 3’s with legitimate questions about the direction of their programs. Have they both fixed their teams’ defense? Do they have the right guy to follow the guy at quarterback? In wrestling parlance, this is a bit of a loser leave’s town matchup considering both USC and LSU have some major conference games the rest of the season. 

MONDAY 

7:30 p.m. — Boston College at No. 10 FSU

The Bill O’Brien era will cap Week 1, as the Eagles will travel to Tallahassee after giving the Seminoles a legitimate scare (31-29) last season. Mike Norvell’s team will be coming off their opener in Ireland just nine days earlier. Regardless of the outcome against Georgia Tech, will FSU be able to quickly turn around on such short notice?