College Football Cheat Sheet: Week 1 Marathon

For my money, Labor Day weekend is one of the best on the sports calendar. After a long offseason, college football will control a holiday weekend up until Monday. Following an excellent Thursday night that included some very fun games, we still have four more nights of football remaining.

KSR’s College Football Cheat Sheet has returned for the 2024 season to set the table for a long weekend. There are numerous Power Five vs. Group of Five/FCS matchups sprinkled throughout the slate but some big-time games are staggered in a good way on Saturday before a huge Big Ten vs. SEC non-conference match arrives on Sunday. It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 1.

The Slate

Top 10 Games

1. No. 19 Miami at Florida
2. No. 13 LSU vs. No. 23 USC
3. No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M
4. No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia
5. No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia
6. Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt
7. Boston College at No. 10 Florida State
8. TCU at Stanford
9. Boise State at Georgia Southern
10. South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State

College Football Gambling Corner

Want spread plays? We got spread plays.

— Luckett’s Locks: Under City (KSR+)

Take advantage of our KSR+ KICKOFF SALE to get bonus coverage of the Cats, including game threads, in-depth scouting reports, and the latest recruiting and roster intel. Use promo code KICKOFF24 for 50% off the annual price.

Subscribe to the KSR YouTube Channel for press conferences, interviews, original shows, fan features, and exclusive content.

Anxiety Bowl in The Swamp

Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier were each hired in the same coaching cycle with both additions having a strong approval rating. Napier had turned down multiple overtures and was going to bring Gators football up to speed with elite organization and strong recruiting work. Cristobal was returning to his alma mater bringing toughness, discipline, and elite recruiting.

Through two seasons, both head coaches own a losing record. Cristobal sits at 12-13 and Napier is 11-14. Neither is on the hot seat yet but that seat will heat up quickly if another .500 season arrives in 2024. Both head coaches need a big win. Each has an opportunity on Saturday afternoon.

Miami and Florida will meet for the 57th time on the gridiron with the Hurricanes owning a slim 29-27 series lead. The latest chapter in this in-state rivalry is fairly significant.

Cristobal’s program could survive a loss easier but there are legitimate College Football Playoff expectations for a Miami roster that looks very good on paper. A non-conference road win over the SEC would certainly help the ACC look better. Napier’s program could find the path to bowl eligibility difficult with a loss.

We have a true anxiety bowl in Gainesville with a fan base meltdown coming no matter the result.

Sunday shootout in Las Vegas

We will get a standalone game on Sunday night out in Vegas when LSU faces off against USC. Brian Kelly goes head-to-head with Lincoln Riley again. These two programs have a lot in common.

The Tigers and Trojans are replacing top-five draft picks with multi-year quarterbacks who have waited their turn but shined in bowl games last season. Both programs made a change at defensive coordinator to fix units that played embarrassing football for most of last season. Each is a dark horse playoff contender that could begin to build momentum with a big non-conference victory.

There are some stakes in this game with a fair share of unknowns on each side. The Big Ten vs. SEC matchup is the kind of game that will carry weight come Selection Sunday. Whatever the final result, this game will have a big impact on the playoff race.

A perfect season opener.

A massive opportunity for Notre Dame

Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman made some big moves in the offseason after finishing 10-3 in year two. The Irish hired offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock away from LSU and landed Duke quarterback Riley Leonard out of the transfer portal. That has created a team that is a true College Football Playoff contender on paper.

A win on Saturday could be the start of a perfect regular season.

The Irish only have three true road games all season and one of them occurs on Saturday night in College Station. A win in Kyle Field could open a path to a fourth undefeated regular season in 13 years for this historic program.

Notre Dame gets Louisville at home, plays Georgia Tech in Atlanta away at a neutral site, and gets Florida State in South Bend in November. A road trip to USC looms large but you can see a path to 12-0 and the No. 5 seed in the first 12-team playoff.

Former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Mike Elko is making his Texas A&M head coaching debut and has a talented team. The Irish are small underdogs for a reason but an upset win could lead to a big season for Freeman’s program.

College Football Degenerate Under: Miami (Ohio) at Northwestern Under 39.5

The Big Ten West is officially dead but the philosophy will never die. Our first sicko mode under of the season had to be with a team in a cold weather climate. With Iowa hosting an FCS opponent, Northwestern steps in.

The Wildcats will play their first game in their temporary stadium on the lake and are breaking in a new offensive coordinator who will be installing a spread offense with an emphasis on quarterback run. Former Vanderbilt and Mississippi State quarterback Mike Wright is expected to take QB1 snaps for Northwestern. The Wildcats will be playing a Miami (Ohio) team that is a true MAC contender and has one of the best defenses in the Group of Five.

Points will be at a premium in a college football game played on a lacrosse field.

The rest of the college football card

— The only top-15 vs. top-15 matchup in Week 1 will take place in the noon window when Georgia faces Clemson in Atlanta. This is a matchup we’ve seen multiple times before and again involves two very good defenses. Cade Klubnik and the Clemson offense are the unit to watch. The Bulldogs likely roll unless the Tigers start showing us more in the passing game.

— Penn State has covered eight consecutive games as a road favorite. That will be put the test in Morgantown. Neal Brown‘s West Virginia program has a ton of momentum entering the season and will look to deliver the first big upset of the season. Former Kansas offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki takes over play-calling for Penn State and the hope is that the move will allow quarterback Drew Allar to reach another level.

— After a disappointing debut, Florida State will find itself in a standalone window again on Monday night in another ACC contest. The Seminoles will host Boston College in the debut of head coach Bill O’Brien. Will we see more life from that FSU offense? That game could give us a better idea if Week Zero was a fluke or not.

— Boise State is a team many believe will earn the Group of Five bid to the College Football Playoff in December. The Broncos have a clear path to a Mountain West title but the Week 1 contest is tricky. In his first game as the full-time head coach, Spencer Danielson will bring Boise to Statesboro to face a Sun Belt team with a pass-heavy offense that can score some points. Do not be surprised if Clay Helton‘s group puts Boise State on upset alert.