It’s never too early to start preparing for the next college football season, and after Michigan’s thrilling win in last year’s College Football Playoff, the 2024 season looks set to pick up where it left off with some exciting action.
Information on when the 2024 college football season will start can be found here. If games or times change, this article will be updated.
When does the 2024 college football season start?
The 2024 season is scheduled to begin on Saturday, Aug. 24, which is “Week 0” of the year. Most of the Division I programs in the country will begin their seasons the following week.
Here are some of the matches currently scheduled for Week 0 on Saturday, August 24th.
Aer Lingus College Football Classic: Florida State vs Georgia Tech (Dublin, Ireland) | 12pm ET | ESPN McNeese vs Tarleton State | 2:30pm ET | ESPNU Montana State vs New Mexico | 4pm ET | FS1 FCS Kickoff: North Alabama vs Southeast Missouri State (Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama) | 7pm ET | ESPN MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Norfolk State vs Florida A&M (Center Park Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia) | 7:30pm | ABC SMU vs Nevada | 8pm ET |CBS Sports Network Delaware State vs Hawaii
Week 1 of the 2024 college football season begins next week, with most games scheduled for Labor Day weekend, Saturday, August 31. Here are some of the matchups for the season opener:
Thursday, August 29
North Carolina vs. Minnesota | 8 p.m. ET | Fox North Dakota State vs. Colorado | 8 p.m. ET | ESPN Sacramento State vs. San Jose State | 10 p.m. ET | truTV and Max
Friday, August 30
TCU vs. Stanford | 10:30 pm ET | ESPN
Saturday, August 31
Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game: Clemson vs Georgia (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA) | 12:00 PM ET | ABC Penn State vs West Virginia | 12:00 PM ET | Fox South Dakota State vs Oklahoma State | 2:00 PM ET | ESPN+ Miami (FL) vs Florida | 3:30 PM ET | ABC Notre Dame vs Texas A&M | 7:30 PM ET | ABC Georgia State vs Georgia Tech | 8:00 PM ET | ACC Network Texas A&M-Commerce vs San Diego State | 8:00 PM ET | truTV and Max
September 1st (Sunday)
Orange Blossom Classic: North Carolina Central vs. Alabama State (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, Fla.) | 3:00 PM ET | ESPN Vegas Kickoff Classic: LSU vs. Southern California (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada) | 7:30 PM on ABC
Monday, September 2
Boston College vs. Florida State | 7:30 pm ET | ESPN
More Schedules: Here’s the FCS schedule for 2024 HBCU Football Homecomings and Classics
Other early season non-conference games to watch include:
Week 2: Saturday, September 7 Texas vs Michigan | 12 pm ET | FOX Arkansas vs Oklahoma State | 12 pm ET | ABC Kansas State vs Tulane | 12 pm ET | ESPN or ESPN2 Pittsburgh vs Cincinnati | 12 pm ET | ESPN or ESPN2 Florida A&M vs Miami (FL) | 6 pm ET | ACC Network UIW vs South Dakota State | 7 pm ET Colorado vs Nebraska | 7:30 pm ET | NBC Duke’s Mayo Classic: NC State vs Tennessee (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC) | 7 pm ESPN or ESPN2
History: The greatest walk-ons of all time | Notable firsts and milestones | Records that will never be broken
College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six Bowl Game Schedules
The 2024 season will be the College Football Playoff’s 11th and first in a 12-team format.
Here are the dates and schedule for next season’s College Football Playoff, including every New Year’s Six game.
First Round | Week of Saturday, December 21 Location: Home field of the higher-seeded team or another venue designated by the higher-seeded program. Quarterfinals Fiesta Bowl | Tuesday, December 31 Peach Bowl | Wednesday, January 1 Rose Bowl | Wednesday, January 1 Sugar Bowl | Wednesday, January 1 Semifinals Orange Bowl | Thursday, January 9 Cotton Bowl | Friday, January 10 CFP National Championship Game: Monday, January 20, 2023 (Atlanta, Georgia)
The final will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, marking the first time that two CFP National Championship Games will be held at the same location.
The University of Michigan won the College Football Playoff National Championship for the 2023-2024 season. Here is the complete history of the CFP title game.
Year
(Game Date) Game Venue 2015 #4 Ohio State 42, #2 Oregon 20 Arlington, Texas 2016 #2 Alabama 45, #1 Clemson 40 Glendale, Arizona 2017 #2 Clemson 35, #1 Alabama 31 Tampa, Florida 2018 #4 Alabama 26, #3 Georgia 23 Atlanta, Georgia 2019 #2 Clemson 44, #1 Alabama 16 Santa Clara, California 2020 #1 LSU 42, #3 Clemson 25 New Orleans, Louisiana 2021 #1 Alabama52, No. 3 Ohio State 24 Miami Gardens, FL 2022 No. 3 University of Georgia 33, No. 1 University of Alabama 18 Indianapolis, IN 2023 No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 3 TCU 7 Englewood, CA 2024 No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13 Houston, TX
🏆: The complete history of college football championships | Schools with the most titles | Most CFP appearances
Upcoming CFP National Championship locations and dates
2025-26: Miami (Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL) – January 19
First Round | Week of Saturday, December 20 Location: Home field of the higher-seeded team or another location designated by the higher-seeded program Quarterfinal Locations: Cotton Bowl | Wednesday, December 31 Orange Bowl | Thursday, January 1 Rose Bowl | Thursday, January 1 Sugar Bowl | Thursday, January 1 Semifinal Locations: Fiesta Bowl | Thursday, January 8 Peach Bowl | Friday, January 9
Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has served as a reporter covering FCS, track and field, cross country and HBCUs. He has covered numerous NCAA championship events, including the FCS Championships, DI Track & Field Championships and the Men’s Frozen Four. Additionally, he has covered HBCU sporting events such as the 2022 College Football Playoff’s Peach Bowl, as well as the Celebration Bowl and Legacy Classic. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Professional Writing and played football as a five-year letterman. You can follow him on Twitter. Stan Becton.
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