Week 1 is officially upon us as the 2024 college football season gets into full swing.
There have already been a number of exciting contests in Week 1, including the one that came down to the final seconds between Colorado and NDSU in which Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and jack-of-all-trades player Travis Hunter stole the show en route to a 31-26 victory. We also saw Georgia Tech upset over the Florida State Seminoles, 24-21, in Week 0.
But there’s plenty more action on the horizon. Here’s a look at just three of the many matchups you should turn your attention to ahead of the weekend:
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1. No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 14 Clemson
Georgia looks to be college football’s next dynasty team after controversially missing the postseason following 2023. The Bulldogs have all of the right stuff to do it as well, with quarterback Carson Beck serving as the headliner with the potential to be not just the best at his position in the country, but also maybe even the best player in the country.
But the Tigers have the chance to prove they’re underrated here with an upset that seems unlikely given just how loaded the Bulldogs are on both sides of the ball and as double-digit favorites, but it shouldn’t be fully ruled out of the cards. Clemson has not made it into the College Football Playoff since it made six consecutive appearances between 2015 and 2020. The team’s defense particularly stands out here, ranking in the top 25 last season in several different areas. They return 11 starters on that side of the ball, with five-star linebacker Sammy Brown also in the fold.
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2. No. 19 Miami at Florida
The Miami Hurricanes may be one of the biggest darkhorse teams in the nation to watch this season, and one of the biggest storylines to follow in Week 1 will be how they make use of journeyman transfer quarterback Cam Ward, who has found himself in and out of the spotlight at several different points within his career. There’s optimism in this stage of the Mario Cristobal era, and the Canes will have their first chance to back it up here against an in-state opponent.
Florida also has a lot to prove after the Gators posted a losing season in 2023 despite some positive things like the upswing that a formerly low-ranked quarterback Graham Mertz was on. It’s easy to get the sense Gators fans are losing tolerance for the performance of head coach Billy Napier, who may be on the hot seat more than anyone else in the sport of football this season. He’s got a top-15 recruiting class to capitalize on and little excuse to not raise the bar in 2024.
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3. No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia
Penn State enters this one as one of the most intriguing teams in college football with the way both the pieces it returns and the ease of schedule could provide a more simple path to the College Football Playoff than exists for most. The road to making it there will start with a Morgantown rivalry contest against the West Virginia Mountaineers.
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One of the biggest aspects of the game to keep an eye on will be the quarterback battle that will take place between Penn State’s Drew Allar and West Virginia’s Garrett Greene, both of whom could emerge as a surprise Heisman Trophy candidates.
WVU head coach Neal Brown caught attention with a nine-win season last year after previously being viewed as a potential hot-seat candidate, and he’ll be looking to expound upon that in 2024.
Crissy Froyd covers college football for Sportsnaut.com Follow on X @crissy_froyd