Top 5 College Football Opening Weekend Games 2024 ft. USC vs. LSU
The 2024 college football opening weekend is going to be intriguing as there are a lot of entertaining matchups. With some outstanding non-conference action on the slate, there are going to be great games on the docket.
For the sake of this article, we are combining the Week 0 and Week 1 games as there are not enough significant Week 0 matchups, so this will include all games between August 24 to September 2.
Top 5 College Football Opening Weekend Games 2024
Florida Gators vs. Miami Hurricanes
This game is on the list for a few reasons, as these two coaches are really on the hot seat. Mario Cristobal and Billy Napier are both struggling in their current positon.
The in-state rivalry is going to be exciting right away, and with the Hurricanes as 2.5-point road favorites, this game should be close and very intriguing on both sides.
Georgia Bulldogs vs. Clemson Tigers
The Georgia Bulldogs have been one of the top programs in college football but are coming off a disappointing year where they did not make the College Football Playoff.
The Clemson Tigers had a poor season by their standards, and with two of the top college football coaches in Kirby Smart and Dabo Swinney, this game is going to be interesting. Both teams need to get off to hot starts to make people forget about how the 2023 college football season ended.
USC Trojans vs. LSU Tigers
This game happening inside Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, has a bit of extra smoke to it as the USC Trojans tried to back out of the game during the offseason.
However, the game is still set for September 1 at 7:30 pm ET and it will be interesting. Lincoln Riley needs to show he can win without Caleb Williams and improve the defense, while this is a chance for Brian Kelly to show the rebuild is in process. The top two picks in the 2024 NFL draft were these teams' quarterbacks.
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M
There is a reason why this game is going to be featured on ESPN's College GameDay for Week 1, as it is the first full season after the Jimbo Fisher era. Mike Elko is hoping that quarterback Conner Weigman can stay healthy and really make things even better for the Aggies.
For the Notre Dame team, they added a solid quarterback in Riley Leonard, who was coached by Elko last season. This should be an amazing matchup for the first game of the season here.
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. West Virginia Mountaineers
This game should be a lot of fun as the Nittany Lions look to be in the mix for the top spot in the Big Ten Conference. This West Virginia team was getting close to firing coach Neal Brown, but a 9-4 season last year in the Big 12 gave him some new life.