While there is great excitement about the opening of the new Thorne Stadium, the holiday day weekend will also be the official start of the 2024 college football season. While a handful of games were played last Saturday, Week 1 offers a host of intriguing matchups for the first weekend of the season. The 2024 season will also usher in a new College Football Playoff (CFP) format as 12 teams will qualify for the post-season tournament (up from four). The season will culminate on Monday, Jan. 20 with the CFP National Championship game slated for Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The top four seeded teams in the CFP poll will receive first-round byes, while the remaining eight teams will be seeded 5-12. The higher seeds will host first-round games the weekend of Dec. 2-21 at their home stadiums, or a designated stadium near their respective campuses. The Quarterfinals will be held Dec. 31-Jan. 1 at the Fiesta Bowl (Dec. 31), the Peach Bowl (Jan. 1), the Rose Bowl (Jan. 1) and the Sugar Bowl (Jan. 1). The Semifinals will be held Jan. 9-10 at the Orange Bowl (Jan. 9) and the Cotton Bowl (Jan. 10).
The first round games will be held on ABC/ESPN and TNT Sports, while the Quarterfinals, Semifinals and National Championship games will be held on ESPN.
The Labor Day Weekend schedule is loaded as No. 1- ranked Georgia faces Clemson in Atlanta (The Bulldogs would love to start and finish their season at Atlanta, and might very well do so). No. 8-ranked Penn State faces a tough road opener at West Virginia, while No. 4-ranked Texas opens the season in Austin against Colorado State, hoping to land a second straight CFP spot. Texas and Oklahoma are now members of the SEC and will learn that maybe, just maybe, the grass isn’t greener away from the Big 12.
Speaking of the Big 12, the Willie Fritz era begins at the University of Houston as the Cougars will host UNLV on Saturday.
Also in the Lone Star State on Saturday, No. 7-ranked Notre Dame pays a visit to College Station to take on No. 20-ranked Texas A&M and new head coach Mike Elko.
Other top matchups in Week 1 have Miami facing off against Florida in a battle of Sunshine State and the Labor Day Weekend concludes on Labor Day with No. 13-ranked LSU taking on No. 23-ranked USC in Las Vegas.
It should be a fun weekend of viewing.
So, without further ado, let’s take a look at this weekend’s games.
HIGH SCHOOL
Kempner at Aldine–Ojeda’s Mustangs take on a Kempner team that finished 0-10 a year ago, while the Mustangs finished 2-8. Aldine returns five offensive and eight defensive starters as Ojeda begins his third year at AHS. He will be looking for contributions from tight end Samuel Saravia, defensive lineman Keishon Wiser (6-2, 285 pounds), linebacker Carlos Cruz and defensive back Jashyne Daniels. Kempner returns eight offensive and six defensive starters. The Mustangs hope to make the first game in the new Thorne Stadium a memorable one. My pick, Aldine 20, Kempner 17
Eisenhower at Westbrook–Odell James Eagles finished 3-7 a year ago and are looking to turns things around in 2024. The Eagles return five offensive and three defensive starters. Key performers should be wide receiver Jason Washington, quarterback Eugene Durst, defensive end Logan Draper (6- 2, 235 pounds) and linebacker Reginald Clark. Class 5A Westbrook finished 0-10 a year ago and returns four offensive and four defensive starters. My pick, Eisenhower 31, Westbrook 18
Davis at Willis–Kelvin Chatham’s Falcons finished 5-5 a year ago and return a solid nucleus with five offensive and seven defensive starters back in the fold. The Falcons will look for big plays from running back Nicholas Tramble, offensive lineman Edward Lopez )6-4, 265 pounds), offensive lineman Nicolous Cheveverr (6-4, 265 pounds) and linebacker Kayden Gilbert. Willis finished 12-1 a year ago and returns star wide receiver Jermain Bishop (80 receptions, 1,931 yards, 21 TDs). The Falcons will need to contain Bishop if they hope to pick up the road win. My pick, Willis 24, Davis 21
Morton Ranch at Nimitz–Cornelius Harmon’s Cougars finished 8-3 a year ago and made the playoffs. They return a strong nucleus with nine offensive and seven defensive starters, led by quarterback Albert Brown (the Northeast News’ Offensive Player of the Year). Brown passed for 2,303 yards, 20 TDs and rushed for 437 yards and 11 scores. Other top hands returning are wide receivers Malachi Augustus and Ke’Lyn Washom and linebacker Javar Thomas (6-3, 205 pounds), who was named a Houston Touchdown Club Defensive Player of the Year candidate. My pick, Nimitz 34, Morton Ranch 13
Cy-Ridge at MacArthur–MacArthur welcomes a new head coach in Blake Ware, a proud MacArthur graduate who wants to turn the Generals fortunes around. Ware inherits seven offensive and six defensive starters in his first year on the job. He will be looking for strong play from safety Aijalek Silvers (four interceptions, 87 tackles), cornerback Corey Seymore, wide receiver/defensive back Senai Chatman, quarterback Lance Nero and running back Nick Macias. Cy-Ridge finished 2-8 a year ago and returns seven offensive and seven defensive starters. My pick, MacArthur 17, Cy-Ridge 13
NCAA
TCU at Stanford–The long Labor Day Weekend football fest kicks off on Friday night when the TCU Horned Frogs head west to take on Stanford. After finishing 13-2 and playing for the national championship following the 2022 season, TCU fell off to a 5-7 record last year. Dykes has reshuffled his roster with a number of new players from the NCAA Portal and is hoping sophomore QB Josh Hoover (2,206 yards, 15 TDs) is ready for bigger and better things in 2024. Look for the Frogs to get off to a good start as they pick up a win against the a Cardinal team that finished 3-9 last year. My pick, TCU 33, Stanford 20
Clemson vs. Georgia–This should be a good one to start a long Saturday of quality games. This one starts at noon and features No. 1-ranked Georgia against a Clemson team that wants to get back in the CFP picture. Dabo Swiney’s team finished a respectable 9-4 a year ago, but they haven’t been in the CFP since 2019. That can’t be sitting well with Tiger fans. This game features two of the country’s top QBs in Clemson’s Cade Klubnik (2,844 yards, 19 TDs/4 rushing TDs) and Heisman Trophy contender Carson Beck (3,941 yards, 24 TDs). I think Clemson hangs with the ‘Dawgs, but look for Georgia’s defense to be the difference maker late as Kirby Smart’s team picks up a big season-opening win. My pick, Georgia 31, Clemson 16
Penn State at West Virginia–No. 8-ranked Penn State heads to the hills to face a dangerous West Virginia team that was the surprise of the Big 12 a year ago with its 9-4 finish. PSU has CFP hopes and has a veteran QB returning in Drew Allar (2,631 yards, 25 TDs) and a two-headed running game led by Kaytron Allen (902 yards, 7 TDs) and Nicholas Singleton (752 yards, 10 TDs). The Mountaineers also have a solid signal caller back in Garrett Green (2,406 yards, 16 TDs) and a solid back in C.J. Donaldson (798 yards, 11 TDs). If the Nittany Lions are going to be serious CFP contenders, winning a tough road game to start the season could be a huge for its momentum. My pick, Penn State 27, West Virginia 23
Colorado State at Texas–Steve Sarkisian begins his fourth season at the 40 Acres and he and many Orange bloods believe this could be a special team. Texas is coming off a 12-2 season, a Big 12 title and a spot in the CFP. UT returns a solid nucleus on both sides of the football, led by QB Quin Ewers (3,479 yards, 22 TDs in 12 games), four of five offensive line starters and playmakers galore on the defense. UT suffered a big blow in pre-season camp when running back C.J. Baxter was lost for the season with a knee injury. Texas will pin its hopes on speedy sophomore Jadon Blue (398 yards, 4 total TDs and a Klein ISD product). Texas has a new set of receivers in Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond (48 receptions, 668 yards, 4 TDs) and UH transfer Matthew Golden. This will be a good test for the UT secondary as CSU QB Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi (3,460 yards, 22 TDs) can fling it all over the place. Look for the more physical ‘Horns to wear down CSU in the Austin heat. My pick, Texas 41, Colorado State 20
Miami at Florida–This Battle for the Sunshine State pits two teams that are looking to rebound from subpar seasons. Miami finished 7-6 a year ago, while Florida finished 5-7. The heat is on for both teams’ head coaches. Miami will be led by Washington State transfer QB Cam Wards (3,736 yards, 25 TDs), while Florida will pin it hopes on Graham Mertz (2,903 yards, 20 TDs) and running back Montrell Johnson (817 yards, 6 TDs). Gator head coach Bill Napier knows he must win and win now, so look for the Gators to pick up a solid first win of the season. My pick, Florida 26, Miami 23
Notre Dame at Texas A&M–A good one for Saturday evening as the No. 7-ranked Fighting Irish head into College Station to take on No. 20-ranked A&M and new head coach Mike Elko. This should be a defensive battle as ND (10-3 a year ago) returns nine defensive starters and the Aggies have one of the best defensive lines in the country. ND will be led by QB Riley Leonard (1,102 yards, 3 TDs/352 rushing yards, 4 TDs in seven games). Riley played for Elko last year at Duke, so you can be sure the new Aggie head man knows a thing or two about the new Irish QB. A&M is hoping for a big year from their QB, Conner Weigman (979 yards, 8 TDs in just 4 games), who missed much of the 2023 season with a foot injury. The Aggies also suffered a loss at running back when starter Amari Daniels suffered a season-ending injury in camp. Rueben Owens (385 yards, 3 TDs) and LeVeon Moss (484 yards, 5 TDs) will be called on to pick up the slack in the running game. Weigman has a solid go-to guy in wide receiver Moose Muhammad II (27 receptions, 345 yards, 2 TDs). This should be a low-scoring game and I’m going with the better of the two defenses in this one, which means a big season-opening road win for Notre Dame. My pick, Notre Dame 20, Texas A&M 17
USC vs.LSU–This is a good one to finish off the Labor Day Weekend Football Fest. This should be a high-scoring game as the Trojans will start Miller Moss at QB (681 yards, 7 TDs). Moss stepped in for Caleb Williams in the Holiday Bowl and tossed six TD passes to earn MVP game honors. The Tigers are also starting over at QB as Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels has moved on to the NFL. Head coach Brian Kelly (10-3 a year ago) will put his faith in backup Garrett Nussmeier (591 yards, 4 TDs). Look for running back Logan Diggs (653 yards, 7 TDs) to have a coming out season, while on defense linebacker Harold Perkins (5.5 sacks) will look to hound Miller all night long. My pick, LSU 30, USC 26
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