College football season is quickly approaching and fans of every school have high hopes (to at least some extent). While there are varying degrees of what people deem as a successful season, for a select few, a national title is a realistic goal. With the new format of the College Football Playoff and conference realignment, we will now get more intriguing and important matchups throughout the season.
Top Ten College Football Matchups for 2024
No. 10 Florida State Seminoles at Notre Dame Fighting Irish (November 9; South Bend, Indiana; Notre Dame Stadium)
Both Florida State and Notre Dame will have familiar names in new places at their quarterback positions. DJ Uiagalelei, a two-time transfer, resurrected his career last season at Oregon State. After a hot start to his career as a freshman at Clemson, DJU’s stock crashed over the next two seasons. However, a solid campaign for the Beavers in 2023 led him back to the ACC as Florida State grabbed him out of the transfer portal.
The Seminoles finished just outside of the College Football Playoff last season when the committee dropped them due to a season-ending injury to quarterback Jordan Travis. Their offense then lost Trey Benson, Keon Coleman, and Jaheim Bell to the NFL Draft. Now, they will rely on DJU, Lawrence Toafili, Roydell Williams, Hakeem Williams, and Malik Benson to get them back into playoff contention.
Notre Dame welcomes in Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard and transfer wide receivers Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell to go along with sophomore running back Jeremiyah Love and wide receiver Jaden Greathouse. The Fighting Irish should be much more of a balanced offense this season with the depth at wide receiver and the departure of Audric Estime to the NFL.
Both teams should be fighting for a playoff spot come November 9th. Florida State is easily the best team Notre Dame will be facing…according to most preseason rankings. An undefeated 8-0 start to the season before this tilt wouldn’t be a shocker. Florida State, on the other hand, has a much more difficult schedule. There are four or five toss up games for them before they head to South Bend. If the Seminoles can navigate their way through those games, this could be a playoff eliminator matchup for both them and the Irish.
No. 9 Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Longhorns (October 12; Dallas, Texas; Cotton Bowl)
The Red River Rivalry arrives in the SEC this fall, and the stakes have probably never been bigger. Not only is a potential spot in the College Football Playoff on the line, but power, status, and standing with recruits within the SEC footprint are also involved.
The Texas Longhorns are coming off a wildly successful season that saw them in the college football playoff semifinal. Steve Sarkisian has them recruiting at an all-time clip for the program and they are returning several key pieces to go along with numerous impact transfers. Quarterback Quinn Ewers is a Heisman Trophy hopeful, and he has tons of weapons at his disposal. CJ Baxter and Jaydon Blue form one of the best backfield duos in the country. Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond, Houston transfer Matthew Golden, Oregon State transfer Silas Bolden, and rising sophomore Johntay Cook are one of the most dangerous wide receiving corps.
Oklahoma is replacing Dillon Gabriel, who transferred to Oregon this offseason. They do, however, have highly recruited, rising sophomore Jackson Arnold to take over the offense. Gavin Sawchuk is one of the best running backs in the country and is a potential All-American. Wide receiver Nic Anderson has special ability and could end up being a very highly drafted player in the 2025 NFL Draft. The Sooners also brought in Purdue transfer wide receiver Deion Burks, who will add to the team’s explosiveness.
Moving into the Southeastern Conference means a team could survive a second or third loss. Just don’t get caught with that third loss being a de facto tie-breaker to another team. Both teams have a tough road to hoe with their new conference schedules. Texas does have to travel to Michigan out of conference, so this rivalry game will be a huge matchup in terms of playoff chances.
No. 8 Georgia Bulldogs at Ole Miss Rebels (November 9; Oxford, MS; Vaught-Hemingway Stadium)
Another in a very long line of SEC games on this list, Georgia visiting Ole Miss has the potential to be one of the most hyped games of the season…especially if both teams can enter undefeated. Obviously, there are major obstacles in the way of that happening. However, both Ole Miss and Georgia will be favored in most…if not every game on their schedule before they meet up.
Both teams have Heisman Trophy contenders in Carson Beck and Jaxson Dart. Both teams have solid running back transfers in Trevor Etienne and Ole Miss’ combination of Henry Parrish Jr and Rashod Amos. Both teams also have deep wide receiving corps and good tight ends.
Georgia has a dynamic group that includes deep threats RaRa Thomas, Vanderbilt transfer London Humphreys and Miami transfer Colbie Young, a very good possession/slot receiver in Dominic Lovett, and a Swiss Army Knife in Dillon Bell. The Rebels counter with a dynamic group of their own with NFL prospects Tre Harris and Juice Wells and tight end Caden Prieskorn.
Ole Miss’ biggest improvement this offseason came on the defensive side of the ball with numerous key incoming transfers. Defensive linemen Walter Nolen and Princely Umanmielen enter along with linebacker Chris Paul and a number of defensive backs to bolster an Ole Miss defense in need of an upgrade. Georgia should continue to have a high-level defense due to their elite recruiting and defensive-minded head coach Kirby Smart.
No. 7 Alabama Crimson Tide at Tennessee Volunteers (October 19; Knoxville, TN; Neyland Stadium)
The Third Saturday in October is a time-honored and intense rivalry between these two border state schools. Tennessee finally made the rivalry interesting again when they knocked off Alabama with a last-second field goal in 2022. Alabama stormed back in the second half to win the 2023 contest. Now, back in Neyland Stadium, the Vols will attempt to protect their home field against their hated rivals.
Alabama heads into 2024 under new head coach Kalen DeBoer after the legendary Nick Saban called it a career this offseason. DeBoer brings a different offensive philosophy based on pace and tempo, an offense that quarterback Jalen Milroe could flourish. The Tide bring back a stable of running backs, led by Jam Miller and Justice Haynes. Gone are wide receivers Jermaine Burton (NFL), Isaiah Bond (Transferred to Texas), and Malik Benson (Transferred to Florida State). Bama will now rely on incoming Washington transfer Germie Bernard, incoming five-star recruit Ryan Williams, and the returning Kendrick Law, and Kobe Prentice.
Tennessee will be entering the Nico Iamaleava era, as the former five-star recruit will take over for the departed Joe Milton. Iamaleava is the prototype for a Josh Heupel-led offense. He is a quick processor with tremendous athleticism and a live arm. Dylan Sampson will be the lead running back, but will share some carries with Cameron Seldon (currently recovering from shoulder surgery), and some type of mixture of DeSean Bishop, Khalifa Kieth, and Peyton Lewis. At wide receiver, Bru McCoy and Dont’e Thornton return from season-ending injuries. Squirrel White, Tulane transfer Chris Brazzell, and incoming five-star Mike Matthews figure to be heavily involved.
Much like was said for Oklahoma vs. Texas, don’t lose a third game and the de facto tiebreaker to another team. This is another college football playoff eliminator type of game. The loser would very likely be on the outside of the College Football Playoff looking in.
No. 6 Oregon Ducks at Michigan Wolverines (November 2; Ann Arbor, MI; Michigan Stadium)
This game doesn’t quite have the juice as it would have had in 2023. Both Michigan and Oregon were legitimate College Football Playoff contenders. This season, Michigan has some questions that need to be answered before I can put them in the upper echelon in 2024. Oregon, however, reloaded from last season’s squad who almost made the CFP.
Oregon is welcoming in Oklahoma transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel after Bo Nix moved on to the NFL. Gabriel is one of the favorites to win the most prestigious individual award in college football…the Heisman Trophy. Jordan James slides into the lead running back role this season and Noah Whittington will compliment him. At Wide Receiver, Tez Johnson will have Texas A&M transfer Evan Stewart as his running mate. Both are considered among the best wide receiver prospects for next year’s draft.
Michigan has substantial question marks heading into the 2024 season. How different will the team look under new head coach Sherrone Moore? How will Alex Orji do stepping into the spotlight vacated by JJ McCarthy? Will the running game continue to be a dominant force post-Blake Corum? Who will be the playmakers now that Roman Wilson and Cornelius Johnson are gone?
Michigan, coming off their first college football national title since 1997, has grown accustomed to a stable JJ McCarthy and a dominant running game with Blake Corum. Alex Orji is a physical freak, but the jury is still out on if he can play at the elite level needed. Donovan Edwards is a much different running back than Corum. He and Kalel Mullings have big shoes to fill. At wide receiver, Semaj Morgan looks poised to be the next big playmaker for the Wolverines. Outside of him, the rest of the receivers are relatively unproven and unknown.
If Michigan can answer those questions successfully, they could be a contender to make the College Football Playoff again. If not, they could be in for a disappointing season. Oregon, on the other hand, should be primed for another run at the CFP. Dan Lanning has built a monster of a program since arriving in Eugene, and it doesn’t look to be slowing down any time soon.
College Football Top Five Games for 2024
No. 5 Ohio State Buckeyes at Oregon Ducks (October 12; Eugene, OR; Autzen Stadium)
With conference realignment, college football fans are going to be privileged to see many premiere contests like this. Ohio State and Oregon are among the elite, and now it’s a conference game. There will be tons of NFL talent on the field…especially on offense.
Ohio State brought in quarterback Will Howard from Kansas State to take over for Kyle McCord, who transferred to Syracuse this offseason. Ole Miss running back also transferred in to form the best backfield in college football with TreVeyon Henderson. Both will be among the highest-drafted running backs in the 2025 NFL Draft. The wide receiver room is possibly the best in college football also. Emeka Egbuka decided to return to Columbus for his senior season. He is joined by Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith, and Brandon Inniss as top-notch NFL prospects.
It’s such a treat to get these types of games multiple times a year, every year. It’s amazing how this game is only number five on this list. In any other season it would be top two or three.
No. 4 Georgia Bulldogs at Alabama Crimson Tide (September 28; Tuscaloosa, AL; Bryant-Denny Stadium)
The Georgia Bulldogs vs the Alabama Crimson Tide have become synonymous with college football over the last decade. Alabama burst back on the college football scene close to twenty years ago when Nick Saban left the Miami Dolphins to take over in Tuscaloosa. Prior to that, it had been a bit of an up-and-down roller coaster ride for the Tide.
After winning the national title in 1992, Alabama fell back to the middle of the pack throughout the rest of the 1990s and early 2000s. With Saban’s retirement, Bama will have to fight to maintain their status within the college football ranks. Kalen DeBoer is a good coach…on the West Coast. It remains to be seen if he can continue his momentum in the SEC where everything is done on a much bigger scale.
Georgia has been THE premiere team over the last three-plus years in college football. After winning back-to-back national championships, the Bulldogs failed to make the College Football Playoff in 2023 after losing their lone game to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game. In 2024, they will be on a mission to get back on track and win another national title.
No. 3 Texas Longhorns at Michigan Wolverines (September 7; Ann Arbor, MI; Michigan Stadium)
Texas has a ridiculous schedule in 2024. Not only will they be facing a tough conference schedule (much more difficult than they ever had before), but they also have a road trip to Ann Arbor to face Michigan. Michigan has its questions and potential major flaws, but visiting the Big House is never easy. Whoever wins this early season matchup will have a leg up in the race for the College Football Playoffs.
No. 2 Michigan Wolverines at Ohio State Buckeyes (November 30; Columbus, Ohio; Ohio Stadium)
The Game, as it is known, has become the biggest rivalry in college football. Each team and fanbase hates the other with a fire of a thousand suns. Michigan has won the last two games, and Ohio State hates that more than anything. It could be argued that either team could go 1-11, but as long as that one win is this game, all would be fine with the world.
Going into 2024, Ohio State has a much more established roster. However, the unknown for Michigan could be great. It could also be a major letdown. At the end of the day, even if the Buckeyes are 11-0 and the Wolverines are 6-5 going into this game, you can never count either team out here.
No. 1 Georgia at Texas (October 19; Austin, TX; Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium)
The biggest matchup this upcoming season will be when Georgia travels to Austin to take on new conference foe Texas. These are possibly the two best rosters in college football and should make for a thrilling matchup in mid-October. With both teams now residing in the SEC, this could ultimately foreshadow the 2024 SEC Championship Game and lead to a College Football Playoff berth for both programs.
For More Great Content
Make sure you check out Total Apex Sports, Total Apex Bets, and Total Apex Fantasy for more great sports content. Also, check out Total Apex Entertainment and Total Apex Gaming.
About the Author
Tom has been writing about professional wrestling, college football, NFL, and fantasy football (both NFL and College Football) for over a decade and is an avid sports fan. He has been known in the fantasy football industry for his dynasty and devy knowledge, but he is also very versed in betting.
A graduate of the University of Tennessee with a History degree, he loves all things Vols. He is also a massive Atlanta Braves and Dallas Cowboys fan.
Tom has been with Total Apex since the beginning and will continue to help push the company to higher levels. Follow Tom on X @dynastyprostom and follow Total Apex on X @totalapexsports and @totalapexeandg
