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The 2024 college football season is almost here.
As Week 1 of the season quickly approaches in late August, here are 10 of the biggest storylines ahead of a season of major changes in college football.
There are now four power conferences
It may take all of September to get used to the Pac-12’s absence. Sure, Washington State and Oregon State are still officially in the Pac-12, but the conference’s other 10 teams have spread out across the country. It will be strange to see Stanford and Cal playing conference games against ACC teams, and it will be strange to see USC playing Big Ten conference games against Michigan and Penn State.
Utah appears to be the former Pac-12 team with the best chance to win its conference, as the Utes are the clear favorites to reach the Big 12 title game. Oregon should also be in the thick of Big Ten contention and has a QB Dillon Gabriel is the co-favorite for the Heisman.
Welcome to the expanded playoff era. After a decade of four teams in the College Football Playoff, the field size will officially triple in 2024. The top five conference champions will earn spots in the field along with seven at-large teams.
The top four conference champions in the final CFP standings advance directly to the first round, while the teams ranked 5-8 will play at home. These will be the first playoff games in a non-neutral stadium in history.
Following the first round, the final three rounds will be bowl games at neutral venues. The Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl will be two of the quarterfinal sites along with the Peach Bowl and Fiesta Bowl. The Orange Bowl and Cotton Bowl will be the semifinals before the national title game on Jan. 20.
Oregon and Washington State chart a new path
The two biggest losers from the summer of restructuring are in Corvallis, Oregon, and Pullman, Washington. Oregon State and Washington State will meet Nov. 23 in a game that will decide the winner of the two-team Pac-12. Neither team is eligible for the College Football Playoff as conference champion; they will need to earn a spot in the standings.
Both teams will play Mountain West teams to fill out their “conference” schedules as part of a scheduling alliance, and rivalry games with their in-state Big Ten rivals will continue, at least for now. On Sept. 14, Oregon will visit Oregon State and Washington State will visit Washington.
Teams that prepared to fight for the title
Ohio State and Ole Miss are two of the teams that made concerted efforts to contend for a title in the 2024 season. The Rebels brought back key contributors like quarterback Jaxson Dart and stocked up through the transfer portal to bolster the defense. Lane Kiffin’s team has a plausible path to the playoffs and an SEC title thanks to a schedule that includes a home game against Georgia and doesn’t feature Texas or Alabama.
The Rebels lost a key player in running back Quinshon Judkins. He left for Columbus to join the Buckeyes and will form the best running back duo in the country with TreVeyon Henderson. Ryan Day opted out and took former Kansas State quarterback Will Howard from the transfer portal after quarterback play doomed Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl. The defense should be fantastic with defensive backs Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau back and former Alabama defensive back Caleb Downs leading the secondary.
The evolution of players’ salaries
We quickly grew accustomed to college players receiving compensation for their name, image and likeness through endorsement deals. But as the four major conferences (i.e. the Big Ten and SEC) consolidate their power and the NCAA attempts to preempt any further legal challenges, the landscape around player salaries is rapidly changing. And athletic departments across the country are working on ways to be able to pay their players directly.
Many details are expected to be discussed and worked out throughout the 2024 season, as it could be the last season in which college football players do not receive a direct payment from their schools.
It’s Kalen DeBoer’s time in Alabama
It’s the first year of the post-Nick Saban era, as former Washington coach Kalen DeBoer takes over the Crimson Tide while Saban watches from his analyst perch at ESPN. Expectations remain very high in Alabama with quarterback Jalen Milroe returning to run DeBoer’s offensive system.
We’ll also get a clear picture of where Alabama stands by the end of September. The Crimson Tide will open with two easily winnable games against Western Kentucky and USF before visiting Wisconsin and hosting Georgia to close out the month. Wins against the Badgers and Bulldogs would quickly endear DeBoer to Alabama fans.
How will schedules affect the playoff race?
Strength of schedule has always played a big role in college football, but it’s expected to take on an outsized role in 2024 when all four major conferences eliminate divisions.
The top two teams in each conference’s standings will play in the conference championship games, and playoffs will be of paramount importance. Don’t be surprised if one or more conferences have to determine who will participate in the title game through common opponents or another non-head-to-head tiebreaker.
The size of the conferences also makes for some unbalanced schedules. A team like Florida may be one of the 30 or 40 most talented teams in the country. But the Gators could be at risk of missing a bowl with non-conference games against Florida State and Miami and conference matchups against Tennessee, Georgia, Texas, LSU and Ole Miss. Missouri, on the other hand, plays at Alabama and its second-toughest SEC game could be a home game against Oklahoma or a trip to Texas A&M.
Which Group of Five team will make it to the playoffs?
Since all five conference champions have guaranteed spots in the College Football Playoff, we are guaranteed to have a Group of Five team playing for the title for just the second time in history. Who will that team be?
Boise State enters the season with legitimate playoff hopes. The Broncos signed former USC quarterback Malachi Nelson and running back Ashton Jeanty is back after a 1,300-yard season. An early-season matchup at Oregon is a good measure of performance.
The AAC appears to have the most playoff contenders in teams like Memphis, Tulane and UTSA. But the conference might also be too crowded at the top for its own good. Can anyone emerge with an undefeated season or just one loss?
Rivalries resumed
The recent round of conference reshuffling has a silver lining if you’re a fan of renewing rivalries. The final week of the season will see Texas and Texas A&M face off for the first time since both were in the Big 12. The game is in College Station. How loud will it be if Texas is playing for a spot in the SEC title game?
Utah’s move to the Big 12 means its rivalry with BYU is back to a conference matchup. The two teams will meet on Nov. 9. Oklahoma faces Missouri on the same day to revive their old Big Eight and Big 12 matchups.
A revamped bowl schedule
The expanded playoffs and 2024 schedule mean the bowl season will look significantly different in December and January.
Because Labor Day falls so early in September, the first Saturday of the season is Aug. 31. That means teams will have two weekends off in a 14-week regular season. Conference title games are the weekend of Dec. 7, and bowl season begins the following weekend, Dec. 14.
However, there will only be one bowl game that day. The Camellia Bowl kicks off the FBS bowl season that night after Army and Navy play their traditional rivalry game.
Only six bowl games will be played before the College Football Playoff opener on Dec. 20, and four non-playoff games will be played after New Year’s Day. The final non-playoff game of the season is the Bahamas Bowl on Saturday, Jan. 4.