Thrills, chills and bigger than ever conferences: what to expect from this season of college football
By Andy Scholes, CNN
(CNN) — Welcome to the 2024 college football season, where everyone makes the playoffs! Well, not everyone, but, for the first time, 12 schools will be playing in college’s postseason and this is how it will work.
Get ready for a new look college football.
New conference layout
The realignment dust has finally settled and the conference makeups look a whole lot different. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are now in the Big Ten. Colorado, Arizona State, Arizona, and Utah are now in the Big 12. And SMU, Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley are in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Stanford and new conference-mate Boston College are 3,125 miles apart.
With realignment, fans have been forced to say goodbye to one of the college’s best rivalry games: “Bedlam.” Oklahoma will no longer be playing Oklahoma State after the former’s move from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference (SEC).
We did, though, regain an epic rivalry. With the move to the SEC, Texas will now play Texas A&M. That game will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving and will be the first meeting between the two in 13 years. It’s safe to say the 102,000 fans at Kyle Field in College Station will be a tad rowdy for that one.
End of an era
For the first time since 1995, college football will not have Nick Saban or Jim Harbaugh in the coaching ranks. Saban retired and now works for ESPN; Harbaugh moved on to the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers.
Will Alabama and Michigan experience a drop off? Their fans certainly hope not. Alabama is ranked fifth to start the season. Michigan is ranked ninth after winning the national championship last season.
Without Saban and Harbaugh, there are only three active coaches who have won a national title. Dabo Sweeney has two at Clemson, Kirby Smart has two at Georgia, and Mack Brown, who won one at Texas, is coaching the Tar Heels at North Carolina.
How the new College Football Playoff (CFP) works
The five highest-ranked conference champions and the next seven highest-ranked teams will earn a spot in the 12-team bracket. There is no limit to how many teams from one conference can qualify.
The top four conference winners, according to the CFP Selection Committee, will get a bye in the first round. Then the next four seeds will host a first-round game on campus or a stadium of the higher seed’s choosing.
Imagine Alabama going to play in The Horseshoe in Ohio or Texas going into Happy Valley versus Penn State with the season on the line. Those first-round games will be on December 20 and 21.
The quarterfinals and semifinals will then be hosted by the New Year’s Six bowls. The quarterfinals will take place on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
The semifinals won’t take place until January 9 with the Orange Bowl and then January 10 with the Cotton Bowl. We will have our latest College Football National Championship game ever with it happening this year in Atlanta on January 20.
Teams to watch
Georgia is once again the heavy favorite to win it all. The Bulldogs are ranked No. 1 in both the coaches’ and Associated Press (AP) preseason polls and their fans remain angry after not getting in the playoffs last year. Georgia left out after losing in the SEC title game to Alabama despite being the undefeated back-to-back champion.
Despite the loss of quarterback Kyle McCord after he transferred to Syracuse, Ohio State is the second favorite. The Buckeyes have an immensely talented roster and added standout safety and SEC Freshman of the Year Caleb Downs via the transfer portal. A deep run in the CFP could be on the cards.
New Big Ten member Oregon is ranked third in the AP poll as the Ducks look to improve on a 2023 season that saw the team finish 12-2. Incoming Oklahoma transfer Dillon Gabriel replaces Bo Nix at quarterback, who was drafted 12th overall by the Denver Broncos. Oregon seeks its first national championship in program history and its first CFP appearance since 2014.
SEC newcomer Texas is ranked No. 4 in the AP poll and possess a loaded roster that includes arguably the strongest quarterback contingent in college football; Arch Manning – nephew of NFL legends Peyton and Eli Manning – backs up incumbent starter Quinn Ewers.
Away from the upper echelons of the polls, much attention will likely be on head coach Deion Sanders and whether the Colorado Buffaloes can improve on their 2023 4-8 record. With ‘Coach Prime’ at the helm, Colorado won its first three games last season to send the nation into a frenzy, before dramatically tailing off as the campaign continued.
Michigan provides an interesting storyline as somewhat of an unknown. After losing Harbaugh, starting QB JJ McCarthy and a host of other players to the NFL, time will tell if the Wolverines can get anywhere close to the heights of last season.
Keep an eye on Florida State – the Seminoles have a bone to pick with the CFP Selection Committee after becoming the first undefeated team from a major Power-5 conference to be excluded from the playoffs since its inception in 2014.
Another team that could see a substantial downturn in results is Washington, Michigan’s opponent in the national championship game. The Huskies saw a dramatic fall outside of the AP Top 25 after head coach Kalen DeBoer left to replace Saban at Alabama. At the same time, several key players departed for the NFL, including QB Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze, who were selected eighth and ninth overall respectively.
The season kicks off on August 24 with the 10th-ranked Seminoles and Georgia Tech squaring off in Dublin, Ireland.
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CNN’s Sam Joseph contributed to this report.
