As conference realignments take shape, college football is reigniting old rivalries and forming new ones, making the 2024 season highly anticipated. Additionally, the 12-team playoff has swung the door open for new faces to have their shot at a title.
That said, here are five weeks that could shape the College Football Playoff bracket come December.
All rankings are based on the preseason AP Top 25 Poll.
Week 8 (Oct. 19)
Featuring one of the premier matchups of the season, Week 8 is highlighted by the Bulldogs traveling out to Austin, Texas to take on the Longhorns for just the second time this century. Their last matchup in 2019 resulted in a 28-21 win for the Longhorns in the Sugar Bowl, featuring a memorable pregame scuffle between Bevo (Texas Longhorn mascot) and Uga (Georgia Bulldog mascot). As the top two-ranked SEC teams entering the season, this year’s matchup will surely deliver similar drama and may shape bracket seeding later in the year.
Alabama will return to Knoxville for the first time since its 52-49 loss to Tennessee in 2022. This matchup will mark Kalen DeBoer’s first true SEC road test with the Crimson Tide, either solidifying Alabama’s top-tier status in the SEC or sparking a young Volunteer team for the remainder of the season.
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As for the rest of the week, Miami will go on the road to Louisville, hoping to redeem its 38-31 loss to the Cardinals in Hard Rock Stadium the year before. Kansas State will get a tough road test at the always rowdy Morgantown, and Colorado will look to prove it belongs in the revamped Big 12, taking on Arizona.
Week 9 (Oct. 26)
Week 9 may not deliver a premier matchup, but with five top 25 games slated, it certainly could be a turning point in late October. Preseason No. 11 Missouri gets the opportunity to take down the Crimson Tide for the first time since 1975 after receiving its highest preseason rank since 2008. The Sooners match up with Ole Miss for just the second time in history, potentially igniting a new rivalry, and the Aggies will look to defend their turf against LSU.
Miami will try to end its three-year losing streak to the Seminoles, while Kansas will fight to finally put a stop to its 15-game losing streak against in-state rival Kansas State following the Jayhawks’ first preseason top 25 ranking since 2009.
The new-look Big Ten shines in Week 10, with matchups between the four top-10 teams in the conference. The Buckeyes get a chance to extend their seven-game win streak over the Nittany Lions in what will likely be a classic turnout with the Penn State faithful. The Ducks will travel to The Big House for the first time since 2007, hoping to establish themselves as a top threat in their new conference.
The Bulldogs take on the Gators in a classic rivalry, as Georgia looks to extend its series win streak to four games. Tennessee will aim to separate itself from the bottom half of the SEC by taking care of the Wildcats in Knoxville, while Southern Cal will try to get back in the win column against the Huskies after dropping the previous two meetings.
The last week in September may seem early on to rank in the top five, but when the Bulldogs and Crimson Tide face off in the regular season for just the third time since 2010, all eyes will be on Tuscaloosa. Can the Bulldogs finally shift the tide in the post-Saban era? Or will Alabama improve to 9-1 over Georgia in its last 10 matchups? Regardless, the result will almost certainly be decisive come seeding time.
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Arizona takes on Utah in a Pac-12-turned-Big 12 matchup, and Oklahoma State will face off against the Wildcats in Kansas for the first time since its 48-0 blowout loss in 2022. Oklahoma will head to Jordan-Hare Stadium for just the second meeting all-time between the Sooners and Tigers, and the Irish will look to redeem their 33-20 loss to the Cardinals the previous season.
Arguably the biggest week for the SEC features LSU hosting Alabama in the annually anticipated matchup and the Bulldogs taking on a hungry Ole Miss squad in Oxford. The Rebels begin the 2024 season with their highest preseason rank since 1970, and if both teams enter undefeated, this meeting could be a determinant for the SEC championship. Week 11 marks the end of the Bulldogs’ gauntlet run in which they play three of the preseason’s top six teams on the road in a month and a half.
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Oklahoma and Missouri will rekindle their old Big 12 rivalry in the first matchup between the two schools since the Tigers’ jump to the SEC in 2011. The Hurricanes will look to avenge their blunder against the Yellow Jackets last season where a decision to run the ball instead of taking a knee cost Miami its first loss of the 2023 campaign. Lastly, the Seminoles and Irish meet for the first time since the 41-38 thriller in 2021 when Florida State’s fourth-quarter heroics were stunted by a Notre Dame field goal in overtime.
Could this be the next big rivalry? Maybe the beginning of a conference matchup that will be anticipated each new season? Well, this is certainly the year to kick it off, as the Ducks and Buckeyes both crack the preseason top three. The Ducks may be new to the Big Ten, but every Oregon fan is familiar with Ohio State. In the inaugural College Football Playoff National Championship Game in the 2014 season, No. 2 Oregon squared off with No. 4 Ohio State, aiming to bring the Ducks their first national championship. However, Ezekiel Elliott’s 246 yards and four touchdowns proved too much for the Marcus Mariota-led Ducks. This Week 7 matchup will be Oregon’s chance to take down one of the Big Ten’s long-standing alphas and could set the tone for years to come.
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In other Week 7 news, the Red River Rivalry should produce a classic as usual, and Ole Miss will look to start hot in its first ranked matchup of the season in Death Valley. Elsewhere, Penn State and Southern Cal will meet up in Los Angeles, while Sanders’ crew may play its first ranked opponent of the season.
This one seems like a no-brainer — rivalry week. The last week of the regular season where each game matters more than ever. Playoff hopes will be saved or crushed, and when these teams face off anything can happen. Will the Buckeyes end their three-year skid to the Wolverines? Will the Iron Bowl leave spectators speechless once again? Could Oklahoma avenge its 2019 College Football Playoff loss to LSU? What will come of the Irish and Trojans’ 94th all-time meeting?
These matchups are just a handful of what Week 14 provides, and by the time we reach late November, no one knows what the stakes will be.
