Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship game between the Michigan Wolverines and the Washington Huskies will be the end of what has been another memorable college football season. It’s never too early, though, to take a glimpse into the 2024 season.
Just how long will fans have to wait until the next season starts?
Start of the 2024 College Football Season
Week 0 of the 2024 season begins the next college football year as has become the new tradition.
It has technically been around since 1983 when the first game was No. 1 Nebraska took on No. 4 Penn State.
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Nebraska won that game, 44-6, and from 2002 through 2004, there were a handful of games played in the Week 0 slate. It wouldn’t be until 2016 when it became an annual part of the schedule outside of 2020.
The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have become a key piece to the Week 0 schedule, playing on all Week 0 matchups outside of 2017 and 2020.
In 2024, Week 0 kicks off on Saturday, August 24, with three games scheduled to be played.
The marquee matchup of the opening weekend is set to be the Florida State Seminoles taking on the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in Dublin, Ireland. Montana State will be taking on New Mexico in an FBS vs. FCS matchup.
Another FCS versus FBS game set to start the season in Week 0 rounds out the three-game slate with Eastern Illinois taking on Illinois.
One key note to take is another matchup that was supposed to happen was the Oregon Ducks traveling to Hawaii to face the Rainbow Warriors. That game was canceled due to Oregon having to fit Oregon State into its schedule with both schools no longer in the same conference.
Hawaii is currently looking for another school to fill in Oregon’s spot.
In 2023, there were six Week 0 matchups with only three scheduled to date in 2024. Hawaii’s situation notwithstanding, there is still the chance that more games could be added during the offseason.
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