College football is back after an exciting Week 0 soft opening, and the Texas A&M Aggies will look to start a new era off right under new head coach Mike Elko as they take on a highly touted Notre Dame with both teams opening the season this week.
The Irish will look to validate their preseason ranking in the top 10 as they go on the road in head coach Marcus Freeman’s third year in charge of the Fighting Irish. They take on a Texas A&M program with a familiar face taking over as head coach, a matchup that could set the tone for both programs as they look to make an appearance in the expanded college football playoff.
Texas A&M and Notre Dame Announcers, Broadcast Details, and More
- Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET, Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024
- Channel: ABC/ESPN+
- Radio Stations: 960 WSBT-AM/101.5 WNSN-FM, Zone 1150 AM/93.7 FM
- Announcers: Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Holly Rowe
- Betting lines: Texas A&M -2.5
- Over/Under: 46.5
- Moneyline: Texas A&M (-146), Notre Dame (+122)
- Location: Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M Game Preview
Notre Dame enters the 2024 season with high hopes and expectations as Freeman leads the team in 2024 following a 10-3 season and a win in the Sun Bowl over Oregon State. Sam Hartman is gone, but in his place will be former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, anchoring an offense that averaged 39.1 points per game last season.
Defensively, Howard Cross and Benjamin Morrison will lead the defensive side of the ball for the Irish. Freeman has spent his time and effort in developing that unit, and it should continue the top-10 standards set by the unit a year ago.
Morrison is one of the best lockdown corners in the country, and Cross was impressive from his defensive tackle position as he notched 66 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, and two sacks.
On the other side, Elko inherits a program that was in turmoil for much of the Jimbo Fisher era. Elko comes from two successful seasons at Duke in a homecoming of sorts as he was the defensive coordinator in College Station from 2018-21. His defense sports a pair of stars on the edge in Shemar Turner and Purdue transfer Nic Scourton. Both were included on the CFN Top 100 players list and should provide a fierce pass rush for the Aggies defensively
On offense, the Aggies have to find an identity as first-year offensive coordinator Collin Klein joins the staff from Kansas State. He’ll have a star in Conner Weigman as his quarterback. He started four games for the Aggies after sustaining an injury, but having Noah Thomas to catch passes and reliable starter Trey Zuhn protecting his blind side at tackle should help Weigman finish the season and fulfill the expectations set by NFL scouts.
The Irish offensive line facing the tenacious front of the Aggies should be a fantastic matchup for those who love physical, tough football. Likewise, Klein brings an aggressive run scheme to the Aggies and will have a massive test with the Irish defense.
It should be a great matchup with two highly regarded quarterbacks, and whoever emerges from this battle unscathed in the win-loss column should have a momentous start in pursuit of a playoff berth.
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