College Football Week 1 Games to Watch
Let The Games Begin!!!!!
The 2024-25 College Football season is here. As mentioned, Full Press Media on Substack is the new home for the Games of the Week. We will also preview each of the four conferences heading into the season. The season is underway, and we saw the upset in Week 0, with Georgia Tech beating Florida State. Let's dive into each must-watch game, starting with Week 1.
Outside of the Yellow Jackets' upset in Ireland over the Seminoles, there was not much exciting during Week 0. However, some great matchups exist as the official College Football Season gets underway in Week 1, especially in the Top 25. Some of these matchups could affect where teams finish in their conference and the new 12-team college football playoff.
Week 1 College Football Games To Watch
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(14) Clemson vs. (1) Georgia - Saturday - August 31st
The marquee matchup is scheduled for this weekend. As the favorites for the National Championship, the Georgia Bulldogs host the Clemson Tigers. A lot has been made about how Dabo Swinney does things and does not like the transfer portal. The Tigers used to be a national powerhouse when Trevor Lawrence was there. Now, they feel like an afterthought in the ACC and Nationally. Georgia has become the team to beat every year. Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs took that title from Alabama. Carson Beck returns to lead the Bulldogs, while Dabo hopes his Tigers defense can pressure the QB and make this an exciting game. This will set the tone for both teams to begin the new year.
(19) Miami vs. Florida - Saturday - August 31st
There seems to be a lot at stake in this game. Early losses don't matter, but they will hurt the Hurricanes' chances of making the 12-team College Football Playoff. It has been a while since we have seen this Sunshine State Showdown between the Gators and Hurricanes. A lot of people are riding on this game for the Hurricanes. Expectations are high for Miami. There is talk of an ACC Title and playoff berth. A new quarterback and transfer from Washington State, Cam Ward, will take over. Let's see how the former Pac-12 star does in his first game. We saw what happened with DJ U.
Meanwhile, the Gators need this game to be eligible for a bowl game later in the year. Florida has the most challenging schedule in the sport this season. They need as many wins as possible before a stretch where they play Georgia, Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, and Florida State. If the Gators can win this game, it will greatly boost Billy Napier's group. However, they couldn't do much last season after knocking off Utah early.
(7) Notre Dame vs. (20) Texas A&M - Saturday - August 31st
The Fighting Irish don't shy away from a demanding schedule or tough openers. However, with no conference championship to play for, Notre Dame needs to run the table or finish with one loss to make the playoffs this season. Riley Leonard is in after transferring from Duke. Expect this offense to have more flair than it did with Sam Hartman. This game with the Aggies will be tough, especially at Kyle Field. Texas A&M plays well at home. Now, throw in Mike Elko, who had Notre Dame on the ropes as Duke's coach, and there is an upset brewing here—lots riding on this game.
(23) USC vs. (13) LSU - Sunday Night - September 1st
This could be the second-best game of the weekend in Las Vegas. LSU and USC have defensive questions. Last season, USC gave up an average of 35 points per game, including 6.1 yards per play. LSU's defense gave up an average of 28 points per game, including 6.1 yards per play. The Tigers were 0-3 when they gave up 42 or more points, but 10-0 when they allowed fewer. More should have been made of this.
But it was Lincoln Riley and the USC defense in the spotlight. The Trojans had National Championship hopes, but that defense cost them. Both schools have new quarterbacks: the Tigers go with Garrett Nussmeier, and USC go with Miller Moss. Each team is also trying to replace weapons it lost to the NFL on offense. This could be a Big 12 defensive-style game between these two schools. Though there are no lines on these previews, take the over in this one.
(8) Penn State vs. West Virginia - Saturday, August 31st
Let's see what Penn State's offense looks like under new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki. Can he make Drew Allar into a passing threat? Because in the big games, Allar does not show up. Neither does head coach James Franklin. The Nittany Lions offense is based on the run game. This will be a good test for a West Virginia team that went 5-1 at home and finished 9-4 last season. West Virginia's offense is led by running backs Jahiem White, CJ Donaldson, and quarterback Garrett Greene. This will be a test for both teams.
Other games on the schedule will be worth watching, including Colorado taking on North Dakota State and North Carolina taking on Minnesota. Most importantly, the big schools get the cupcake games in Week 1 before we see ranked matchups.