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College football returns on Saturday. The long wait is over.
An ACC battle in Dublin, Ireland, headlines what is a thin slate of games, but college football is college football. We’ll see a preseason top-10 team in action, an FCS top-5 team taking on an FBS squad, and a defending American conference champion open its most anticipated season in recent history.
Here’s all the info you need to know for the opening weekend.
No. 10 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech
Kickoff: 12 p.m. ET
Where to watch: ESPN; stream on Watch ESPN
Location: Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland
Florida State begins its revenge campaign far away from home against a Georgia Tech squad that went 7-6 last season. Haynes King returns for the Yellow Jackets after a brilliant debut season in 2023 that saw him score 37 total touchdowns and produce more than 3,500 yards of offense. King is a dual-threat weapon who can stress Florida State’s remade defensive front.
Change isn’t unique to the FSU defensive front, though. The Seminoles this season are replacing their quarterback, their top running back, and their top 3 receivers. But coach Mike Norvell has reloaded well.
The Seminoles are a double-digit favorite in the matchup. At ESPN Bet, FSU is favored by 10.5 points. The over/under is 55.5. FSU is -450 on the moneyline while Georgia Tech is +360.
Georgia Tech went 5-4 as an underdog last season. The Jackets went 7-2 against the spread as a dog. The over hit in 9 of their 12 regular-season games.
Florida State went 6-5 against the spread last season as a favorite. The over hit in 7 of the Seminoles’ 12 regular-season games.
ESPN’s FPI gives the Seminoles a 79.8% chance to win the game.
NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, MA, KS, KY, LA, TN, NC, CO, AZ, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH
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New Mexico vs. Montana State
Kickoff: 4 p.m. ET
Where to watch: FS1; stream on FOX Sports
Location: University Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
The Lobos went 4-8 last year and 2-6 against other Mountain West teams. They lost by more than 20 points 4 times and went 6-6 against the spread. Montana State went 8-4 and opens the new season ranked fourth in the FCS Top 25.
New Lobos head coach Bronco Mendenhall hit the transfer portal heavy to rebuild the secondary — a significant issue last season when the Lobos gave up 8.8 yards per pass attempt (129th out of 133 FBS teams). But they weren’t any better against the run and that’s where Montana State will press the issue. Quarterbacks Sean Chambers and Tommy Mellott threw 209 passes last season for 1,960 yards. They ran the ball 172 times for 1,360 yards and 19 touchdowns. Chambers is gone, but Mellott returns for his senior year. Each of the top 4 running backs return as well.
Still, Montana State hasn’t fared well recently when jumping up to the FBS level. Since the start of the 2014 season, the Bobcats are 0-6 against FBS teams with an average margin of defeat at 23.2 points. Four of the 6 have been blowouts.
The defense has given up an average of 499.7 yards a game and 6.8 yards per play.
At ESPN Bet, Montana State is a 13.5-point favorite in the game — a number that has risen in recent days. The total is 54.5. The Bobcats are -550 on the moneyline.
Nevada vs. SMU
Kickoff: 8 p.m. ET
Where to watch: CBS Sports Network; stream on Hulu, YouTube TV, or the CBS Sports app
Location: Mackay Stadium, Reno, Nevada
Jeff Choate replaces Ken Wilson as the Nevada head coach after Wilson went just 4-20 in 2 years on the job. Nevada had been to 4 consecutive bowl games prior to Wilson taking over and now Choate enters the fray with a lengthy rebuild staring him in the face.
Still, there are some pieces to work with and the Wolf Pack did go 9-10 against the spread as an underdog over the last 2 years.
But SMU will stress Nevada where it is weakest — defending the pass. The Mustangs return quarterback Preston Stone after a season in which he threw for 3,197 yards and 28 touchdowns while leading all AAC passers in Total QBR. SMU was one of the most prolific teams in the country last season when it came to producing chunk plays through the air, and there’s no reason that shouldn’t continue in 2024.
After hitting just 1 over in the first 6 games last season, the Ponies went over the expected total in 5 of the final 6 regular-season games. They were 8-6 against the spread, including a 7-4 mark as the favorites.
SMU is a 27-point favorite at ESPN Bet. The Mustangs are -3000 on the moneyline, and the point total is 55.5.
Hawaii vs. Delaware State
Kickoff: 11:59 p.m. ET
Location: Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex, Honolulu, Hawaii
The Hornets went 1-10 last season and haven’t posted a winning record since 2012. They have played 8 FBS teams since, and they’ve scored a total of 45 points. Opponents have averaged 56.6 points a game against them. Delaware State has endured a 57-0 loss to Army, a 68-0 loss to Western Michigan, a 79-0 loss to Missouri, and a 59-0 loss to Temple.
Hawaii is a 40.5-point favorite at ESPN Bet. The point total is 55.5.
NJ, PA, VA, MD, WV, MA, KS, KY, LA, TN, NC, CO, AZ, IA, IL, IN, MI, OH
Must be 21+. Gambling problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
