When does college football season start in 2024? Key dates, schedule, overview, biggest games and more

The college football season is upon us again, with "week zero" fast approaching in what is expected to be one of the most anticipated seasons in recent memory. Several programs have switched conferences during the recent conference expansion and realignment, meaning fans will see many new matchups this year.

Teams will also have a higher chance of making the expanded college football playoffs, which will incorporate 12 teams instead of the usual four.

How does the opening day of the season work in college football?

The opening day of the season, known as "week zero," will start on August 24 this year. Week one traditionally begins on Labor Day weekend, with most games being held on August 31 to officially kick off the season.

There will be seven games during week zero to start the season.

Where can I watch Week 0 games?

The college football week zero games will be shown on ESPN, ABC, CBS Sports and FS1.

2024 college football season schedule week 0

The 2024 football season will kick off with a few juicy ties during week zero, including the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets facing the Florida State Seminoles, who completed an unbeaten regular season last year.

Below are the matches that will be aired during week zero:

Aer Lingus College Football Classic: Florida State vs. Georgia Tech (in Dublin, Ireland) | 12 p.m. ET | ESPN
McNeese at Tarleton State | 2:30 p.m. ET| ESPN2
Montana State at New Mexico | 4 p.m. ET | FS1
North Alabama vs. Southeast Missouri State (Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama) | 7 p.m. ET | ESPN
Norfolk State vs. Florida A&M (Center Parc Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia) | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
SMU at Nevada | 8 p.m. ET |CBS Sports Network
Delaware State at Hawaii

What are some of the venues hosting games?

The Aer Lingus Classic, featuring the Florida State Seminoles vs. the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets will be held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

The famous stadium will host its second consecutive week zero game, with ESPN's College GameDay making its way to Ireland for the Seminoles' debut in the country.

The start of a new football season will thrill fans to no end as they hope for their teams to win titles and for the rival teams to fall face first as the season progresses.

About the author

Cabral Opiyo is a journalist who covers college sports at Sportskeeda. With work experience spanning over 10 years, Cabral is an avid follower of college football and basketball and what goes into making the perfect elite prospect. He brings the news as it happens and analyzes football games to a high degree of accuracy.

As a writer, he loves bringing to life historical and iconic moments with his writing, fueled by extensive and verifiable research, creating an image in the reader's eyes.

Cabral has been known to sneak away from a high-profile NBA game to catch an obscure college basketball game and is an avid re-watcher of Tim Duncan and San Antonio Spurs games from the 2000s.

UConn winning its first national title under Dan Hurley remains his best college sports moment. Cabral rates A'ja Wilson and Caitlin Clark as his favorite players due to their productivity and the Alabama Crimson Tide as his favorite college team.

In addition, Cabral follows football and is a huge Italian and Brazilian football fan. He has written about football for a decade and held a byline with Outside of the Boot Football.

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Edited by nagpaltusharn25