Week 1 College Football Games That Could See Major Upsets

Week 1 of the 2024 college football season is rapidly approaching, and fans are in store for an exciting Labor Day Weekend.

Week 1, which kicks off on Thursday, Aug. 29 and ends on Monday, Sept. 2 with a battle between Florida State and Boston College, includes several high-profile matchups.

Things begin to heat up on that first Thursday when Deion Sanders and Colorado host North Dakota State at 8 p.m. (ET) on ESPN. The next day features a Power Four matchup between TCU and Stanford before entering an action-packed weekend.

Included in the Week 1 fun is Georgia vs. Clemson on Saturday, Aug. 31, at noon ET. That same day, Penn State visits West Virginia, Miami heads north to play Florida, and Texas A&M hosts Notre Dame to close out the big games with a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC. The excitement doesn’t end there, though, as LSU faces off against USC in Las Vegas on Sunday night at 7:30 pm ET on ABC.

As we count down the days to kickoff, we also took a look at which of these big games can result in some early-season chaos:

North Dakota State Bison at Colorado Buffaloes

The Bison will take on the Colorado Buffaloes from Boulder’s Folsom Field in a clash starting at 8:00 pm ET on ESPN.

Throughout the offseason, this matchup has been talked about as a high-risk-low-reward game for the Buffaloes, as North Dakota State is one of the top FCS powers.

Even though the Bison have not been as dominant in recent years relative to their dynasty from the 2010s, they are only two years removed from an FCS national championship appearance. The Bison finished 11-4 last year, advancing to the FCS semifinals before losing in double-overtime at Montana by a score of 31-29.

The team lost three starting offensive linemen, its top running back, and its top two wide receivers from last year's roster. However, it does return the quarterback duo of Cam Miller and Cole Payton, along with most of its 12 All-Missouri Valley conference selections.

2024 will also be the first season for new head coach Tim Polasek, who previously served as offensive coordinator at Wyoming for the past three seasons.

Colorado's head coach, Deion Sanders, is coming off a 4-8 first season in which six of the eight losses were within one score. While a loss is still obviously a loss, the team showed flashes of potential against some high-octane Pac-12 opponents. The Buffs return quarterback Shedeur Sanders, along with star wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, to lead the program as it re-enters the Big 12 conference this fall.

The scheduled clash with the Bison will serve as a big test for Colorado as North Dakota State is known to play FBS programs tightly. If the Buffs do not play up to their potential and let the Bison hang in the game, this contest could easily turn into the first upset of the season.

Clemson Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs

The Clemson Tigers will play the Georgia Bulldogs in the Aflac Kickoff Game on Aug. 31, at noon (ET) on ABC from Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The matchup reignites a storied non-conference rivalry between the two programs, which have previously met 65 times.

Georgia is aiming to reclaim its spot atop the college football world after being excluded from last season's College Football Playoff. The Bulldogs return starting quarterback Carson Beck to lead an offense that added experienced transfer running back Trevor Etienne to the backfield. This addition will complement its skilled passing attack. Georgia will start the season as the No. 1-ranked team , which obviously carries a tremendous amount of weighted expectations.

Meanwhile, for Clemson, there is no hiding from the fact that the Tigers have taken a step back from its status as an annual title contender in the past few seasons. The Tigers are coming off a 9-4 season last year but finished 2023 on a five-game winning streak.

Clemson received considerable criticism over the offseason due to head coach Dabo Swinney's lack of transfer portal activity. Swinney admitted that utilizing the transfer portal was not necessary for his vision of the 2024 team.

Clemson returns starting quarterback Cade Klubnik to go alongside Antonio Williams, Tyler Brown, and Bryant Wesco at the receiver position. While the Tigers struggled offensively last season, they are still one of the ACC's top programs and have the roster potential to claim a major early-season victory.

For Clemson to pull off a monumental upset over Georgia, the Tigers will need to play almost perfectly, as the Bulldogs currently open as a 14-point favorite. Even as the odds are against the Tigers, the possibility of Clemson shocking the world is still present.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Texas A&M Aggies

Notre Dame will travel to College Station’s Kyle Field to take on the Texas A&M Aggies on Aug. 31 at 7:30 pm ET on ABC.

Many people expect Notre Dame to go undefeated this fall but view the opening-week contest against the Aggies as a potential scare.

The Fighting Irish bring in transfer quarterback Riley Leonard from Duke, who was coached by now Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko. Even with Leonard's tremendous potential, the mark left behind by Sam Hartman and Ian Book will be a tall task to beat.

Leonard will be flanked by wide receivers Kris Mitchell, Jayden Thomas, and Jaden Greathouse, who will certainly benefit from his pinpoint precision short passing game.

While Notre Dame's biggest strength will be its offensive line, the season-ending injury to key starting right tackle Charles Jagusah could potentially cause problems if opponents can exploit the loss at the position.

As for Texas A&M, the Aggies enter this season with new leadership following the hiring of former Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Elko. Elko will have starting quarterback Conner Weigman returning to run the offense in front of running back Le’Veon Moss. Weigman will also have Moose Muhammad III, Noah Thomas, and Jahdae Walker at the receiver positions. Similar to the Irish, the Aggies’ offensive line should be a primary strength this fall.

While this matchup would not be as shocking of an upset as some of the other games on the Week 1 slate, Kyle Field will be rocking when the Irish come to town, and the '12th man' could certainly become an influence. If Notre Dame allows the Aggies to settle into the game, don't be surprised if Texas A&M pulls off an upset.

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