24 college football games to watch this season

Football fans get their first look at former Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts in an Oklahoma uniform as the Sooners host first-year Houston coach Dana Holgorsen and the Cougars. Holgorsen spent eight seasons in charge at West Virginia, but he was winless (0-7) against the Sooners.

New Louisville coach Scott Satterfield faces a monumental challenge in his first game as the Cardinals host Notre Dame for the first time in school history. The Irish are coming off their first appearance in the College Football Playoff and are opening up a season on the road for the first time since 2016.

A win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl has helped put Texas football back on the national map, but the Longhorns can push that narrative one step further with a win over an LSU team that is sure to start next season ranked in the top 10.

It’s been nearly three years since UCF last lost a home game, but the Knights will be tested when they host Stanford in mid-September. The last time these two programs hooked up, the Cardinal walked away with a 31-7 win in 2015.

During an early contest between two traditional powers, Notre Dame will make its first trip to Sanford Stadium to take on the Bulldogs between the hedges. Georgia is undefeated (2-0) against the Fighting Irish, including a 20-19 win at Notre Dame Stadium in 2017.

Michigan is looking to snap a two-game losing streak against rival Notre Dame. The Wolverines have won four consecutive home contests in this series, with the last Fighting Irish win coming in 2005.

The winner in this rivalry series has gone on to represent the East Division in the SEC Championship Game six out of the past eight years. Georgia has won two straight in this series, with each of the last five games decided by an average of 22 points per game.

Florida snapped a five-game losing streak to FSU last season and in the process denied the Seminoles bowl eligibility for the first time since 1982. The last time the Gators won back-to-back games against the ‘Noles was 2008-09 when Urban Meyer was the coach at Florida.

Without a conference championship game, this regular-season finale could be Notre Dame’s best chance to impress the College Football Playoff selection committee. The Irish have struggled on the road against the Cardinal, going 3-7 during the past 10 meetings. Their most recent road win was in 2007.

It will be hard to live up to last season’s seven-overtime game, during which Texas A&M outlasted LSU. The contest spanned nearly five hours and set an NCAA record for the most points scored in a game with 146 combined. The Tigers fans won’t easily forget a perceived blown call that cost them a win.