Top 10 college football games of week one: Notre Dame's SEC road trip, Clemson vs. Georgia

Week 1 is here and with it our weekly top 10 rankings of the best matchups in college football.

This first edition of 2024 will be capped by a handful of high-profile matchups, but this season there are more reasons than ever to dig deep. The newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff should increase interest in each conference title race and put the Group of 5 conferences in the spotlight, with the top G5 league winner automatically entering the playoffs.

The usual storylines never end — yes, Coach Prime and Colorado are on that list — but you'd be wise to study your Sun Belt and Conference USA lesson plans, too. That material could come up on the final exam.

Let's rate the participants of the first week, starting with some honorable mentions and then counting down.

Honorable Mention: North Carolina at Minnesota (Thursday), Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt, UNLV at Houston, Georgia State at Georgia Tech, Wyoming at Arizona State.

(All point spreads are from BetMGM; click Here for live odds. All kickoff times are Eastern Time and Saturday unless otherwise noted. All rankings are from the Associated Press Top 25.)

10. Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State, Thursday, 8 p.m., CBS Sports Network

Neither team is the favorite in their respective conferences, but both have won at least eight games and finished in the top of the league standings last season. Jacksonville State, which finished 9-4 in 2023, is in its third year under Rich Rodriguez since moving from FCS and its second year in CUSA, with former Nebraska transfer Logan Smothers expected to start at quarterback. Coastal Carolina enters its second season under Tim Beck but without four-year starting quarterback Grayson McCall, who transferred to NC State. Either Ethan Vasko or Noah Kim will be named to the Chanticleers, who were seeded third in the Sun Belt East Division preseason poll.

Line: Jacksonville State -2.5

9. Boise State at Georgia Southern, 4 p.m., ESPNU

The Broncos and their top running back Ashton Jeanty are among the preseason favorites to make the G5 playoffs, but the road there isn't easy. The Broncos open with back-to-back road trips to Georgia Southern and Oregon, while home games against Pac-2 holdouts Washington State and Oregon State will close out Mountain West play. Clay Helton's Eagles are considered a middle-of-the-pack in the Sun Belt, but running back Jalen White could be a problem for new Boise State coach Spencer Danielson if the Broncos don't get off to a quick start.

Line: Boise State -12.5

8. Boston College at Florida State (0-1), Monday 7:30 p.m., ESPN

The Seminoles return to the USA after a humiliating loss to Georgia State and must immediately regroup for another conference matchup. Boston College and new head coach Bill O'Brien are not expected to have great expectations, but quarterback Thomas Castellanos – the first quarterback in school history to throw for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards last season – and running back Kye Robichaux are back in the mix. FSU's defense, which was overwhelmed by Georgia Tech's running game in Ireland, will need to pull itself together, and the offense will need to get some explosive passing from quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. The Noles' playoff hopes are not dead in this new era, but they desperately need to get back on track.

Line: Florida State -15.5

7. South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State, 2 p.m., ESPN+

The defending FCS national champion Jackrabbits travel to Stillwater to face a top-20 FBS opponent. The Pokes struggled early last season, including a home loss to South Alabama, but a repeat is unlikely. Doak Walker-winning running back Ollie Gordon II is back, along with a ton of returning power. Still, it's not an opponent Mike Gundy's team can take lightly. SDSU has won 29 straight games, starting with a 7-3 loss to Iowa to start the 2022 season, and returning quarterback Mark Gronowski won the Walter Payton Award as FCS MVP last season.

No line

6. North Dakota State at Colorado, Thursday, 8 p.m., ESPN

Deion Sanders has dropped a massive, media-fueled bullseye on Colorado football. Whether you're interested in what quarterback Shedeur Sanders and two-way star Travis Hunter can do on the field or you hate watching because Coach Prime made headlines about it, you know you want to see this game. Colorado's roster should be much improved from last season, especially in the trenches, and much more competitive in the new Big 12. The Bison will look to make a statement under new head coach Tim Polasek after a double-overtime semifinal exit from the 2023 FCS playoffs.

Line: Colorado -9.5

5. No. 19 Miami in Florida, 3:30 p.m., ABC

An intriguing start to a nerve-wracking season for both programs and fans. The Hurricanes, despite the lukewarm start to the Mario Cristobal era, have plenty of excitement and playoff aspirations that Cam Ward brought with him. They also clearly belong in the “believe it when you see it” category. Florida has a brutal schedule and a head coach in Billy Napier whose seat is already on the rampage. Both teams need to start the season with a win or the rumors will falter, but the broader outlook is much more optimistic for the Canes.

Line: Miami -2.5

4. No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU, Sunday, 7:30 p.m., ABC

A neutral-ground battle in Las Vegas featuring two programs that are uniquely intertwined. USC's Lincoln Riley and LSU's Brian Kelly were hired for their respective jobs a day apart in November 2021. Both had encouraging first seasons and disappointing second seasons. Each coached one of the last two Heisman Trophy winners and is installing a redshirt junior quarterback with a career start — Miller Moss for USC and Garrett Nussmeier for LSU. Both had awful defenses last year, with the Trojans swiping coordinator D'Anton Lynn from UCLA and LSU paying a pretty penny to poach coordinator Blake Baker from Missouri. Both are venturing into deeper, divisionless conferences, and both programs have sky-high expectations heading into the new playoff era.

Line: LSU -4.5

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3. No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia, 12:00 p.m., Fox

There's a real rivalry game going on in Morgantown. Penn State came through the first leg in Happy Valley last season and is another team looking to capitalize on the expanded playoffs. West Virginia is also gaining momentum. Head coach Neal Brown, the Billy Napier of 2023, has turned the tables with a nine-win season and a contract extension and still believes his Mountaineers will be overlooked. The offenses will be the most interesting to watch in this game, with quarterback Drew Allar, a refreshed receiver group and new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki on the sticks for Penn State and one of the best rushing attacks in college football — quarterback Garrett Greene and running backs CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White — in the backfield for West Virginia.

Line: Penn State -8.5

2. No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m., ABC

In case you haven't noticed, playoff implications will be at the forefront of many teams and matchups this season — perhaps none more so than Notre Dame. Without a backdrop of a conference title challenge, every game for the Fighting Irish will be a playoff horse race, starting with this road game in College Station. It's hard to say exactly what we can expect from the Aggies under new coach Mike Elko, but the former Duke coach certainly knows Irish quarterback (and former Blue Devils QB) Riley Leonard as well as anyone. Despite a few injuries and inexperience on Notre Dame's offensive line, can A&M's defense unsettle Leonard and put a fair amount of pressure on the Irish to start the season?

Line: Texas A&M -3

1. No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia, 12:00 p.m., ABC

This is a top-15 matchup between two teams that have won four of the last eight national championships … although Georgia was almost a two-touchdown favorite, showing how much things have changed for both programs in the last eight years. Is it possible that Clemson is underrated? The Tigers haven't made the playoffs since a streak of six consecutive appearances from 2015-2020, and Dabo Swinney might be the most scrutinized coach not named Deion because of it, despite his history of success. Either way, the recent drop in performance is concerning, and the criticism will only get louder if Clemson can't keep up with a Georgia team that seems strong and hungry after missing out on a chance to win a third straight in 2023. This should be an exciting measuring stick to see how dominant the Bulldogs can be, or if Clemson has a little more in the tank than it gets credit for.

Line: Georgia -13.5

(Photo by Garrett Greene: Dan Rainville / USA Today)