College football games of interest in week zero and week one

Three more Saturdays and college football returns. With the expanded Playoff format, probably close to half of the 134 FBS teams have fans believing their team is a Playoff contender. Even for teams without realistic Playoff expectations, a new season brings new joy and hope for improved success.

Week zero on Aug. 24, ushers in the new season. The opening act is Florida State vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. The game will be at 11:00 AM CST, on ESPN. The state of Alabama will have a week zero game. The North Alabama Lions will play Southeast Missouri State at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery. ESPN will cover the game with a 6:00 PM CST kickoff.

Week one action begins on Aug. 29, with Arkansas taking on Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Missouri hosting Murray State. Other Thursday night televised contests are UNC vs. Minnesota and North Dakota State vs. Colorado. Also on Thursday, available via streaming will be Alabama football 2024 opponent Mercer, hosting Presbyterian.

Week one has a slew of mismatch games. One that stands out is Lindenwood at Kansas. For the many fans unfamiliar with Lindenwood, the Lions are members of the FCS, Big South - OVC conference. Lindenwood was 3-7 in the 2023 season and is projected to finish 8th in the 9-team Big South - OVC in 2024.

Other Notable Week One Games

Note: All game times are CST

Friday, Aug. 30

• Temple at Oklahoma (6:00 PM - ESPN)

• Western Michigan at Wisconsin - (8:00 PM on FS1) - Western Michigan is coached by Lance Taylor, who was coached by four different Alabama football coaches in his five Crimson Tide seasons.

Saturday, Aug. 31

• Clemson vs. Georgia in Atlanta (11:00 AM - ABC)

• Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt (11:00 AM - ESPN)

• Chattanooga at Tennessee (11:45 AM - SEC Network)

• Colorado State at Texas (2:30 PM -ESPN)

• Miami at Florida (2:30 PM - ABC)

• Old Dominion at South Carolina (3:15 PM - SEC Network)

• Western Kentucky at Alabama (6:00 PM - ESPN)

• Notre Dame at Texas A&M (6:30 PM - ABC)

• Southern Miss at Kentucky (6:45 PM - SEC Network)

• Aug. 31 games only avaialable online are Alabama A&M at Auburn; Eastern Kentucky at Mississippi State and Furman at Ole Miss.

• Week one concludes on Sunday, Sept. 1 with LSU vs USC in Las Vegas 6:30 PM - ABC), and on Monday with Boston College at Florida State (6:30 PM - ESPN).

Thanks to lsufootball.net as an indispensible site for college football TV schedules