On August 1, when the ten Pac-12 schools officially join the Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC, more historic shifts are expected. In addition to ending many traditions, the movement ushers in a spectacular new era marked by mega-conferences, fresh rivalries, and intriguing races to the expanded College Football Playoff.

The myriad new games that conference realignment adds to the 2024 college football schedule are arguably the most intriguing aspect of the move. This campaign looks to be one of the most entertaining to date since it will include intriguing matchups between some of the top athletes in the sport, highly-anticipated bouts amongst national championship contenders, and the rekindling of ancient rivalries.

Potential playoff champions Ohio State and Oregon, as well as Georgia and Texas, face off in two games that are particularly noteworthy as must-watch events.

14. Michigan at the White House

College football rarely offers a rematch of the national title in such a short amount of time, and although both Michigan and Washington, especially the latter, have changed drastically in just a few short months, their most recent series’ second installment is still quite exciting. Despite Michigan’s obvious skill advantage following Washington’s significant roster upheaval, Husky Stadium is a tough stadium for visitors, so first-year head coach Sherman Moore and his team will have their work cut out for them.With new quarterback Will Rogers, Jedd Fisch will have the Huskies playing hard from the start, and the offence should still produce a lot of pyrotechnics.

13. Kansas State at Arizona

In this latest Big 12 matchup, the quarterback competition is amazing.Avery Johnson, the Heisman Trophy dark horse for Kansas State, is a premier dual-threat player, and Noah Fifita, one of the nation’s most prolific young passers, is the star quarterback for Arizona. In this matchup, skill position potential abounds, especially on the Wildcats’ side, where Tetairoa McMillan, a 1,400-yard receiver, was persuaded to stay despite staff turnover by new coach Brent Brennan. There are numerous Big 12 games that affect conference titles, and this one is almost at the top.

12. UTAH AT OKLAHOMA STATE (USA TODAY Sports/Mark J. Rebilas)

In their first season in the conference, Utah is undoubtedly the favourite in the Big 12, but even with quarterback Cameron Rising and tight end Brett Kuithe back and healthy for their seventh years, Utah will have a difficult time climbing to the top of the crowded league. The Oklahoma State rushing back Ollie Gordon II takes on the renowned Utes defensive front in one of the most intriguing matchups in the enlarged league. The victor of that matchup will probably be crowned the winner of an event that will play a major role in deciding the conference champion.

11. University of Michigan

It will be the pinnacle of college football theatrics when USC visits The Big House. This is as intriguing a matchup as it gets: two of the biggest names in sports facing off in a legendary venue. USC and Michigan have faced off in the Rose Bowl the last four times, with the Trojans having a 3-1 advantage dating back to 1988. This season, both teams are breaking in new quarterbacks. However, the most significant improvement is on the defensive side of the ball, where USC needs to improve significantly this year to compete in the physically demanding Big Ten.

10. USC PENN STATE

Penn State and USC square off in another legendary Rose Bowl rivalry, and the Nittany Lions will have to make one of the longest road journeys in NCAA football to get to this game. The cross-country trip will be a test for James Franklin’s squad because Penn State needs to overcome this kind of obstacle in order to make a significant advancement and get to the Big Ten championship game.Lincoln Riley’s powerful offence might run across some issues with Abdul Carter and the incredibly skilled defence, especially since Miller Moss is still a relatively unknown starting quarterback for the Trojans.

9. Oklahoma AT LSU Brent Venables, head coach of Oklahoma(Image courtesy of The Oklahoman, Bryan Terry, USA TODAY Sports)

Oklahoma, welcome to the SEC.Death Valley is the toughest place in college football, and the Sooners will have to make the arduous journey there in their first season as an SEC team.Although Brent Venables’ squad is capable of winning in Baton Rouge, they will face a formidable LSU squad that can still move the ball with the best of them despite the absence of Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels and two first-round receivers. On the defensive end of the ball, both of these teams have unanswered questions, but the Sooners may have the advantage because of this.

8. ETERNITY AT OKLAHOMA

Nico Iamaleava and Jackson Arnold are two of the most promising first-year quarterbacks available. The team with the higher performance among the youthful arms may emerge victorious in the Tennessee vs. Oklahoma match. Although they would need some luck to go their way, both of the new starters have a chance to win the Heisman Trophy. Their potential is undeniable. As previous five-star recruits, Iamaleava and Arnold have a lot of skill-position weapons surrounding them, which maximises their potential as dual-threat standouts.

7. MISSOURI AT OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma not only has one of the hardest schedules in the country, but a lot of the Sooners’ most competitive games are away from home. The Missouri game will put the OU defensive backfield to the test since the Tigers have an excellent quarterback-receiver combination in Brady Cook and Luther Burden III. These two teams, who have the potential to compete for a berth in the SEC’s top division but more likely find themselves battling for a spot on the fringes of college football’s top 10, don’t have much separating them on paper.

6. OL, MISS OKLAHOMA

Ole Miss needs to win this kind of game if it hopes to advance and challenge for the SEC championship. Though it won’t be simple, the Rebels in 2024 will have enough skill to overcome this conference rookie.Jaxson Dart, one of the best quarterbacks in the country, has a strong supporting group at wide receiver and running back, even with Ohio State signing former star quarterback Quinshon Judkins. On defence, Ole Miss can finally pose a threat to teams in the top division of the conference thanks to transfer acquisitions like Princely Umanmielen and Walter Nolen, who elevate the Rebels to postseason contention.

5. MICHIGAN’S OREGON

Until proven otherwise, the Big Ten passes through two-time defending champion Michigan, but Oregon is about to pass the Wolverines. Given how little room there is for error at the top of the 18-team league, this game is crucial for both teams. Here, Michigan’s home-field advantage is extremely valuable, and its defence is among the best in the nation with the skill to impede the Ducks’ formidable attack. For Dan Lanning’s programme, this will either be a “welcome to the Big Ten” moment or a chance to demonstrate that Oregon has entered the national title discussion.

4. OKLAHOMA AT ALABAMA

The college football community will already have a very distinct image of Alabama’s Kalen DeBoer era by the time this game arrives. When the first-year coach leads his squad to Norman, Oklahoma, on November 23, the game will be a “prove it” moment if the Crimson Tide are in the running for the SEC championship. Conversely, the Sooners have a fantastic opportunity to upset the regular contender for the national championship. This is college football in November at its best.

3. Texas A&M at Texas

Conference realignment reignites many long-dormant series while simultaneously bringing an end to many long-standing rivalries. There are none hotter than the Texas vs. Texas A&M Lone Star Showdown. The Longhorns’ hiring of Aggies coach Jim Schlossnagle kicked off the resuscitation of this rivalry on the baseball field, and on November 30, when the Longhorns visit College Station, the football field will also experience fresh energy. The implications of Kyle Field hosting a sleeping giant in college football rivalry circles are further enhanced by the fact that both teams are expected to be nearing the end of a successful regular season. The atmosphere will be electrifying as always.

The second is Ohio at Oregon

In all likelihood, this will be the first of three games between the Big Ten leaders in 2024. In the conference title game and possibly even in the College Football Playoff, Ohio State and Oregon would almost definitely face off again if they both lived up to their extremely high expectations. The Ducks welcome the Buckeyes to Autzen Stadium for their greatest home game in a long time in this series’ regular-season finale. When they play in Eugene, both teams almost certainly have perfect records and are among the top five in the country.

1. Texas at Georgia

The best quarterback matchup of the 2024 season is Carson Beck vs. Quinn Ewers.In addition to being the two most useful players in the country, the front-runners for the Heisman Trophy also lead two of the most likely teams to win the national championship. College football fans are in for a treat if this is merely the start of many encounters between the Bulldogs and Longhorns. If the victorious club maintains their current form during the regular season, they should have no trouble securing the top overall seed in the first 12-team playoff.

SMU secured a significant recruiting victory by removing Ty Hawkins, the quarterback for TCU.
Kellon Russell, a Top247 quarterback commit, was lost by SMU in June, but he was added at the beginning of July.Ty Hawkins, the quarterback for the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida, declared his commitment to the Mustangs after switching from rival TCU. After a year of dedication to the Horned Frogs, Hawkins’ recruitment to SMU was altered by a visit in late June.

According to 247Sports, Hawkins, who stands 6-foot-1 and weighs 200 pounds, is rated as the No. 15 quarterback in the country and the No. 29 overall talent in Florida.