1 of 6 | Running back Jamal Haynes (11) and Georgia Tech face Florida State in the first game of the 2024 college football season on Saturday at 12:00 p.m. EDT on ESPN. Photo by Danny Karnik/Georgia Tech Athletics

“I think they’re going to do a really good job,” Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei told reporters Wednesday when asked about the Yellow Jackets.

“It will be a good game and a good test for us.”

Seven games are scheduled for Saturday. Most other college football programs begin their seasons next week. A full schedule with broadcast information is available on the NCAA website.

The Seminoles, who posted a 13-0 regular-season record in 2023, are 10.5-point favorites against the Yellow Jackets, who have not won more than nine games in a season since 2014.

“Game week is here,” Yellow Jackets coach Brent Key said. “Super excited. The team is excited. We’ve put in a lot of hard work since January. … This is a great opportunity for us.”

McNeese will face Tarletan State in its second game of the season at 3:30 p.m. in Stephenville, Texas. Coverage will be on ESPNU.

New Mexico hosts Montana State on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Albuquerque. The duel will be broadcast on FS1.

North Alabama will face Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m. in Montgomery, Alabama. The game will be televised on ESPN. Norfolk State will then play Florida A&M at 7:30 p.m. in Atlanta. Coverage will be on ABC.

Nevada hosts SMU in its next game at 8 p.m. in Reno, with coverage available on CBS Sports Network. Hawaii hosts Delaware State in the final game of the day, which will be played in Honolulu and aired at midnight on Spectrum Sports.

The Hawaii Rainbow Warriors are the biggest favorites (40.5) in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) on Saturday. SMU (25) and Montana State (12.5) are also expected to start the season with 1-0 records.

The 134 FBS teams will compete for seeding in the new 12-team College Football Playoff throughout the regular season. The first round of the new format begins on December 20. The quarterfinals begin on January 1, and the semifinals will be held on January 9 and 10. The College Football Playoff final will be held on January 20 in Atlanta.

In total, 17 of the top 25 teams will start the season on August 31, including No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Oregon, No. 4 Texas, No. 5 Alabama, No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 7 Notre Dame, No. 8 Penn State and No. 9 Michigan, the defending champion.

The Bulldogs, who are ranked atop the standings and have won two of the last three national titles, will face the No. 14 Clemson Tigers in the first meeting of two highly ranked teams. The game, which features Georgia quarterback and Heisman candidate Carson Beck, is set to kick off at noon on Aug. 31 in Atlanta.

Other preseason Heisman favorites include Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard.

Georgia and Ohio State are considered favorites for the national title. Other expected title contenders include Oregon, Texas, Ole Miss, Alabama, Notre Dame, LSU, Penn State, Florida State and Michigan.

Beck, Ewers, Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams, Tennessee edge rusher James Pearce Jr., Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, LSU cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter, LSU edge rusher Harold Perkins, offensive tackle Will Campbell, Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III and Michigan cornerback Will Johnson are among the players projected to be first-round picks in the 2025 NFL Draft.

According to On3.com, Sanders has the highest name, image and likeness value in college sports at $4.7 million. Texas backup quarterback Arch Manning ($3.1 million), Hunter ($2.7 million), Milroe ($1.7 million), Ewers ($1.7 million), Beck ($1.4 million) and Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart ($1.3 million) also rank in the top 10 in NIL valuation.

The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on November 5. These rankings will be released weekly until Selection Day on December 8.

Notable season openings

Saturday

No. 10 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech at 12pm on ESPN

McNeese at Tarleton State at 3:30 p.m. on ESPNU

Montana State vs. New Mexico at 4 p.m. on FS1

North Alabama vs. Southeast Missouri State at 7 p.m. on ESPN

Florida A&M vs. Norfolk State at 7:30 p.m. on ABC

SMU in Nevada at 8 p.m. on CBSSN

Sunday

Delaware State vs. Hawaii at midnight on Spectrum Sports PPV

Thursday

Western Carolina at No. 24 NC State at 7 p.m. on ACC Network

Murray State at No. 11 Missouri at 8 p.m. on SEC Network

North Carolina vs. Minnesota at 8 p.m. on Fox

North Dakota State vs. Colorado at 8 p.m. on ESPN

Lindenwood at No. 22 Kansas at 8 p.m. on Big 12 Network/ESPN+

Southern Utah at No. 12 Utah at 9 p.m. on Big 12 Network/ESPN+

30.August

Temple at No. 16 Oklahoma at 7 p.m. on ESPN

TCU at Stanford at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN

31.August

No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia at 12 noon on ABC

Illinois State at No. 25 Iowa at 12 noon on Big Ten Network

No. 8 Penn State vs. West Virginia at 12pm on Fox

Virginia Tech vs. Vanderbilt at 12pm on ESPN

UConn in Maryland at 12pm on FS1

Chattanooga at No. 15 Tennessee at 12:45 p.m. on SEC Network

South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State at 2 p.m. on Big 12 Network/ESPN+

No. 19 Miami vs. Florida at 3:30 p.m. on ABC

Colorado State at No. 4 Texas at 3:30 p.m. on ESPN

Akron at No. 2 Ohio State at 3:30 p.m. on CBS

North Dakota vs. Iowa State at 3:30 p.m. on FS1

UTEP in Nebraska at 3:30 p.m. on Fox

Western Kentucky at No. 5 Alabama at 7 p.m. on ESPN

Furman at No. 6 Ole Miss at 7 p.m. on ESPN+/SEC Network

UT Martin at No. 18 Kansas State at 7 p.m. on Big 12 Network/ESPN+

UNLV in Houston at 7pm on FS1

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

Fresno State at No. 9 Michigan at 7:30 p.m. on NBC

Idaho at No. 3 Oregon at 7:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network

UCLA in Hawaii at 7:30 p.m. on CBS

New Mexico at No. 21 Arizona at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN

Wyoming vs Arizona State at 10:30 p.m. on FS1

1 September

North Carolina Central vs. Alabama State at 3 p.m. on ESPN

No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU at 7:30 p.m. on ABC

2 September

Boston College at No. 10 Florida State at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN