When does the 2024 college football season begin?

It's never too early to plan for the upcoming college football season. Michigan won the College Football Playoff championship in spectacular way last year, and the 2024 season promises to continue the excitement.

You can find out when the 2024 college football season begins here. This post will be updated when games and timings change.

When does the 2024 college football season begin?

The 2024 season will begin on Saturday, August 24 with "Week Zero." The majority of the nation's Division I programmes will begin their seasons the following week.

Here are some of the games planned on Saturday, August 24 in Week Zero.

Aer Lingus College Football Classic: Florida State vs. Georgia Tech (Dublin, Ireland).
MEAC/SWAC Challenge: Norfolk State vs. Florida A&M (Centre Parc Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia).
Montana State at New Mexico
Eastern Illinois at Illinois.
Oregon at Hawaii

The 2024 college football season starts the next week, with the majority of the games scheduled for Saturday, August 31, over Labour Day weekend. Here are a few of the season-opening games.

Thursday, Aug. 29

North Carolina at Minnesota

Saturday, Aug. 31

Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game: Clemson vs. Georgia (Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA)
Miami (FL) at Florida.
Notre Dame faces Texas A&M.
Penn State vs West Virginia
Georgia State vs Georgia Tech
North Dakota State at Colorado.
South Dakota State at Oklahoma State.

Sunday, Sept. 1

Vegas Kickoff Classic: LSU vs. Southern California (Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada). | 7:30 p.m. on ABC
Orange Blossom Classic: North Carolina Central vs. Alabama State at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

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Some more early-season nonconference matchups to watch are listed below:

Week 2: Saturday, September 7
Texas at Michigan
Duke's Mayo Classic: NC State vs. Tennessee (Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina).
Colorado at Nebraska.
Arkansas at Oklahoma State.
Boise State at Oregon.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati.
Kansas State at Tulane.
Florida A&M in Miami (FL)Week 3: Saturday, September 14
Alabama at Wisconsin

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College Football Playoff and New Year's Six bowl game schedules

The 2024 season is the 11th year of the College Football Playoff and the first under the 12-team format.
Here are the College Football Playoff dates and schedule for the next season. All the New Year's Six games are also featured.

First round | Week of Saturday, Dec. 21
- Location: the home field of the higher-seeded team or another site designated by the higher-seeded program.
Quarterfinals
- Fiesta Bowl | Tuesday, Dec. 31
- Peach Bowl | Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Rose Bowl | Wednesday, Jan. 1
- Sugar Bowl | Wednesday, Jan. 1
Semifinals
- Orange Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 9
- Cotton Bowl | Friday, Jan. 10
CFP National Championship Game: Monday, Jan. 20, 2023 (in Atlanta, Georgia)

The title game will be played at Mercedez-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. This will mark the first time a location will host the CFP National Championship Game twice.

Michigan won the College Football Playoff National Championship in the 2023-2024 season. Here is the whole history of the CFP championship game.

YEAR	GAME	LOCATION
2015	No. 4 Ohio State 42, No. 2 Oregon 20	Arlington, Texas
2016	No. 2 Alabama 45, No. 1 Clemson 40	Glendale, Arizona
2017	No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 1 Alabama 31	Tampa, Florida
2018	No. 4 Alabama 26, No. 3 Georgia 23	Atlanta, Georgia
2019	No. 2 Clemson 44, No. 1 Alabama 16	Santa Clara, California
2020	No. 1 LSU 42, No. 3 Clemson 25	New Orleans, Louisiana
2021	No. 1 Alabama 52, No. 3 Ohio State 24	Miami Gardens, Florida
2022	No. 3 Georgia 33, No. 1 Alabama 18	Indianapolis, Indiana
2023	No. 1 Georgia 65, No. 3 TCU 7	Inglewood, California
2024	No. 1 Michigan 34, No. 2 Washington 13	Houston, Texas

Future CFP national championship locations and dates

2025-26: Miami (Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida) – January 19

First round | Week of Saturday, Dec. 20
- Location: the home field of the higher-seeded team or another site designated by the higher-seeded program.
Quarterfinal sites:
- Cotton Bowl | Wednesday, Dec. 31
- Orange Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 1
- Rose Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 1
- Sugar Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 1
Semifinal sites:
- Fiesta Bowl | Thursday, Jan. 8
- Peach Bowl | Friday, Jan. 9

Stan Becton joined NCAA.com in 2021 and has since worked as an FCS, track and field, cross country and HBCU beat writer. He has covered various NCAA championship events, including as the FCS Championship, DI Track & Field Championships, and Men's Frozen Four. He has also covered HBCU athletic events like as the Celebration Bowl and Legacy Classic, as well as the 2022 College Football Playoff Peach Bowl. Stan graduated from Carnegie Mellon University with a degree in Professional Writing and five years of football lettering.