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As preseason camps begin across the college football landscape, we are just a few weeks away from the start of the 2024 season.
Massive conference and College Football Playoff expansion, along, of course, with ongoing NIL legislation, highlighted the offseason.
But soon kickoff, where all the really matters is what happens on the field.
In preparation for the start of the season, FrontPageBets takes a look at the first game on the 2024 docket, with a Week 0 matchup between ACC opponents Florida State and Georgia Tech, which will kickoff in Dublin, Ireland, on Aug. 24.
This will be one of four Week 0 games on the schedule, with the ACC-favorite Seminoles, as a 12.5 to 13-point favorite over the Yellow Jackets. The Over/Under is 54.5.
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The expected sellout crowd at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium for the Aer Lingus College Football Classic will also be able to experience ESPN’s College GameDay, which will broadcast outside the United States for the first time in the pregame show’s history.
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Florida State will be on a redemption tour to start 2024, after being left out of last season’s four-team College Football Playoff, despite finishing 13-0 and winning the ACC.
The reason was simple – although distressing to a lot of college football fans, especially those in Tallahassee. Star quarterback Jordan Travis, who was in the running for the Heisman Trophy as well, suffered a season-ending injury in mid-November, and FSU was never the same team. That was made apparent in the Orange Bowl against Georgia, who wiped the floor with the Seminoles, 63-3.
This year, fifth-year coach Mike Norvell will have a new quarterback, but there won’t be much of a learning curve with this one.
DJ Uiagalelei, who is a grad transfer from Oregon State, and prior to that was at Clemson, will take the reins in Tallahassee. Uiagalelei has played in 48 career college football games, starting 40. His career record as a starter is 30-10; and he’s thrown for over 8,000 yards and 57 touchdowns in four college football seasons.
Georgia Tech was 12th in rushing offense last season, averaging 203.8 yards per game and nearly 5.5 yards per carry, which led the ACC. The Yellow Jackets were paced by running back Jamal Haynes, who broke the 1,000-yard mark last season, averaging 6.1 yards per carry, which was top 25 in the nation.
Haynes is back along with most of last year’s offense, including quarterback Haynes King and four of his five starting offensive linemen. Not to mention two of the team’s leading receivers and tight end.
This could potentially be a high-scoring game right out of the gate, if these two offenses start clicking early. And with a 54.5-point total, the Over might be a safe bet … along with taking FSU to cover the near two-touchdown spread.
FSU was 8-6 last season against the spread, while Georgia Tech was 8-5.
2024 Week 0 College Football odds
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Mike Szvetitz is the General Manager and Content Director for FrontPageBets.com. Szvetitz is a 24-year veteran reporter and editor, including serving 17 years as a sports editor in Florida, Alabama and Virginia, covering everything from preps to pros. His “View From The Lazy Boy” column won multiple state and national awards. He can be reached at mszvetitz@timesdispatch.com.
