College Football Kickoff Times Announced For Monster Opening Weeks, So Get Your Excuses Ready

You can go ahead and start coming up with excuses to tell your significant other for the month of September. ESPN, FOX and NBC have announced kickoff times for the opening weeks of the 2024 college football season. 

All of the weddings, birthday parties or even the birth of your children need to be coordinated now, with the college football season just a few months away. Ok, don't upset the wife when it comes to the birthing process, but at least have some type of hookup in the hospital room to watch your favorite team open the season. 

If you're the fan who starts prepping your tailgate menu in May, we now have the times for when you should start throwing the BBQ on the grill for your friends. Even though we might be months away from the opening week of the season, there's never a bad time to start planning the trip. 

Thanks to ESPN, FOX and NBC, we are starting to see how the opening weeks of the 2024 season will play out when it comes to kickoff times. 

Pasadena, CA - Colorado coach Deon Sanders talks with his son, Colorado defensive back Shilo Sanders, before the game against UCLA at the Rose Bowl on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)

FOX's ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ Gets Some SEC Flavor With Big Ten Showdowns 

The ongoing battle between ESPN's College Gameday and FOX's Big Noon Kickoff continues to get spicier with every location announced over the past few years. Now, with the new television contracts around college football, the fans will continue to benefit from this battle between networks. 

Thanks to previous agreements made for ‘home-and-home’ series' between prominent programs, we're heading towards a monster two-weekend stretch of games that will have the SEC and Big Ten taking center-stage. 

It was announced on Tuesday that ‘Big Noon Kickoff’ will start its season in Ann Arbor, Michigan for what could end up being one of the most intriguiging games of the early portion of 2024. The Texas Longhorns, led by Quinn Ewers, will face the new-look Wolverines at 12pm ET inside the ‘Big House’ in what will be a fascinating game for fans. 

Then, the following weekend, the FOX pregame show will head to Madison, Wisconsin for the second game of the Kalen DeBoer era at Alabama. Having Jalen Milroe and this Crimson Tide squad play Luke Fickell and the Badgers inside Camp Randall Stadium will be a must-watch game at 12pm ET on FOX. The post-Nick Saban era at Alabama will have folks clamoring to see what this team looks like without the GOAT roaming the sidelines. 

Sure, Bama will face Western Kentucky on the first weekend of the season, but this Big Ten matchup will be the first real test for the Tide'. 

ESPN ‘College Gameday’ Heading To Texas A&M, Opening Week Stacked

Start your preparations now Texas A&M fans, as ESPN has decided to bring its premier pregame show to College Station for the Aggies matchup against Notre Dame, which will kick off at 7:30pm ET on ABC. This monumental opener for both squads is part of the new contract with the SEC and ESPN, which begins this season. 

If you're looking for a week zero game, Florida State and Georgia Tech will head to Dublin, Ireland for their season opener on August 24th at noon ET. The allure of the Seminoles, along with Haynes King at QB for Georgia Tech will give fans the early taste they need for the 2024 season. 

Then, it's primetime with Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes. Sure, the matchup is not something to get all excited about, but I can promise you the network executives at ESPN do not care, with Coach Prime roaming the sidelines for their game against North Dakota State on Thursday, August 29th at 8pm ET. Let the Colorado frenzy begin. 

Ok, after you've gotten an early fix, the weekend lineup for ESPN and ABC will feature a number of different heavyweight matchups to start the official Saturday of college football. 

• Clemson vs. Georgia inside Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta for a 12pm ET kickoff on ABC
• A sunshine state showdown will have Miami traveling to Florida for a 3:30pm ET kickoff on ABC
• The first game of the Kalen DeBoer era will have Alabama playing Western Kentucky at 7pm ET on ESPN
• Notre Dame travels to Texas A&M for a monster matchup scheduled for 7:30pm ET on ABC
• On Sunday, September 1st, LSU and USC will square-off in Las Vegas at 7:30pm ET on ABC
• Boston College will face Florida State on September 2nd at 7:30pm ET on ESPN.

Along with plenty of other games, the opening weekend for the ESPN family of networks will see the new contract with the SEC come into play with a number of other games, with kickoff times yet to be announced. 

NBC Will Be Cashing-In On The Deion Sanders Madness In Week Two

One of biggest games of the season for Nebraska just so happens to be on NBC this year, thanks to the new television contract with the Big Ten. Luckily for the network, they will get the first important game for Deion Sanders and Colorado in 2024. 

Obviously this game will be one to watch, thanks to Shedeur Sanders and Dylan Railoa leading their teams at quarterback. A premier night game in Lincoln, Nebraska will have all eyes on NBC for this 7:30pm ET kickoff on the network. If you thought the buildup to last year's game was intense, wait until these two teams play under the lights, without another primetime game worthy enough of fans switching the channel. 

Oct 28, 2023; Pasadena, California, USA; Colorado Buffaloes head coach Deion Sanders leaves the field after the game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. UCLA defeated Colorado 28-16. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I know we are still months away from the start of the 2024 college football season. But let's be honest, talking season starts in July with conference media days across the country, and this is the unofficial start of what should be a monumental season, especially with the twelve-team playoff beginning this year. 

So, go ahead and sit down with your significant other. Let them know what the schedule looks like for the month of September, and pray that they have not RSVP'd for some wedding or birthday party that will catch you off-guard once the season begins. 

Time to get your priorities in order, because football season is right around the corner.