When Does College Football Start?

At many colleges across the country, “football season” and “fall” are synonymous. From August to November, hundreds of thousands of fans watch their teams compete against conference and nonconference rivals in the regular season.

When the regular season wraps at the end of November, the best college football teams meet up in conference championships. And then the best of the best are selected to play in a bowl game. This is capped off by the College Football Playoff (CFP), where one team will bring home a national championship trophy.

Last season, the University of Georgia Bulldogs blew out the Texas Christian University (TCU) Horned Frogs in the national championship game, winning their second consecutive title. The battle for the 2023-2024 national championship starts in less than three months, when 14 teams will compete for a “W” in the first slots on their schedule.

For 14 schools — including Idaho State , Jacksonville State, and Vanderbilt — the 2023-2024 NCAA college football season begins Saturday, Aug. 26.

This year, two big names will join the first weekend lineup: the University of Southern California (USC), home to 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, will play San Jose State. And Notre Dame, winner of the 2022 Gator Bowl, will take on Navy in Dublin, Ireland.

Across the country, and even across the pond, college football fans will gather around TVs or in stadiums to celebrate the start of the season. Here are all of the games to keep an eye out for Aug. 26.

The majority of teams, however, play their first game the following week, commonly known as “Week 1.” On Thursday, Aug. 31, the Florida Gators will take on the Utah Utes. In last year’s Week 1 matchup, Florida topped Utah 29-26.

Big games to kick off the first weekend in September include West Virginia vs. Penn State and North Carolina vs. South Carolina on Sept. 2 and Florida State vs. LSU on Sept. 3.

For the first time since 1992, Penn State’s Nittany Lions will take on the West Virginia Mountaineers. Penn State won the last four matchups between the two schools, dating back to 1989. The last time Penn State hosted a home opener night game was in 2001.

The battle of the Carolinas will take place in Charlotte, where in 2021, the two teams competed in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl at the end of the season. South Carolina came out on top 38-21.

Last year, Florida State and LSU also competed against each other for the first game of the season. The Seminoles defeated the Tigers by 1 point, successfully blocking LSU’s extra point.

Be sure to tune into these first “official” week of college football games. Among the matchups:

After Week 1, college football will be in full swing, and students should be ready to jump the hurdle of securing tickets.

Most schools reserve a substantial number of tickets, usually thousands, for current students and alumni. Schools should announce ahead of time when tickets will become available for the upcoming season.

Some schools with high ticket demand use a lottery system to award single-game tickets to students, with seniors usually having the best odds at nabbing them.

Some schools offer season tickets to enrolled students. For example, Penn State begins its season tickets sales in late July and opens the ticket marketplace to students based on seniority.

Other schools sell a variety of full and partial season ticket packages. For example, Ohio State offers a full season ticket option that includes all home games, an option for four Big Ten Conference games, and a variety of other packages based on seating.

As a general rule, if you want to go to a game, plan ahead and buy your tickets in advance. If student tickets are no longer available, you can also buy any tickets made available to the general public, but these often come with a steep price markup — getting your hands on student tickets is likely the cheapest way to attend a game.

That said, there is no admission price to tailgate. If you don’t have a ticket but still want to support your team, you can join a throng of supporters outside the stadium in an hourslong celebration.