2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season

American college football season

The 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season is the ongoing 155th season of college football in the United States, the 119th season organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), and the 49th of the highest level of competition, the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The regular season began on August 24 and is scheduled to end on December 14. The postseason will begin on December 14, and, aside from any all-star games that are scheduled, end on January 20, 2025, with the College Football Playoff National Championship at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This will be the first season of the new College Football Playoff (CFP) system, with the bracket being expanded to 12 teams.^[1]

Conference realignment

One school is playing its first FBS season in 2024; Kennesaw State (from FCS independents) began its transition from Division I FCS in 2023 and joined Conference USA (CUSA) in July 2024.^[2] One formerly independent school, Army, joined the American Athletic Conference in 2024.^[3] SMU joined the ACC in 2024.^[4]

Overall, 10 schools from the Pac-12 left for another conference in 2024. The 10 teams and their new conferences are:

• Big 12: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah^[5]
• ACC: California and Stanford^[4]
• Big Ten: Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington^[6]

The remaining two schools in the Pac-12, Oregon State and Washington State, made an agreement with the Mountain West Conference (MW) such that each remaining Pac-12 team will play six MW teams in 2024.^[7]

The 2024 season is the last for one team as an FBS independent.^[8][9]

Two FCS schools, Delaware and Missouri State, started transitioning their programs to FBS in the 2024 season. The two schools are respectively playing that season in CAA Football and the Missouri Valley Football Conference, but will not be eligible for the FCS playoffs due to NCAA transition rules. Both will join CUSA in 2025.^[10][11]

On September 12, 2024, the Pac-12 announced that MW members Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State would join the Pac-12 in 2026.^[12][13] On September 24, 2024, the Pac-12 announced that another MW member, Utah State, would also join alongside the four aforementioned schools in 2026.^[14] This will bring the Pac-12 to seven members, one short of the number needed to preserve its status as an FBS conference.^[c] On October 1, 2024, UTEP announced that it would join the Mountain West from Conference USA starting in 2026.^[17] This gave the MW seven full football-sponsoring members in the 2026 season; it had to add at least one more such member no later than 2028–29 to preserve its FBS status. The needed eighth member proved to be current football-only member Hawaii. On October 14, Hawaii athletic director Craig Angelos confirmed outside reports that the school would upgrade to full MW membership in 2026.^[18] The MW officially announced this move the next day.^[19]

Rule changes

The following rule changes were approved by the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel for the 2024 season:^[20]

• Implementing a time-out at the first dead ball on or after the two-minute mark of the second and fourth quarters (similar to the NFL's two-minute warning). The following timing rules were synchronized to start after the two-minute timeout:
  • Stopping the game clock when the offense gains a first down inbounds, then restarting after the chains are set.
  • Situations where a ten-second runoff is required will now begin after the two-minute timeout instead of in the final minute of each half, mirroring an NFL rule change since 2017.
  • If the defense commits an illegal substitution foul where 12 or more players participated in the down, in addition to the yardage penalty, the offense has the option to have the game clock reset to the time remaining before the snap. If the 12th player was in the process of leaving the field and not participating when the ball was snapped, the penalty enforcement will not include the clock reset option. This in-season change was a result of the Oregon Ducks using this tactic in the final 10 seconds of their game with the Ohio State Buckeyes on October 12.
• Allowing use of coach-to-player communications via the helmet for one player (indicated by a green dot on the helmet), which would be turned off either with 15 seconds on the play clock or when the ball is snapped, whichever occurs first.
• The use of up to 18 tablets per team on the sidelines for in-game video only will be permitted.
• Team personnel (player/coach/assistant/etc.) who enter the field to engage officials with a tablet to review video of a play(s) will be assessed an automatic unsportsmanlike conduct (15 yards) penalty which counts toward their limit of two before ejection.
• Division III will be adopting the first down timing rules that were implemented for FBS, FCS, and Division II in the 2023 season.
• Allowing conferences to use a collaborative instant replay system as a regular (instead of an experimental) rule.
• Horse-collar tackles within the tackle box will now be penalized as a personal foul (15 yards). Previously this action was not penalized within the tackle box.
• Head coaches will be permitted to be interviewed by the media at the end of the first and third quarters, making permanent an experimental rule.
• Once the referee declares the first half ended, no replay reviews will be permitted.
• Commercial sponsor logos will be permitted on three areas of the playing field.
• Any "hide-out" play, with or without a substitution, will be considered a team unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (15 yards).

Points of emphasis for the 2024 season include:^[21]

• Continued emphasis on targeting, taunting, concussions, feigning injuries, and low hits to the quarterback.
• Pre-snap actions (false start on offense, and disconcerting signals/causing the offense to false start) will continue to be a point of emphasis, including editorial changes that if a defensive player is lined up within one yard of the line of scrimmage, he may not rush the line with the intent of causing a false start, and that any movement by the offense that simulates action will be a false start.
• Offensive alignment, including attention to eligible receivers being covered up by another player and other "gadget plays", will be strictly enforced.

Headlines

• January 25, 2024 – The Mid-American Conference announced that it would eliminate its football divisions, effective immediately. The championship game will instead involve the top two teams in the conference standings.^[22]
• April 22 – The NCAA Division I Board of Directors announced the following:^[23]
  • Effective immediately, all student-athletes who meet certain academic requirements will be immediately eligible when transferring to a new school, regardless of whether they had transferred before. Previously, all transfers after the first, except for graduate transfers, required that the student-athlete receive an NCAA waiver in order to be immediately eligible.
  • Also effective immediately, schools will be allowed to directly assist their athletes in reaching name, image, and likeness deals.
  • After the end of the Pac-12 Conference's operating year on August 1, the conference was officially removed from autonomy status, effectively turning the Power Five conferences into a Power Four.
• June 25 – The NCAA Division I Council announced the following:
  • Effective immediately, all members of a team's staff can provide coaching services. While this effectively lifts most limits on the size of coaching staffs, it does not change limits on the number of coaches who can recruit off-campus, graduate assistants, or strength and conditioning coaches.^[24]
  • Also effective immediately, cannabinoids were removed from the list of banned drugs in football. Penalties being served by student-athletes who had tested positive for cannabinoids were ended.^[25]
  • The Council voted to introduce a proposal that would reduce the duration of the transfer portal in football and basketball from 45 days to 30. A final vote was expected in October.^[25]
• August 27:^[26]
  • The oversight committees for FBS and FCS recommended that the transfer portal be open only for a 30-day period, starting on the Monday after conference championship games. This will not affect the existing exceptions for participants in postseason games, which allows players to enter the portal within a 5-day window after their team's final game, or players undergoing a coaching change. The Division I Council will vote on the change in October.
  • Both oversight committees also approved a change to redshirt rules. Effective immediately, the participation limit of four games for redshirting players no longer includes postseason games — conference championship games, bowls, FCS playoff games, and College Football Playoff games.
• October 9:^[27]
  • The Division I Council approved the recommended reduction of the FBS and FCS transfer portal to 30 days, though with a different schedule than recommended. The fall window, which opens on the Monday after the FBS conference championship games, will be open only for 20 days. A 10-day spring portal will open in mid-April.
  • The Council also abolished the National Letter of Intent program effective immediately. Written offers of athletics aid will replace the NLI.

Stadiums

• Due to stadium renovations at David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium, the Kansas Jayhawks are playing two home games at Children's Mercy Park in Kansas City, Kansas, and four home games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.^[28]
• Due to the demolition of Ryan Field, with a new stadium of the same name set to open on the site in 2026, the Northwestern Wildcats are playing five home games at temporary constructed Martin Stadium in Evanston, Illinois, and two home games at Wrigley Field in Chicago, Illinois.^[28][29]
• August 6 – FIU announced that Miami-based rapper Pitbull had purchased the naming rights to the Panthers' stadium, now known as Pitbull Stadium.^[30] The $6 million contract runs for 5 years, with Pitbull having an option to renew for an additional 5 years.^[31]

Kickoff games

Week 0

The regular season began on Saturday, August 24 with four games in Week 0.

• Aer Lingus College Football Classic:
  • Georgia Tech 24, No. 10 Florida State 21 (at Aviva Stadium, Dublin, Ireland)
• Montana State 35, New Mexico 31
• SMU 29, Nevada 24
• Hawaii 35, Delaware State 14

Week 1

• Aflac Kickoff Game:
  • No. 1 Georgia 34, No. 14 Clemson 3 (at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia)
• Vegas Kickoff Classic:
  • No. 23 USC 27, No. 13 LSU 20 (at Allegiant Stadium, Paradise, Nevada)

Week 2

• Duke's Mayo Classic:
  • No. 14 Tennessee 51, No. 24 NC State 10 (at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina)

Top 10 matchups

Rankings through Week 10 reflect the AP Poll. Rankings for Week 11 and beyond will list College Football Playoff Rankings first and AP Poll second. Teams that failed to be a top 10 team for one poll or the other will be noted.

Regular season

• Week 2
  • No. 3 Texas defeated No. 10 Michigan, 31–12 (Michigan Stadium, Ann Arbor, Michigan)
• Week 5
  • No. 4 Alabama defeated No. 2 Georgia, 41–34 (Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama)
• Week 7
  • No. 3 Oregon defeated No. 2 Ohio State, 32–31 (Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon)
• Week 8
  • No. 5 Georgia defeated No. 1 Texas, 30–15 (Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, Texas)
• Week 10
  • No. 4 Ohio State at No. 3 Penn State (Beaver Stadium, University Park, Pennsylvania)

FCS team wins over FBS teams

1. 41 FBS bowl games plus the College Football Playoff National Championship Game.
2. The championship game was originally scheduled to be played at Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada.
3. Gonzaga, which also joins the Pac-12 in 2026,^[15] does not count toward the required eight members because it lacks a football program.^[16]
4. Montana State was a 13.5-point favorite at kickoff.^[32]

Upsets

This section lists of unranked teams defeating AP Poll-ranked during the season.

• August 24, 2024
  • Georgia Tech 24, No. 10 Florida State 21
• September 2, 2024
  • Boston College 28, No. 10 Florida State 13
• September 7, 2024
  • Northern Illinois 16, No. 5 Notre Dame 14
  • Illinois 23, No. 19 Kansas 17
  • Iowa State 20, No. 21 Iowa 19
  • Syracuse 31, No. 23 Georgia Tech 28
• September 21, 2024
  • BYU 38, No. 13 Kansas State 9
  • Buffalo 23, No. 23 Northern Illinois 20 ^OT
• September 28, 2024
  • Kentucky 20, No. 6 Ole Miss 17
  • Arizona 23, No. 10 Utah 10
• October 4, 2024
  • Syracuse 44, No. 25 UNLV 41^OT
• October 5, 2024
  • Vanderbilt 40, No. 1 Alabama 35
  • Arkansas 19, No. 4 Tennessee 14
  • Washington 27, No. 10 Michigan 17
  • Minnesota 24, No. 11 USC 17
  • SMU 34, No. 22 Louisville 27
• October 11, 2024
  • Arizona State 27, No. 16 Utah 19

Conference standings

Rankings

The Top 25 from the AP and USA Today Coaches Polls

Preseason polls

Postseason

Bowl-eligible teams

• ACC (5): Clemson, Duke, Miami (FL), Pittsburgh, SMU
• American (4): Army, Memphis, Navy, Tulane
• Big 10 (5): Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Oregon, Penn State
• Big 12 (4): BYU, Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas State
• CUSA (1): Sam Houston
• MAC (0):
• MW (2): Boise State, UNLV
• Pac-12 (1): Washington State
• SEC (8): Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Missouri, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, Texas A&M
• Sun Belt (2): James Madison, Louisiana
• Independent (1): Notre Dame

Number of bowl berths available: 82^[a]
Number of bowl-eligible teams: 33

Bowl-ineligible teams

• ACC (1): Florida State
• American (0):
• Big 10 (0):
• Big 12 (0):
• CUSA (2): Kennesaw State^[b], UTEP
• MAC (1): Kent State
• MW (1): Wyoming
• Pac-12 (0):
• SEC (1): Mississippi State
• Sun Belt (2): Southern Miss, Troy
• Independent (1): UMass^[c]

Number of bowl-ineligible teams: 9

There are 41 team-competitive FBS post-season bowl games, with two teams advancing to a 42nd—the CFP National Championship game. Normally, a team is required to have a .500 minimum winning percentage during the regular season to become bowl-eligible (six wins for an 11- or 12-game schedule, and seven wins for a 13-game schedule). If there are not enough winning teams to fulfill all open bowl slots, teams with losing records may be chosen to fill available bowl slots. Additionally, on the rare occasion in which a conference champion does not meet eligibility requirements, they are usually still chosen for bowl games via tie-ins for their conference.

College Football Playoff

This is the first year under the expanded College Football Playoff format. Under this format, the five highest-ranked conference champions will receive automatic bids, while the next seven highest-ranked teams will receive at-large bids. The four highest-ranked conference champions will receive a first-round bye in the playoff.^[34]

All-star games

Each of these games features college seniors, or players whose college football eligibility is ending, who are individually invited by game organizers. These games are scheduled to follow the team-competitive bowls, to allow players selected from bowl teams to participate. The all-star games may include some players from non-FBS programs.

Coaching changes

Preseason and in-season

This is restricted to coaching changes taking place on or after May 1, 2024, and will include any changes announced after a team's last regularly scheduled game but before its bowl game. For coaching changes that occurred earlier in 2024, see 2023 NCAA Division I FBS end-of-season coaching changes.

Television viewers and ratings

Top 10 most watched regular season games

All times Eastern.Rankings are from the AP Poll (before 11/5) and CFP Rankings (thereafter).^[44]

Television changes

This is the first year of a new 10-year television deal for the Southeastern Conference. SEC games will air exclusively on ESPN networks. ABC replaces CBS as the over-the-air television home of the SEC and exclusive television home of the SEC Championship Game.^[45] CBS will start airing Big Ten games in the 3:30 ET slot full-time this season.

Oregon State and Washington State, the two remaining members of the Pac-12 Conference, announced a one-year agreement with The CW and Fox (2 games) on May 14, 2024.^[46]

After extending their contract in March with the College Football Playoff, ESPN will sublicense two first round games to TNT Sports. These will be the first games to air on the TNT network since 2006. ESPN will also sublicense two quarterfinal bowl games to TNT beginning in 2026.

Beginning this season, TNT Sports will also air third-tier Mountain West Conference games on TruTV.^[47]

See also

• 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season
• 2024 NCAA Division II football season
• 2024 NCAA Division III football season
• 2024 NAIA football season
• 2024 U Sports football season

Notes

1. There are 35 traditional season-ending bowl games providing berths for 70 teams. Six bowl games will be used for the quarterfinals and semifinals of the College Football Playoff, which will have 12 participating teams. A total of 82 teams (70 + 12) will play in these post-season competitions.
2. Kennesaw State is bowl ineligible due to their transition from FCS to FBS
3. UMass has two games against FCS teams, Central Connecticut and Wagner. Only one win against an FCS school may be counted towards bowl eligiblity

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