Thrills, chills and bigger than ever conferences: what to expect from this season of college football

Welcome to the 2024 college football season, where everyone makes the playoffs! Well, not everyone, but, for the first time, 12 schools will be playing in college’s postseason and this is how it will work.

Get ready for a new look college football.

New conference layout

The realignment dust has finally settled and the conference makeups look a whole lot different. USC, UCLA, Oregon and Washington are now in the Big Ten. Colorado, Arizona State, Arizona, and Utah are now in the Big 12. And SMU, Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley are in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Stanford and new conference-mate Boston College are 3,125 miles apart.

With realignment, fans have been forced to say goodbye to one of the college’s best rivalry games: “Bedlam.” Oklahoma will no longer be playing Oklahoma State after the former’s move from the Big 12 to the Southeastern Conference (SEC).

A University of Southern California football uniform is displayed during a Big Ten media day in July at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. – James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

We did, though, regain an epic rivalry. With the move to the SEC, Texas will now play Texas A&M. That game will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving and will be the first meeting between the two in 13 years. It’s safe to say the 102,000 fans at Kyle Field in College Station will be a tad rowdy for that one.

End of an era

For the first time since 1995, college football will not have Nick Saban or Jim Harbaugh in the coaching ranks. Saban retired and now works for ESPN; Harbaugh moved on to the NFL to coach the Los Angeles Chargers.

Will Alabama and Michigan experience a drop off? Their fans certainly hope not. Alabama is ranked fifth to start the season. Michigan is ranked ninth after winning the national championship last season.

Without Saban and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/thrills-chills-bigger-ever-conferences-070002693.html

Author : CNN

Publish date : 2024-08-24 07:00:02

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