Week 0 of College Football can be best described as an appetizer before the real season begins. For the common football fan, week 0 often gets ignored and isn’t considered the ‘start’ of the season. If you’re reading this article, you probably aren’t a casual fan; you are a superfan who wants to take in every college football moment from Week 0 until the final whistle of the National Championship Game.
Still, the selection of games is slim, and outside of one clear ‘must-watch’ game, it takes a bit of research to figure out which games are the most important to watch.
*WEEK 0 Games are considered games that run from August 24th to August 28th. The Friday and Saturday games of Week 1 are not considered.
3. North Dakota State vs Colorado
The best team of the FCS vs Coach Prime feels like the kind of game that could get weird fast. NDSU has pulled off a lot of upsets over the years, including wins against Minnesota, Kansas, State, Iowa State, and Iowa all on the road. The way that NDSU plays is very difficult to defend against, and any FBS team that doesn’t take them seriously loses to them.
This game will also be interesting because of Coach Deion Sanders. Coach Prime has talked up a big game the past two years, and now it is time to show results. Last year was a grace period where he was still getting his roster put together, but if the Buffaloes lose in Week 0 to the FCS Bison’s, Deion Sanders’ coaching seat and coaching style could start to get very warm, very soon.
2. Florida State vs Georgia Tech
Playing a conference game in Week 0 is a bit odd, but when you consider the game is played in Dublin, Ireland, this game becomes much more interesting. Florida State is projected to be one of the best teams in the ACC, but they are also coming off of perhaps the most embarrassing finishes to a season last year.
For those who may have forgotten, the Seminoles were left outside the CFP despite an undefeated record. Instead of accepting their fate and sending a message during the bowl game, they did the opposite, taking a 63-3 beating from Georgia, who also felt snubbed from the Playoff.
Aside from being the first real game of the season (Saturday, August 24th), this game has the potential to be a great way to start off the season. Florida State will try to get back on track, while Georgia Tech will try to play spoiler. Nobody knows what could happen with the game happening halfway around the world.
The Week 0 slate may not be great, but I plan on watching all these games.
Cousin Shane on the other hand:
"It's been so damn long since college football, I'll probably watch three of those!"
Full show: https://t.co/cMoln8XLGf pic.twitter.com/F5ONAPcdgY
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) August 22, 2023
1. Coastal Carolina vs Jacksonville State
If you’re looking for the game that could impact the College Football Playoff, this is the game. Both of these programs have high aspirations of winning their conference championship and then hopefully qualifying for the College Football Playoff.
To do so, a G5 team must win their conference and be the highest-rated G5 champion. The loser of this game will have a very tough time being ranked higher than other G5 champions, especially considering that neither of these teams plays for the best G5 conferences, where some grace may be given for an early season loss.
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