College football season is upon us, and with it comes the return of college football preseason coverage. The defending national champion Michigan Wolverines are no strangers to these broadcasts, having aired nearly every game through the final stretch in 2023 on ESPN’s College GameDay, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff, or sometimes both.
Today, we predict where these shows will set up camp each week in 2024. As a reminder, FOX’s Big Noon Kickoff is predominantly Big Ten-only, with a commitment to visit at least one Big 12 game as well, while College GameDay travels to every game regardless of conference.
Week 0: Florida State vs. Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland (ESPN), None (FOX)
College GameDay has already announced that they will be in Dublin for the big game between the Seminoles and the Yellow Jackets. That’s the only important game in Week 0, so I’m betting Big Noon Kickoff will just wait until Week 1 to start the show.
Week 1: Notre Dame at Texas A&M (ESPN), Penn State at West Virginia (FOX)
Both locations have already been announced. I find it shocking that GameDay does not plan to attend the Clemson-Georgia game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, as that game is significantly bigger than the Notre Dame-Texas A&M game in my opinion.
Week 2: Texas at Michigan (ESPN), Texas at Michigan (FOX)
While FOX has announced that Big Noon Kickoff will be held in Ann Arbor to play the biggest non-conference game of the season so far, ESPN hasn’t announced anything yet. However, I suspect it’s only a matter of time before they decide to travel to Ann Arbor as well. Tennessee vs. NC State or Colorado vs. Nebraska are really the only alternatives.
Week 3: Alabama at Wisconsin (ESPN), Alabama at Wisconsin (FOX)
Much like Week 2, FOX has already announced they will be at Camp Randall in Madison while ESPN is radio silent. While the game isn’t nearly as spectacular as Texas vs. Michigan, there just isn’t as much programming in Week 3, so I think ESPN has no choice but to follow FOX to Wisconsin as well.
Week 4: Tennessee at Oklahoma (ESPN), UCLA at LSU (FOX)
This one feels like a layup for College GameDay. The Tennessee-Oklahoma matchup is by far the biggest of the week and probably won’t have a Big Noon Kickoff. FOX has already fulfilled its obligation to the Big 12 and will only look at the Big Ten from here on out. Unfortunately, the only good Big Ten game in Week 4 is USC-Michigan, which is already claimed by CBS. As a consolation prize, I have FOX picking UCLA-LSU.
Week 5: Georgia at Alabama (ESPN), Minnesota at Michigan (FOX)
College GameDay will undoubtedly be Alabama’s biggest game of the season. Big Noon Kickoff will have to settle for a battle for the Little Brown Jug as the Big Ten slate is less than ideal this week.
Week 6: Clemson at Florida State (ESPN), Michigan at Washington (FOX)
Although Michigan-Washington isn’t nearly the matchup it was last year, I find it hard to imagine television executives not wanting to air a rematch of last year’s national championship. Elsewhere, ESPN will try to make amends for the vilification of Florida State on last year’s selection show.
Week 7: Texas vs. Oklahoma in Dallas, Texas (ESPN), Ohio State at Oregon (FOX)
FOX will almost certainly be in Eugene to see the first big game between a traditional Big Ten team and a newcomer that is arguably the best program of the season. ESPN could follow suit, or have the Red River Shootout all to itself. My bet is the latter.
Week 8: Georgia at Texas (ESPN), Michigan at Illinois (FOX)
In Week 8, the lineup is SEC-heavy, meaning ESPN is spoiled for choice. I’m going with Georgia vs. Texas as it could be a top matchup. FOX is pretty slim on selection this week. Frankly, none of the Big Ten games are expected to be good, so I’m going with Michigan vs. Illinois as the Fighting Illini just announced third jerseys for this game that honor Red Grange.
Week 9: Oklahoma at Ole Miss (ESPN), Nebraska at Ohio State (FOX)
Ole Miss has always been a fantastic venue for GameDay. An electric atmosphere against newcomer Oklahoma should be fantastic. Big Noon Kickoff has Nebraska going into this game at 7-0; if you don’t believe me, look at the Cornhuskers’ schedule. FOX will never pass up an opportunity to be in Columbus when there’s a decent game on the way.
Week 10: Ohio State at Penn State (ESPN), Oregon at Michigan (FOX)
Both shows could very well be on either game, but I’m betting ESPN is hoping for a whiteout at Penn State while FOX is opting for cash cow Michigan. Regardless, Week 10 should be one of the best football weeks of the 2024 season.
Week 11: Georgia at Ole Miss (ESPN), Washington at Penn State (FOX)
ESPN would probably balk at being at Ole Miss for the second time in three weeks, but this could be a top-five matchup that couldn’t be turned down. Other options would be Oklahoma vs. Missouri or Alabama vs. LSU, both of which would be fair. For FOX, the only logical choice is Washington vs. Penn State in what could be the annual Whiteout in Happy Valley.
Week 12: Tennessee at Georgia (ESPN), Nebraska at USC (FOX)
On a relatively weak roster, the Vols’ game against the Bulldogs is clearly the best game of the week, so expect GameDay to be there. FOX’s options are severely limited, so I expect them to give USC and the Los Angeles market some attention with a game against likely-ranked Nebraska at this point in the season.
Week 13: Alabama at Oklahoma (ESPN), USC at UCLA (FOX)
I didn’t want to focus this list so much on Oklahoma, but the Sooners have another big game in Week 13 that is barely matched by the rest of the team. The rest of the SEC is playing its little game, while the Big Ten is also lacking in quality matchups. For FOX, I chose USC vs. UCLA because I believe the powers that be want to show the Rose Bowl at least once this season. What better week than UCLA’s biggest rivalry game?
Week 14: Michigan at Ohio State (ESPN), Michigan at Ohio State (FOX)
Big Noon Kickoff has already announced they will be in Columbus. While GameDay hasn’t said anything yet, it would be shocking if they weren’t there as well. The game continues to be unprecedented in terms of television viewership, and there’s no end in sight.
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