Weekend Watch Guide: An Oklahoma State Fan’s Guide to Week 1 of the College Football Season

After a little appetizer last weekend, college football is all the way back.

Week 1 of the 2024 college football season opens Thursday night. Let’s take a look at games throughout the weekend that are relevant to Oklahoma State and the college football landscape as a whole.

Big 12 Schedule

New Hampshire at UCF — 6 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+
Lindenwood at No. 22 Kansas — 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+
North Dakota State at Colorado — 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN
Southern Utah at No. 12 Utah — 8 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+
TCU at Stanford — 9:30 p.m. Friday on ESPN
No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia — 11 a.m. Saturday on FOX
South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State — 1 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
Towson at Cincinnati — 1:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
North Dakota at Iowa State — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on FS1
UT-Martin at No. 18 Kansas State — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
Tarleton State at Baylor — 6 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
UNLV at Houston — 6 p.m. Saturday on FS1
Abilene Christian at Texas Tech — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
Southern Illinois at BYU — 7 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+
New Mexico at No. 21 Arizona — 9:30 p.m. Saturday on ESPN
Wyoming at Arizona State — 9:30 p.m. Saturday on FS1

Rather than giving little tidbits on all these games, I’m going to focus on the more prominent ones — given most Big 12 squads are opening with FCS teams.

Broad stroke: the action starts Thursday night for four Big 12 teams. A few years ago, four teams playing on a Thursday would’ve meant 40% of the league. Now, that’s just 25% of teams (#math).

Among Thursday’s games, I’m going to be paying the closest attention to North Dakota State at Colorado. The Bison went only 11-4 last season — a down year considering there was a nine-year stretch (2011 to 2019) where NDSU went a combined 128-8. Meanwhile, the Buffaloes took a step forward in Year 1 of the Prime Era, but there are still many needed steps to take. CU went from 1-11 BP (Before Prime) to 4-8 last season. As worried as OSU fans are about South Dakota State coming to Stillwater, I think this game in Colorado has more upset potential.

TCU at Stanford ought to be fun Friday night — pinning the Big 12 with the ACC (still going to take some getting used to). It’s a good opportunity for conference bragging rights for the Big 12, as Stanford hasn’t won five games in a season since 2018. The Cardinal are coming off three straight 3-9 seasons. TCU, meanwhile, will look to get back to relevance after following its national title game appearance at the end of the 2022 season with a 5-7 mark in 2023.

Three games stand out Saturday to me: Penn State at West Virginia, UNLV at Houston and Wyoming at Arizona State.

I’m extremely bullish on West Virginia this year. The Mountaineers went from being picked last in the Big 12 to winning nine games last season, and now they return quarterback Garrett Greene and added Jaden Bray, who OSU fans will know is a weapon when healthy. A win in what ought to be a riot in Morgantown could introduce WVU to the Big 12 title race, putting the Mountaineers on the level of Utah, Kansas State and Oklahoma State.

UNLV went 9-5 last season, but the Rebels did lose quarterback Jayden Maiava to USC. Houston is going through a transition since firing Dana Holgorsen and hiring Willie Fritz. This will be a good measuring stick for the Cougars entering their second year in the Big 12.

Arizona State enters the Big 12 after going 3-9 in its last two seasons of being in the Pac-12. So, this game against Wyoming (a team that went 9-4 last season) should be a good test for Kenny Dillingham’s bunch to see whether the Sun Devils can prep to take a step forward in his second season.

Thursday Helpings

Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Arkansas — 6:30 p.m. Thursday on ESPNU
Northwestern State at Tulsa — 7 p.m. Thursday on ESPN+

Outside of four Big 12 teams getting going on Thursday, there isn’t a ton going on. But the Cowboys’ final two nonconference opponents play Thursday night.

The Razorbacks are coming off a 4-8 season and host a Pine Bluff squad that went just 2-9 last season. Should be a cut-and-dry game, but it’s a nice enough look at OSU’s Week 2 opponent.

Similarly, Tulsa went 4-8 last season (the first under coach Kevin Wilson) and will host a Northwestern State team that went 0-6 last season. The Demons are coming off an emotional year that saw the football program cancel five games after a player was shot and killed. The coach resigned, meaning Northwestern State’s first game since last October will be under new coach Blaine McCorkle.

Friday Night (College) Lights

Temple at No. 16 Oklahoma — 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN

It’ll be odd seeing that OU is playing a football game that will have no bearing whatsoever on the Cowboys. Still, half the state will be talking about it at the watercooler on Monday, so if you want to be up to speed, the Sooners will be on ESPN on Friday night.

Saturday Selections

No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia — 11 a.m. Saturday on ABC
No. 19 Miami at Florida — 2:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M — 6:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC

If you have a multi-TV setup Saturday, probably best to just leave one of those on ABC.

Can Georgia reclaim its spot atop the college football world? Or will Clemson reintroduce itself to the upper echelon of the sport after a few seasons of being a good but not great team?

Is Miami back? Are the Hurricanes for real? Or can Billy Napier quiet down his naysayers with a big rivalry win in The Swamp?

Conference titles seem a bigger deal in this 12-team playoff, so without a conference, Notre Dame needs to take advantage of its big opportunities. With Florida State having already lost, this game against Texas A&M could be the Irish’s biggest test of the season. Meanwhile, A&M is under new leadership in Mike Elko. Even after a few down seasons, Kyle Field will likely be jumping.

No-NFL Sunday

No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU — 6:30 p.m. Sunday on ABC

Lincoln Riley once famously said he wasn’t going to LSU. Well, he will play the Tigers in 2024. As Riley tries to get the Trojans back to relevancy, USC takes on Brian Kelly and LSU in Las Vegas. Both teams will have new quarterbacks after Heisman Trophy winners Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams are now in the NFL.

Monday, Too?

Boston College at No. 10 Florida State — 6:30 p.m. Monday on ESPN

The weekend comes to a close with Florida State returning stateside after suffering an upset loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland during Week 0. A loss here, and the noise is going to be disorienting in Tallahassee.