Lofty goals remain as Florida State kicks off college football season Saturday

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — It’s time.

College football has arrived.

There are a handful of games Saturday, notably highlighted by No. 10 Florida State taking on Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.

Led by defensive end Patrick Payton and offensive tackle Darius Washington, the Seminoles are a popular pick to repeat as Atlantic Coast Conference champions. The Seminoles missed out on a playoff bid a season ago despite an undefeated regualr season and ACC championship.

The biggest change for the 2024 Seminoles will be on offense where record-setter Jordan Travis will no longer be under center. Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei takes over at quarterback for FSU. He’ll have fellow tranfers Malik Benson and Jalen Brown at the receiver postions, as well as a deep backfield and a still solid offensive line.  

Florida State and Georgia Tech kick off at 12 p.m. EDT.

Also on the slate: Norfolk State faces Florida A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta, and SMU visits Nevada.

With the College Football Playoff expanding from four to 12 teams this season, FSU looks to be among the heavyweights vying for postseason spots. 

The top four seeds and a first-round bye are only available to conference champions, no matter where they are ranked.

Seeds five through eight will host seeds nine through 12 in first-round games on campus. Those games will be played on Dec. 20 (one game) and Dec. 21 (three).

The quarterfinals will be played in traditional marquee bowls on Dec. 31 (Fiesta Bowl) and Jan. 1 (Peach, Rose, Sugar). The semifinals also will be played in bowl games. This year, that’s Jan. 9 at the Orange Bowl and Jan. 10 at the Cotton Bowl.

This season’s championship game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on Jan. 20, by far the latest a college football season has ended.