College football fans are counting down the seconds until next season officially kicks off on August 31st. That includes a handful of teams who, according to Greg McElroy, will be potentially playing with their seasons on the line from the very start of their years.
McElroy noted two games during the slate in the opening weekend that will impact the playoff during an episode of ‘Always College Football’ on Wednesday. He started with an in-state rivalry between Miami and Florida in The Swamp that will quickly impact what the thought is on the Hurricanes this fall.
“Miami at Florida has playoff implications,” said McElroy. “Miami, I think, has a real chance of getting to the College Football Playoff. They lose on the road at their rival in Week One, you expect Miami to go 11-0 after that? You expect them to go 10-1 after that? It’s going to be tough sledding in the event in which they lose that game.”
Miami and Florida haven’t met since 2019. The ‘Canes lead their all-time series with a two-game advantage at 29-27. That’s the case even though they lost that most recent meeting at a neutral site.
Now, in 2024, both teams will want to start their respective seasons off with this victory, whether for record or for bragging rights. Miami could project well this year if they open with a win in Gainesville. Meanwhile, Florida can’t afford too many early losses considering what the rest of their schedule includes.
McElroy also highlighted Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M, which isn’t as under-the-radar considering it’s the first site of the year for ‘College GameDay’. However, it’s a little more on the low because of what it could really represent to the Fighting Irish.
“Notre Dame at Texas A&M – that is also Week One. Under-the-radar game that has massive playoff implications,” said McElroy. “If you look at Notre Dame’s schedule? Seriously, look at Notre Dame’s schedule. You are not going to be overwhelmingly impressed with their road schedule. Their home schedule is pretty good – you got Louisville, you got Florida State, you’ve got a couple other games. But, if they lose that game on the road at A&M, that is going to be a significant challenge. I think that’s one of their tougher games, to be honest with you.”
In an expanded playoff, Notre Dame could be a team that is now better positioned to contend. They can’t start off by trying to play catch up in doing that, though, against the Aggies who will be opening their new tenure under Mike Elko with this matchup.
All eyes will be on every game that weekend with college football finally coming back at the end of August. It’s just that these ones have a more of a masked impact on the playoff field than some of the others on the marquee to McElroy.
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