Best Neutral-Site Games in 2024 College Football Season
Home-field advantage can be immensely valuable in college football, but a small number of games will head to a neutral site every year.
In 2024, the Football Bowl Subdivision is heading back to Dublin, Ireland. The opening game of the season will feature Florida State and Georgia Tech in an ACC clash to kick off the campaign.
Also on the docket is a clash between Georgia and Clemson, which may enter the season as Top 10 teams. Beyond that showdown in Atlanta, there are a few rivalries playing in a neutral building—the headliners, of course, being two familiar contests now both in the SEC.
The list is subjective. In this case, however, I believe you'll find it pretty difficult to argue the choices.
The Season Opener
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When mid-August rolls around, we'll be eagerly anticipating the 2024 season. The first complete slate arrives in the final week of the month, but Florida State and Georgia Tech will officially get us started on Aug. 24.
The conference foes will fly across the Atlantic Ocean for the ninth-ever FBS game in Dublin, Ireland.
Florida State will have a retooled roster—especially on offense—that is aiming for redemption after a late-season injury to quarterback Jordan Travis kept the undefeated Seminoles out of the 2023 College Football Playoff. It'll also presumably be the debut for Oregon State transfer DJ Uiagalelei, who previously played at Clemson.
Georgia Tech, meanwhile, snapped a five-year bowl drought in the first full season of Brent Key's tenure. The program would love to snag an immediate upset to bolster its improving recruiting efforts under Key.
While this is FSU's first trip to Dublin, Georgia Tech clipped Boston College there to begin the 2016 season.
Week 1 Matchups
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Two years ago, Georgia opened the season with an important win over Clemson in Charlotte, North Carolina. In 2024, the neutral-site series between the SEC and ACC powers will shift to Atlanta.
Thanks to the CFP's looming expansion to 12 teams, the impact of this result isn't as problematic for the losing side. On the other hand, the value of a big nonconference victory—provided both programs live up to their lofty potential—can hardly be overstated.
While that showdown takes center stage on Saturday, the spotlight shifts to Las Vegas on Sunday night.
LSU is set to challenge USC in a prime-time matchup that includes the replacements for the last two Heisman Trophy winners. Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams are headed to the NFL, leaving Garrett Nussmeier and Miller Moss as the presumed starters at LSU and USC, respectively.
Showdown in Charlotte
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Relative to CFP expansion, North Carolina State and Tennessee are two prime examples of programs that may benefit.
The expectation is the updated CFP format will include automatic bids for power-conference champs, one spot for the highest-ranked Group of Five squad and seven at-large berths.
In short: Be a Top 10 team.
Through the 10-year CFP era, Tennessee has only accomplished that once (2022) with NC State at zero. However, the schools have been reasonably close in several years. Tennessee climbed as high as 13th in 2023 and held Top 25 CFP finishes in 2015 and 2016. NC State has earned a Top 25 final ranking in four straight years, along with one in 2017.
The outlook is a little brighter for the program that leaves Charlotte with a Week 2 win on Saturday, Sep. 7.
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Apple Cup in Seattle
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One unfortunate part of realignment is the loss of historic rivalries. Fortunately, the Apple Cup is slated to continue for at least five years despite Washington's move to the Big Ten.
Sure, it's been a lopsided series lately; Washington has picked up wins in nine of the last 10 matchups.
What matters, though, is tradition.
The contest will rotate between the two campuses from 2025 through 2028, but Lumen Field—home of the NFL's Seattle Seahawks—will feature the contest in 2024. The stadium last hosted the Apple Cup in 2011 when UW's home venue was undergoing renovations.
Washington State hosts an interesting Texas Tech squad one week earlier, but Washington and new coach Jedd Fisch should be off to a 2-0 start in advance of this Week 3 affair.
Red River Rivalry in Dallas
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Same game, new conference.
Oklahoma and Texas are leaving the Big 12 for the money-drenched green pastures of the SEC, bringing along one of the sport's most iconic rivalries. As usual, the matchup will be played at the Cotton Bowl in early/mid-October during the State Fair of Texas.
Since quarterback Quinn Ewers is returning, Texas is expected to make another CFP charge in 2024. Oklahoma has similar aspirations as the offense shifts to recent top recruit Jackson Arnold, too.
Six games remain for both OU and UT after the Red River Rivalry, so a grand proclamation about this result is unnecessary.
On paper, though, the Week 7 skirmish could be a matchup of unbeaten teams—or at least a Top 25 battle.
Cocktail Party in Jacksonville
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Whew buddy, is there a heck of a storyline brewing for the World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.
Florida coach Billy Napier is heading toward the 2024 season on a hot seat, and a nightmare November may await the Gators. That potentially grueling five-game stretch begins with the Florida-Georgia rivalry.
Georgia has rattled off three straight wins in the series, all by lopsided margins of 22-plus points. Kirby Smart's team, which may be the preseason title favorite, will likely be favored again.
Even if UF struggles down the stretch, though, upsetting UGA would provide a much-needed signature win on Napier's suspect-so-far resume. On the other hand, a third consecutive blowout loss in his tenure—the Gators fell 42-20 in 2022 and 43-20 last year—may portend a nauseating November and a coaching change for Florida.
Army-Navy Game
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Last played in Landover, Maryland, in 2011, the Army-Navy game is returning to the home of the NFL's Washington Commanders this year.
Rarely does the military matchup have national implications, and that's the early expectation for 2024. Nevertheless, it's typically a tight contest—eight of the last 10 meetings have included a margin of seven points or fewer—on an otherwise empty Saturday.
Plus, the clash always serves as a bridge to the postseason. The opening round of the CFP will take place six days later.
After a busy conference championship week and before the CFP, we'll gladly bask in the pageantry of the Army-Navy game.
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