2024 Games of the Slot: Week 0
Breaking down which game to watch at each time slot this weekend
*grabs a bullhorn* College football is back!!
That’s right friends, it’s finally Week Zero! We’ve made it! And that means that it’s time for some Games of the Slot!
In case you’re new to SID Sports - welcome! - the Games of the Slot are a weekly recurring series every Friday until football season comes to a close. I break down the best game to watch in each timeslot of the weekend, starting on Friday night and carrying you to PAC-12 After Dark (rest in peace, old friend. We’ll workshop a new name). I’ll also include three other “multi-box” games to watch that will bring some intrigue.
Let’s get into it and get ready for some football!
Friday - 7:30-8 p.m.
Game of the Slot: None
Unfortunately, no games are scheduled for Friday night. We’ll have to get our fix on Saturday.
But, that leaves you plenty of time to check out the all-new SID Sports Preseason Primer! It’s your one-stop shop for all things to get ready for the season from my Top 25 rankings, Heisman watch list, a preseason bracket prediction, and more!
You’ll also want to check out our new partner - Three-Point Stance. Tyler’s got a ton of great content for you to catch up on so you’ll want to read over his work and drop a sub!
Saturday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 10 Florida State vs Georgia Tech (ESPN)
Somehow, we’re blessed to kick off the season with a conference battle full of intrigue. How does Florida State look after losing most of its stars to the NFL? Does D.J. Uiagalelei have a grasp on the offense? I think the Seminoles will be a good team, hence my top-10 ranking of them, but there’s a lot of early season question marks here.
On the other side, I want to see how Georgia Tech looks after a roller-coaster season in 2023. They, unlike Florida State, have most of their big contributors coming back. Is that enough to pull an upset over the Seminoles? I’m higher than most on the Yellow Jackets - just check out my ACC preview - but they couldn’t stabilize for a second in 2023. Which Georgia Tech shows up in Dublin? Is it the one that beat two ranked opponents in 2023? Or is it the one that lost to Bowling Green at home by multiple scores?
In all reality, this may not be as close as some people want it to be. Florida State has a much larger talent base than Georgia Tech. Mike Norvell’s Seminoles are a recruiting power and use the portal well. There’s momentum building in Atlanta, but Florida State has momentum and is rolling with it. When you’re out of your element in a foreign country playing at a random time - kickoff is 12 p.m. here, but 5 p.m. in Dublin - leaning on a known program oftentimes plays better. I fully expect Florida State to win, but all of that randomness could lead to the perfect, wacky introduction to the 2024 season.
Multi-Box Games: None
Believe it or not, the Dublin smackdown between Florida State and Georgia Tech is the only scheduled game at this time. Best soak it in because that won’t happen again until Bowl Season.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: Montana State at New Mexico (4 p.m., FS1)
There’s a little more action into the afternoon, but we’re going to tune into an FCS-FBS matchup in Albuquerque. But this is a little different than most FCS-FBS duels - this time Montana State is favored to win.
The Bobcats are one of the best in the FCS. They’ve made the FCS playoff the past three seasons with two of those seasons reaching the 12-win mark. This is also a senior-laden roster that should be able to knock off an FBS opponent like New Mexico.
On the other side, New Mexico is one of the biggest question marks across the nation and not in a good way. Only 32 letterwinners return from a disastrous 2-10 2023 season. The Lobos are trotting out a completely new roster, led by a whopping 42 incoming transfers and a new coaching staff headed up by veteran coach Bronco Mendenhall. I think Mendenhall is a guy that can turn around New Mexico, but I wouldn’t hold my breath for a Week Zero win.
This has the markings of a competitive game, and the relative unknown of Mendenhall’s Lobos against one of the nation’s premier FCS programs makes this a quality watch.
Multi-Box Games: McNeese at Tarleton State (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
We do have multi-box potential if we head to the FCS ranks. I’ll caveat that with this, though: Tarleton State is going to run through McNeese. Even though Tarleton State just finished their Division I transition, they’re in a much better spot than McNeese following a 8-3 season in 2023. There is hope for McNeese, as the Cowboys landed one of the FCS’s best transfer quarterbacks in former Montana signal caller Clifton McDowell, who has serious dual-threat potential in coach Gary Goff’s system.
Need more information before the season starts? Check out the SID Sports Preseason Primer! Including Top 25, Heisman Watch, a preseason CFP bracket and more!
5-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 24 SMU at Nevada (8 p.m., CBS Sports Network)
Unlike the AP, I have SMU in my Top 25 because I believe they’re a good team. We should see that fully against an overmatched Nevada squad led by a first-year head coach.
SMU’s got a lot of returning firepower, namely quarterback Preston Stone. The Mustangs have grown better each year under third-year head coach Rhett Lashlee, with their 11-3 record in 2023 one of their best post-death penalty seasons. You can expect Stone and Lashlee to head up a strong offense, which has finished in the top-16 nationally each season Lashlee’s been in Dallas. Keep an eye on the Mustangs to cross the 30-point mark - in Lashlee’s tenure, SMU is 18-1 in games they score at least 30 points.
This game will also kick off the Jeff Choate era in Nevada. Choate was hired away from Texas, where he was co-defensive coordinator. I’d say the defensive side of the ball looks better for the Wolf Pack in Year One under Choate, led by jack linebacker Henry Ikahihifo, safety Kitan Crawford and defensive lineman Kristopher Ross. Crawford and Ross are transplants from Texas, so should step up immediately. But this could be a solid unit if they gel together.
Multi-Box Games: North Alabama at Southeast Missouri State (7 p.m., ESPN); Florida A&M at Norfolk State (7:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+)
We’ve got a solid amount of FCS on FCS action here, so let’s get into North Alabama at Southeast Missouri State, or SEMO. Like our earlier one, this one has the makings of a blowout. North Alabama was 3-8 last season, but Brent Dearmon’s squad looks solid with a ton of drop-down FBS transfers. SEMO, on the other hand, is a solid FCS program, although they’ve been left out of the postseason since the pandemic. Our other option, the MEAC-SWAC Challenge, should be more entertaining. Florida A&M had 2023 SWAC Offensive Player of the Year quarterback Jeremy Moussa graduate, but they bring in FAU transfer Daniel Richardson, who should be a step up. The Rattlers are the number 5 ranked HBCU, even with a new head coach in James Colzie III. Norfolk State, though, may be overmatched. It’s time for head coach Dawson Odums to produce some results, but he’s got a quality quarterback in preseason First Team All-MEAC quarterback Otto Kuhns and two of the best HBCU cornerbacks in Terron Mallory and Devon Allen. I wouldn’t be surprised if this turned into a game.
West Coast After Dark
Game of the Slot: Delaware State at Hawaii (11:59 p.m., Spectrum PPV)
We’ll start this off with the unfortunate fact that Delaware State literally missed the bus. Granted, it was the bus company’s fault for not showing up on time, but that’s not a great start to the week. Factor in the Week Zero trip to Hawaii and I’m not looking forward to his for Delaware State.
But it is a winnable game. The Rainbow Warriors aren’t the cream of the crop in the Mountain West, but they have room for improvement. Head coach Timmy Chang has Hawaii running the familiar run and shoot offense and the three-headed attack of quarterback Brayden Schrager and wideouts Steven McBride and Pofele Ashlock (FWAA and The Athletic Freshman All-American) are going to be the biggest determinants for success. The defense is starting fresh under new defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman could take some time to come around.
Delaware State may be a bit out of their element here. They’re playing a midnight body clock kickoff with one day less to prepare for the time change against an FBS opponent that runs an up-tempo offense to tire out the defense. Factor in the Hornets’ 1-10 2023 and I don’t have much hope. If they are going to show up, they’ll need preseason all-conference selections tight end E.J. Core and defensive linemen Darren Cook and Eric Montes to play their best.
Multi-Box Game: None
Listen, if you’re going to watch this game and you don’t live on the West Coast, take a nap. You need it.
Message from Three-Point Stance’s Tyler Schuster:
Three-Point Stance is your favorite independent college football newsletter. Come for in-depth analysis and bold commentary, stay for the jokes and memes. An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.
An idea hatched after years of 12-hour days glued to the couch, Tyler Schuster puts his passion for the sport on full display, delivering big-picture ideas, weekly previews and gambling nuggets directly to your inbox.
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*puts on my College Football Sickos hat* I'm weirdly excited for Montana State-New Mexico.
This is such a cool idea!