The Most Intriguing Group of Five College Football Matchups Entering 2024

The smell of football is in the air as Week 0 approaches. 

This weekend, we’ll get our first taste of the 2024 college football season. This includes three Group of Five teams playing on the four-game slate on Aug. 24. New Mexico, Nevada, and Hawaii will all kick off their seasons. 

While these aren’t going to be the biggest games of the year, we have plenty to look forward to. Here’s a look at the 10 most intriguing G5 matchups entering the 2024 season. 

10. Jacksonville State at Liberty, Week 10

I believe Jacksonville State will be the biggest threat to Liberty in Conference USA this season. The Gamecocks brought in some big-time Power Four transfers and have a lot of momentum coming off a great 2023 campaign. This game is in Lynchburg, Virginia, but it’s not going to be an easy game for the Flames. If Liberty is still unbeaten at this point, there will be a few other G5 teams rooting for JSU and paying close attention to this Wednesday night affair.

9. Air Force at Army, Week 10

What’s this list without a matchup between service academies? While Army vs. Navy tends to be one of the most entertaining and anticipated games of the season, this year’s meeting between the Falcons and Black Knights could be a classic. Army is now a member of the AAC after being an independent program since 2005. The Black Knights have won three of the last four in this series, including a 23-3 victory last year.

8. USF at Tulane, Week 5

While USF visits Memphis for its next game, this is the Bulls’ first league contest in a highly-anticipated season. This is the second game in a three-week stretch (they’ll also play Miami) where we’ll really get an idea of what to expect from USF and if the Bulls can contend for that G5 College Football Playoff spot.

7. Louisiana at Texas State, Week 10

While App State is the favorite to win the Sun Belt and is likely to win the East Division, the West Division race should be a little closer. College football betting odds suggest Texas State and Louisiana could be vying for that other spot in the SBC title game, which could very well come down to this Tuesday night outing.

6. Miami (Ohio) at Toledo, Week 6

A rematch of last year’s MAC championship comes in a pivotal Week 6 meeting. This game could ultimately determine who makes it the MAC title game with these two being the favorites. And with the conference eliminating divisions this year, the two teams with the best conference records will play in the title game, meaning a loss here is critical. Who knows, maybe Miami and Toledo will end up meeting again in the league championship for the second year in a row.

5. Memphis at UTSA, Week 10

Here’s another AAC matchup on this list, but that’s because there’s a lot of intrigue surrounding this conference. This is another contest that will have plenty of championship implications and is easily UTSA’s toughest conference game. If the Roadrunners win here, then their chances of going unbeaten in league play will rise significantly.

4. Boise State at UNLV, Week 9

The only Mountain West game on the list will arguably be the league’s biggest game of the season. I don’t know how often Boise State will truly be tested this year, but this is going to be one of those games. If the Rebels are able to pull off a victory here, it would really shake up the CFP rankings.

3. Memphis at Tulane, Week 14

A trip to the AAC Championship could easily be on the line in this Thursday night clash, especially since this contest takes place in the final week of the regular season. Not only could this meeting have conference implications, but there’s a chance it also has CFP implications. Tulane has a brutal four-game stretch early in the season, so depending on how that goes, this could turn into the Green Wave’s biggest game of 2024.

2. UTSA at Texas State, Week 2

It’s great we’ll be treated to this matchup so early in the fall. This contest will be an early indicator of who’s still competing for the G5 spot in the CFP. The loser of this game is likely out of the race, so this is a must-win and will be a solid resume-builder.

1. Liberty at App State, Week 5

There’s no surprise tickets for this matchup sold out as quickly as they did. This game features two of the top three teams in our Preseason G5 Top 25 and two of the preseason favorites to make it to the CFP. Like the Memphis/UTSA meeting, the loser might be out of the CFP race while the winner will likely be a front-runner. Hopefully this game gets the primetime TV slot it deserves.