College football begins next weekend

It’s almost time. College football is about to ramp up again. There are a handful of games next Saturday, including 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. Florida State and Georgia Tech kick off at 12 p.m. EDT. Also on the slate next Saturday: Norfolk State faces Florida A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta and SMU visits Nevada.

It’s almost time. College football is about to ramp up again.

Here is a closer look at some of the key matchups heading into the season:

When does college football start?

There are a handful of games next Saturday, including 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.

Florida State and Georgia Tech kick off at 11 a.m. CDT. Also on the slate next Saturday: Norfolk State faces Florida A&M in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta, and SMU visits Nevada.

On Aug. 31, No. 1 Georgia plays No. 14 Clemson in Atlanta, No. 8 Penn State visits West Virginia and No. 19 Miami is at Florida. Riley Leonard and No. 7 Notre Dame visit Connor Weigman and No. 20 Texas A&M.

Big games slated

So many big matchups.

No. 1 Georgia, which went 13-1 last season, is at No. 4 Texas on Oct. 19. The Bulldogs also visit No. 5 Alabama on Sept. 28, and they host Tennessee on Nov. 16.

TreVeyon Henderson and No. 2 Ohio State are at No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 12. The Buckeyes also visit No. 8 Penn State on Nov. 2, and they host No. 9 Michigan on Nov. 30. OSU has dropped three in a row against the Wolverines.

Also worth watching: No. 6 Mississippi travels to No. 13 LSU on Oct. 12, No. 7 Notre Dame hosts No. 10 Florida State on Nov. 9, and No. 11 Missouri is at No. 5 Alabama on Oct. 26. No. 4 Texas visits No. 20 Texas A&M on Nov. 30, and the annual Army-Navy game is Dec. 14 in Landover, Maryland.

Expanded playoffs

The College Football Playoff expands from four to 12 teams this season.

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.

Heisman watch

It’s never too early to speculate about the race for the Heisman Trophy.

The top quarterbacks in the country represent a good starting point. Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Jaxson Dart ( Mississippi), Carson Beck (Georgia), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) are among the favorites to take home the honor.