What’s new for the 2024 college football season?

TAMPA, Fla. — With apologies to Florida State’s Week 0 game against Georgia Tech, the 2024 college football season begins in earnest next week.

It will be unlike any we’ve ever experienced.

The changes can be hard to follow, and some won’t be fully understood until we see them in action. But as the first full slate of games nears, here’s a primer on what’s new:

College Football Playoff expansion

The field has grown from four teams to 12. The details are important and — because this is college football — not always intuitive.

The top five conference champions are guaranteed a spot. That eliminates the possibility of an omission like last year’s 13-0 Seminoles.

Because there are only four power conferences (we’ll come back to that), the top mid-major champion is in; an undefeated AAC champ like 2017 UCF won’t be left out. The seven remaining spots go to the next-best teams, as ranked by a 13-member committee.

Here’s where it gets a little confusing: The top four spots are reserved for league champs. Let’s say FSU is (like last year) No. 5 in the rankings behind the Big Ten/SEC champions (Ohio State and Georgia) plus the Big Ten/SEC runners-up (Michigan and Alabama). If the Seminoles win the ACC, they’ll be seeded third, ahead of Michigan and Alabama.

This matters because the top four seeds get first-round byes. Seeds 5-8 host first-round games on campus. The other rounds are at bowls/neutral sites, including a Jan. 9 semifinal at the Orange Bowl and the Jan. 20 title game in Atlanta.

Playoff side effects

The larger playoff will force us to rethink the national title race. A power team can realistically afford two (maybe three) losses and still make the field. Dan Mullen’s 2018-20 Gators would have qualified instead of going to the Peach/Orange/Cotton Bowl. The 2022 ‘Noles would have been on the bubble after a 9-3 regular season.

If your team is in the race, you’ll have a reason to care more about more games. Miami fans will want to monitor LSU-Florida if a Tigers loss boosts the Hurricanes’ chances for an at-large bid. The Oct. 11 USF-Memphis game will resonate nationally if one or both teams are AAC contenders. Same with the Tuesday night showdown between Miami (Ohio)-Northern Illinois if the MAC champ has a shot at the playoff.

The Athletic’s odds show how much things have changed. Because the five top conference champs are in the field, USF and UCF have a better chance to make it (2% apiece) than the Gators (less than 1%).

Conference realignment

Texas and Oklahoma are in the SEC, which makes the Gators’ Nov. 9 trip to Austin a conference game.

Cal, SMU and Stanford are in the ACC, despite not being anywhere near the Atlantic. FSU and Miami both play the Golden Bears, and the Seminoles are on upset watch for their Sept. 28 trip to SMU.

The Pac-12 is now the Pac-2 after everyone but Oregon State and Washington State bolted. Oregon is a national title contender in the Big Ten; Washington, USC and UCLA moved with the Ducks. Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State left for the Big 12 and are all on UCF’s schedule.

Army joins USF in the AAC, but the teams aren’t scheduled to meet.

Headset rule change

Coaches can now talk to one player on each side until 15 seconds remain on the play clock. Expect the change to favor the offense.

Though USF ran one of the nation’s fastest offenses last year, quarterback Byrum Brown said the rules will make the Bulls even quicker. Why? Because instead of looking to the sideline for the play call, he can keep his eyes on the defense. That saves previous seconds and allows him to start dissecting defenders earlier.

Though the helmet communication is similar in the NFL, college football’s up-tempo systems add a wrinkle that didn’t exist when Trent Dilfer was quarterbacking the Bucs. Defenses must be ready for a quick snap, so they have to tip their hand early to the quarterback and the coach in his ear.

“You’re able to puppet-master a little bit more,” said Dilfer, the second-year coach at Alabama Birmingham.

Another side effect: The extra layer of communication with coaches should speed up the development of young players, like Florida five-star freshman DJ Lagway.

Other rule changes

College games will have a two-minute warning at the end of each half (also like the NFL).

Coaching is no longer limited to the head coach and 10 assistants. Analysts can provide instruction, too, which should help a program like Florida (which didn’t have a dedicated special teams assistant last season but can now use analysts in that role).

The transfer portal

It’s still dizzying. Just consider some state quarterback moves:

— DJ Uiagalelei: Former Clemson and Oregon State starter, now starting for FSU

— KJ Jefferson: Former Arkansas starter, now starting for UCF

— Gerry Bohanon: Former USF and Baylor starter, now vying for BYU job

— Tyler Van Dyke: Started 28 games at Miami, now starting for Wisconsin

— Dillon Gabriel: Former UCF and Oklahoma starter, now starting for Oregon

— Max Brown: Started for UF against FSU, now starting for Charlotte

— Tate Rodemaker: Started for FSU against UF, now starting for Southern Miss

Money

Name, image and likeness (NIL) is more visible. One example: The Gators’ 50/50 raffle is being managed by the Florida Victorious Foundation — the NIL collective’s philanthropic arm.

Schools can’t pay players directly, but they’re preparing to share revenue with them as soon as 2025. To fund those future expenses, we’re seeing new income streams, like Tennessee putting a sponsor logo (Pilot gas stops) on its field.

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