The 2024 college football season, or at least Week 0, is just 100 days away. The countdown begins for Mike Elko’s inaugural campaign as Texas A&M’s head coach, starting with hosting Notre Dame on Saturday, Aug. 31, in prime time.
Filled with storylines, Elko is extremely familiar with the Fighting Irish after serving as the program’s defensive coordinator in 2017. New Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard played under Elko during his last two years as Duke’s head coach before transferring to South Bend this offseason. This will be the first meeting between both programs since the 2001 season.
While Leonard’s status for the game remains unknown due to his recent ankle surgery in April, this is still one of the most anticipated matchups to start the year and could have major playoff implications for both programs at the end of the season.
With plenty of other marquee matchups to the star year, College Sports Wire’s Patrick Conn recently ranked his Top 5 opening games, placing Texas A&M vs. Notre Dame at No. 3 on the list. Here’s what he had to say:
“I know ESPN recently announced that this game would be featured on College Gameday but this feels like the third-most intriguing game during Week 1. The Aggies usher in the post-Jimbo era with the return of Mike Elko to run the ship. If quarterback Conner Weigman can stay healthy, they should have a good season. Elko will likely have to figure out to slow down his former quarterback, who joined the Notre Dame Fighting Irishvia the transfer portal. Marcus Freeman has his best shot at making some noise this upcoming season with a relatively mild schedule. This matchup along with the Florida State and USC matchups will likely make or break this season.”
From Conn’s perspective, Notre Dame has more to lose due to a relatively easy schedule, while the Aggies have plenty of challenges ahead in the always-tough SEC. With the CFB Playoffs expanding to 12 teams for the first time this season, Elko’s squad can afford to sustain at least one or possibly two losses to stay in the playoff discussion.
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