After 10 FBS games (plus Howard-Alabama State in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge) kick things off in Week 0, everyone will start getting in on the action when Week 1 kicks off exactly 100 days from now, on Sept. 1.
The arrival of the 100-day mark to the beginning of the college football season carries with it both excitement and panic.
On the one hand, the clock is ticking down for the return of the greatest sport on the planet, along with the bands, mascots and fans that make it so. On the other hand, this means we have to get everything else done now. Yard work? Home-improvement projects? Vacations? Weddings? You've got just 14 Saturdays left until we're locked in.
It's been quite an offseason. A new rivalry has dawned between Southern California and Oklahoma — at least among their fans on Twitter — after the defection of Lincoln Riley (and Caleb Williams) to the West Coast. The Trojans added a few haters to the bandwagon recently with the addition of Pitt star Jordan Addison.
Texas A&M and Alabama have thrown a whole bunch of kerosene on the already combustible SEC West. Speaking of, Bryan Harsin is still at Auburn after a soap opera enveloped his spring vacation. He is probably ready to get back to some football too.
And what better way to kick off Week 1 than with a good ol' Thursday night Backyard Brawl, with West Virginia traveling to Pitt for their 105th meeting.
But before we get started, this has been an offseason of change, on and off the field. And you'll be forgiven if you can't quite remember all that's happened. So here's a rundown of the key coaches in new places, elite transfers on new teams, position battles still to be determined and a whole lot more.
What happened with CFP expansion and realignment again?
College Football Playoff expansion discussions were put on pause after the 10 FBS commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick in February cast an 8-3 vote that will keep the four-team format in place for four more years. The Pac-12, Big Ten and ACC voted against expansion at the time for various reasons. The CFP is expected to revisit the topic in the next six to 12 months, as a plan is still needed for after the 2025 season, when the current 12-year contract expires. The CFP also has to announce sites for the national championship games in 2025 and 2026.
While the postseason format remains in limbo, the realignment shuffle is on track.
Big 12 co-founders Oklahoma and Texas are still expected to join the SEC in 2025.
Cincinnati, Houston and UCF are leaving the American Athletic Conference and heading to the Big 12 (along with BYU), but the exact timing is still in question. AAC bylaws require the schools to stay until July 1, 2024; but in good faith, the conference has been willing to try to negotiate an earlier exit. Sources told ESPN recently no agreement has been reached. (BYU will join in July 2023.) With those schools leaving the AAC, Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA will join the conference on July 1, 2023.
James Madison will join the Sun Belt no later than July 1, 2023, along with new additions Southern Miss, Old Dominion and Marshall.