Seven months on from Clemson defeating Alabama to become national champion, college football is back.
The action gets underway on Saturday, August 24, when Colgate plays Villanova at 12 p.m. ET. That's followed by Samford taking on Youngstown State in Montgomery, Alabama.
Proceedings in the FBS—the top tier of college football—begin later on Saturday, when Florida and University of Miami collide in Orlando, Florida, at 7 p.m. ET.
The Gators finished 10-3 last year, while the Hurricanes went 7-6. The second FBS game of the so-called "Week Zero" sees Arizona travel to Hawaii at 10:30 p.m. ET.
Here's all you need to know about the upcoming college football season.
When does college football start?
The 2019 college football season gets underway on Saturday, August 24 with Week Zero. The majority of FBS heavyweights won't be in action until Week 1, which begins on Thursday, August 29.
Defending champions Clemson will be in action on the day, kicking off their campaign at home against Georgia Tech. Alabama, last season's runner-up, begins its season against Duke two days later.
TV coverage
As usual, coverage of the college football season will be split across a variety of networks. ABC will broadcast games in the ACC, American Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences, as well as the Citrus Bowl.
CBS will carry SEC conference games including the championship game, as well as the annual Army vs Navy game and the Sun Bowl.
NBC retains exclusive broadcasting rights to Notre Dame's home games, while FOX and ESPN networks both broadcast games from the Big 12, Big Ten and Pac-12 conferences.
The former will also broadcast the Foster Farms Bowl, while games from the ACC, American, Mountain West, SEC and Sun Belt will all be available on ESPN. The broadcaster also retains exclusive rights to most bowl games and the entirety of the College Football Playoffs.
Live stream
Live streams throughout the season will be available via the broadcasters' digital platforms, as well as via fuboTV and DirecTV.
Week Zero TV schedule (All times ET)
Saturday, August 24
- Villanova @ Colgate—12 p.m., CBS Sports Network
- Youngstown State @ Samford—3 p.m., ESPN
- Florida vs University of Miami (in Orlando, Florida)—7 p.m., ESPN
- Arizona @ Hawaii—10:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
Odds
Unsurprisingly, Alabama and Clemson are the bookmakers' favorites to win the national title this season. The two programs have shared the last four titles between them, with Clemson beating Alabama 44-16 in January to reclaim the crown.
According to Vegas Insider, the Crimson Tide is a 5/2 favorite, while the defending champions are 9/4. The Georgia Bulldogs, who lost the College Football Playoff two years ago against Alabama, are a 6/1 shot, while the Michigan Wolverines and the Oklahoma Sooners are both 14/1 outsiders.
About the writer
Dan Cancian is currently a reporter for Newsweek based in London, England. Prior to joining Newsweek in January 2018, he was a news and business reporter at International Business Times UK. Dan has also written for The Guardian and The Observer.
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