College football is officially back, and that means it’s time for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish to launch their 2024 season. As has become tradition during the college football season, every Irish home game will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock. But before we get the return of NBC broadcasts, Notre Dame has to take a little trip to Texas for their season opener against Texas A&M.
Just ahead of the August 29 premiere of Here Come the Irish, Peacock’s Notre Dame docuseries, and while we wait for the return of Notre Dame Football on NBC, let’s take a closer look at the first Fighting Irish game of the season.
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Who does Notre Dame play in its 2024 college football season opener?
For the first game of the 2024 season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will engage in a battle of ranked squads as they take on the SEC’s Texas A&M Aggies at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
The game is a showdown between the independent, conference-free Irish and the SEC’s Aggies, and should be a solid test of both team’s capabilities. Of course, Kyle Field is known as one of the toughest (and loudest) places to play in college football, so don’t be surprised to see the Aggies make things especially interesting.
What to expect from the Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game
The Irish are starting their third season under head coach Marcus Freeman, and things look bright at the beginning of the year. The Irish are ranked No. 7 in the AP Top 25 preseason poll, a spot that will put them in contention for the College Football Playoff if they can hold it, and they’re looking at a solid roster to start their season.
Incoming quarterback Riley Leonard, who transferred from a very exciting Duke squad, will look to lead the offense to higher production, and the whole team will hope to keep the winning spirit alive after a huge victory over Oregon State in the Sun Bowl last year. The Irish are starting in a very strong position. Now they just have to keep it up amid a challenging season that includes matchups with old rivals Stanford and USC, a highly ranked Florida State, and of course, Texas A&M.
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It’s a crucial year for the Aggies in College Station. After cutting head coach Jimbo Fisher loose amid a disappointing 2023 season that saw quarterback Conner Weigman out for much of the year with injuries, they have something to prove, and they’re hoping to do it with new head coach Mike Elko. Elko, a former Aggies assistant coach, is responsible for transforming Duke into a new college football power player, and the Texas A&M faithful are hoping he can do the same for them. With new leadership, and a healthy Weigman, the Aggies are starting the season with a No. 20 ranking, and they’re heading into a very tough schedule which will feature SEC opponents like No. 11 Missouri, No. 13 LSU, and of course the return of the classic rivalry game against No. 4 Texas. Before all of that, though, they have to get through Notre Dame.
When is the 2024 Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M game?
The Aggies and the Irish will kick off Saturday, August 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET, the first game for both teams in an exciting new college football season.
The following week, Notre Dame returns to NBC for their second game of the season against Northern Illinois. You’ll be able to catch that action September 7 at 3:30 p.m. ET, live on NBC and Peacock.
For more Notre Dame Football news, head over to NBC Sports. And don’t miss Here Come the Irish, the brand-new Notre Dame football docuseries, premiering August 29 on Peacock.