Season launch: Top showdowns you can't miss in Week 1

When: Saturday, August 31st at 7:30 ET Location: Kyle Field in College Station, Texas TV: ABC Betting Line (DraftKings): Texas A&M -2.5 Last Meeting: Texas A&M won 24-3(2001) All-Time Series: Notre Dame leads 3-2

After the showdown between Miami and Florida, most viewers will immediately turn their attention to the matchup between Notre Dame and Texas A&M. There are certain changes for both teams that will have people paying attention to them throughout the course of the season.

For the Aggies, they begin a new era as the 20th-ranked team in the country.

Mike Elko has taken over for Jimbo Fisher in College Station and will try to pull off the same magic for the Aggies as he did with Duke.

Two seasons ago, Elko led one of the most impressive turnarounds in college football, taking the Blue Devils to their first nine-win season since 2014. He became a hot commodity in the coaching carousel due to his impressive two-year run which saw him win 16 games.

In that same two-year stretch, Texas A&M has won only 12 games. Despite the recent struggles, the Aggie faithful have plenty to be excited about. The offense in 2023 was more consistent and produced more than the year before.

Now the unit is expected to get better. Quarterback Connor Weigman has the potential to be a future NFL first-round draft pick.

The big question with him is can he stay healthy? Last season saw Weigman only appear in four games due to a foot injury. His health is a concern. However, when he plays, his ability is never in question as he is accurate and can run.

More importantly, Weigman has the supporting cast that gives him the chance to succeed.

TAMU gets back Amari Daniels, Le'Veon Moss, and Rueben Owens in the backfield. This trio was in the top three for rushing yards last season.

Even with Owens starting the year on the sidelines with a lower-body injury, the Aggies will still be one of the better running teams in the country to start the year.

Weigman also has one of the more dangerous receiving corps in the SEC. A&M lost their top two receivers with Ainias Smith in the NFL and Evan Stewart transferring to Oregon. However, the Aggies still have Jahdae Walker, Noah Thomas, and Moose Muhammad.

The trio combined for 91 catches, 1,294 yards, and 9 touchdowns. They'll all go as far as the front five takes them.

Pass protection struggled at times for Texas A&M But, they have some good pieces to hopefully perform better.

Trey Zuhn and Chase Bisontis are one of the better tackle duos in the SEC. When it comes to the defense, Texas A&M has potential. They ranked eighth in the country with 42 sacks and 14th in run defense.

Unfortunately, it wasn't fully consistent and when things broke down, the Aggies couldn't get back on track. With Mike Elko being a defensive-minded coach, Texas A&M has the potential to be even better in 2024.

It will be a lot to ask this unit to produce the same production in pass rushing but they'll still make plays.

Purdue transfer Nic Scourton comes in to try and replace some of the production lost to the transfer portal. There's tons of size in the interior of the defensive line Albert Regis and Shemar Turner.

The linebacker group also received a boost with the arrival of Florida transfer Scooby Williams. Taurean York has had an amazing freshman year, making 74 tackles.

The secondary is going through a bit of an overhaul. Seven transfers will look to make their mark in the defensive backfield. Safety Trey Jones from Central Michigan and corner BJ Mayes from UAB are some of the more notable additions from the portal.

When it comes to Notre Dame, the Marcus Freeman-led Irish are one of the prime contenders to make the expanded playoff. That's the expectation.

Last year, the Fighting Irish went 10-3 and destroyed Oregon State in the Sun Bowl. This year brings in a new quarterback as Duke transfer Riley Leonard steps in to replace Sam Hartman who's in the NFL.

Leonard is a really good QB who can use his big frame to run and break tackles. Unfortunately, he missed most of last year due to an ankle injury but he should be fully ready next week.

Leonard will work with an offensive unit that didn't suffer many notable losses. Despite losing receivers Rico Flores and Chris Tyree, the receiving corps will still be fine.

Leading target Mitchell Evans returns and is primed to be one of the top tight ends in the country. Leonard also has guys like Jordan Faison, Jayden Thomas, and Jaden Greathouse.

If that's not enough, Notre Dame even brought in transfers such as Clemson's Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell from FIU. Mitchell caught 64 passes and six touchdowns for the Golden Panthers last season. He averaged 17.5 yards per catch and will be the deep threat on this team.

The backfield will look a little different as tailback Audric Estime is now in the NFL. However, this is nothing to be worried about.

Notre Dame is a school that has produced numerous good running backs. Now it's time for Jeremiyah Love to be the lead tailback. Last year he ran for 385 yards and averaged over five yards per carry.

Jadarian Price is also back to serve as a good compliment for Love. This is the same situation for the offensive line. Despite losing Joe Alt and Blake Fisher to the NFL, the front five is in good shape.

The guards are back and Ashton Craig will most likely move over to the center. He's versatile and can play anywhere. Tosh Baker was Alt's backup last season and he'll plug in just fine along with Charles Jagusah.

The defense was solid under Al Golden in 2023. They picked off 14 passes and ranked third in the nation in yards allowed. They forced 24 total turnovers.

Six starters were lost from last year but this is Notre Dame. They'll find a lineup that works. The pass rush will still be there after coming up with 31 sacks last year. Another Duke transfer will help keep the pass rush going as RJ Oben comes over after getting 14.5 sacks in 2023.

The inside of the defensive line will be a problem, especially when Howard Cross and Rylie Mills are the tackles.

The depth at linebacker is pretty thin but as long as the staters hold up, they'll be fine. Jack Kiser is still there and has been a big-time tackler, racking up nearly 200 of them across four years. He's a good veteran that will work with some of the newer players such as Jaylen Sneed and Drayk Bowen.

The secondary is arguably the team's biggest strength.

The leader is Benjamin Morrison, who is in the discussion for the best cornerback in the nation. He picked off nine passes over the previous two seasons and is a strong candidate to be selected early in next year's draft if he declares.

Xavier Watts is another prominent player in the secondary. As a safety, he intercepted seven passes and racked up just over 50 tackles.

Important transfers such as Arizona State's Jordan Clark and Northwestern's Rod Heard will also step up and be solid contributors. This game is going to come down to who executes the best.

For Notre Dame, they're going to need Riley Leonard to play great all game. With Mike Denbrock as the offensive coordinator, the Irish are going to want to push the ball down the field.

With LSU last year, the Tigers averaged nearly 11 yards per passing play with Denbrock as the OC. Notre Dame has the weapons to do so. It's just that Leonard has to connect more often, especially with his deep throws.

Other than his injury, Leonard has struggled with inconsistency at times while at Duke. He needs to be locked in right away.

On the other hand, if Texas A&M wants to defend their home turf, they are going to have to depend on the running game. As mentioned earlier, the Aggies have a solid rotation of backs at their disposal. Use them to the fullest.

It's going to be difficult for them to throw the ball consistently when they're playing against a secondary as loaded as Notre Dame's.

If Texas A&M can establish the running game, it'll open up the possibility for big plays through the air. It'll take away Notre Dame's dependency on coverage and they'll have no choice but the stack the line.

This will also help Connor Weigman in getting acclimated after being out since week four of last year. When faced with throwing situations, the Aggies have the guys to win matchups when the Irish play man-to-man coverage.