No. 7 Notre Dame travels to No. 20 Texas A&M in a marquee matchup for both programs to open the 2024 season. The Fighting Irish were picked in the preseason top 10 and are a hot favorite to make the College Football Playoff. Third-year coach Marcus Freeman has a 19-8 career record but has yet to lead his team to a top-10 finish.
The Aggies enter a new era under first-year coach Mike Elko, who quickly turned Duke into a winner at his last stop. Elko was aggressive in the transfer portal to replace depth, reeling in the No. 4 class with 28 commits. Quarterback Conner Weigman has struggled with injuries, but is a potential breakout star if he can stay healthy.
Notre Dame has played Texas A&M five times in its history and boasts a 3-2 advantage. However, the Aggies won the most recent matchup, a 24-3 victory in 2001. The latter is the only historic matchup between the two teams at Kyle Field, with three contests taking place at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas between 1988 and 1994.
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M: Need to know
New offensive era: Marcus Freeman was aggressive in revamping his offense and brought in two of the top free agents on the market. Offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock comes to South Bend after coaching Jayden Daniels to the Heisman Trophy at LSU. He has a new signal-caller to work with after Riley Leonard transferred from Duke. Leonard missed much of the 2023 season with injuries, but threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 20 touchdowns while, ironically, playing for now-Texas A&M coach Mike Elko.
Revamped program: Texas A&M hired Elko to lead the program and his unique fingerprints are already over it. Offensive coordinator Collin Klein has embraced the quarterback run and spread concepts. The defense will lean more heavily on the defensive line and pass-rusher Nic Scourton. In every sense, Texas A&M will simplify and embrace its playmakers.
Battle on the edges: Notre Dame lost projected starting offensive tackle Charles Jagusah to a season-ending injury, and now freshman Anthonie Knapp will start for the Irish. Notre Dame will start three sophomores and two freshmen overall, and it comes against a Texas A&M defensive front that could be one of the best in college football. Defensive end Nic Scourton led the Big Ten with 10 sacks last season and could be the Aggies’ best edge rusher since Myles Garrett. Shemar Turner, Shemar Stewart and DJ Hicks were all top-75 recruits nationally with major experience. There’s a real chance Notre Dame’s line is just plain overmatched.
How to watch Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M live
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31 | Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Kyle Field — College Station, Texas
TV: ABC | Live stream: fubo (Try for free)
Notre Dame vs. Texas A&M prediction, picks
Despite the ranking difference, Texas A&M is a slight favorite over Notre Dame. Looking down the rosters, that advantage is for good reason. The Aggies can muck up the game in the trenches and potentially cause real headaches with their stacked defensive line. The big questions for Texas A&M come on offense, but the Aggies will do just enough to leave Kyle Field with their first signature victory under Mike Elko. Pick: Texas A&M -3
Which college football picks can you make with confidence in Week 1? Visit SportsLine to see which teams will win and cover the spread — all from a proven computer model that has returned well over $2,000 in profit since its inception — and find out.
