The condensed nature of the college football season puts a high premium on every game. 

While the first month of the season can be a trial-and-error adjustment period for some programs, it’s also high stakes for teams expecting to be flawless in the loss column. 

Programs with championship aspirations and head coaches hoping to avoid the hot seat must come out of the gate fast. Depending on the docket, that’s easier for some teams than others. 

These 10 players are vital to the outlook of teams facing especially challenging opening months of the 2024 campaign. 

Arizona QB Noah Fifita

Heading into a new conference under the direction of a new coach, Fifita returns with friend and favorite target Tetairoa McMillan after leading Arizona to one of its best seasons in program history. The duo’s connection powered UA to seven straight wins, closing out the Jedd Fisch era. The Brent Brennan era begins, and the No. 21 Wildcats’ first two Big 12 Conference games are on the road against Top 25 opponents—at Kansas State and Utah in back-to-back games. 

Facing the preseason favorites in the league on the road could set Fifita for either a sophomore slump or a serious ascent in a follow-up to his breakout freshman campaign. 

Alabama OG Tyler Booker

Dominant offensive line play was a consistent hallmark of Alabama’s success under Nick Saban. The front five will set the tone for Year 1 of the Kalen DeBoer era, and specifically the interior. Returning All-SEC guard Tyler Booker joins center and Washington transfer Parker Brailsford to form the foundation of the Crimson Tide’s line.

As the returning standout, Booker’s performance is central to Alabama’s SEC title hopes and the Heisman Trophy prospects of quarterback Jalen Millroe. Both will be tested in September, with the Crimson Tide drawing always-tough Wisconsin on the road in Week 3 and hosting preseason national title favorite Georgia in Week 5.

Clemson LB Barrett Carter

One of the most versatile linebackers in the country, Carter can stop the run, get to the quarterback and defend the pass equally effectively. Clemson will need the heart of its defense to do all of that consistently when it faces a treacherous first month.

Clemson opens with top-ranked Georgia, then hosts Appalachian State and NC State in Weeks 2 and 4. It’s realistic all three could be in contention for playoff berths as the season unfolds.

Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon II

Producing absolute monster numbers with 1,732 rushing yards, 21 touchdowns on the ground and another 330 yards and a score receiving, Gordon II powered Oklahoma State to double-digit wins for the second time in three seasons. Gordon is back as the engine of a Cowboys team with the pieces to win the Big 12 and reach the Playoff — but they’ll have to navigate rough terrain in September to get there. 

Oklahoma State’s first two Big 12 matchups are against preseason favorite Utah, and the next week, the Cowboys visit Kansas State. That round-robin could well determine the fate of the league race. And don’t overlook Oklahoma State’s Week 1 matchup: Two-time reigning FCS national champion South Dakota State is a handful, boasting a run defense that held opponents to 89.6 yards per game in 2023. The Jackrabbits will be looking to make themselves known to FBS fans at Gordon’s expense. 

Michigan DT Mason Graham

Big Man Mason Graham was vital to Michigan’s first national championship since 1997. He is the centerpiece of a program undergoing significant changes in the wake of Jim Harbaugh’s departure to the NFL. The Wolverines’ defense of their title begins with little time for adjustment, as the first month pits them against consistently tough-out Fresno State, fellow 2023 Playoff team Texas, and Big Ten newcomer USC.

All three feature solid offensive lines, most notably Week 2 opponent Texas and All-American tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. September could determine both Michigan’s likelihood of returning to the Playoff, and if Graham will be the first interior lineman to earnestly contend for the Heisman since Ndamukong Suh in 2009.

Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty

A non-power conference player has not been invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony since the Playoff began in 2014. Ashton Jeanty may be the best hope to end that drought, coming off of a 2023 in which he flirted with 2,000 yards from scrimmage with 19 touchdowns.

Jeanty is also the star of a Boise State team with designs on a Playoff appearance. The spotlight is on Jeanty and the Broncos in Week 2 when they visit Oregon, and against Week 5 hosting Washington State.

Notre Dame CB Jaden Mickey

With one of college football’s premier ballhawks in the Notre Dame secondary, Benjamin Morrison, opposing offenses will look to avoid throwing his way as much as possible. That puts pressure firmly on Jaden Mickey to step up to a level approaching that of the All-America caliber Morrison.

What’s more, Mickey is replacing an NFL-quality starter in Cam Hart. The bar is set high for him, and the learning curve is steep, with Texas A&M up first for the Playoff-hopeful Fighting Irish.

USC QB Miller Moss

Labor Day Sunday’s marquee matchup between LSU and USC features starting quarterbacks in Garrett Nussmeier and Miller Moss tasked with replacing the last two Heisman winners. While Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams each cast long shadows, Moss takes on the less enviable task in September.

Along with the Trojans’ Las Vegas showdown against LSU, USC travels to reigning national champion Michigan and hosts a physical Wisconsin bunch before the month’s end. That’s quite a welcome to the Big Ten for Moss, who captains the Trojans offense in a potential make-or-break year for coach Lincoln Riley.

Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders

Despite a dismal finish to a 2023 season spent squarely in the spotlight, Colorado remains perhaps the most buzzed-about program in 2024. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders is widely considered a 1st round NFL draft prospect, which could be a hard sell if the Buffs are as bad to open this season as they were in finishing the last at 1-8. 

Furthermore, CU’s experiment in hiring as head coach Shedeur’s father, Deion Sanders, could be in the balance depending on the coming campaign’s results. That’s a lot of weight to barry into a first month that pits the Buffs against perennial FCS championship contender North Dakota State and road games vs. rivals Nebraska and Colorado State. Colorado also travels to face a promising UCF team in Big 12 play to close the month. 

Kentucky DT Deone Walker

Under defensive-minded head coach Mark Stoops, Kentucky’s physicality on that side of the ball has been key to the Wildcats running off seven winning seasons in eight years. No one around the country embodies physicality more than Deone Walker, the 6-foot-6, 345-pound juggernaut on the interior of the UK line with an uncanny ability to plow through blockers. 

Kentucky’s early-season schedule shapes up nicely for the Wildcats to make noise by September’s end: They play their first four games at home, including drawing Georgia in Lexington, then have a chance to play spoiler Week 5 at Ole Miss. Walker’s play will be pivotal to mapping out Kentucky’s SEC prospects going into October and a less favorable schedule.