It’s almost time. College football is picking up speed again.

Here’s a closer look at some of the key matchups early in the season:

There are a handful of games next Saturday, including the matchup between No. 10 Florida State and Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland. Led by defensive end Patrick Payton and offensive tackle Darius Washington, the Seminoles are considered heavy favorites to defend their Atlantic Coast Conference title.

Florida State and Georgia Tech begin at 12 p.m. EDT. Also scheduled for next Saturday: Norfolk State faces Florida AandM at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Atlanta, and SMU visits Nevada.

On August 31, No. 1 Georgia plays No. 14 Clemson in Atlanta, No. 8 Penn State visits West Virginia and No. 19 Miami is in Florida. Riley Leonard and No. 7 Notre Dame visit Connor Weigman and No. 20 Texas AandM.

So many great encounters.

No. 1 Georgia, which had a 13-1 record last season, plays at No. 4 Texas on Oct. 19. The Bulldogs also visit No. 5 Alabama on Sept. 28 and host Tennessee on Nov. 16.

TreVeyon Henderson and No. 2 Ohio State play No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 12. The Buckeyes also visit No. 8 Penn State on Nov. 2 and host No. 9 Michigan on Nov. 30. OSU has lost three straight games to the Wolverines.

Also worth watching: No. 6 Mississippi travels to No. 13 LSU on Oct. 12, No. 7 Notre Dame hosts No. 10 Florida State on Nov. 9 and No. 11 Missouri is at No. 5 Alabama on Oct. 26. No. 4 Texas visits No. 20 Texas AandM on November 30, and the annual Army-Navy Game will be held on December 14 in Landover, Maryland.

The College Football Playoff will expand from four to twelve teams this season.

The top four spots and a first-round bye are available only to conference champions, regardless of their ranking.

Seeds five through eight will host seeds nine through 12 in first-round games on campus. These games will take place on December 20 (one game) and December 21 (three).

The quarterfinals will be played in traditional bowl games on December 31 (Fiesta Bowl) and January 1 (Peach, Rose, Sugar). The semifinals will also be played in bowl games. This year they are January 9 at the Orange Bowl and January 10 at the Cotton Bowl.

This season’s championship game will be played on January 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, by far the latest date for the end of a college football season.

It’s never too early to speculate about the Heisman Trophy race.

The best quarterbacks in the country provide a good starting point. Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Quinn Ewers (Texas), Jaxson Dart (Mississippi), Carson Beck (Georgia), Dillon Gabriel (Oregon) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado) are among the favorites for the title.

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AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football