The 6 Best College Football Spring Games You Have To Visit In 2024

College football spring games offer excitement for a variety of reasons. For the analysts and gamblers, it’s the first glimpse of the NCAA football landscape. For fans, it’s the first time they see their favorite team in action for the year. And for the real college football sickos, it provides a unique game day experience and the first taste of fall as early as March. Some schools take their spring exhibitions more seriously than others.

Six schools do spring football differently. Each is worth getting in the car and checking out for yourself.

Best College Football Spring Games In 2024

Note: Spring game attendance wildly fluctuates. This year, expect Alabama, Indiana, and Texas A&M to have boosted attendance thanks to new coaching staffs. Michigan should also see a bump in attendance thanks to winning the 2023 National Championship.

Quarterback battles, national expectations, and temperature of the fanbase also dictates spring game attendance. This list isn’t based on the best spring camp battles or other analytical reasons you might want to check out a spring game. These seven games are chosen for their national reputation and other game day factors that might be worth your time.

Ohio State Buckeyes

Weather in April in the Great Lakes can be hit or miss. Chances are, if you’re looking to head to a spring game, you think of the SEC first – warm, sunny, everything the Midwest isn’t in early spring. But Ohio State has the top three most-attended spring games of all time. 2016 topped the list, breaking 100,000 in Ohio Stadium for a spruced-up practice.

While not the full Buckeye game day experience, just $10 gets you a solid taste of a fall Saturday in the Horseshoe. Should you luck out with favorable weather, festivities can rival a full-on Ohio State game day.

The Ohio State spring game is consistently inside the top five when it comes to attendance, rain or shine.

2024 Ohio State Spring Game date: April 13, 12:00 p.m. ET
Cost: $10 (General admission only)

Nebraska Cornhuskers

Win, lose, or draw, Nebraska’s diehard fanbase shows out for the Huskers. Lincoln faces similar challenges to Columbus in April – some years you might get 70º and sunny, others you might get snowed on. Regardless, Memorial Stadium is one of the fullest for Nebraska’s Red-White game.

Nebraska holds the longes sellout streak in college football history. While they don’t sell out 85,000+ in April, the Huskers regularly see 50,000+ in the stands. 2019 was an especially-busy year, where the Huskers did sell out. Last year, over 60,000 showed up to see the squad under new head coach Matt Rhule.

After a long Nebraska winter, fans itch to get outside. Though the product on the field differs from the fall, the stadium atmosphere doesn’t by much.

2024 Nebraska Spring Game date: April 27, 12:00 p.m. ET
Cost: $15 (reserved), $25 (club), $5 (youth), FREE for veterans (max. 3,000 tickets)

Oklahoma Sooners

A coaching change put Oklahoma atop the spring game attendance mark in 2022. A game day at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium lives beyond the field. It’s a living museum of college football – from the Heisman walk and Barry Switzer Center outside the stadium to the plethora of memorabilia inside, Oklahoma’s game day is rivaled by few.

That said, you don’t have to visit Norman in the fall to get a sense of the tradition and pageantry. Hell, you don’t even have to go on a game day – the amount of history available daily is worth the visit.

Norman averages 74º in April. Few places in the states offer a better combination of weather and college football in the spring. With a rising five-star QB and entering the SEC, Oklahoma will draw one of the largest spring game crowds in the country this year.

2024 Oklahoma Spring Game date: April 20, TBA
Cost: $15 (reserved)

Georgia Bulldogs

Even before Kirby Smart and Georgia began their blossoming dynasty, Georgia’s G-Day was a must-visit. I saw it for myself in 2018 following the Dawgs’ runner-up season the year before. Not only does Sanford Stadium pack to the brim most years, but the school puts on a show. The team, led by Smart, runs down the stadium steps to greet fans. Few other places offer the fanfare Georgia does ahead of their spring game.

Tailgating in the SEC is legendary. Georgia fans know this and take tailgating very seriously, even for the spring exhibition. Vendors pack the streets and campus is flooded with red and black jerseys. The difference between G-Day and a fall Saturday is nearly indistinguishable – so much so that I count Georgia’s G-Day toward the Road to CFB goal.

This year, UGA returns with a vengeance. They missed out on the College Football Playoff in 2023 and enter ’24 as the national favorite.

Admission is just $5 and seating is open, making this one of the best values in the country.

2024 Georgia Spring Game date: April 13, TBA
Cost: $5 (General admission)

Colorado Buffaloes

Three years ago, Colorado admittedly wouldn’t be anywhere near this list. But this is 2024, and Deion Sanders is still the head coach. Last year, Colorado’s spring game sold out immediately; it was also the first time CU sold tickets. The sideline was packed with A-list celebrities and the entire sports world had eyes on snowy Boulder.

Prime Time still roams the sidelines for 2024 and this year’s Black & Gold Day should offer another high-demand, star-studded crowd. Colorado fell short of lofty expectations, finishing 4-8, but QB Shedeur Sanders returns. Hype might not match last year, but this year’s squad carries its own set of intrigue.

Should you find yourself in Boulder, and get ahold of tickets, Colorado’s spring game will be must-watch TV again in 2024.

2024 Colorado Spring Game date: April 27, TBA
Cost: TBA ($10 in 2023)

Alabama Crimson Tide

You may have heard, Alabama had a notable coach retire this offseason. Nick Saban set strict expectations for Crimson Tide fans, particularly surrounding team support and attendance. The result? Four of the 10 highest-attended spring games on record.

With an entirely new staff in town for the first time since 2007, Alabama fans will be eager to catch a glimpse of this new-look team for 2024. A-Day is one of the biggest deals in the spring college football cycle and Bryant-Denny Stadium is one of the largest in the country. In case this wasn’t enough to sell you, Tuscaloosa averages 77º in April.

Heisman frontrunner Jalen Milroe also returns for another season, although plenty of other positions need filled. Alabama regularly is one of the top spring games to consider, but 2024 adds enough intrigue to make A-Day a candidate for the most-attended spring game of the year.

Alabama offers FREE general admission to fans, as well. If you plan to attend this nationally-televised event, get there early.