It’s early in the 2024 high school football season, but the fireworks have already started and should only continue this week. There are a number of intriguing matchups across the board, including a game between two of the top national football champion contenders.
Let’s get into the top 5 games college football games to watch this week.
Mater Dei vs. Bishop Gorman
Perhaps the biggest matchup of the entire high school football season is upon us this weekend when No. 1 Mater Dei (1-0) takes on No. 2 Bishop Gorman (2-0) at Santa Ana Stadium.
Featuring 38 three-star or better recruits, according to 247Sports, this game has a ton of buildup and could feature the eventual 2024 champions.
While likely serving as the underdog to enter the game, Bishop Gorman has already gotten wins over top teams in Hawaii and Florida, and will face their biggest test when they travel to face juggernaut Mater Dei on Friday evening.
Coming off bye weeks, both teams are fresh and will look to take each other’s zero after they both went undefeated in 2023, which led to a discussion on who should be crowned the national champions.
Mater Dei won the last matchup between the two sides back in 2022, and this one should be another fun game as well.
North Crowley vs. DeSoto
You can’t talk about the top matchups in high school football without giving a mention to Texas, and this week has a strong matchup between North Crowley (1-0) and DeSoto (1-0), who are both top-five teams in the state.
North Crowley is taking on a big challenge here, scheduling DeSoto as a non-district game as they look to make some noise against one of the best teams in the country.
This game will be a big sign for the Panthers, who will get a clear indication of where they currently stand when it comes to Texas football, although they’ll come into this one as heavy underdogs.
DeSoto had a strong first win, beating Georgia’s defending 5A state champion Creekside 70-0 last week, and they’ll look to carry the momentum into one of the best matchups of the week against North Crowley.
Atascocita vs. Katy
A rematch of last year’s electric contest is taking place this weekend in Texas, as two top-25 programs are facing off with Atascocita (1-0) and Katy (1-0).
Atascocita opened their season with a dominant 35-7 victory over Lamar, with big runs from four-stars Cardae Mack and Tory Blaylock leading the way.
Katy, on the other hand, pulled off a victory in a much different fashion, going on the road to beat Dickinson 41-37 in a close contest. Thanks to a massive performance from running back Tremayne Hill, who had 123 yards and four touchdowns on the day, Katy came out with a victory.
Katy has been the more dominant team in the head-to-head battles recently, but Atascocita pulled off a 42-34 victory last season, changing the tides.
This one should be another competitive non-district battle between the two Texas teams, with the ground game likely playing a big factor.
Cocoa vs. IMG
Heading over to the state of Florida, one of the most anticipated matchups of the year is taking place between back-to-back state champion Cocoa (2-0) and powerhouse IMG (1-1) on Friday night.
Both top-five teams in the state, they each possess high-end offenses led by four-star quarterbacks.
Brady Hart, a Michigan commit in the Class of 2026, had 331 yards and four touchdowns last week in a 51-0 victory over Mainland after tossing for 270 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s season opener.
Ty Hawkins, an SMU commit in the Class of 2025, has eight touchdowns through two games thus far, throwing for four, while getting another four on the ground.
IMG had a 35-34 loss to Canyon Corner in the season opener, but rebounded with a 27-14 victory over Bergen Catholic on the road last week. They will look to play spoiler to Cocoa this weekend in a top matchup.
North Gwinnett vs. Mill Creek
Heading over to the state of Georgia, we have a matchup between two top-five teams with North Gwinnett (2-0) and Mill Creek (3-0) facing off this weekend.
After beating McEachern in the opener, North Gwinnett had a major 14-3 victory on the road against Colquitt County last week, solidifying their spot as a top team in the state.
Mill Creek has cruised through their schedule over the first three weeks, winning games against Lambert and Norcross on the road before a 48-14 victory against Archer last week.
They’ll now host North Gwinnett on Friday evening in one of the top matchups in the state, with Buford vs. Roswell being another one to watch between top-10 teams in Georgia.
