Need a primer for the college football week ahead? Look no further! Here are a few of the games worth checking out in Week 1.
No. 1 Alabama versus No. 3 Florida State
Unquestionably the game the week. Unquestionably the best opening weekend match-up in recent memory.
The Tide/Seminoles contest, to be played at the brand-new Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, may well go down as one of the best games of the year.
Nick Saban has reloaded his team, and the holdovers from last season will have lived with the pain of losing the national title game to Clemson in January, and that’s doubtless spurred them on all summer…and will probably spur them on all season, too. While I expect Florida State to hang around deep into the fourth, I’ve got the Tide pulling away late.
No. 11 Michigan versus No. 17 Florida
The Gators haven’t been helped by a slew of players being suspended for the season-opener due to disciplinary issues, and the Wolverines will likely take advantage of that. Heading into the season, I feel like Michigan is third-best in the Big Ten arms race – behind Ohio State and Penn State – but a big win against an SEC opponent will start changing peoples’ minds. Michigan by a few touchdowns.
No. 22 West Virginia versus No. 21 Virginia Tech
I have a feeling that Justin Fuentes has the Hokies ready to explode in his second season in Blacksburg, and they have a touch match-up to kick off the season, taking on old rivals West Virginia for the first time since 2005. The game is at FedEx Field in Maryland, where VT has never won.
Dana Holgorsen has former Florida quarterback Will Grier at the controls for the Mountaineers, and their stable of running backs, led by Justin Crawford, might be stronger than last season. Their 3-3-5 defence will be tested by redshirt freshman Josh Jackson, a legitimate dual threat quarterback. I think experience counts and WVU will get Grier his first win in his first start as a Mountaineer.
No. 25 Tennessee versus Georgia Tech
Another game at Mercedes Benz Stadium, and Tennessee would want to win against a sometimes-tricky Yellow Jackets squad in what feels like a trap game in potentially a trap season for Butch Jones. The Vols came into last season with lots of expectation, and had a disappointing 9-4 season, failing once more to win the SEC East.
To a certain extent, the Vols have been brought back to the field by talent upgrades at Florida and Georgia. It’ll be interesting to see what happens in Knoxville if they lose a few early. The Vols should win in week one, but it might be tight. Really tight.
No. 2 Ohio State at Indiana
The Buckeyes should have no problems dispatching the Hoosiers on Thursday night, but there’s two areas of interest for mine: former IU head coach Kevin Wilson returning to Bloomington as Ohio State’s offensive coordinator; and the Buckeyes’ quest for redemption after being blanked by Clemson in their last start, the disastrous semi-final playoff. Buckeyes by plenty here.
Maryland at No. 23 Texas
A fairly easy start for Tom Hermann at Austin, and if there’s a first-year coach with more pressure sitting squarely on his shoulders than the new head man for the Longhorns, I’d love to know who it is.
Texas should be a better team than they were a year ago under Charlie Strong, but a lot of what happens on the field will be determined by the sanity or lack thereof of school administrators. Even so, Hermann should be 1-0 by Saturday night.
Colorado State versus Colorado
The first big traditional rivalry of the season comes Friday night in Denver, and both the Buffaloes (Pac-12) and Rams (Mountain West) are likely going to contend in their conferences. This game could go either way. Colorado State really impressed offensively, putting 58 points on Oregon State one week ago, and their defence was brilliant, forcing five turnovers.
I loved seeing Colorado return to Pac-12 prominence last year, and I think they’ll score a narrow win in a game where both quarterbacks could really light things up.
Western Michigan at No. 4 Southern California
You could make a case for the Trojans being the best team – or at least heavily in the conversation – over the second half of the season, and it’ll be fascinating to see how far the team can go in 2017.
You figure they’ll be okay with Sam Darnold, a burgeoning quarterback, at the controls, even without a guy like JuJu Smith-Schuster, and reports from camp suggest that the defence is perhaps even better than last year. They get a PJ Fleck-less Western Michigan to start, and should win comfortably… with one eye on Stanford next week.
Troy at Boise State
You know your program is in a good place when a ten-win season is greeted with dismay around town, and that’s what happened with Boise, who failed to win a Bowl game for the first time in what seems like forever. The Broncos lose do-everything back Jeremy McNichols, but there appears to be a handy replacement in Alexander Mattison and quarterback Brett Rypien is going to be as good as ever. They should take care of Troy handily.
Wyoming at Iowa
An interesting opening game for the Hawkeyes against a Wyoming program under Craig Bohl who have quarterback Josh Allen, a favourite among the NFL scouts, returning, and hoping to lead the Cowboys back to the Mountain West championship game.
The Hawkeyes return star running back Akrum Wadley and I think we’ll see Iowa running the ball down the throats of a Wyoming front seven that isn’t hugely talented. Hawkeyes win by two or three touchdowns, but tune in to get a glimpse of the highly-rated Allen.
Hey, supercoach? Choose your own ultimate NFL team and compete with other players for cash prizes in daily competitions on any match. If you’re after the best odds on the NFL, PlayUp is your best bet. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.
The extraordinary episodes after his life as an American Football hero quite overshadowed the career of O.J. Simpson, who has died at the age…
The Kansas City Chiefs, steered brilliamtly at the end by star quarterback Patrick Mahomes, downed the San Francisco 49ers 25-22 in overtime to secure…
San Francisco 49ers will make their eighth appearance in the Super Bowl after a stellar season from a team stacked with real talent across the whole line-up.
The Chiefs are no longer strangers to playing matches in February. What was once a multi-generational 50-year drought has become an almost yearly tradition.
Daniel Faalele and Mitch Wishnowsky have kept their Super Bowl dreams alive, with Baltimore and San Francisco winning the divisional round playoff.
Six-time NFL champion Bill Belichick has agreed to part ways as the coach of the New England Patriots, bringing an end to his 24-year…
