Week 1 MUST WATCH Games of College Football

#14 Clemson vs #1 Georgia

(Georgia -13.5) Total: 48.5

Neutral Site - Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA

Saturday, Aug 31st - 12 noon (EST) on ABC

You have to love when two titans agree to face off in week 1 of what is a grueling college football season. We’re getting a good one here with Clemson taking a trip to Atlanta to face off against the Dawgs in Mercedes-Benz Stadium for what is technically considered a “neutral site”. Georgia will head into this game ranked as the #1 team in the AP poll and Clemson at #14. Georgia is 32-2 in the last 3 years with both losses coming from Alabama in the SEC Championship game. On the other hand, Dabo and company are coming off their first single digit win season since 2010. This match up also features 2 of the 3 active coaches in FBS to have a national championship. Can anyone guess the other?

Last time these two teams faced off was also Week 1 of the regular season back in 2021. That game ended 10-3 with only TD coming from a pick 6. Georgia won that defensive battle and went on to beat Alabama in the CFP National Championship. But both teams are different now. Georgia will lean on Carson Beck, who may prove to be the best QB in the SEC, and a stout defense. While Clemson tries to get their offensive gears turning with Klubnik and a new cast of playmakers. This game will have big implications on Dabo’s public perception. He quite often gets criticized for his philosophy in the modern game of college football that features NIL deals and transfer portal recruiting. If he’s able to pull off a win here, I’m sure Tyler from Spartanburg won’t be calling anytime soon.

#8 Penn State at West Virginia

(Penn State -10.5) Total: 51.5

Milan Puskar Stadium - Morgantown, WV

Saturday, Aug 31st - 12 noon (EST) on FOX

Must be deja vu! These two teams opened the season last year against each other and Penn State won 38-15 covering the 20 pt spread. This time last year things were a lot different. Neal Brown entered the season on the proverbial hot seat while Franklin and co had national title aspirations. Brown signed an extension through ‘27 and James Franklin’s ability to take Penn State to the promised land is in question.

Franklin adds a new OC in Kotelnicki to try and improve on Drew Allar’s first season as a starter. Allar is young and while people gave up on him quickly, I think he’s going to have an awesome year. The real question is the WRs because Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton are both back at RB. But they’re not the only dangerous RB duo in this game. WVU returns CJ Donaldson and Jaheim White at RB who make for a dynamic lightning and thunder type combo in the backfield. Garrett Greene can also be dangerous with his legs. While both teams look to showcase firepower on offense, the defensive sides will be strong as well. Making this a must watch bruiser of a game. Even though PSU covered the 3 score spread LY it was a tie game in the 2nd quarter and WVU never really felt out of it.

I’m excited for this match up as it sets the tone for both of these teams and could be a good indicator of how they’ll stack up against conference foes. Penn State won’t face another tough opponent until they take trips to USC and Wisconsin in Weeks 6 & 7. So they’ll have time to tune up if they do lose. On other hand, WVU will see Albany and Pitt before entering a gauntlet of a BIG12 schedule.

#19 Miami at Florida

(Miami -2.5) Total: 54.5

Ben Hill Griffin Stadium - Gainesville, FL

Saturday, Aug 31st - 3:30 PM (EST) on ABC

Miami in The Swamp? How could you not watch on opening weekend?! Especially with the way the stars have been aligning. Mario Cristobal has not exactly got off to the start he wanted at Miami being 12-13 in his first two years. However, this is year 3 and along with his recruits starting to fill out the program, they’ve loaded up on transfers. This Miami team has got some serious talent on the offensive side of the ball and will be entertaining in every game. The most sought after QB in the transfer portal, Cam Ward, joins the Canes along with Oregon State’s 2x 1st ™ PAC12 RB Damien Martinez. WR’s Restrepo and George return along with the addition of Sam Brown. So the offense is locked and loaded to score while Bain returns after a freshman AA season to lead the defense.

On the other side Graham Mertz looks to lead this Gator team to victory as the Gators have won 2 of the last 3 meetings. HC Billy Napier’s seat is starting to warm and a win here could really cool things down. Unfortunately, Florida has one of the toughest schedules in the country but starting off on the right foot could lead them to more success than people expect. Florida recently lost a RB due to injury as well, so they’ll need to be firing on all cylinders here. However, you can’t count out the Gators in an in-state match up and especially not in the Swamp.

#7 Notre Dame at #20 Texas A&M

(Texas A&M -2.5) Total: 46.5

Kyle Field - College Station, TX

Saturday, Aug 31st - 7:30 PM (EST) on ABC

As I alluded earlier, there’s a lot of new faces in new places around the country. This means guys like Marcus Freeman and Mike Elko are looking to secure themselves as top coaches in the sport. Freeman already has had some opportunities in his first 2 years at ND facing off against Ohio State and Clemson twice each (went 1-3 with a last second loss to OSU)! While Elko made a big enough splash at Duke to be promoted to A&M HC. The interesting bit here is Elko’s QB last year, Riley Leonard, is now the Fighting Irish starting QB! And to take even one step further, Elko was the DC at ND in 2017!

Leonard showcased serious talent last year with an ability to make plays with his legs. He was even leading against ND in the 4th quarter last year until he suffered an injury. Now he’ll join a strong Irish team looking to compete for the national title. Unfortunately ND’s new left tackle, set to replace top draft pick Joe Alt, suffered a season ending injury in camp. This will bring some questions to the ND OL, like who’s going to block Nic Scourton in this game? A&M secured BIG10 sack leader Nic Scourton from Purdue after losing Walter Nolen to Ole Miss. Elko is a standout defensive coach and could possibly be the piece A&M has been missing.

While the AP poll ranks ND ahead of Texas A&M at #7, A&M is a slight favorite for this game at Kyle Field. This is a scenario I will continue to keep an eye on in the future as certain trends here could provide valuable edges later in the season. A&M for note has won its last 6 season openers and is 11-0 SU/7-4 ATS in home openers. This is a must watch game between two teams hoping to be in the playoff come December.

#13 LSU vs #23 USC

(LSU -6.5) Total: 62.5

Allegiant Stadium (Raiders) - Las Vegas, NV

Sunday, Sept 1st - 7:30 PM (EST) on ABC

This game serves as a must watch not only because of brand names but pure curiosity. We’ve seen both of these storied programs go through a rollercoaster of peaks and valleys over the years, but we can never count them out. Both HCs enter their 3rd year looking to make the expanded playoff. Last year LSU had Heisman winner Jayden Daniels along with electric WRs Nabers and Thomas Jr. This year the offense will have a whole new cast led by Garrett Nussmeier. There’s a lot of hope for what Nussmeier can do, but we’ll see if the roster has all the pieces. It will be exciting to see how this new look offense pairs up against USCs new look defense. Riley finally freed himself off Alex Grinch and brought in D’Anton Lynn at DC to clean things up. USC hasn’t exactly had a great defense as of late but Lynn will be looking to change that along with DL Bear Alexander.

On the flip side, LSU’s defense hasn’t been much better either but look to improve behind Harold Perkins and Major Burns. Perkins has been moved around a lot and is playing inside now, but we know he’s a serious threat on the edge after his freshman year. Curious to see if they have enough talent around him, to let him run free on the edge once in awhile. They’ll have their hands full with USC’s offense led by new QB Miller Moss, who threw for 6 TDs in the Holiday Bowl last year. He’ll have a dangerous crew of versatile WRs at disposal while under a coach who has produced 3 Heisman QBs.

LSU has lost its last 4 season openers, with 2 of them being against Florida State, and looks to avoid a fifth. While USC looks to get back on track after a 7-5 season and joining the BIG10. It’s a stand alone game on Sunday and there will be no NFL on. What could you possibly have better to do than watch this game Sunday night?!