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Michigan at Florida: 3 storylines to follow in week one

By Matty Breisch

ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators players line up before a snap during the second half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl game at Orlando Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FL - JANUARY 01: Michigan Wolverines and Florida Gators players line up before a snap during the second half of the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl game at Orlando Citrus Bowl on January 1, 2016 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Rob Foldy/Getty Images) /
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Saturday’s Michigan vs Florida Week 1 contest might be one of the most important. Here are three storylines to keep an eye on throughout the game.

For the longest time, the first month of the college football season had essentially acted like a preseason.

Teams would often schedule small, non-conference opponents whom they could easily defeat in order to prepare for their in-conference opponents. These games gave smaller schools an opportunity to play against the best of the best of college football, and rake in some serious TV money and allowed the bigger teams a chance to work in younger players in real-game situations.

However, all of this changed in 2014, when college football adopted a new playoff system.

The new four-team playoff encourages colleges to schedule more challenging games before conference play begins, in order to strengthen their resumes and potentially improve their power rankings. However, these games could also be a hindrance to the losing team’s chances at a post season opportunity.

And arguably no game in week one of the 2017 college football season has more of an impact on this season’s power rankings than No. 11 Michigan’s Week 1 bout against No. 17 Florida.

Both teams are in serious contention to win their respective divisions this season, and could very well be in play to make their first appearances in the College Football Playoff.

After Saturday’s contest, one of these teams will be a step closer to achieving its dreams, while the other will have some serious catching up to do. Here are three storylines to watch in Michigan’s Week 1 game against Florida.

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