College Football 2019: Your binge-watching guide for Week 1
By Shelbie Warr
Saturday Afternoon
South Carolina at North Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN)
This should be an interesting matchup as Mack Brown takes over the North Carolina program and looks to lead it back in a prosperous direction. South Carolina will have a new quarterback under center and will look to put together a win that could be vital in getting to a bowl game with the tough schedule upcoming for the Gamecocks. However, the concerns seem to be more with their schedule than the team.
North Carolina seems to be building from the ground up as Mack Brown tries to help this program compete in the ACC.
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Prediction: South Carolina and North Carolina will combine for a game worth watching. Neither has the offense to dominate the game outright, but the South Carolina unit is good enough to put this one away in the second half.
No. 2 Alabama vs. Duke (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
This will be our first look at Alabama post-national title game defeat at the hands of the Clemson Tigers and what better way to open than against a lesser opponent like the Duke Blue Devils. Look for Alabama to come out and make a statement, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Good luck stopping the offense either, no matter how good your defense is. Sorry Duke, this one won’t be your afternoon. Better luck next time.
Prediction: Alabama. That’s all. That’s the prediction.
Northwestern at No. 25 Stanford (4 p.m. ET, FOX)
Northwestern is always a sneaky team. What do I mean by that? Well, the Wildcats always seem to be at the center of upset talk and this opening week is no different. In 2015, when these two met to open the season, Northwestern was able to knock off Christian McCaffery and the Cardinal of Stanford. Can they pull it off again with a Clemson-transfer Hunter Johnson at quarterback or will Stanford’s pass protection be enough to hold off the Wildcats?
Prediction: Northwestern has just enough, I think, to pull this one off and knock Stanford out of the rankings. Go ahead and call me crazy, but I’m going with the Wildcats on this one.