5 games with the biggest College Football Playoff implications in Week 1

No. 2 Alabama vs Miami

The defending national champions make their debut Saturday and the Crimson Tide will open against 14th-ranked Miami.

The Hurricanes were solid a season ago and were one win short of playing in the Orange Bowl. Quarterback D’Eriq King is also back after suffering an ACL injury in the Cheez-it Bowl, but he appears ready to go for Saturday afternoon’s showdown.

Alabama lost a bunch of talent to the NFL (doesn’t it always?) but the Tide are as talented as any college football team in the country. Bryce Young is going to be a top-five pick someday and while he will be a focal point Saturday, the defense will steal the show.

In the College Football Playoff race, it’s a big game, especially for Miami. It would look nice on the resume for Alabama, but even if the Tide lost, they would simply need to win the SEC to earn a playoff spot.

For Miami, the same is probably true if the Canes ran the table and won the ACC following a loss to Alabama. But, if Miami gets blown out and Clemson loses to Georgia, the Hurricanes might not have many marquee wins on that schedule.

It looks like a good year for two SEC teams to get in plus Oklahoma and Ohio State are loaded. A one-loss ACC champion is far from a guarantee in my book, especially without a strong showing outside of the league.