While Week 0 of the college football season is always fun, the real chaos kicks off once every team is in action. Week 1 is going to be a thrilling run of games with action kicking off on Thursday, and running through Monday Night. With the exception of some of the teams that played in Week 0, every team will be in action, setting us up for high stakes matchups and potential upsets.
The true start to the season also gives everyone a chance to see some of the new look programs in action for the first time. Lane Kiffin's debut against Clemson will dominate the headlines, but the week also brings plenty of other pivotal showdowns.
The 5 biggest matchups of Week 1
5. Baylor Vs Auburn - Atlanta, GA - Saturday, September 5th - 3:30 PM ET
Last season when Baylor and Auburn faced off to start the season, it looked like the Tigers may have found their formula under Hugh Freeze with a dominant rushing attack. Instead, it turned out that the Baylor defense was abysmal, and Jackson Arnold using his legs was mostly because of how much he struggled as a passer throughout the season.
The Bears enter the season with Dave Aranda on the hot seat like we saw last season with Hugh Freeze. DJ Lagway takes over for Sawyer Robertson at quarterback where he's going to need to rebound if he's ever going to reach the level of hype we saw after his freshman season. The bigger concern for Dave Aranda will be trying to fix his defense which was awful last season, otherwise he may be looking for a new gig.
Alex Golesh takes over Auburn, and the Tigers fans are hoping that he can field a competent offense after the failures of Freeze. While a ton of talent level the wide receiver room, Byrum Brown is going to give this offense competent quarterback play which will be a welcomed change. DJ Durkin sticking with Auburn was an early win for Golesh, and it should help the defense remain a solid unit.
4. UCLA vs Cal - Berkley, CA - Saturday, September 5th - 10:30 PM ET
The state of California is the most excited for the college football season that we've seen in a long-time with USC's hopes to contend for a title along with UCLA, Cal, and Stanford's coaching changes. Bob Chesney and Tosh Lupoi each bring a ton of excitement to their new programs, and the renewal of the rivalry will be the first time the two get to show if the hype is real.
Bob Chesney has been quietly climbing the coaching ranks before leading JMU to the Playoff made him one of the top names in the coaching carousel. The roster is revamped with a ton of exciting transfer talent, but the biggest task this season will be finding a way to get the most out of Nico Iamaleava.
Cal built up a ton of excitement last season with the debut of freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele. Tosh Lupoi and his staff noticed the talent, and built the offense around Sagapolutele, going out and bringing in a ton of weapons to take this offense to the next level. Bringing in Lupoi along with all the transfers on defense should make the defense one of the best units in the ACC.
3. No. 19 SMU Vs Florida State - Tallahassee, FL - Monday, September 7th - 7:30 PM ET
Florida State was able to get a dress rehersal against New Mexico State before a major clash against the SMU Mustangs. Coming into the season, everyone's already counting Florida State and Mike Norvell out while SMU looks like a threat to challenge Miami for the ACC, but this game will truly determine the race.
SMU brings back quarterback Kevin Jennings who's talented enough to take over any game as the Mustangs have shown over the past two seasons. After watching some of the issues Florida State had in coverage and with generating a pass rush against New Mexico State, Rhett Lashlee is going to be thrilled to test this defense.
Florida State's opener left plenty to be concerned about as many fear Mike Norvell put together a flawed roster again. The offensive line struggled in pass protection which only leads to more concerns about QB Ashton Daniels. The defensive front struggled generating pressure against New Mexico State, and if that repeats on Monday, the Seminoles will fall to 1-1.
2. No. 9 Ole Miss Vs No. 24 Louisville - Nashville, TN - Sunday, September 6th - 7:30 PM ET
The lone top 25 clash in Week 1 comes as Ole Miss and Louisville face off in Nashville to start the season. Jeff Brohm remained at Louisville despite heavy interest from other programs while Pete Golding's time leading Ole Miss truly begins after his run in the College Football Playoff.
While Lane Kiffin and many others are gone, the most important duo returned for Ole Miss as Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy return to lead the offense. Pete Golding remaining in place should allow the defense to remain at an elite level even while losing the likes of Princewill Umanmielen and TJ Dottery.
Jeff Brohm has done a great job at Louisville, and this season may be his best chance, yet at making the College Football Playoff. Lincoln Kienholz is the X-Factor for the Cardinals as if he plays at a high level this group has the best chance to knock off Miami in the ACC. The defense returns one of the best pass rushers in the Country in Clev Lubin, giving this team great balance.
1. Clemson Vs LSU - Baton Rouge, LA - Saturday, September 5th - 7:30 PM ET
Baton Rouge will be electric on Saturday as Lane Kiffin's time leading the Tigers officially gets underway. Coming into the game, all the buzz surrounds LSU, especially with Lane Kiffin's attempts to add players who were in NFL Training Camps to his roster, but Dabo Swinney and Clemson can't be counted out.
Clemson finally made a decision on their starting quarterback as Christopher Vizzina will start for the Tigers. While there were questions about the quarterback, there's no question that Vizzina will have a loaded group of weapons to work with as TJ Moore and Bryant Wesco Jr are back in the fold. The defense lost a lot to the NFL, but stars like Will Heldt, Sammy Brown, and Ashton Hampton are back, and ready to lead this unit.
LSU will look almost entirely new as Lane Kiffin rebuilt the roster heavily using the Transfer Portal. Sam Leavitt, Jordan Seaton, Jayce Brown, and Trey'Dez Green have a chance to make this an elite offense, but all the moving parts have to gel in this new offensive scheme under Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. The defense may be the strength of the team early on as Blake Baker turned down head coaching jobs to stick around in Baton Rouge, and has some key pillars to lean on.
Add us as a preferred source on Google