College Football makes it’s full return this coming weekend with Heisman winners, big time schools and The Surrender Cobra all likely to highlight what is sure to be a wild Week 1.
While there’s plenty of reasons to be excited for this coming weekend, here are the top five games you will not want to miss.
5) No. 2 Ohio State at Indiana (OSU -21.5)
The Ohio State Buckeyes have J.T. Barrett back behind centre and that has many fans in Columbus thinking National Championship once again. Their first test will be on the road, squaring off with the Indiana Hoosiers.
Barrett has his name all over OSU’s record book and a championship could be next for the Oklahoma native. Barrett has the most career touchdowns (100), passing TDs (69), and touchdowns in a game (7) in Buckeye history. Last year the six-foot-two QB had 24 passing majors and nine on the ground, and it’s that ability to extend plays with his legs that makes Barrett such a threat.
Ohio State’s defence is another reason they’re big favourites in this Big Ten matchup. Linebacker Jerome Baker will be a force this year; he had 83 total tackles and two interceptions last season.
Richard Lagow returns for the Hoosiers at quarterback and they’ll need more consistency from him to even have a shot at upsetting OSU. Lagow threw for more than 3,500 yards in 2016 but tossed 17 interceptions.
Wideout Nick Westbrook should be seeing a lot of targets after his breakout campaign last year. The junior wide receiver had 54 receptions and seven touchdowns while averaging a whopping 18.4 yards per catch.
X-Factor: J.T. Barrett, QB
Barrett’s ability to control the pace and tempo is what makes him so valuable to the Scarlett and Gray. He steadies Urban Meyer’s ship and is set up to dominate the Hoosiers in this game. Barrett struggled in his last matchup against Indiana, going 9-of-21 with one touchdown and a pick so he’ll have plenty of motivation to punish the Hoosiers.
4) No. 16 Louisville vs. Purdue at Lucas Oil Stadium (LOU -27.5)
There are some players in college football history that no matter who they’re playing, it could be the game of the week. Louisville’s quarterback Lamar Jackson is one of those guys. The 2016 Heisman winner is electric in the run game and can dominate at will.
Jackson threw for 3,500 yards with 30 passing touchdowns and a ridiculous 21 on the ground in 2016. To go along with his Heisman Trophy, he won the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award and the Maxwell Award for best all-around player.
The Cardinals lost their last three games of the season including at 29-9 beatdown by the LSU Tigers in the Citrus Bowl. However, Louisville is heavily favoured in this bout and Jackson will be worth the price of admission.
X Factor: Jaire Alexander, CB
The Cardinals do have some NFL talent other than Jackson and it’s on defence. Junior cornerback Alexander is a first team pre-season all-american and will cause headaches for many offensive coordinators this year. The five-foot-11 cornerback had 31 solo tackles and five interceptions in 2016.
3) No. 4 USC vs. Western Michigan (USC -27.5)
When a potential top-five NFL pick takes the field, it requires immediate attention. USC’s sophomore quarterback Sam Darnold has a quiet demeanour but his game speaks volumes. In his first year as QB1 with the Trojans, he tossed for over 3,000 yards and 31 majors. Darnold is projected to be a top pick in this year’s NFL draft and scouts will have the six-foot-four quarterback on their radar all year long.
Led by head coach Clay Helton, USC finished last season on a nine-game winning streak, capped off with a 52-49 Rose Bowl victory over Penn State. Darnold threw for over 450 yards and five touchdowns in that classic.
Junior wideout Deontay Burnett will be the go-to guy for Darnold. Burnett played in 12 games last year, racking up 622 yards receiving and seven touchdowns.
Western Michigan was 13-1 last year but they’ll be without key players due to graduation and the NFL draft. Quarterback Zach Terrell graduated and star wide receiver Corey Davis was selected fifth overall by the Tennessee Titans.
The Broncos still have running back Jarvion Franklin, who rushed for 1,353 yards and 12 TDs in 2016. On defence, Western Michigan boast cornerback Darius Phillips, who is coming off three pick-sixes last season — a MAC conference season record.
X-Factor: Sam Darnold, QB
No. 14 will be the most polarizing player on the field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Darnold can sling the rock as well as anyone in the nation and could put up massive numbers against the Western Michigan.
2) No. 11 Michigan vs. No. 17 Florida at AT&T Stadium (MICH -6.5)
Anytime Jim Harbaugh is patrolling the sidelines, it’s a must-watch game. His silly standoff with Gators head coach Jim McElwain is already raising eyebrows. And that probably means the top-20 matchup between Florida and Michigan will be one of the more intriguing matchups of the weekend.
Wilton Speight will likely be QB1 for the Wolverines after a good season last year: he tossed for over 2,500 yards and threw for 18 TDs. He’ll need better protection from his offensive line in 2017 as he was sacked 20 times last year. However, Harbaugh is playing his cards close to his chest, according to Detroit News. Harbaugh is apparently undecided on who will be getting the nod for the Wolverines. Senior John O’Korn and redshirt freshman Brandon Peters are the other quarterbacks for Michigan.
McElwain will be heading to Dallas with a short-handed roster and a redshirt freshman quarterback in Feleipe Franks. The Florida native beat out Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire and junior Luke Del Rio for the job. The Gators have been dominant in season openers, winning 27 straight Week 1 games.
.@CoachMcElwain has named @18franks Florida's starting QB in Saturday's season opener.
via @GatorsScott: https://t.co/2QMnfLoY0x pic.twitter.com/ZjDrQC7Mvx
— Gators Football (@GatorsFB) August 30, 2017
Winning this year’s opener may not be a guarantee, though, as McElwain has suspended 10 players — including wide-out Antonio Callaway — for violation of team rules. A big loss for Florida, Callaway had 721 yards receiving and three touchdowns as a sophomore in 2016.
The biggest mismatch could be between Michigan’s defence and Florida’s offence. The Wolverines were ranked first in total defence last year while the Gators were 116th in total offence.
X-Factor: Chris Evans, RB
Sophomore running back Evans will see a lot of touches for Harbaugh’s squad. Last season, the all-purpose back rushed for 614 yards and four touchdowns.
1) No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 1 Alabama at new Mercedes-Benz Stadium (ALA -6.5)
Jimbo Fisher vs. Nick Saban. Deondre Francis vs. Jalen Hurts. There’s not much more you can ask for if you’re a college football fan. A top-three matchup in prime time between two of the most storied football schools seems almost too good to be true.
Jimbo Fisher was Nick Saban’s protege at LSU and now they face off in what some people are calling the “game of the century.”
The last time two top-four teams played each other on opening weekend was in 1986 when No. 1 Oklahoma squared off with No. 4 UCLA.
Both coaches have dominated at their respected schools. Fisher is 78-12 at Florida State with one national championship, while Saban’s made winning almost boring in Tuscaloosa: he’s 114-19 with four national championships.
Quarterback Jalen Hurts is back for the Crimson Tide after a stellar freshman season. He threw for over 2,700 yards with 23 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. The Tide had a 14-1 season and the 19-year-old won the SEC offensive player of the year. His counterpart, Deondre Francois, is no slouch either. The sophomore tossed for over 3,300 yards, 20 total TDs and seven picks in 2016.
Alabama wideout Calvin Ridley has many NFL scouts intrigued this season, settling as a top-10 pick on many early draft boards. The junior wideout hauled in 72 catches and had seven TDs last season.
A heartbreak loss in last season’s National Championship is still fresh in the mind of Saban, so taking down Fisher and his FSU squad would be an ideal way to start the season.
It’s the defensive talent in Atlanta could be what steals the show. The Tide had the best scoring defence in the nation last year and ranked second in total defence. Some of that ferocious defence returns with projected NFL talent: defensive tackle Da’Ron Payne and cornerback/safety Minkah Fitzpatrick will be manning Saban’s crew.
Hurts won’t have it easy either, having to deal with FSU cornerback Tarvarus McFadden and safety Derwin James. Both were named to the Associated Press’s first team pre-season all-american defensive team.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium was meant for the biggest events, and this game should be a perfect way to show this stadium to the world.
Player to Watch: Bo Scarbrough, RB
The six-foot-two, 235-pound running back is a pre-season all-american and will be a major force in the Tide’s running game. The Alabama native had 11 touchdowns last year with 812 yards on the ground, averaging 6.5 yards per rush.
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