After a brief taste of football in Week 0, a full slate of games are on deck on Sept. 1 for the start of the season for most of college football.
The highlights of the day are No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Ohio State and No. 11 Oregon at No. 3 Georgia, as well as some additional ranked matchups to keep things exciting.
No. 23 Cincinnati at No. 19 Arkansas (3:30 p.m., ESPN): This is one of three ranked matchups this week but it isn’t receiving the same buildup as Oregon/Georgia or Notre Dame/Ohio State. Understandably so, but it is a ranked matchup, so it should be a good time.
The Bearcats are looking to build off last season’s College Football Playoff appearance but are having to replace several starters from last year’s team. The Razorbacks, meanwhile, are continuing to build under head coach Sam Pittman, who has Arkansas ranked in the preseason poll for the first time since 2015.
No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 3 Georgia at Atlanta, Ga. (3:30 p.m., ABC): This will offer an early test for Georgia, the defending national champions, against Oregon and new head coach Dan Lanning, the former defensive coordinator of the Bulldogs.
Georgia’s defense lost plenty of talent to the NFL Draft but had no trouble replacing it, expected to still have one of the national’s best defenses this season. The Ducks will be working with transfer quarterback Bo Nix, formerly of Auburn, under center as they look to return to the Pac-12 Championship Game after missing it last season.
No. 7 Utah at Florida (7 p.m., ESPN): Utah has been one of the preseason darlings in college football, projected by many as one of the four teams to make the College Football Playoff at year’s end, and the Utes will face a strong test by opening on the road in The Swamp.
Utah returns starting quarterback Cameron Rising and running back Tavion Thomas in what should be one of the best offenses in college football. The Gators are looking for a reset under new head coach Billy Napier, who arrived in Gainesville via Louisiana. Former Ohio State quarterback Jack Miller was battling for the starting job before undergoing thumb surgery, instead leaving the job for Anthony Richardson.
No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Ohio State (7:30 p.m., ABC)
Not much more has to be written about this than has already be published on BuckeyeSports.com. Instead, read all about it:
- Staff Predictions
- Three Questions Asked: Ohio State-Notre Dame
- Magnitude Of Season Opener Not Lost On Ohio State
- Running Backs Seeking To Put Country On Notice
Other notable games on the schedule include:
- Rutgers at Boston College (12 p.m., ACCN)
- Sam Houston at No. 6 Texas A&M (12 p.m., SECN)
- No. 13 NC State at East Carolina (12 p.m., ESPN)
- No. 24 Houston at UTSA (3:30 p.m., CBSSN)
- UTEP at No. 9 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m., FOX)
- Bethune-Cookman at No. 16 Miami (Fla.) (3:30 p.m., ACCN)
- Troy at No. 21 Ole Miss (4 p.m., SECN)
- Rice at No. 14 USC (6 p.m., P12N)
- Miami (Ohio) at No. 20 Kentucky (7 p.m., SECN+/ESPN+)
- UAlbany at No. 10 Baylor (7 p.m., ESPN+)
- Illinois State at No. 18 Wisconsin (7 p.m., FS1)
- Utah State at No. 1 Alabama (7:30 p.m., SECN)
