It has been 234 days since the last meaningful college football game. Okay, technically it’s been 229 if you count the “Week 0” games played this past weekend, but none of them were meaningful.
Last season ended with a bang, with Clemson knocking off Alabama in the final seconds to win the National Championship. This season looks to set off with a bang as well, and fans should be pumped up.
No, we are not talking about the NDSU-Mississippi Valley game that will be played Saturday. That game can only be ranked as mild compared to the hot matchups this weekend.
If the Alabama-Florida State matchup does not make your heart pound, you may be dead. They rank as the first and third teams in the opening AP Top 25, meaning that this matchup is supposed to happen in January, not September. The top-three game is just one of the many season long storylines that will get set in motion this week.
The P.J. Fleck era gets underway in Minneapolis as the Gophers host Buffalo.
Speaking of Fleck, his old team Western Michigan will row their boats to be Sam Darnold’s first test of the season at USC.
Darnold will look to become the top QB draft prospect of the current class, but will face competition from Wyoming’s Josh Allen. Allen will lead the Cowboys into Iowa City to take on the Hawkeyes this week.
The other Big Ten team to suffer a humbling upset last year in Kinnick Stadium, Michigan, will also have a nationally ranked matchup. They will travel to Gainesville to take on the Florida Gators. The Gator defense should not have trouble when it comes to losing the Wolverines they are covering, as Michigan will be wearing all yellow uniforms.
There will also be yellow in the bayou this weekend. Due to Hurricane Harvey, LSU’s game against BYU was moved from Houston to New Orleans.
The No. 18 Miami Hurricanes, meanwhile, look to start the season on the right foot as they search for their first trip to the ACC title game, a game where an old rivalry with Florida State could be revived.
Meanwhile, the Big 12 will also host a conference title game this season. It is the first time in the College Football Playoff era where such a game will take place. Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and a bunch of other teams look to make that championship.
One thing that will kill almost any chance at making the playoff is losing to an FCS team, which is a real possibility for the Big 12. Iowa State, Kansas State and Texas Tech all play FCS teams in Northern Iowa, Central Arkansas and Eastern Washington.
Is there enough here to be excited about? This is just the start. As usual, the college football season will be absolutely crazy.
Anything can happen on any given Saturday. At this point, everyone is undefeated and winless. The field is even, and it is time for some action.
So strap in, there is only 130 days left until a champion is crowned in Atlanta.