It’s finally here folks. College football is back. In this week’s preview we discuss toothpaste, international travel, and pending weather in the Gulf of Mexico.
Thursday
Charlotte @ No. 19 Louisville 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3
The 49ers are hoping to strike gold in Louisville but they’re more likely to hit a vein of bourbon or receive a free personal pan pizza from Papa John’s, though that’s undoubtedly an NCAA violation. The Cardinals are favored by just under 40 points in this match up and it should be a big day for quarterback Lamar Jackson, which will give Bobby Petrino another opportunity to play rotating quarterbacks in garbage time.
Tulane @ Wake Forest 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3
https://twitter.com/NFLDraftInsider/status/762395634779484164
Tulane will certainly look good when they travel to take on the Demon Deacons. The Green Wave will have a new starting quarterback in redshirt sophomore Glen Cuiellette who narrowly beat out true freshmen Darius Bradwell and Johnathan Brantley for the top spot. A second quarterback will play for at least a couple of series as well, though it’s unclear which of the freshmen that will be.
William & Mary @ NC State 7:30 PM ET on ESPN3
I would expect to see both Ryan Finley and Jalan McClendon play some quarterback for the Wolfpack after a good battle through camp that has yet to produce a resounding favorite. The Tribe have plenty of holes on a rebuilding defense, so that bodes well for State. Still, don’t sleep on a Tribe offense that returns top running back Kendell Anderson (109.1 ypg) and senior quarterback Steve Cluley.
Friday
Colgate @ Syracuse 7:00 PM ET on ESPN3
"It's going to be a football game." – @CoachBabersCuse on Friday's #GATEvsCUSE contest
— Syracuse Football (@CuseFootball) August 31, 2016
I like to imagine that this game was accidentally scheduled by a team trainer attempting to order toothpaste for the whole squad. The Orange won’t learn much from this game, but it’s the only guaranteed win on a pretty tough schedule. Don’t expect Dino Babers to show his hand too much regarding his wide open offense in the opener.
Saturday
Georgia Tech @ Boston College (in Dublin, Ireland) 7:30 AM ET on ESPN2
The first ACC game of the season will take place on another continent because…sure, why not? The neutral site Aer Lingus classic will be played in Aviva Stadium where Notre Dame defeated Navy 50-10 in 2012. In 2014, Penn State scored a come from behind win over Central Florida at Croke Park. This will be BC’s second game in Ireland joining a 38-24 win over Army during the 1988 season. The Yellow Jackets are hoping to rebound from a disappointing 3-9 campaign last season and they have optimistic hopes with senior quarterback Justin Thomas. BC still doesn’t know who will start between transfer Patrick Towles and sophomore Darius Wade.
Liberty @ Virginia Tech 12:30 PM ET on ESPN3
“Give me Liberty or give me touchdowns!” is probably not something Justin Fuente has been screaming in the hallways in Blacksburg, but who knows? The new Hokie coach hopes to begin the post-Beamer era right with a comfortable win over Turner Gill’s club. Tech finally named JUCO transfer Jerod Evans as the starting quarterback and he’ll get the keys to what many hope will be the most dynamic offense to grace Lane Stadium in quite some time. This one is a tune-up for the big game with Tennessee the following week.
Villanova @ Pittsburgh 1:30 PM ET on ESPN3
The Panthers have understandably high hopes this season with a defense that has the look of a vintage Pat Narduzzi unit. 2014 ACC Player of the Year James Conner will be back as the starting running back after beating cancer, and he’ll have 2015 ACC Offensive Rookie of the Year Qadree Ollison behind him on a crowded depth chart. Last season, Ollison rushed for 1,121 yards and 11 touchdowns as a freshman filling in for Conner. They will be a very potent duo and may both eclipse 100 yards in this game.
Richmond @ Virginia 3:30 PM ET on ESPN3
Bronco Mendenhall is yet another new coach hoping to begin a new era with a win, but his opponent is tougher than most. Richmond returns 15 starters from a team that finished 10-4 and advanced to the semifinals of the FCS Playoffs. The Spiders are favored to win the CAA this season and are currently ranked No. 4 in the FCS preseason poll. This is no cupcake. Graduate transfer Kurt Benkert was named the starter at QB for the ‘Hoos. He followed his former head coach Ruffin McNeil from East Carolina to Charlottesville. The rebuild for Bronco will take some time, but this game should tell us something about whether things are headed in the right direction.
No. 18 Georgia @ No. 22 North Carolina (in Atlanta, Georgia) 5:30 PM ET on ESPN
One of the big games of the opening weekend, Carolina would like to keep it rolling after a school-best 11-win regular season in 2015 while Georgia opens up the Kirby Smart era with lofty hopes. Mitch Trubisky takes over at QB for UNC with the departure of the sometimes brilliant, occasionally baffling Marquise Williams. The Tar Heel defense should be improved in the second year under Gene Chizik, but they need to be much better against the run after giving up 247.8 YPG and just under two rushing scores. That will be a tall task against Bulldog star Nick Chubb who makes his return from injury.
North Carolina Central @ Duke 6:00 PM ET on ESPN3
Ah, yet another edition of the completely lopsided Bull City Classic. Last season, Duke upended Central 55-0 and this season figures to be another comfortable win for the Blue Devils, though it may be a bit closer. Quarterback Thomas Sirk reinjured his achilles and is out for the season, and David Cutcliffe has turned not to veteran Parker Boehme but instead to redshirt freshman Daniel Jones who began his career as a preferred walk-on. One thing is certain, Cutcliffe knows his QBs so if he sees something in Jones we should take notice.
Florida A&M @ Miami 6:00 PM ET on ESPN3
Did everyone get a new coach? Mark Richt makes his debut with Miami and it’s a return to his alma mater. The Canes will break in three freshmen linebackers including starting middle linebacker Shaquille Quarterman. Something to bear in mind is the pending weather situation which could wreak havoc throughout the gulf region. Miami in particular looks like it could get hit hard with rain rom the multiple storms swirling to the south and west. I can’t decide if it’s a good omen for the Hurricanes or not. We hope everyone stays safe as football obviously takes a backseat to dangerous weather.
No. 2 Clemson @ Auburn 9:00 PM ET on ESPN
Clemson begins what it hopes will be a march back to the College Football Playoff with a winnable, but challenging road game against SEC foe Auburn. We all know Clemson has Heisman finalist Deshaun Watson among countless other weapons but Auburn has some intriguing talent as well. True freshman Marlon Davidson will start at defensive end which tells you how impressive he was in camp. The list of true freshman defensive lineman starting for an SEC team is not a long one. Fellow freshmen will see time at wide receiver including 4-star recruit Nate Craig-Myers. It should provide a firm test for the defending ACC champions.
Monday
No. 11 Ole Miss @ No. 4 Florida State 8:00 PM ET on ESPN
This is the weekend’s crown jewel (Houston-Oklahoma doesn’t interest my East coast bias) but we have to wait until Labor Day night to see it. Ole Miss is led by former Clemson quarterback and troublesome Buffalonian Chad Kelly, who was dismissed by Dabo Swinney for being dumb one too many times. Kelly is now considered one of, if not the best quarterback in the SEC after throwing for 4,042 yards and 31 touchdowns last season. Florida State counters with redshirt freshman Deondre Francois. That makes some folks nervous, but he’ll be backed up by a tremendous defense and arguably the best running back in football in Dalvin Cook (1,691 yards and 19 TDs) will be there to ease the load on the passing game. This game will be very interesting and obviously has Playoff implications down the line. Both teams will have plenty of time to recover from an opening loss, but a win will set them up with loads of momentum.
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