7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at 20 Texas A&M Aggies

Saturday, 8/31, 7:30 PM, ABC

A new era at Texas A&M starts off with a tough matchup at home against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. With Mike Elko returning to his Alma Mater to coach the Aggies, the team will face off against Elko’s former QB Riley Leonard, who will be repping the Blue and Gold for the first time of his career. Despite the difference in ranking, this game is no cakewalk for Notre Dame, as Kyle Field’s atmosphere is widely known as one of the most dangerous places to play in college football. This is a must-watch game for football fans or people wanting to get into college football in general.

Prediction: Notre Dame 28 Texas A&M 24 

19 Miami Hurricanes at Florida Gators

Saturday, 8/31, 3:30 PM, ABC

The Florida-Miami rivalry will take place at Florida’s stadium, named the Swamp, which is a dangerous environment for any team, especially a rival like Miami. Due to Florida having one of the toughest schedules in college football this year, their rivalry game against Miami is a must-win game. The same could be said for Miami, as with years of failure this could finally be the Canes’ year to take over the ACC, especially with superstar transfer QB Cam Ward. Many are picking Miami to win the ACC and dominate this game, but never count out the Florida Gators when they’re playing in the Swamp.

Prediction: Miami 27 Florida 28

23 USC Trojans vs 13 LSU Tigers (Las Vegas)

Sunday, 9/1, 7:30 PM, ABC 

The only football game on Sunday is bound to be a good one for sure. Both USC and LSU are having to replace generational talents at QB, as USC’s Miller Moss and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier will try to replicate their greatness at college level. Both teams rely heavily on their offensive talent so this will be an entertaining game for fans and neutral viewers. If you’re not doing anything Sunday night, you might as well tune into this game.

Prediction: USC 34 LSU 28 

8 Penn State Nittany Lions at West Virginia Mountaineers

Saturday, 8/31, 12:00 PM, FOX

The most underrated game of the week is going to be an entertaining matchup between two former rivals. The highly ranked Penn State has to go down to Morgantown, West Virginia, and face off against their old rivals in a hostile environment. Despite West Virginia being unranked, Penn State shouldn’t sleep on the Mountaineers, especially with their standout Senior QB Garrett Greene. This may be Penn State’s time to make the playoffs with the expansion to 12 teams, but West Virginia could be a roadblock for them.

Prediction: Penn State 31 West Virginia 20

14 Clemson Tigers vs 1 Georgia Bulldogs (Atlanta)

Saturday, 8/31, 12:00 PM, ABC

This is a matchup of the old powerhouse versus the new powerhouse in college football. Clemson had a dominant dynasty in the 2010s, but it seems like they’ve lost that title due to their last few years being tough for their football program. Georgia, a team who’s won 2 of the last 3 national championships, are trying to prove their status as “Top Dawg” of the college football world and can do that with a win over Clemson in Atlanta. Can Clemson upset Georgia and return to their old run of greatness, or can the Bulldogs dominate another opponent.

Prediction: Clemson 14 Georgia 38

HONORABLE MENTIONS

Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 5 Alabama Crimson Tide

Saturday, 8/31, 7:00 PM, ESPN

Although this game will most likely be a blowout, it will still be an interesting game. This game will mark the first time the Crimson Tide won’t have Nick Saban on their sidelines since 2006. It’s a new era for Alabama, as they hired former Washington head coach Kalen Deboer to replace the GOAT of college football. It may be a tough act to follow, but we will see how the Tide will look under new management when they face off against the Hilltoppers.

Prediction: Western Kentucky 7 Alabama 45

Boston College Eagles at 10 Florida State Seminoles

Monday, 9/2, 7:30 PM, ESPN

As the only game on Labor Day, this ACC matchup could be entertaining. This will be former NFL head coach Bill O’Brian’s first game in charge of Boston College as the Eagles go down to Tallahassee to face the Seminoles. After Florida State’s embarrassing Week 0 loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland, this is a massive bounce back game for Mike Norvell’s team. If Florida State gets upset again, they could already kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.

Prediction: Boston College 20 Florida State 35