– When Dynasties Meet: Week one of college football is always so intriguing. You get those inter-conference showdowns early on. We’ve been given a few the last few years. In 2017, we saw Florida State and Alabama, 18, Michigan and Notre Dame and just last season, we got a rematch of a national title game in Auburn and Oregon. This year, we will see two teams who have each had runs dominating college football at one point. The Alabama Crimson Tide and USC Trojans will do battle in Texas at AT&T Stadium. Alabama will begin life after Tua Tagovailoa. USC is looking to establish themselves once again in the relevant category.
– ’14: It’s been six years since the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks played each other in the College Football Playoffs first National Championship game. Urban Meyer was still coaching, Ezekiel Elliott was running like wild and the Buckeyes were champions. For the first time since then, these two will play each other. I can’t wait to see what Justin Fields does in year number two. What does he do for an encore his second time around? Oregon won the Pac-12 championship last year after stunning the favorite, the Utah Utes. Can’t wait to see these two collide.
– Southern Roots: Kirby Smart was once on Nick Saban’s coaching staff in Tuscaloosa. He left to take the head coaching job in Athens at the University of Georgia. Kirby has faced his old boss twice falling short each time. This will be the first meeting between Georgia and Alabama since their epic SEC title game showdown in 2017. This could also be a preview of what’s to come again in December for the SEC conference title once again. I’d say this is a good way for both teams to begin conference play.
– Big Time: Wisconsin slapped the Michigan Wolverines around last year at Camp Randall. This has been a pretty even series between the two in recent memory. They’ve each traded off wins. The two will meet this year at the big house in an early season Big Ten showdown. I see this one being that measuring point early in the year. We’ll know more about these two teams going forward after they face each other.
– So Legendary: You always have to appreciate when some of the biggest universities get the chance to face each other. That’s exactly what we will get when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Wisconsin Badgers square off. This game will also be played at legendary Lambeau Field in Green Bay. It’s just another home game for Wisconsin. This should be a special one.
– Deep South Time: The games between Auburn and Georgia always seem to be close for the most part. Last year’s showdown in Auburn saw Georgia get out to a 21-point lead early. Then, Auburn fought back. It was a good fight, but not enough for the win. This time around, they will be in Athens for their annual showdown. It’ll be another edition of the “Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry”.
– Another One: One of my favorite matchups in college football over the last few years has been Ohio State and Penn State. I’ve been more than blessed to break down their last three meetings. Those matchups have all been epic. Prior to Ohio State completing the undefeated season last year, Penn State provided the toughest test for the Buckeyes. This time, they will be in Happy Valley for a huge showdown in the Big Ten East. This game always seems to determine who will win the division. That could be the case once again when they face each other.
– We Meet Again: The last time Notre Dame and Clemson met; it was in the Cotton Bowl during the 2018 College Football Playoff. Clemson was in total control in route to another title in three years. For the first time since then, they will meet in South Bend. This should be a very interesting quarterback matchup in Ian Book and Trevor Lawrence.
– It’s All About the Game: No matter where they’re ranked, Michigan and Ohio State is always going to be discussed. This is still the strongest rivalry in the country. It’s the football version of Duke and North Carolina. They will do battle at the shoe this time. Will this finally be the year that Jim Harbaugh gets a win over the archrival? Or will Ohio State once again dominate the rivalry? Only time will tell in the season finale.
