To me, the first full Saturday of college football is a holy day, a national holiday. This upcoming year, however, it will be sadly different.
A friend of mine had the temerity to schedule her wedding on this most special of Saturdays, and the friend is close enough that skipping the wedding is not really an option. I'm as aggrieved as Larry Groznic.
Nonetheless, I am duty bound to preview, as I have for many years now, the first week of the college football season, that Saturday before Labor Day. As always, this is only possible due to the amazing https://mattsarzsports.com.
I am pleased to report that, after a few lean years, "Week 0," games that take place on the Saturday that's nine days before Labor Day — is as robust as its ever been, with nine games on tap, including eight involving an FCS team. The headliner is Nebraska vs. Northwestern in Dublin. Yes, Notre Dame is the team you'll find most frequently in Dublin, but deep in every Dubliner's heart is a Big Ten West fan. Let's get to the Week 1 notable games. No times or TV channels have been set yet:
Thursday, September 1:
Penn State at Purdue — Used to be, that first Thursday night belonged to the ACC and the SEC. Lately, though, it's been the Big Ten — Minnesota is also in action, against mighty New Mexico State.
West Virginia at Pitt — Rejoice! The Backyard Brawl is back!
Friday, September 2:
Illinois at Indiana — Used to the be, that first Friday night ... oh wait, I used that line already.
TCU at Colorado — We'll all watch this game, and write, "Are the (winners of this game) for real?" Then, we will forget about them after both teams sink to 2-6 in conference play.
Saturday, September 3:
Rutgers at Boston College — Games like this carry a bit of — not nostalgia, but something like it — for me. This is a game that makes geographic sense to play, but since geography stopped being a factor in conferences long ago, these games can only happen during early non-conference play.
Notre Dame at Ohio State — Lucky for me, my Buckeyes always open the year against some MAC pushover, so I won't miss anything big by attending this wedding ... what? What's that? Oh, for **** sake.
Boise State at Oregon State — Oregon State has been slowly trending upwards the last few years, while Boise State has slowly trended downwards, so this one could be interesting.
Utah State at Alabama — Utah State, if you recall, won the MWC and their bowl game, so they may keep it close with the Tide for a quarter and a half. Won't that be exciting?
Cincinnati at Arkansas — Since both did really well last year, be prepared for the loser of this game to be declared frauds and mirages.
Utah at Florida — The winner of this game should play the winner of Bowling Green at Ohio State (which will be played in 2027) to give us the Urban Meyer Champion.
Oregon vs. Georgia at Atlanta — This year's Chick Fil-A kickoff game is ... pretty much on par with most of the previous editions.
Sunday, September 4:
Florida State vs. LSU in New Orleans — If FSU pulls the upset, I hope to hear Ed Orgeron laugh-cough somewhere.
Monday, September 5:
Clemson vs. Georgia Tech in Atlanta — Yes, Georgia Tech is in Atlanta anyway, but this one is in Mercedes-Benz stadium. Hopefully the Jackets can put up a fight.
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