This week marks the official beginning of the college football season after an eventful Week Zero. Miami vs. Florida and Arizona vs. Hawaii were both great games, and gave us a nice preview of what promises to be a great week of gridiron action.
These are the three best games to watch during the official kickoff of college football.
3. #1 Clemson vs. Georgia Tech, Thursday, 5:00 PM
The schedule makers were really working against me this week. There are no games besides the top two that have a chance at being close, so this game takes the number three spot due to the sheer star power that will take the field.
Everyone knows who’s going to win this one, but it should be fun to watch the fireworks of Clemson’s offense. Sophomore signal-caller Trevor Lawrence will take the field for the first time since his legendary championship performance, and will likely be on the bench by the third quarter. Receivers Tee Higgins and Justyn Ross will shred through the Yellow Jackets’ defense like a hot knife through butter. The JV version of the Tigers will see lots of action, and will likely still outperform Georgia Tech’s starting squad.
The bright side for Georgia Tech is that they can’t face a tougher challenge throughout the entire college football season. It would be even more exciting if the Yellow Jackets make this one close, but don’t expect them to be within three scores all game long. Barring a total miracle, Clemson waltzes through this game without a problem.
The pick: Clemson 56, Georgia Tech 7
2. Northwestern Wildcats vs. #25 Stanford Cardinal, 1:00 PM, Saturday
A lot of people look at this matchup and just pass it by, but this game promises to be one of the more competitive ones of the week.
Let’s start with the Wildcats. They have long been known for being a sort of throwback team, a squad that plays like it’s stuck in the 1980’s with a twist. Coach Pat Fitzgerald has long been a fan of this style of football, but has incorporated the spread formation into the offense. No matter the formation, the Wildcats are looking to run first. This becomes a little difficult with an unreliable offensive line. Northwestern suffered through horrible line play last year, and seem set to do it again.
The Wildcats also lost their longtime starting quarterback Clayton Thorson to the NFL. This doesn’t look to be too much of a problem, as former five-star recruit Hunter Johnson is set to take the reins of the offense. Johnson transferred after losing the quarterback competition at Clemson, and is easily the most highly regarded player on this Wildcats squad. But bad line play sinks any quarterback, no matter how talented they are.
The Stanford Cardinal are set to make Saturday afternoon a nightmare for the inexperienced Johnson. Stanford’s defense looks much improved from last year, when they were a below-average squad. Outside linebackers Casey Toohill, Jordan Fox, and Gabe Reid are Northwestern’s biggest concern. All three players are expected to have great seasons, and it’s easy to envision all of them notching at least a sack against the Wildcats. Reid is an especially dangerous pass-rusher, as he led the Cardinals with 5.5 sacks and 20 QB pressures last year.
It just gets harder in the secondary, where the Cardinals have star cornerback Paulson Adebo. Adebo is a lockdown corner who erases half of the field and won’t have any trouble with Northwestern’s receivers. While it may sound like a blowout is brewing from this description, Pat Fitzgerald has a penchant for making games closer than expected. The Cardinal will pull this one out, but the Wildcats will play them tough the whole way.
The pick: Stanford 17, Northwestern 14
1. #11 Oregon Ducks vs. #16 Auburn Tigers, Saturday, 4:30 PM
If you take a look at the schedule for Week 1 of college football, it’s easy to see that there aren’t a ton of great matchups. This game is far and away the most exciting one of the week.
The Ducks, led by quarterback Justin Herbert, have playoff hopes in 2019. Herbert decided to pass on the NFL draft last spring and is a Heisman contender, as well as one of the most exciting players in all of college football. The Ducks return an offensive line with four seniors. This unit looks like one of the strongest in the nation. The defense looks far better than it has in recent memory. Five-star defender Kayvon Thibodeaux is set to see his first college action, and the secondary behind him is deep and battle-tested. This secondary will be taxed with the responsibility of stopping true freshman quarterback Bo Nix.
Nix was a five-star recruit, but there’s still no telling how he’ll perform under the pressure of playing on Saturday’s. Luckily for him, Auburn returns a loaded offensive line. All five blockers are seniors, and will likely see NFL opportunities next April. The real strength of Gus Malzahn’s squad is the defensive line. Returning defensive tackle Derrick Brown would’ve surely been a first rounder in the 2019 NFL Draft had he entered it. Defensive end Nick Coe is also a strong contributor who will be playing on Sunday’s in the future.
But Auburn does have a weak secondary. The cornerback position has been shuffled around all through camp, and is definitely a question mark. Justin Herbert has to be thanking his lucky stars for a soft secondary to play in Week 1. Expect the hardened Oregon defense to rattle Bo Nix, Justin Herbert to have a good game, and an Oregon victory.
The pick: Oregon 24, Auburn 17
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