College football is back, and Week 1 wastes no time giving fans a little bit of everything. The schedule stretches from Thursday through Monday night, with a mix of marquee matchups, oddball pairings and late-night games that should keep the sport buzzing all weekend.
The only Top 25 showdown lands Sunday in Nashville, where No. 24 Louisville takes on No.
9 Ole Miss. It’s the kind of early test both teams can use to build a playoff case, and it comes with plenty to like on offense.
Beyond that, the slate includes a Pac-12 After Dark-style trip to Berkeley, a battle in Death Valley, a Big 12-SEC clash in Atlanta and a Labor Day ACC game in Tallahassee.
The transfer portal and NIL have turned every offseason into a kind of controlled chaos, and Week 1 is where that unpredictability shows up fastest. New faces are everywhere, old faces are in new places, and plenty of teams are still trying to figure out what they really are.
Boise State at No. 2 Oregon on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. on CBS, CBSSports.com, the CBS Sports App and Paramount+ is a good place to start.
Oregon is a huge favorite, but it can’t afford to treat Boise State like a tune-up. The Broncos are expected to contend for the new Pac-12 and have every reason to keep this one tight while chasing a College Football Playoff resume boost.
At the same time, Baylor vs. Auburn in Atlanta at 3:30 p.m. on ABC has upset potential written all over it, even if neither side looks like a world-beater on paper.
The quarterback angle gives it juice, and the matchup also brings a rematch of last season when Auburn transfer QB Byrum Brown helped USF stun Baylor transfer QB DJ Lagway and Florida in The Swamp. Auburn linebacker Xavier Atkins adds another reason to watch; he’s one of the best at his position in the country.
Saturday night delivers Clemson at No. 11 LSU at 7:30 p.m. on ABC, and that one feels like a proving ground for both programs.
Clemson is still searching for the kind of edge that put it back on top, and Dabo Swinney has a chance to show there’s more there than questions. LSU has the more talented roster, but it hasn’t had the smoothest fall camp, with distractions that included the SEC suing Lane Kiffin.
If the late window is more your speed, UCLA at California on Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on ESPN should scratch the itch. The matchup keeps the old Pac-12 After Dark vibe alive, with Golden Bears quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and Bruins quarterback Nico Iamaleava both worth staying up for. Tosh Lupoi is set for his Cal debut, and Bob Chesney will coach his first game for UCLA.
Then comes the week’s headliner in Nashville on Sunday night. No.
24 Louisville and No. 9 Ole Miss both bring real playoff paths into the matchup, and the running game should be front and center.
Kewan Lacy and Isaac Brown are two of the best backs in the country, while quarterbacks Trinidad Chambliss and Lincoln Kienholz also have the kind of mobility that can tilt a game.
The weekend wraps Monday night with No. 19 SMU at Florida State at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN in Tallahassee.
Florida State opened with a sloppy Week 0 win over New Mexico State, yet the Seminoles are still only slight underdogs. That says plenty about the talent at the top of the depth chart, but if the pass rush doesn’t get better quickly, Kevin Jennings could spend the night picking them apart.
And if that happens, the pressure on Mike Norvell will only grow.
In Other News...
LSU Brings A Roster Controversy Into Clemson Showdown
A roster wrinkle has followed LSU into its showdown with Clemson, with a judge granting an injunction against the NCAA that opened the door for more than 40 athletes to be eligible this season. Among them are LSU players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris, and their status has become part of the pregame conversation as the Tigers get ready for one of the weekends biggest games.
Lane Kiffin did not include Wright and Harris on LSUs initial 103-man roster submitted by the deadline, though he could still add them later. Speaking on ESPNs College GameDay before the Clemson matchup, Kiffin addressed what he called a difficult decision, adding another layer of uncertainty to a game already carrying plenty of attention. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson's Opener Turned Into A Nightmare For One Brutal Reason
A delayed kickoff did little to ease the kind of opening Clemson wanted to avoid, and LSU made sure of it once the game finally got going. Clemson briefly nudged ahead 3-0, but the Tigers from Baton Rouge quickly took control and never looked back, rolling to a lopsided win behind an offense that piled up 644 total yards and a defense that kept Clemson bottled up for most of the night.
It was the sort of performance that turned a marquee opener into an early-season warning sign for Dabo Swinneys group. Clemson was held under 100 yards for much of the contest before finding a little more room late, while LSU kept stacking plays on both sides of the ball and added a pick-six from Jordan Ross to deepen the damage. [Read more 🡒]
Clemsons LSU Opener Comes With A Roster Standoff Still Hanging
LSUs season opener against Clemson already has enough intrigue on the field, but there is another layer hanging over the matchup before either team snaps the ball. The Tigers did not list former NFL players DaeQuan Wright and Zxavian Harris on their Week 1 roster for the game, even after a recent court ruling went in their favor, leaving a notable personnel question in place as the season begins.
Clemson had warned LSU that putting the players on the field could run afoul of contract terms, and LSU still has room to add them later in the season if it chooses. For now, the situation leaves one more unresolved subplot around a game that already carries plenty of attention, especially with both players having previously played for Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss. [Read more 🡒]