It’s never too early to talk about football.
NFL training camps open later this week, and major college football conferences are hosting their pre-season media events. There are several directions one could take when discussing the current climate in college (and professional) football, but ‘tis better to err on the side of fun and look at the best college football matchups by week.
For starters, true blue fans must be glad that the Jim Harbaugh chapter is finally closed at Michigan. The former Wolverines quarterback turned college coach then NFL coach and back to college again was a big distraction. It’ll be nice to focus on football instead of drama associated with Harbaugh and the UM program.
But I digress – except to say that college football really choked when it expanded the Big Ten with four West Coast teams (USC, UCLA, Washington and Oregon). So much for tradition and regional pride. The SEC must be patting itself on the back with the addition of Texas and Oklahoma. As if the strongest conference in football needed two Midwest teams. As if that’s bad enough, a win against Alabama won’t mean as much after the retirement of Nick Saban.
WEEK 1: Clemson vs. Georgia (at Mercerdes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta). For all intents and purposes a home game for Georgia. A lovely start to the season, with one disclaimer. Expect all sorts of chatter about this game being a potential “elimination” game for the College Football Playoff.
WEEK 2: Texas at Michigan. Wow, how did they set this game up? Last year, the Longhorns visited Alabama. This season, UT visits the Big House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Will the Wolverines have an excuse for losing, like, we’re still getting used to our new head coach?
WEEK 3: West Virginia at Pittsburgh. Gone are the days of the loved Backyard Brawl. Sorry, the weather is too warm, and the teams are not in the same conference anymore (i.e., Big East). Still, it’s nice they reprised the longstanding series.
WEEK 4: Tennessee at Oklahoma. Criticism of the Big 12 defections to the SEC notwithstanding, UT vs. OU would have been a great interregional matchup. In fact, the two teams did play a home-and-home series when Baker Mayfield was a Sooner, and Oklahoma got the better of the Volunteers. Now they are in the same conference.
WEEK 5: Georgia at Alabama. It’s not often that Georgia and ‘Bama meet in the regular season. Regardless of who the head coach of the Crimson Tide is, it’s a big game for both teams. And, it’s I prime time, 7:30 p.m. on ABC.
WEEK 6: UCLA at Penn State. Okay, let’s pretend it’s a rare East vs. West matchup between two historical college football programs. But it’s not. It’s a Big Ten game. Nah, I still can’t but in. But at least it’s not Penn State vs. Sisters of the Poor.
WEEK 7: Ohio State at Oregon. It could have been Penn State at USC, but OSU vs. UO is just as compelling due to the explosive nature of both offenses. It’ll be a test for the Buckeyes, especially on defense, even without Bo Nix at quarterback for the Ducks.
WEEK 8: Georgia at Texas. Yep, another SEC-Big 12 Twilight Zone game. Good game, buit where’s the appeal? To the college football purist, aside from the names of the teams, there is no compelling interest. It’s like two strangers getting together to talk about old times.
WEEK 9: Florida State at Miami. It’s one of the greatest college football rivalries, and the words “Wide Right” will forever resonate. But the Hurricanes are shadows of their former selves, while the Seminoles have also fallen on hard times. But the rivalry remains.
WEEK 10: Ohio State at Penn State. Will this be the year Penn State beats Ohio State? It hasn’t happened since 2016, the same year the Nittany Lions won the Big Ten Championship. They’ve come close a few times, but the result has been the same, and James Franklin skeptics howled their disapproval.
WEEK 11: Florida State at Notre Dame. Can anyone forget 1993? It was the year Notre Dame upset FSU and the Seminoles pleaded for another chance to prove themselves. Somebody listened, and Florida State went to beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl and get the nod for its first national title.
WEEK 12: Tennessee at Georgia. One can only wonder if this game will be as big in looking ahead as it will be when it is actually played. But it’s better than Mercer at Alabama. The Volunteers, though vastly improved, are still the little brother in the SEC East.
WEEK 13: Penn State at Minnesota. It might not be as profound as Alabama at Oklahoma, but it’s a great Big Ten matchup between two Blue Collar teams, not to mention it’s being played in hot cocoa weather in late November.
WEEK 14: Michigan at Ohio State. If Ohio State loses again to Michigan, expect Buckeyes fans to mutiny against head coach Ryan Day. OSU gets home field in this game, but it didn’t help them two years ago in a 45-23 loss at the Horseshoe. But, hey, Jim Harbaugh is gone.
