We have been waiting for this day since Alabama beat LSU in the National Championship back on January 9th. It's that time of year again, and it is officially week 1 of the 2012-2013 College Football season. Here are ten games to pay attention to in Week 1.
ESPN College GameDay will be live from Arlington, TX (Live at 10 AM ET on ESPN)
Matchup: #8 Michigan vs #2 Alabama
Thursday, Aug. 30th
1. Washington State @ BYU 10:15 PM ET ESPN
- Everyone is making a big deal about South Carolina's annual opening night game against SEC opponent Vanderbilt. The best game of opening night though, will be the later game between Wazzu and BYU. Mike Leach and company will travel to Provo and take on a BYU team that returns 14 starters and won 10 games last season. It will be interesting to see how Leach's offense looks, and if the the defense has improved since last season.
Pick: BYU
Friday, Aug. 31st
2. Tennessee vs NC State (Atlanta, GA) 7:30 PM ET ESPNU
-This game is going to be important for both teams, but probably more so for Tennessee. The Vols need to start the season off right, as they have disappointed the past few seasons. The Vols return 18 this season, including QB Tyler Bray. The Vols will be without wide receiver Da'Rick Rogers though, because of a recent suspension. The Wolfpack also look to surprise this season with the play of senior QB Mike Glennon. This is going to be a very close game and the offenses should play a crucial role in deciding the outcome.
Pick: Tennessee
3. #24 Boise State @ #13 Michigan State 8:00 PM ET ESPN
- It is going to be a Friday night showdown in East Lansing. Boise State lost 15 starters from last season, including all-time leading passer QB Kellen Moore. Michigan State also lost QB Kirk Cousins. We are going to see just how much talent Boise State lost from last season, and if they can be the same team that went on the road and beat Virginia Tech and Georgia the last two seasons. This game could potentially destroy Boise State's chances of making it to a BCS game. For Michigan State, this game is huge for their momentum heading into the season. The Spartans want to show that they are a contender to win the Big Ten Legends Division this season.
Pick: Michigan State
Saturday, Sept. 1st
4. Notre Dame vs Navy (Dublin, Ireland) 9:00 AM ET CBS
- The Fighting Irish will start off the season against long time rival Navy in Dublin. We will finally see the play of QB Everett Golson is, and if the offense has improved from last season. We will also see if the Irish defense can stop one of the best rushing attacks from last season.
Pick: Notre Dame
5. Miami (OH) @ #18 Ohio State 12:00 PM ET Big Ten Network
-This shouldn't be much of a test for the Buckeyes, but it will be the first game of the Urban Meyer era at Ohio State. The nation will get to see the new and improved Buckeyes offense run the spread offense. The Buckeye defense should look stellar as usual against a Miami (OH) team that struggled last season.
Pick: Ohio State
6. Ohio @ Penn State 12:00 PM ET ESPN
- This will be the first game since Joe Paterno passed away and since the Nittany Lions were hit with sanctions. In my opinion, the pre-game is what's going to be the most interesting part of the game. On a nationally televised game, the country will see if Head Coach Bill O'Biren has his boys ready to go. If he doesn't, watch for Frank Solich and his Bobcats to give the Nittany Lions a rude wake-up call to the 2012 season.
Pick: Penn State
7. Iowa vs Northern Illinois (Chicago, IL) 3:30 PM ET ESPNU
I attended the Iowa-Northern Illinois game at Solider Field back in 2007. The Hawkeyes escaped the Huskies 17-3. This is on my list as a top ten game to watch, because the Huskies could give the Hawkeyes a run for their money again. The Hawkeyes still have no apparent running game and will have to rely heavily on the passing game. 2nd year Husky Head Coach Dave Doeren led the Huskies to eleven victories in his first season at Northern Illinois last season. It will be a close game for the most part, until the Hawkeyes pull away in the fourth quarter with a few minutes remaining
Pick: Iowa
8. #14 Clemson vs Auburn (Atlanta, GA) 7:00 PM ET ESPN
-Two seasons ago, this is the game that showed the nation that Cam Newton and Auburn were legit national title contenders. It was one of the most physical games I had seen in recent memory. Auburn escaped in overtime, after Clemson missed a game-tying field goal. Last season, Clemson came out on top at home and ended Auburn's 17 game winning streak. How could we forget Dabo Swinney's post game interview and him yelling, "I can't think of a better place than to end the streak than Death Valley, SC." This year should be another battle in the trenches. With Clemson Wide Receiver Sammy Watkins suspended for the first few games of the season, Auburn will hav a chance to knock off the 2011 ACC Champions. Clemson has been notorious for not being prepared to play in important early season games.
Pick: Auburn
9. #8 Michigan vs #2 Alabama (Arlington, TX) 8:00 PM ET ABC
- This will be the spotlight game of the day and a rematch of the 2000 Orange Bowl. Who knew that Michigan would actually have a legit shot to compete with Alabama in this game prior to last season? It is going to be interesting to see if Denard Robinson and company can move the ball down the field against a tough Alabama defense. I will be surprised if there is a lot of scoring in this game. I feel it will be a defensive game for the most part.
Pick: Alabama
Monday, Sept. 3rd
10. Georgia Tech vs #16 Virginia Tech 8:00 PM ET ESPN
- This is a crucial conference game for the first week of the season. Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech will be the two teams contending for the ACC Coastal Division. This game could be a deciding factor of who wins this division this season. Virginia Tech's QB Logan Thomas will play an important role in leading the Hokie offense. The key to this game though, will be an experienced Virginia Tech defense trying to stop the always difficult Paul Johnson triple option attack. This is going to be a really good game to cap off week 1 of the 2012 College Football season.
Pick: Virginia Tech
· Week 1 recap will be ready on Tuesday, September 4th.
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