Week 0 gave us a sample of the excitement of college football, but now the entree that is Week 1 is on our plates. As with most menus, some selections are more intriguing — spicier, if you will — than others. Five games stand out in the season-opening slate that will carry their impact into November and December
For the sake of this article, we’ll only feature games featuring two FBS schools. To see potential FCS-over-FBS upsets, click or tap here.
That said, let’s dive into the high-impact games that will allow winners to carry the sweet taste of victory throughout the fall and leave the losers with the rumblings of an upset stomach.
Clemson vs. Georgia
Clemson is likely Georgia’s only ranked nonconference opponent unless Georgia Tech can carry its momentum from a Week 0 upset to its final regular season game. A win here will go a long way if the Bulldogs falter in a revamped SEC.
Clemson is coming off its worst season under Dabo Swinney since 2011. Faith in the former national championship head coach is waning, but a win over the preseason No. 1 team will reignite the spark in the Tiger fanbase. Yet, a bad loss here will severely hurt Clemson’s at-large chances in the expanded College Football Playoff.
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Penn State at West Virginia
Is this the year James Franklin finally leads Penn State to the College Football Playoff? It’s 12 teams now, so it’s more likely. However, a victory in Morgantown is never easy, and the Nittany Lions must win a Week 1 road test. A win here could have PSU in the top 10 through mid-October. A loss will leave little room for error for a team that also plays USC, Wisconsin and Ohio State.
Meanwhile, a win for West Virginia will launch the Mountaineers — who went 9-4 last year — into national relevance as contenders for a wide-open Big 12.
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