The opening slate is truly something to behold with tons of great games this weekend, which stretches all the way through Monday as college football smartly takes advantage of both the Labor Day weekend and the lack of NFL regular-season contests for one more week. There have already been several games Thursday, there are some tonight, and the regular season opened last Friday with Cal and Hawaii playing in Australia.
Let's get to the picks. I finished last season with a clean-sounding record of 100-40 (.714), picking up my 100th correct guess by choosing Alabama to beat Clemson in the national championship.
Saturday's games
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Houston at NRG Stadium (Houston Texans), Noon ABC
The Cougars are explosive behind QB Greg Ward Jr., but I think the Sooners will be even better with QB Baker Mayfield.
Oklahoma 38, Houston 28
Liberty at Virginia Tech, 12:30 p.m. ACC Network
The Justin Fuente era begins in Blacksburg with a visit from the Flames, who are still under coach Turner Gill but have a new offense this season, a spread attack, keyed by a new QB. As long as the Hokies aren't caught looking ahead to the Battle at Bristol and Tennessee next week -- which maybe the Volunteers did last night as they almost were upset at home by Appalachian State -- the new regime should get off to a nice start.
Virginia Tech 42, Liberty 10
No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field Green Bay, Wis., 3:30 p.m. ABC
Tigers coach Les Miles, always good for a quip, said that any of his players who did the Lambeau Leap would be hitchhiking back to Baton Rouge (for what it's worth, it would be a penalty under NCAA rules, too). Let's see star running back and Heisman candidate Leonard Fournette score a couple TDs, leap into the crowd, and see if Miles stands by that statement.
LSU 31, Wisconsin 20
No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina in Atlanta, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Former UVa quarterback Greyson Lambert, in his last year, has again been named the starter for the Bulldogs after a decent year in 2015. However, he will be pushed by touted freshman Jacob Eason, and the Bulldogs will have an offense focused around running back Nick Chubb anyway, who has Heisman potential but hurt his knee midway through last year. Former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart takes over for the Bulldogs with the removal and departure of Mark Richt to Miami. UNC is a tough draw for Smart in his first game, as the Tar Heels come in with lots of offensive firepower behind new QB Mitch Trubisky and tailback Elijah Hood. The Heels must do a better job of stopping the run than last year with Chubb looking to run them over.
North Carolina 31, Georgia 27
No. 20 USC vs. No. 1 Alabama in Arlington, Texas, 8 p.m. ABC
Player favorite Clay Helton became the permanent head coach for the Trojans after taking over for Steve Sarkisian midway through last season. His first official game? The defending champs and winners of four title in seven years. No big deal. Like last year, Nick Saban is having a QB competition, this one between Cooper Bateman or Blake Barnett. And like last year, Alabama is on the very short list of favorites to win it all.
Alabama 27, USC 13
No. 2 Clemson at Auburn, 9 p.m. ESPN
Clemson is the other team on the very short list of national title contenders, having falling just short of one last year vs. the Tide. This would be a marquee game a couple years ago, but some of the shine has worn off of coach Gus Malzahn and the Tigers, who are 15-11 the past two seasons after losing to Florida State three years ago in the national championship.
Clemson 38, Auburn 24
Monday's game
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss in Orlando, 8 p.m. ESPN
With starter Sean Maguire out for at least this game, the Seminoles turn to redshirt freshman QB Deandre Francois, a former four-star recruit. The Rebels have an established quarterback in Chad Kelly and an explosive offense. If Ole Miss can stop or at least slow down FSU's Dalvin Cook, the game should be very close.
Ole Miss 27, Florida State 24
Richmond at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. ESPN3.com
The opener is finally here for Bronco Mendenhall. Tons of offseason conditioning, preparation, and practice have taken place since he was hired away from BYU in December. Now, we can finally stop talking about preseason predictions and look forward to breaking down some results.
There's no doubt I have a sense of optimism as the season opens with a brand new regime, but FCS games the past few seasons have brought a dread along with them ever since Virginia was upset by William & Mary in 2009. Last year, the Tribe almost pulled it off again, losing 35-29. As an FBS school, you just don't want to be that handful in a year that is upset by an FCS program. And Virginia, of course, has had a soft underbelly for several seasons now. At least one pundit, Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel, a former writer for Sports Illustrated, has picked Richmond over UVa for his FCS upset of the week. Whereas I would normally have a sense of doom about a loss to an FCS team, I would deem this one a disappointing setback, and that is because Mendenhall can, of course, still do great things at UVa. In 2009, in contrast, that was clearly the coming end of the Al Groh era. This is just the beginning for Mendenhall, but it just so happens that the Spiders are getting the Cavaliers at the perfect time as a transition is taking place. Virginia is vulnerable as it switches schemes, and Richmond is very good, a top-five FCS program and the favorite to win the CAA. The Spiders have several starters returning, including quarterback Kyle Lauletta and safety David Jones, the CAA's
preseason offense and defensive players of the year. They also have a receiver returning in Brian Brown who has two straight seasons of more than 1,000 yards. Richmond went 10-4 last season and advanced to the FCS semifinals, where they were blown out at five-time FCS champion North Dakota State. Richmond owns three FBS victories over Duke in the past decade, so the Spiders can get this done. Last year, Richmond lost to Maryland, 50-21. Mike London's first game at UVa was vs. Richmond, too. Virginia won, 34-13. He also beat UR in 2012, 43-19, and in 2014, 45-13.
Virginia is debuting a new up-tempo attack on offense, and it is tough to know exactly what it will look like. Kurt Benkert is the new QB and appears promising from reports and highlights, but he's barely thrown the ball in college. We do know what some of the weapons on offense can do, including running backs Taquan Mizzell and Albert Reid and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. Richmond has an experienced defense, but gave up at least 30 points five times last season. If the new-look UVa offense can hit the ground running a little bit, the Spiders could be in trouble. What's just as likely, though, is the offense sputters at first. Then of course, Virginia would have to rely on its defense, led by Donte Wilkins, Micah Kiser, and Quin Blanding, to hold down the strong UR offense. On that side of things, UVa moving to a 3-4 defense from a 4-3 is a worry. Surely some missed assignments could take place in the first game. If the Spiders can experience some early success, then we could be in for a ballgame. You know how the script goes. The longer the Spiders have hope, the more likely an upset takes place.
In the end, it is always difficult to pick an FCS team to beat an FBS team. There is lots of hope in Hooville, and Mendenhall has a solid track record. As long as UVa comes out focused and not overly excited, the Cavaliers can take care of business. And even if they get behind, the offense might have enough firepower to come from behind or win a shootout if it has to. I full expect a close game for much of the day.
Virginia 31, Richmond 27
Let's get to the picks. I finished last season with a clean-sounding record of 100-40 (.714), picking up my 100th correct guess by choosing Alabama to beat Clemson in the national championship.
Saturday's games
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Houston at NRG Stadium (Houston Texans), Noon ABC
The Cougars are explosive behind QB Greg Ward Jr., but I think the Sooners will be even better with QB Baker Mayfield.
Oklahoma 38, Houston 28
Liberty at Virginia Tech, 12:30 p.m. ACC Network
The Justin Fuente era begins in Blacksburg with a visit from the Flames, who are still under coach Turner Gill but have a new offense this season, a spread attack, keyed by a new QB. As long as the Hokies aren't caught looking ahead to the Battle at Bristol and Tennessee next week -- which maybe the Volunteers did last night as they almost were upset at home by Appalachian State -- the new regime should get off to a nice start.
Virginia Tech 42, Liberty 10
No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin at Lambeau Field Green Bay, Wis., 3:30 p.m. ABC
Tigers coach Les Miles, always good for a quip, said that any of his players who did the Lambeau Leap would be hitchhiking back to Baton Rouge (for what it's worth, it would be a penalty under NCAA rules, too). Let's see star running back and Heisman candidate Leonard Fournette score a couple TDs, leap into the crowd, and see if Miles stands by that statement.
LSU 31, Wisconsin 20
No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina in Atlanta, 5:30 p.m. ESPN
Former UVa quarterback Greyson Lambert, in his last year, has again been named the starter for the Bulldogs after a decent year in 2015. However, he will be pushed by touted freshman Jacob Eason, and the Bulldogs will have an offense focused around running back Nick Chubb anyway, who has Heisman potential but hurt his knee midway through last year. Former Alabama defensive coordinator Kirby Smart takes over for the Bulldogs with the removal and departure of Mark Richt to Miami. UNC is a tough draw for Smart in his first game, as the Tar Heels come in with lots of offensive firepower behind new QB Mitch Trubisky and tailback Elijah Hood. The Heels must do a better job of stopping the run than last year with Chubb looking to run them over.
North Carolina 31, Georgia 27
No. 20 USC vs. No. 1 Alabama in Arlington, Texas, 8 p.m. ABC
Player favorite Clay Helton became the permanent head coach for the Trojans after taking over for Steve Sarkisian midway through last season. His first official game? The defending champs and winners of four title in seven years. No big deal. Like last year, Nick Saban is having a QB competition, this one between Cooper Bateman or Blake Barnett. And like last year, Alabama is on the very short list of favorites to win it all.
Alabama 27, USC 13
No. 2 Clemson at Auburn, 9 p.m. ESPN
Clemson is the other team on the very short list of national title contenders, having falling just short of one last year vs. the Tide. This would be a marquee game a couple years ago, but some of the shine has worn off of coach Gus Malzahn and the Tigers, who are 15-11 the past two seasons after losing to Florida State three years ago in the national championship.
Clemson 38, Auburn 24
Monday's game
No. 4 Florida State vs. No. 11 Ole Miss in Orlando, 8 p.m. ESPN
With starter Sean Maguire out for at least this game, the Seminoles turn to redshirt freshman QB Deandre Francois, a former four-star recruit. The Rebels have an established quarterback in Chad Kelly and an explosive offense. If Ole Miss can stop or at least slow down FSU's Dalvin Cook, the game should be very close.
Ole Miss 27, Florida State 24
Richmond at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. ESPN3.com
The opener is finally here for Bronco Mendenhall. Tons of offseason conditioning, preparation, and practice have taken place since he was hired away from BYU in December. Now, we can finally stop talking about preseason predictions and look forward to breaking down some results.
There's no doubt I have a sense of optimism as the season opens with a brand new regime, but FCS games the past few seasons have brought a dread along with them ever since Virginia was upset by William & Mary in 2009. Last year, the Tribe almost pulled it off again, losing 35-29. As an FBS school, you just don't want to be that handful in a year that is upset by an FCS program. And Virginia, of course, has had a soft underbelly for several seasons now. At least one pundit, Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel, a former writer for Sports Illustrated, has picked Richmond over UVa for his FCS upset of the week. Whereas I would normally have a sense of doom about a loss to an FCS team, I would deem this one a disappointing setback, and that is because Mendenhall can, of course, still do great things at UVa. In 2009, in contrast, that was clearly the coming end of the Al Groh era. This is just the beginning for Mendenhall, but it just so happens that the Spiders are getting the Cavaliers at the perfect time as a transition is taking place. Virginia is vulnerable as it switches schemes, and Richmond is very good, a top-five FCS program and the favorite to win the CAA. The Spiders have several starters returning, including quarterback Kyle Lauletta and safety David Jones, the CAA's
preseason offense and defensive players of the year. They also have a receiver returning in Brian Brown who has two straight seasons of more than 1,000 yards. Richmond went 10-4 last season and advanced to the FCS semifinals, where they were blown out at five-time FCS champion North Dakota State. Richmond owns three FBS victories over Duke in the past decade, so the Spiders can get this done. Last year, Richmond lost to Maryland, 50-21. Mike London's first game at UVa was vs. Richmond, too. Virginia won, 34-13. He also beat UR in 2012, 43-19, and in 2014, 45-13.Virginia is debuting a new up-tempo attack on offense, and it is tough to know exactly what it will look like. Kurt Benkert is the new QB and appears promising from reports and highlights, but he's barely thrown the ball in college. We do know what some of the weapons on offense can do, including running backs Taquan Mizzell and Albert Reid and receiver Olamide Zaccheaus. Richmond has an experienced defense, but gave up at least 30 points five times last season. If the new-look UVa offense can hit the ground running a little bit, the Spiders could be in trouble. What's just as likely, though, is the offense sputters at first. Then of course, Virginia would have to rely on its defense, led by Donte Wilkins, Micah Kiser, and Quin Blanding, to hold down the strong UR offense. On that side of things, UVa moving to a 3-4 defense from a 4-3 is a worry. Surely some missed assignments could take place in the first game. If the Spiders can experience some early success, then we could be in for a ballgame. You know how the script goes. The longer the Spiders have hope, the more likely an upset takes place.
In the end, it is always difficult to pick an FCS team to beat an FBS team. There is lots of hope in Hooville, and Mendenhall has a solid track record. As long as UVa comes out focused and not overly excited, the Cavaliers can take care of business. And even if they get behind, the offense might have enough firepower to come from behind or win a shootout if it has to. I full expect a close game for much of the day.
Virginia 31, Richmond 27
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