Deondre Francois will attempt to lead the Seminoles' offense against powerful Alabama.Ron Elkman/Sports Imagery/Getty Images
The countdown has reached the final stages for the first full Saturday of games in the college football season, and two huge encounters highlight the schedule.
No. 11 Michigan and 17th-ranked Florida will start their seasons at AT&T Stadium in Dallas at 3:30 p.m. ET, while No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Florida State will open Atlanta’s new Mercedes-Benz Stadium with an 8 p.m. start.
AP Top 25 (Number in parentheses indicates first-place votes.)
1. Alabama (52)
2. Ohio State, 1-0, (3)
3. Florida State (4)
4. USC (2)
5. Clemson
6. Penn State
7. Oklahoma
8. Washington, 1-0
9. Wisconsin, 1-0
10. Oklahoma State
11. Michigan
12. Auburn
13. LSU
14. Stanford
15. Georgia
16. Louisville
17. Florida
18. Miami (Florida)
19. South Florida
20. Kansas State
21. Virginia Tech
22. West Virginia
23. Texas
24. Washington State
25. Tennessee
In addition to those two huge interconference games, college football fans can also see No. 4 USC kick off its season against Western Michigan and No. 5 Clemson, the defending national champion, begin its season with a game against Kent State.
Second-ranked Ohio State got off to a slow start before it pulled away in the second half on the road against Indiana Thursday night. The Buckeyes scored the last 29 points in the game and defeated the Hoosiers 49-21, as freshman J.K. Dobbins ran for 181 yards on 29 carries.
Alabama regularly starts the season with impressive victories, but the Crimson Tide is sure to get a test from the Seminoles.
PFF College Football@PFF_College
Alabama QB Jalen Hurts was great when kept clean from pressure a season ago. https://t.co/zOu6ldzUTz
Jalen Hurts is coming off a strong freshman season in which he threw for 2,780 yards with a 23-9 TD-interception ratio, but he also knows there’s room for improvement. Hurts struggled with his passing when Alabama faced top opponents, and he has worked hard to improve his mechanics and consistency.
He has one of the top receivers in the country in Calvin Ridley, and running back Bo Scarbrough is coming off a season in which he ran for 812 yards and 11 touchdowns.
The Crimson Tide should be loaded on defense, and defensive linemen Da’Ron Payne and Da’Shawn Hand should be able to dominate most weeks.
It’s not a given that they will against the Seminoles, because Deondre Francois is a brilliant talent at quarterback and is also coming off an excellent freshman season. He threw for 3,350 yards with 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions, and while he’s not a great runner, he knows how to buy time in the pocket and escape the rush.
Francois should have an excellent working relationship with junior wide receiver Nyqwan Murray, who caught 27 passes for 441 yards and five touchdowns a year ago and could easily double those figures.
Michigan would appear to have an edge over Florida in its opening game, as Gators head coach Jim McElwain has had to impose discipline on his team and has suspended 10 players.
That’s not the way Florida wanted to go into this game, but McElwain’s lesson could pay dividends down the road if his players understand that their actions have consequences.
Michigan QB Wilton SpeightRick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Jim Harbaugh needs quarterback Wilton Speight to continue his development after he threw for 2,538 yards with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions a year ago.
Speight demonstrated his talent throughout the season, but he had a few games in which he was off and his game lacked efficiency and consistency. Speight can’t have bad games this year if the Wolverines are going to have a chance at the College Football Playoffs.
Chris Evans and Ty Isaac should handle the bulk of the running chores, while receivers Eddie McDoom, Kekoa Crawford and Donovan Peoples-Jones will try to handle the pass-catching responsibilities.
If Florida is going to win this game, it will need a substantial effort form the defense. Redshirt freshman quarterback Feleipe Franks beat out Luke Del Rio for the starting position, and he is likely to feel quite a bit of anxiety in his first start.
