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Here we go. College football is fully and officially back. The Hawkeyes get things underway on Saturday evening against Albany, but there’s plenty of good football set to be played around the country. If you are someone who sets up 2-3 TVs, like me, that means watching several games at a time. We’ve got you […]

HawkeyeReport breaks down the biggest game of week one. (Photo by Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)

Here we go. College football is fully and officially back.

The Hawkeyes get things underway on Saturday evening against Albany, but there’s plenty of good football set to be played around the country. If you are someone who sets up 2-3 TVs, like me, that means watching several games at a time. We’ve got you covered with what to watch. Forget an extended intro, let’s just get into the games. HawkeyeReport breaks down the top games to watch during week one of the college football season.

***All betting odds/lines are provided by Bet MGM***

Must Watch Game of the Week: #1 Texas at #3 Ohio State

Game Info: Saturday, August 30th – 11:00am CT – FOX Line: Ohio State -1.5

Just the second time ever that #1 and #3 have met on the opening weekend, so you can’t ask for much more from a week one matchup. A rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff Semifinal, the most notable difference between the two sides will be at quarterback. The Longhorns will start Arch Manning behind center, while it will be redshirt freshman Julian Sayin for the Buckeyes. Both are former five-star recruits. There will be six preseason AP All-Americans in this game, led by Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith and Texas linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. An A+ game set to kick off the first full Saturday slate of college football. There’s no excuse good enough to miss this one.

Best Weekday Game: Auburn at Baylor

Game Info: Friday, August 29th – 7:00pm CT – FOX Line: Auburn -2.5

An SEC/Big 12 game generally signals a matchup on the basketball court, but this one between the Tigers and Bears is a really great matchup for a Friday night. Baylor doesn’t enter the season with a ranking next to their name, but some have picked them to make the CFP as Big 12 champions, as they are top 15 in returning production from a team that went 8-5 last season. Their backfield is as good as anyone in the conference, with quarterback Sawyer Robertson, as well as two backs that combined for 1,700 yards last season. Auburn isn’t expected to be near the top of the SEC, but they’re going to be a bowl team led by Oklahoma transfer Jackson Arnold at quarterback and sophomore receiver Cam Coleman.

Baylor Bears quarterback Sawyer Robertson (13)against the West Virginia Mountaineers . (Photo by Raymond Carlin III-USA TODAY Sports)

Best 2:30pm Game: #8 Alabama at Florida State

Game Info: Saturday, August 30th – 2:30pm CT – ABC Line: Alabama -13.5

Although I’m not convinced that this is going to be near as good as other games on this list, there’s nothing else to pick from at the 2:30pm time slot, unless you want to do some Cy-Hawk scouting and watch Iowa State-South Dakota on FOX. The Tide will be breaking in a new quarterback in Ty Simpson, but they have their top two receivers back, including sophomore Ryan Williams and their defense has several All-SEC caliber players. After going 2-10 last season, Florida State worked the portal, bringing in 23 transfers, led by Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos, Tennessee receiver Squirrel White and Houston corner Jeremiah Wilson.

Best Primetime Game: #9 LSU at #4 Clemson

Game Info: Saturday, August 30th – 6:30pm CT – ABC Line: Clemson -4

There aren’t many weekends where this game wouldn’t be listed as the must watch game of the week. This is not one of those weeks, but it’s definitely a 1a-1b situation with Texas-Ohio State earlier in the day. The home team, Clemson, has the national title on their mind after a 10-4 season and a CFP appearance last season. Quarterback Cade Klubnik is a Heisman candidate and his top three receivers are back, while the defense returns a lot, led by linebacker Wade Woodaz. The other Tigers, LSU, have the same thought. A CFP appearance and a push to win the national title. They’re led by quarterback Garrett Nussmeier on offense, as well as receiver Aaron Anderson and running back Caden Durham. On the defensive side, linebacker Harold Perkins is their best player, while Whit Weeks is a tackling machine.

Clemson Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik (2) passes against the Pittsburgh Panthers. (Photo by Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images)

Best After Dark Game: Utah at UCLA

Game Info: Saturday, August 30th – 10:00pm CT – FOX Line: Utah -6

Yes, technically it’s Big 12 vs. Big Ten now, but this is a classic Pac 12 After Dark matchup. It should be a pretty good game too and it’s certainly one worth watching if you’re still up at this hour. Utah endured some terrible quarterback play en route to a 5-7 record last season, but brought in New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier to fix that, while their defense has 4-5 All-Big 12 caliber players, led by linebacker Lander Barton. The Bruins went 5-7 in their first year under DeShaun Foster, but won four of their last six and had two one score losses. UCLA’s big transfer addition was Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, which should make them better on offense.

Underrated Game of the Week: Cincinnati vs Nebraska (Kansas City, MO)

Game Info: Thursday, August 28th – 8:00pm CT – ESPN Line: Nebraska -7

The week one fun starts early, with a matchup between the Huskers and Bearcats at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Thursday night. Is this the year for Nebraska? They haven’t won nine games since 2016, but this is their best roster since then led by sophomore quarterback Dylan Raiola. They’ve had a solid defense for a couple of seasons, but need a more consistent offense to go with it and Cincinnati will be a good test. The Bearcats went just 5-7 last season, but had four one score losses and they return quarterback Brendan Sorsby who, like this game, is a bit underrated. Nose tackle Dontay Corleone is a player worth watching on the Cincy defense.

Other Games to Watch

Georgia Tech (-4.5) at Colorado (Friday – 7:00pm CT – ESPN)

The Yellow Jackets have been a trendy underdog pick in the ACC, after putting up a 7-6 season last year. They return their quarterback Haynes King, their top back Jamal Haynes and return four of their top five tacklers on the defense. Colorado is going to look way different from last year’s team that went 9-4 but still will be competitive with a bunch of transfers on the roster.

Virginia Tech vs #13 South Carolina (-7.5) (Atlanta, GA) (Sunday – 2:00pm CT – ESPN)

The first game of a Sunday doubleheader, South Carolina comes into this season riding momentum from a 9-4 finish, winning six of their last seven. Quarterback LaNorris Sellers is one of the SEC’s best, and defensive end Dylan Stewart could be an All-American. Virginia Tech hasn’t hit eight wins since 2019, but last year’s 6-7 record was deceiving—they dropped five one-score games. With quarterback Kyron Drones healthy and a solid defense, the Hokies should be better this year.

#6 Notre Dame (-2.5) at #10 Miami FL (Sunday – 6:30pm CT – ABC)

The night cap on Sunday will be the third top ten showdown of the weekend and it’s a rivalry between the Irish and Canes. Notre Dame is coming off a 14-2 season that included a national title game appearance. They have one of the nation’s best defenses and a star at running back in Jeremiyah Love. Miami FL is looking to get to the playoff for the first time with Georgia transfer Carson Beck at quarterback, while Akheem Mesidor and Rueben Bain, make up one of the nation’s best defensive end duos.

TCU (-3.5) at North Carolina (Monday – 7:00pm – ESPN)

Not the first time that Bill Belichick has coached on Monday Night Football, but this will be his debut as head coach at North Carolina. The Tar Heels were picked to finish 8th in the preseason ACC coaches poll and will be led by South Alabama transfer quarterback Gio Lopez. Meanwhile, TCU went 9-4 last season and returns quarterback Josh Hoover, while they also brought in four-star transfer receiver Jordan Dwyer from Idaho.