After nine excruciating months filled only with exasperating political developments, NIL gossip, and basketball, America’s greatest game — college football — returns.
Here are my picks for the weekend.
Temple at No. 16 Oklahoma
7 p.m. ET (on Friday)
Line: Oklahoma −42
Oklahoma’s Brent Venables, Danny Stutsman, and Billy Bowman prove there’s an SEC-ready defense in Norman. And sophomore QB Jackson Arnold and an inexperienced offensive line get off to a hot start against a hapless Temple team that may be one of the nation’s worst. The real test for Oklahoma, however, will have to wait until the third weekend in September when Tennessee comes to town.
Oklahoma covers, 54–10
No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia
12 p.m. ET in Atlanta
Line: Georgia −11.5
Georgia has been on an incredible run under Head Coach Kirby Smart, winning the National Championship in 2021 and 2022. Last year, the Bulldogs didn’t even make the playoffs, but they still had a strong argument to be America’s most talented team. Over in South Carolina, Dabo Swinney’s Clemson teams have lost a bit of their shine since his run to glory, when he won two national titles in the 2010s. It’s been four full seasons since Clemson has truly competed for it all, but there’s a lot of pride and talent still on the roster. Enough to play Georgia tough.
Georgia wins, but Clemson keeps it close, 28–24
No. 19 Miami at Florida
3:30 p.m. ET
Line: Miami –2.5
Mario Cristobal’s time as head coach of the Hurricanes has not gone as well as the good people on South Beach had expected. Cristobal has quietly been assembling talent in Miami, but he needs results this season to silence the whispers. Unfortunately for Florida, things have been going even worse for Billy Napier. The disappointment in Gainesville is palpable. But even though this Hurricanes team is not the juggernaut of years past, The Swamp is still The Swamp.
The Gators win at home, 31–24
No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M
6:30 p.m. ET
Line: Texas A&M −3
In 2023, a very talented A&M team stumbled through the season until it cost Jimbo Fisher — the $75 million man — his job. But with Mike Elko taking the reins in College Station, expect a tougher, more disciplined football team. The Irish will struggle to get it going under the lights as the A&M crowd gets rowdy and loud.
A&M wins, 32–21
No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU
7:30 p.m ET (on Sunday in Vegas)
Line: LSU −4
Lincoln Riley’s gold-plated reputation for being a coaching genius has been severely damaged over the last two seasons over his inability to field an even remotely respectable defense. Riley was forced to fire defensive coordinator Alex Grinch at the end of last season, replacing him with former UCLA assistant D’Anton Lynn. The defensive scheme and the Trojans’ fundamentals will be noticeably improved — how could they be worse? — but Riley’s teams have also consistently lacked toughness and a culture of resilience. You can’t fix that in one off-season, and LSU’s Brian Kelly is ready to expose it all.
LSU wins, 38–24