Week 1 of the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season is not just about quantity – although there is a plethora of games schedule – but also about quality, as exemplified by the following games.
Florida State Seminoles vs. Alabama Crimson Tide
Date: Saturday, September 2nd
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Florida State +7½ (-120) +235
Alabama -7½ (EV) -275
The Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game kickoff game is being advertised as the Greatest Opener of All Time and whether or not it goes down in the books as that, it will nevertheless be an epic clash. The Roll Tide is ranked No. 1 in the Coaches preseason poll and is once again the favorite to win the National Championship. ‘Bama is the only program to have appeared in all three editions of the College Football Playoff and is tied with Clemson for most playoff wins with three. Quarterback Jalen Hurts and wide receiver Calvin Ridley are returning on offense and cornerback Tony Brown and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick on defense. The Seminoles are ranked 3rd in the Coaches poll and are stacked on both ends; Deondre Francois, Jacques Patrick, Cam Akers, Nyquan Murray, Landon Dickerson, and Cole Minshew were named preseason All-ACC offensive team selections, while Derwin James, Tarvarus McFadden, Derrick Nnadi, Josh Sweat, Brian Burns, and Matthew Thomas were named preseason All-ACC defensive team selections. Additionally, James, McFadden, and Nnadi were also named preseason All-American players.
Tennessee Volunteers vs. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Date: Monday, September 4th
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: Mercedes-Benz Stadium
Tennessee U -3½ (-105) -170
Georgia Tech +3½ (-115) +150
The reboot of the Georgia Tech versus Tennessee football rivalry will be the 44th meeting between the two programs as well as the first since 1987. The 30 years which have elapsed since the Vols defeated the Jackets 29-15 is the not the first hiatus in this rivalry. The series went dormant for 35 years after the first two encounters – in the second of which Georgia Tech (coached by John Heisman who later went on to have a trophy named after him) beat Tennessee 45-0 in 1905; the largest point total and the largest victory margin in the history of the rivalry.
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Indiana Hoosiers
Date: Thursday, August 31st
Time: 8:00 PM
Location: The Rock, Bloomington, Indiana
Ohio State -20½ (-110) -1400
Indiana +20½ (-110) +925
The Hoosiers are an up-and-coming football program with big plans for the future, such as posting a winning record for the first time since 2007, winning a bowl game for the first time since 1991, and – why not – reaching the CFP. However, the road to the future goes through OSU. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is never more dangerous than on the season following a bowl loss. The Buckeyes lost the 2016 Fiesta Bowl 0-31 to eventual CFP champions Clemson. Before that Coach Meyer had lost only two bowls and on both occasions he went on to win a National Championship the next season, starting with a victory in the season opener. Urban Meyer Way is not just a street in Dublin, Ohio; it also leads to national titles. All things considered, OSU is where Indiana wants to, and possibly will be, in the future.
