College football Week 1 viewing guide, plus preseason championship, Heisman picks

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College football’s Week 1 is here, and we have a ton of games to watch tonight and tomorrow night before we even get to Saturday (find the complete Week 1 schedule here). Today, we’re mapping out your viewing schedule and sharing the results from Tuesday’s reader survey.

Week 1 Slate

Most important, underrated games

Here’s what to watch before Saturday. All times ET:

• Four ranked teams play tonight (Murray State at No. 11 Missouri; Southern Utah at No. 12 Utah; Lindenwood at No. 22 Kansas; and Western Carolina at No. 24 NC State).
• But North Dakota State at Colorado (8 p.m., ESPN) is the one to watch. As Chris Kamrani wrote today, Deion Sanders needs to show improved results in Year 2 in Boulder.
• There are several Friday night games, including Temple at No. 16 Oklahoma (7 p.m., ESPN). But I’ll be watching my alma mater, Michigan State, kick off a new era under Jonathan Smith with a 7 p.m. kickoff against Florida Atlantic.

Now, for the main event … our first full college football Saturday of the season! Let’s start by mapping out the games with ranked teams. The darker the box = the more intrigue.

Early

• Most important game: No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia (Noon, ABC in Atlanta). These programs account for four of the past eight national championships. And while Clemson has trended in the opposite direction of the Dawgs lately, it will be telling if the Tigers can hang around in this one.
• Most underrated game: No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia (Noon, Fox). Penn State has to be thankful for the 12-team College Football Playoff as it finally has realistic postseason aspirations. But its first game is no sleeper against a West Virginia team that Mountaineers coach Neal Brown says is being overlooked.

Afternoon

• Most important game: No. 19 Miami at Florida (3:30 p.m., ABC). Miami can’t afford to lose in Week 1. Coach Mario Cristobal is 12-13 through two seasons with the Hurricanes. It’s now or never, and the Canes brought in QB Cam Ward to boost their CFP hopes. But an in-state rivalry game on the road is never an easy environment.
• Most underrated game: South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State (2 p.m., ESPN+). I’d put this one on upset watch. South Dakota State has won 29 consecutive games and two straight FCS national championships. The Jackrabbits have a decent amount of returning production, including QB Mark Gronowski, who could be an under-the-radar prospect in next year’s NFL Draft. Oklahoma State isn’t immune to early slip-ups: Should I bring back up last season’s Week 3 loss to South Alabama?

Late

• Most important game: No. 7 Notre Dame at No. 20 Texas A&M (7:30 p.m., ABC). New Aggies coach Mike Elko knows Notre Dame QB Riley Leonard very well (they both were at Duke last season). Elko’s culture shift in College Station will be tested early against a top-10 opponent. Meanwhile, a resume-building win is on the line for Notre Dame, which will be in the fight for one of the Playoff’s at-large bids with no conference title to win.
• Most underrated game: UNLV at Houston (7 p.m., FS1). UNLV coach Barry Odom had immediate success in Year 1, leading the Rebels to a Mountain West title game appearance and a 9-5 record. Meanwhile, Houston is welcoming new coach Willie Fritz, who reached at least 10 wins in each of his last two seasons at Tulane. These are two under-the-radar programs with a lot of momentum building inside.

The fun won’t stop on Saturday with No. 13 LSU vs. No. 23 USC in Las Vegas on Sunday (7:30 p.m., ABC) and Boston College at No. 10 (for now!) Florida State on Monday (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

For more Week 1 game content, Justin Williams breaks down the top 10 matchups to watch, Austin Mock has the best bets to make and Manny Navarro shares his oddly specific predictions for everything from the most passing yards to the game on upset watch. And for a collective review of which conferences will play on which networks, read Stewart Mandel’s watch guide today.

Need tickets to this weekend’s games? Go here.

Results Are In

National title and Heisman favorites

On Tuesday, you submitted your preseason predictions. Here are the results:

Ohio State was the top national title pick, but Georgia and Oregon weren’t far behind in voters’ minds. Other programs receiving votes include Auburn, Penn State and Notre Dame. And for the two voters who picked Georgia Tech, I appreciate the optimism after last week’s upset … but let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves.

It was a close call between Dillon Gabriel and Carson Beck for the Until Saturday preseason Heisman favorite. Of course, front-runners will become more clear as we start to see games. Potential underdog picks who received votes include Ohio State QB Will Howard, Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon, Missouri WR Luther Burden and Ohio State freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith (who will start this week for the Buckeyes).

And finally … hot takes! Thanks for submitting them. Here are a few of my favorites:

• “Alabama really misses Saban and finishes out of the CFP.” This was far from the only take that predicted the Tide’s downfall. There’s not a lot of hope from Until Saturday readers in Alabama post-Saban!
• “While Avery Johnson won’t win the Heisman, he will be the most exciting quarterback to watch and will take K-State far into the playoffs. (He’ll also win the Heisman next year.)” The Big 12 will be a fun conference to watch this year. As for this prediction, I’ll refer you to Bruce Feldman’s profile on Johnson’s development from earlier this summer.
• “Florida State, Clemson and Miami are all overrated because of historical prestige and reputation, and none of them will win the ACC.” My suspicions about the Seminoles were confirmed last week, but I’m still banking on a comeback season from Clemson. If I had to pick a team to win the ACC outside of those three … give me Louisville.
• “Cross-country conference games will be disastrous for many teams.” It will be interesting to see how much the increased travel impacts teams this season. I’m predicting at least one plane delay or major travel hiccup will make headlines.

We’ll review the results for the last team IN and first team OUT of the CFP hunt next week.

Quick Snaps

What does the history of true freshman QBs tell us about Nebraska’s big bet on Dylan Raiola? Mitch Sherman evaluated the history of true freshman starters — from Peyton Manning at Tennessee to Caleb Williams at Oklahoma — to predict what might transpire in Lincoln this season.

Ryan Day is a play caller at heart. But he forfeited the responsibility this year, hoping it would lead Ohio State to its full potential. Cameron Teague Robinson wrote today why Day made the right choice in doing so.

You can buy tickets to every college football game here.

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(Top photo Deion Sanders: Chris Gardner / Getty Images)