Cal knocked off Hawai'i 51-31 in Australia to get the season started a week ago. There were more teams in action last night as Tennessee thwarted an Appalachian State upset with a come-from-behind overtime win, South Carolina stunned Vanderbilt, and Minnesota topped Oregon State in a Big Ten/Pac-12 battle, among other games Thursday.
For those new to the blog, every Friday will be my #PTF, or Prediction Time Friday. On occasion, I'll make picks a day early with some intriguing Thursday night games (i.e. - Sept. 22 when Clemson visits Georgia Tech), but the opening weekend to 2016 is all about Friday through Monday.
I had a decent record picking games in 2015, but I'm looking to build on that this season. With very little to go off of, and plenty of exciting matchups, it will be tough to get off to a good start. But I'll give it my best! Here's the run down on what's being hailed as the best opening weekend in college football ever.
2015 BENched PTF Record (includes bowl picks): 87-38 (.696 win %)
*Rankings below are the AP Top 25Friday
Kansas State at No. 8 Stanford (Line: Stanford -14.5)
Bill Snyder's Wildcats head to NoCal to open the season. The trip sounds great minus the whole having to deal with Christian McCaffrey thing. Although the Cardinal will be breaking in a new quarterback, the all-purpose king of college football McCaffrey will lead Stanford to a big win.
Stanford 41, Kansas State 13
Colorado State vs. Colorado (Line: Colorado -8.5) - at Sports Authority Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo.
Rocky Mountain Showdown
Nothing like an in-state rivalry to get the season started. The upstart Buffaloes may be a surprise team in college football this year. The two have alternated wins for five years, with Colorado winning a 27-24 overtime thriller in 2015. CSU may be in the running for a Big 12 expansion spot, but don't think they are quite ready for Power 5 football.
Colorado 27, Colorado State 14
Saturday
Georgia Tech vs. Boston College (Line: Georgia Tech -3) - at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland
Set your alarm clocks and grab a pint of Guinness! It'll be top o' the morning stateside when the Yellow Jackets and Eagles kickoff from Ireland (7:30 am EDT). This is one of the only conference tilts on the schedule in Week 1. Georgia Tech is looking to rebound from a dismal 3-9 season and should do so as it returns dynamic quarterback Justin Thomas. BC is simply searching for an ACC win after going 0-8 in 2015. We know BC's defense will be stout, but can Kentucky transfer Patrick Towles provide a spark to the Eagles' offense?
Georgia Tech 30, Boston College 17
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 15 Houston (Line: Oklahoma -11.5) - at NRG Stadium in Houston
Coming off a New Year's Six bowl victory in the Peach Bowl against Florida State to cap a 13-win season, the Houston Cougars are looking to solidify themselves among college football's top programs in 2016. Quarterback Greg Ward Jr. returns as one of the premier playmakers to lead UH's offense. On the flip side, the Sooners return a loaded backfield with Baker Mayfield, Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon. There might not be a better offensive backfield trio in the country. Oklahoma got a taste of the CFB Playoff last season and is hungry to get back.
Oklahoma 44, Houston 34
No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin (Line: LSU -11) - at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisc.
Will Leonard Fournette do the Lambeau Leap? Not if Les Miles has anything to do with it. The Hat laid down the law on the touchdown celebration, which is sad really. LSU is going to score a lot of touchdowns.
LSU 35, Wisconsin 17
No. 16 UCLA at Texas A&M (Line: Texas A&M -3)
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen made waves earlier this week when asked about the crowd noise at Kyle Field. Rosen was asked about playing in front of 100,000 people and he simply said after 50,000 the noise is all the same. Don't expect the farmers to greet the "Rosen One" with their usual "Howdy!" This game was already interesting as UCLA is a Pac-12 South favorite and the Aggies will get their first glimpse of OU transfer Trevor Knight behind center. It will be hot, humid and extremely loud in College Station.
Texas A&M 31, UCLA 27
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| Mitch Trubisky leads North Carolina into the Bulldogs' backyard for the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game against Georgia. (Photo courtesy Getty Images) |
Heralded junior QB Mitch Trubisky gets his first start in a Tar Heel uniform. All he did in a secondary role last season was complete 40-of-47 passes (85.1%) for 555 yards and six touchdowns with no picks. All the playmakers are back for the Heels, but it won't be the offense that is the problem. Remember the last time out for the UNC defense - Baylor rushed for 645 yards in the bowl game. Nick Chubb should be licking his chops. The Georgia Dome will be rocking as the Bulldogs make the hour trip from Athens, along with their faithful who filled up Sanford Stadium to the tune of 93,000 for the Red and Black Spring Game. New top Dawg Kirby Smart named Greyson Lambert his starting signal-caller. Buckle up for this one. It has potential to be the best game of the weekend.
Georgia 38, North Carolina 37
No. 20 USC vs. No. 1 Alabama (Line: Alabama -11.5) - at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas
The history of - and between - these two schools should not be overlooked. USC thumped Alabama 42-21 in Tuscaloosa in 1970. Then-head coach Paul "Bear" Bryant had not recruited black athletes, whereas the Trojans were integrated and running back Sam Cunningham tore up the Tide defense. Bryant changed his ways the next season. A brief history lesson there, but Saturday night in Arlington won't be very historical. Nick Saban and the reigning champion Crimson Tide start an entirely new offensive backfield, but may have the best defense in football once again. This will be the fifth season Saban begins the year with a first-year starting quarterback. The previous four resulted in a combined 52-4 record with three national titles. I can't see this one being close.
Alabama 42, USC 14
No. 2 Clemson at Auburn (Line: Clemson -7.5)
Probably the nation's most talked about team this offseason was the Clemson Tigers. Offensively, it's been discussed ad nauseam that the ACC Tigers return virtually everyone including Heisman front-runner Deshaun Watson. There are some question marks on defense, but most think this team will develop quickly and make another run at the Playoff. Auburn, however, is soul searching after back-to-back sub-par seasons by SEC standards. Gus Malzahn enters on the hot seat. A big home loss to open the season could turn up the flames quickly.
Clemson 44, Auburn 24
BYU vs. Arizona (Line: BYU -1) - at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.
Heartbreak hit Tucson this summer when Arizona lost a senior offensive lineman who was found dead one morning. Certainly his teammates will be playing with heavy hearts, and BENched would like to send its condolences to the Wildcat Family. On the field, we know Rich Rod's offense will be fast and BYU will see what it can get out of Taysom Hill. The oft-injured, sixth-year quarterback has been brilliant in his career when he's remained healthy. Should be a nice night-cap to the full day of games, if you can stay up late for it.
BYU 34, Arizona 31
Sunday
No. 10 Notre Dame at Texas (Line: Notre Dame -3.5)
Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly seemingly will implement a two-quarterback system with DeShone Kizer and Malik Zaire splitting duties. The Irish hope someone steps up to provide some consistency. At Texas, Charlie Strong joins Malzahn as a coach on the hot seat to start the year. Another sub-.500 record and Strong will be searching for a new job. Will his job security lie in the hands of a true freshman quarterback in Shane Buechele? More than likely, yes. He's sort of Colt McCoy 2.0. But how much of Colt and not Case McCoy he is remains to be seen. Don't be surprised if the Horns pull off the upset.
Notre Dame 27, Texas 21
Monday
No. 11 Ole Miss vs. No. 4 Florida State (Line: Florida State -4.5) - at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla.
Labor Day Night closes out the weekend with a bang. Ole Miss is in all kinds of hot water with the NCAA, something Florida State knows a little bit about. Chad Kelly proclaimed himself as the best quarterback in college football at SEC Media Days. The Rebels will need someone to step up on offense because his trusty go-to receiver Laquon Treadwell is in the NFL and Ole Miss lost the majority of its offensive line. Kelly could be running for his life against a talented FSU front. The Noles have a redshirt freshman quarterback - not unlike 2013 - as Deandre Francois has been named the starter. Luckily for Francois, he has one of the nation's best backs to hand the ball of to in Dalvin Cook. Could be wrong here, but the belief is the Rebels' time has passed.
Florida State 28, Ole Miss 24
-BtW
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