It might seem like a long time to eager college football fans that can’t wait for the season to start but the countdown is on and opening night of the 2016 campaign is now just over one month away. We took the time to break down the opening week matchups that we are most looking forward to with five key games we will make sure we don’t miss. Here is a look at the five best week 1 college football games that we are looking forward to watching.
Hawaii Rainbows @ California Golden Bears
August 26th
The Golden Bears open their 2016 campaign as a team in transition after losing their star quarterback Jared Goff, who went first overall in this year’s NFL Draft. Cal will also turn to a new offensive coordinator with the hope that they will be able to move the football effectively even without Goff as Tony Franklin institutes his Bear Raid offense. Chase Forrest is expected to get the nod as the Golden Bears’ starting quarterback this season and it will be interesting to see how Cal fares in their first game of the post-Goff era versus Hawaii in a mini-opener in Australia.
Kansas State Wildcats @ Stanford Cardinal
September 2nd
Once the opener between Hawaii and California is in the books, we can look forward to a full opening weekend of games that will have a major impact on the outlook for the season. Stanford is expected to contend for a Pac-12 title as the defending conference champions but they face a tough test right out of the gate in Kansas State. Heisman trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey will be looking to put on a show and it will be very interesting to see how he performs. As crafty as the Wildcats can be under Bill Snyder, this is a very winnable game for Stanford. They’re at home. However, remember that they stumbled at Northwestern in their opener last season. They’ll be looking to avoid that type of embarrassment this time around.
Oklahoma Sooners vs. Houston Cougars
September 3rd
Oklahoma will open the season against the toughest opponent from the Group of Five in Houston. The Cougars won the Peach Bowl a year ago and the feeling is that an early win over the Sooners would significantly boost their stock on the national stage. Meanwhile, Oklahoma is focused on getting back to the College Football Playoff with star quarterback Baker Mayfield leading the way but a tough test out of the gate could cause an early stumble in week one.
LSU Tigers vs. Wisconsin Badgers
September 3rd
LSU has the potential to be a top-10 team again in 2016 with star running back Leonard Fournette leading the way but will they be able to get enough out of their quarterback to contend for an SEC championship? The Tigers face a tough test right out of the gate when they clash with the Badgers in week one so at least one of those two teams will begin the season at 0-1.
Alabama Crimson Tide vs. USC Trojans
September 3
Even with the turnover Alabama has dealt with this offseason, the defending national champion Crimson Tide are still loaded enough on both sides of the football to contend for another title. USC is expected to be among the national title favorites out of the Pac-12 but they have the most difficult schedule in the country, including a showdown with the Tide right out of the gate.
This is a prove-it game for both teams for different reasons. The Trojans continue to try to prove that they’re back on the scene. If so, then they’ll win this game or make it very competitive. If not, forget about it. As for Alabama, they’re retooling but still have title aspirations. If they don’t win this game or look competitive, then this could turn out to be a rebuilding year.
A number of experts have billed this game as a potential national championship matchup but one of these teams will open the year with an 0-1 record and it will be very interesting to see which team stumbles. Factor in that Alabama offensive coordinator Lane Kiffin will get the opportunity to stick it to his former team and this game should easily be the most highly anticipated matchup for week one.
