College Football kicked off this past Saturday night with a highly viewed Week 0 matchup between Florida and Miami that was as sloppy as it was entertaining. Another Power 5 conference team also got their season started way off in the island of Hawaii and didn’t fare so well.

As we head into the first full week of college football our top 20 hasn’t changed.

18 Stripes Top 20 Poll

RANK TEAM RECORD LAST WEEK
1 Alabama 0-0 N/A
2 Clemson 0-0 N/A
3 Georgia 0-0 N/A
4 Oklahoma 0-0 N/A
5 Ohio State 0-0 N/A
6 Oregon 0-0 N/A
7 Texas 0-0 N/A
8 Florida 1-0 24-20 Win vs. Miami
9 Notre Dame 0-0 N/A
10 Washington 0-0 N/A
11 Michigan 0-0 N/A
12 LSU 0-0 N/A
13 Virginia 0-0 N/A
14 Stanford 0-0 N/A
15 Iowa State 0-0 N/A
16 Nebraska 0-0 N/A
17 Utah 0-0 N/A
18 Penn State 0-0 N/A
19 Army 0-0 N/A
20 Virginia Tech 0-0 N/A

It’s tempting to drop Florida after a bit of a disappointing back and forth with Miami. The Gators totaled a dominant 10 sacks and did enough on defense to win but really didn’t endear themselves to viewers otherwise. Their turnovers (-3 overall) largely kept Miami in the game and still Florida only gained 5 more yards, had 3 fewer first downs, and couldn’t convert a third down (2 for 10) to save their life. We’ll see how things may change for the Gators–that defense could still win a lot of games in the SEC but they didn’t look like a top 10 team unless Miami is sneaky good if young quarterback Jarren Williams improves.

Arizona fell to Hawaii despite 469 total yards from quarterback Khalil Tate. I’m feeling pretty good about that stock down indicator for the Wildcats in my Pac-12 preview earlier this summer.

Week 1 Games to Watch

UCLA (+2.5) at Cincinnati – There are a lot of expected losses on the UCLA schedule as they look to rapidly improve in year two of Chip Kelly. Expecting them to beat one of the best G5 programs heading back east feels like it’s too much to ask right now. Bearcats 30-24.

Utah (-5.5) at BYU – These games are almost always very, very close. You’d think Utah would be favored by a little more with 8 straight wins in this series, though. A healthy BYU probably puts up a valiant effort once again. Utes 19-14.

Wisconsin (-13) at USF – This is a weird location for a Wisconsin opener. Can our boy Blake Barnett lead USF to a victory over a Wisconsin program looking to turn things around from a down 2018? Badgers win 33-30.

Purdue (-10.5) at Nevada – Tune in to see the first Rondale Moore action of the season! Also, Nevada isn’t terrible by any stretch of the imagination so the Boilers better be ready. Boilermakers 27-21.

Duke (+35) at Alabama [Mercedes Benz Dome, Atlanta, GA] – Without NFL superstar Daniel Jones an awakening can’t be rude for the Blue Devils. Lots and lots of pain is going to be dished out in the dome. Crimson Tide 49-3.

Northwestern (+6.5) at Stanford – Nerds. Four seasons ago Stanford only scored 6 points in a loss at Northwestern. I was at a Chipotle in Erie, Pennsylvania when that went final and I nearly choked on my burrito from laughing so hard. Cardinal 27-23.

Virginia Tech (-4) at Boston College – A pair of Notre Dame’s opponents open up with each other in ACC play. It’s worth a few minutes of your time but I’m getting really strong vibes of a super ugly game. Hokies 13-7. 

Boise State (+5.5) at Florida State – Frankly, a disrespectful line to Boise State, in my opinion. I’m selling Willie Taggart at Florida State and think this will be an upset according to Vegas. Broncos 34-30.

Oregon (+3.5) at Auburn [AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX] – Auburn put the clamps down on a Pac-12 contender in last year’s opener and look to do the same thing in 2019. I think the Ducks offense will pose a much tougher problem for them. Ducks 42-40.

Fresno State (+13.5) at USC – Last year’s No. 16 team is facing last year’s 34th team according to S&P+ and the former is nearly a two-touchdown underdog. I don’t think we’re lucky enough to see an upset here, though. Trojans win 33-28.