College Football Rankings 2016: Final NCAA Overview of Week 1 Standings
Our first college football Saturday is finally upon us, and it should be a classic.
Opening weekend features four battles between ranked opponents, three of which are on the slate for Saturday. And that doesn't even include a few high-profile matchups involving teams just outside the Top 25.
To prepare for the weekend, here's a look at the preseason polls followed by a breakdown of a few of Saturday's biggest matchups:
| 1 | Alabama | Alabama |
| 2 | Clemson | Clemson |
| 3 | Oklahoma | Oklahoma |
| 4 | Florida State | Florida State |
| 5 | LSU | Ohio State |
| 6 | Ohio State | LSU |
| 7 | Michigan | Stanford |
| 8 | Stanford | Michigan |
| 9 | Tennessee | Notre Dame |
| 10 | Notre Dame | Tennessee |
| 11 | Ole Miss | Michigan State |
| 12 | Michigan State | Ole Miss |
| 13 | TCU | Houston |
| 14 | Washington | TCU |
| 15 | Houston | Iowa |
| 16 | UCLA | Georgia |
| 17 | Iowa | USC |
| 18 | Georgia | Washington |
| 19 | Louisville | Oklahoma State |
| 20 | USC | North Carolina |
| 21 | Oklahoma State | Baylor |
| 22 | North Carolina | Oregon |
| 23 | Baylor | Louisville |
| 24 | Oregon | UCLA |
| 25 | Florida | Florida |
No. 3 Oklahoma (-12.5) vs. No. 15 Houston
Of all the Saturday matchups, this one has the most on the line.
Major conference teams can easily overcome an early-season loss, especially on their nonconference schedule. But for a Group of Five team like the Houston Cougars, this effectively counts as a playoff game.
With an upset of the Oklahoma Sooners, Houston can at least entertain the possibility of advancing to the College Football Playoff.
Houston, led by quarterback Greg Ward Jr., has the offense to keep pace with Oklahoma in a shootout. So the key to this game could be the turnover battle, which could swing momentum one way or the other.
In 2015, the Cougars had a plus-21 turnover margin, compared to just plus-nine for Oklahoma.
If Houston's defense forces Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield into some ill-advised throws, the Cougars might be able to keep their playoff dreams alive.
Prediction: Houston 45, Oklahoma 42
No. 20 USC vs. No. 1 Alabama (-11.5)
It's easy to understand why the defending national champions are nearly two-touchdown favorites over the Southern California Trojans. However, USC might have the tools to make the game interesting.
Alabama Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban has proved he can recover from losing players to the NFL, but it isn't always a smooth transition in the early going.
In 2015, for example, while struggling to decide on a quarterback, Alabama was outplayed in an early-season loss to the Ole Miss Rebels.
If USC has one advantage over Alabama, it might be its passing attack.
The Crimson Tide struggled against some of the top quarterbacks in 2015, including Ole Miss' Chad Kelly and Clemson's Deshaun Watson. USC's Max Browne is unproven but has similar expectations.
Browne also has the added benefit of JuJu Smith-Schuster—arguably the nation's most dominant receiver. At 6'2", 220 pounds, Smith-Schuster has a clear advantage over anyone he'll go up against in the Alabama secondary.
USC may not have enough to pull off the upset, but if Browne and Smith-Schuster hook up for some big plays, the game could be close late into the fourth quarter.
Prediction: Alabama 31, USC 24
No. 18 Georgia (-3.5) vs. No. 22 North Carolina
The storyline of this matchup is the return of Georgia Bulldogs superstar running back Nick Chubb.
Chubb suffered a season-ending injury last October but is back to full strength for the Bulldogs' opener against the North Carolina Tar Heels.
According to Seth Emerson of DawgNation, Chubb's workload will not be restricted Saturday.
North Carolina has a power running back of its own, senior Elijah Hood.
Hood stepped up for North Carolina in some of its biggest games in 2015, including a 118-yard performance on just 13 carries in a Russell Athletic Bowl loss against the Baylor Bears.
The key to Saturday's game could be North Carolina quarterback Mitch Trubisky, who's taking over for Marquise Williams. Trubisky is a more traditional pocket passer and may end up being an upgrade over the elusive but erratic Williams.
If Trubisky lives up to the hype, North Carolina has the firepower on offense to pull off the upset.
Prediction: North Carolina 35, Georgia 24
All spreads are from Odds Shark.
