Preseason College Football Rankings: Top Week One Matchups According to AP Poll

Oklahoma may enter the first week of the season as the top-ranked team in the AP Top 25 poll, but are the Sooners playing in one best matchups of the first week?

Since No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 LSU are both ranked in the top five, this non-conference game being played at a neutral site has to be the best, right?

There are plenty of ho-hum week one games, but the rankings also show us there are some great games.

Keep reading and see what are the seven best matchups in week one according to the AP rankings.

7. East Carolina vs. South Carolina

East Carolina may be on the decline, but the Pirates know a thing or two about being overlooked.

Quarterback Dominique Davis averaged 305 passing yards last year, while being named Conference USA's Newcomer of the Year.

The Pirates also get to avoid playing at No. 12 South Carolina's Williams-Brice Stadium, so the "neutral" Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte could help their cause.

But this is supposed to be South Carolina's season, and Steve Spurrier will make sure there isn't a letdown against East Carolina.

Marcus Lattimore is going to carry the ball a lot, and Stephen Garcia is going to throw it to Alshon Jeffery almost as much.

6. TCU at Baylor

Baylor didn't crack the Top 25, but the Bears will offer a formidable challenge for No. 14 TCU.

TCU's defense will have to cope with Baylor's versatile quarterback Robert Griffin, who threw for 3,501 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 67 percent last season.

The Horned Frogs may feel slighted a bit by the ranking, especially coming off a 12-0 season.

But the voters realize TCU is without quarterback Andy Dalton, a key player. Certainly Gary Patterson will have another strong defense, and this year's unit is led by linebacker Tank Carder.

TCU took it to the Bears last year 45-10, so it's clear Baylor would like to exact a bit of revenge.

5. Tulsa at Oklahoma

Tulsa enjoyed a program-changing win last season when it knocked off Notre Dame 28-27 in South Bend en route to a 10-3 season.

So the Golden Hurricane might believe they can win this game, but a little reality may come at them quickly against the top-ranked Sooners.

Oklahoma is loaded on both sides of the ball. Tulsa may score a few points, but the challenge is going to be how to stop Landry Jones, who last season threw for 4,718 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Let's not forget that Oklahoma also has two of the nation's top receivers—Ryan Broyles and Kenny Stills.

The Sooners probably have nothing to worry about, but the coaching staff will not let the players overlook the spunky Hurricane.

4. SMU at Texas A&M

Eighth-ranked Texas A&M not only has a stiff challenge against SMU to kick off the season, but three of the Aggies' first four games are against strong teams.

The other two are No. 9 Oklahoma State (Sept. 24) and No. 15 Arkansas (Oct. 1).

But this is the most talent-laden A&M team since the R.C. Slocum days, especially on offense, where Ryan Tannehill has become one of the best passers in the game and Cyrus Gray is a pounding runner.

Here's the scary part about this opener—SMU also has a top quarterback (Kyle Padron) and runner (Zach Line). In June Jones' offense, the Mustangs normally score points in bunches. However, that didn't happen as much last year as normal.

With 17 starters returning for SMU, the Mustangs are a dangerous team.

3. South Florida at Notre Dame

If No. 16 Notre Dame can get through September unscathed, the Irish will be in line to possibly run the table.

Starting the season with South Florida may not sound like a tough challenge, but Notre Dame Coach Brian Kelly is well aware of how dangerous the Bulls can be. South Florida has a history of winning big games in the first month of the season.

South Florida quarterback B.J. Daniels can be tough to defend, but he also has a history of being inaccurate. If he's on, then the Bulls could shock the Notre Dame crowd.

Notre Dame finished 2010 on a roll and it seems Kelly's offense is finally on track, so the ranking seems about right for now.

2. Boise State vs. Georgia

Boise State earned some serious respect in the preseason AP Poll as the Broncos picked up two first-place votes and enter the season at No. 5.

It will evaporate quickly if the Broncos can't handle No. 19 Georgia in the season opener in Atlanta.

Boise handled Virginia Tech at FedEx Field in Landover, Md.—basically a home game for the Hokies.

Now the Broncos, led by All-American candidate Kellen Moore, will try their hand against the SEC.

Georgia is getting a lot of preseason hype, especially considering the Bulldogs finished 6-7 last season. The easy answer for why this is happening is history.

The Bulldogs have consistently finished in the Top 25 and the pollsters believe Mark Richt and Georgia will rebound in 2011.

1. Oregon vs. LSU

Did you ever doubt it?

It's rare to get this good of a game in the first week of the season.

Who will come out on top—Oregon's high-flying offense or LSU's stifling, speedy defense?

We won't have to wait long to find out, and it's possible that one of these elite team's shot at a BCS Championship could be over almost before the season begins.

If you're like me, you won't miss this week one game.