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The California Golden Bears are a mess. Only a few seasons ago, things were looking good in Berkeley with Sonny Dykes calling the shots and Jared Goff at quarterback. However, things have changed drastically in a short amount of time. Dykes repeatedly clashed with the administration about the school’s commitment to football and ended up getting fired after repeatedly flirting with other schools. Justin Wilcox is the new sheriff in town and he has his work cut out for him. He has to groom a new quarterback and fix a dumpster fire of a defense and will be tested immediately. The Golden Bears travel to face the North Carolina Tar Heels in their season opener.This contest in Week 1 of the regular season will go down Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 12:20p.m. ET at Kenan Memorial Stadium in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network.... 

The Kentucky Wildcats’ faith in Mark Stoops was rewarded with a trip to the Gator Bowl last season. There is even more optimism heading into 2016 as Stoops enters his fifth season on the job. Kentucky has 17 returning starters and a manageable non-conference schedule to work with in an SEC East that is still without a dominant team. The Wildcats will start their season on the road against the Southern Miss Golden Eagles, a team they lost to at the start of the 2016 campaign.This contest in Week 1 of the regular season will go down Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 4p.m. ET at Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The game will be broadcast on CBS Sports.... 

Are the USC Trojans ready to once again be the team to beat in the PAC-12? USC enters the season with lofty expectations and a Top 5 ranking, but we have seen that script end in utter disarray before. Quarterback Sam Darnold is the main reason for the optimism but he will be playing behind an offensive line that loses three of its starters from last season and no longer has his two leading receivers from 2016. The Trojans will start the season with the Western Michigan Broncos, but things quickly ratchet up from there.This contest in Week 1 of the regular season will go down Saturday, September 2, 2017, at 5:15p.m. ET at the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. The game will be broadcast on the Pac-12 Network.... 

Defending a national championship is never easy. It’s even harder when you are doing it without the best player in program history. The Clemson Tigers are about to experience that. Deshaun Watson is gone and the story of the offseason has been how to replace him. Kelly Bryant is going to get the first chance at the gig, but freshmen Hunter Johnson and Zerrick Cooper are chomping at the bit to get the chance to. Clemson starts its season against the Kent State Golden Flashes this week.... 

The South Carolina Gamecocks have a lot of returning experience on offense in 2017. Now the question is: will that actually lead to points? South Carolina struggled mightily putting points on the scoreboard a season ago and now virtually the same cast will aim to improve, beginning with the season opener against the North Carolina State Wolfpack.... 

Two of college football’s heavyweights will face off in the regular season opener, which could immediately help clear up if one or both is a legitimate national championship contender. The Michigan Wolverines will face off against the Florida Gators in a pivotal matchup of ranked teams at a neutral location.... 

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish entered the 2016 season with high expectations and subsequently fell flat on their face. Coach Brian Kelly could be on the hot seat if this season isn’t markedly better.... 

Bob Stoops led the Oklahoma Sooners to great heights in his storied coaching career with the team. Now that he’s retired, new coach Lincoln Riley hopes to keep the program rolling. Riley, the team’s former offensive coordinator, is only 33 years old so this is a huge year for him to see if Oklahoma is in good hands.... 

The Northwestern Wildcats had high expectations last season but got off to a brutal start. While 2016 eventually turned around and they won a bowl game, seven wins was not what the program had initially expected. Northwestern was upset in its regular season opener and will aim to avoid that fate in 2017 when it takes on the Nevada Wolf Pack.... 

The Troy Trojans put together a fantastic season in 2016, winning 10 games and even sneaking into the top-25 nationally after a great start. They went toe-to-toe with the national champion Clemson Tigers and hope to push another one of college football’s better programs in this year’s non-conference schedule.... 

The Texas Longhorns aren’t used to being considered an also-ran. This has been a lost decade for Texas football as the school has lost at least four games in every season this decade. Charlie Strong was hired to fix things, but failed to even tally a winning record in three seasons on the job in Austin. Now, it’s Tom Herman’s show and he is expected to turn things around quickly. That starts in the Longhorns’ season opener against the Maryland Terrapins.... 

The Rocky Mountain Showdown has been extremely competitive over the last two decades. Although the Colorado Buffaloes lead the series all-time with a record of 64-22-2, the Colorado State Rams have won seven of the last 18 meetings. For the first time in sometime, these two teams both have high preseason expectations after successful 2016 campaigns and winning this one will help further elevate their goals for the season.Kickoff for this college football Week 1 game is set for Friday, September 1, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at Sports Authority Field in Denver, Colorado. The game will be broadcast on PAC-12 Network.... 

The Army Black Knights are fresh off of their best season in two decades. For just the second time during that stretch, they went to a bowl game and finished with an 8-5 record. Not only that, but Army beat Navy for the first time since 2001 last season. Things are looking up entering head coach Jeff Monken’s fourth year with the program and now he is looking to avenge one of his more embarrassing defeats; a season opening loss to the Fordham Rams in 2015.Kickoff for this college football Week 1 game is set for Friday, September 1, 2017, at 6 p.m. ET at Blaik Field at Michie Stadium. The game will be broadcast on CBSSN.... 

There’s a lot of buzz in the air surrounding Lane Kiffin’s first game with the Florida Atlantic Owls. Say what you want about Kiffin, but he’s entertaining and typically gets results. Many are calling for Florida Atlantic to be one of the most improved teams in the country in his first season in Boca Raton and even if he spends only one year here, he will probably leave the program in good shape. He and his Owls are a very live dog against the Navy Midshipmen in Week 1.Kickoff for this college football Week 1 game is set for Friday, September 1, 2017, at 8 p.m. ET at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton, Florida. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU.... 

The Badgers have much more talent and it’s going to be hard for Utah State to get going offensively against such a strong defensive unit. Wisconsin’s fate is eventually going to be decided in how it does during conference games, but the way it performs in this one could be a harbinger of things to come.Wisconsin does have some new players in key positions, and this will be a good game to iron out any wrinkles before the schedule gets tougher.... 

The Washington Huskies were a trendy pick to make some noise in 2016 and they surpassed everyone’s expectations with a season that ended with a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Huskies couldn’t overcome Alabama in the national semifinal, but it was still a successful season and proof that head coach Chris Petersen was the right man for the job. Washington will start this season just like it did last season, with a game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights.... 

The Penn State Nittany Lions enter the season with high expectations and one of the best running backs in the game. They will look to improve upon last year’s breakout season this year, starting the season off with a home game against the Akron Zips.... 

The Michigan State Spartans face-planted in 2016, stumbling to a 3-9 record after years of being in the mix in the Big Ten. They are hoping for a quick turnaround this season to prove that was just a fluke. Michigan State shouldn’t have any trouble getting off to a fast start in the regular season opener against the Bowling Green Falcons.... 

Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen returned to school for the 2017 season instead of heading to the NFL. He wanted to get more experience before turning professional and will get a tough test in the opener. The Iowa Hawkeyes will host Allen and the Wyoming Cowboys in the season opener for both teams.... 

There always seems to be a notable upset or two of a big college program by a smaller one early in the non-conference season. While the Illinois FIghting Illini isn’t exactly a top-tier program, the Ball State Cardinals would love to go on the road in the regular season opener and pull off the upset.... 

There are a lot of games with big point spreads in the first week of college football action, as many powerhouses load up with easy out-of-conference foes to start. That’s not the case for the matchup between the Boston College Eagles and the Northern Illinois Huskies.... 

It’s that time of the year once again. The leaves are starting to turn and it’s time for college football to fill our Saturdays for the next few months. There are a number of interesting games and storylines for the first full week of the season. Some of these games have seen rather large line movements since they have been up for three months as circumstances and prognostications have shifted odds and perceptions. Let’s look at some of these.... 

Memphis will aim to get off to a hot start in a home game against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks. The Tigers are the better team and have a star quarterback, which is why they are big-time favorites in this contest. UL-Monroe will have easier games down the road, and it will be a moral victory if they are simply able to keep this matchup somewhat close.The Warhawks return a decent number of players from last year but they weren’t particularly successful, so the hope is an extra year of experience and maturation will result in more wins.... 

Arizona State is trying to become a program that is perennially pushing for a quality bowl game, but Graham has been in a downward spiral after some initial success at the school. ASU is trying to shake off a disappointing 5-7 season in 2016 by turning it around this year.There are questions at quarterback and throughout the secondary, but a game against an inferior New México State program should cure those ills, at least temporary. The Aggies have a fifth-year senior directing the offense, which is a plus, and they hope to score enough points to keep up in what should be a big-time shootout.... 

The Buckeyes have a lot of talent to replace but recruit so well that it shouldn’t be a problem. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the country leading the way and are going to be explosive again offensively. Indiana finished under .500 last season and is one of the lower-tier teams in the Big Ten.The Hoosiers are aiming to make a bowl game this season but it’s almost certain they begin the season with a loss in 2017....