Guest Post: 2012 Top College Football Match-ups for Week 1

The first day of college football is always special because fans and players are ready for some football. For many top-tier teams, Week 1 means opening the season with an easy home tune-up game against a lesser opponent that is designed to help teams begin the season with a win and to work out remaining wrinkles. This is not the case for the following ten teams, however, as they take the plunge early and open against quality opposition. South Carolina @ Vanderbilt This may not be the marquee matchup of Week 1, but it is the first SEC match-up of the season that, for many, will officially open the 2012 college football season at 7:00 PM on Thursday, August 30. South Carolina is expected by many to win the SEC East, and Vanderbilt head coach James Franklin’s team showed flashes of competitiveness last year. This will also be people’s first look at Gamecock star running back Marcus Lattimore since his ACL tear halfway through last season. Tennessee vs. NC State (played in Atlanta) This game is the first of two that will take place in Atlanta on Friday night at 7:30 and will be a warm-up for the Auburn/Clemson tilt that will take place the next day. Neither of these teams is likely to compete for a BCS National Championship, but many college football fans are eying Tennessee head coach Derek Dooley’s hot seat with morbid fascination. Tennessee’s 2011 season ended with their first loss to Kentucky in decades, so many feel that this game is almost a must-win for Derek Dooley in order to make the postseason and maintain employment. Boise State @ Michigan State This 8:00 match-up will be the game that most people will be watching on Friday night. Whatever people might think about Boise State’s football team as a whole, few college football fans can deny that the Broncos are almost always up for big season openers. The Broncos will be a young team this year, and Michigan State finished last season with an emotional triple overtime win over the Georgia Bulldogs in the Outback Bowl. Given the ease of the Broncos’ remaining schedule, this game is almost an all-or-nothing situation for Boise State as a loss would torpedo their season from a national perspective before their first conference game. Auburn vs. Clemson (also played in Atlanta) Saturday night boasts two solid Opening Week match-ups, of which this is the first at 7:00 PM. The nation last saw Clemson getting pummeled by West Virginia in the Orange Bowl, so they will be looking to regain some respect by beating the national champs from two seasons ago. Auburn is looking to regain some respect of its own by trying to better their 8-5 finish last season and head coach Gene Chizik will try to prove that he can coach a team without Cam Newton to victory. Alabama vs. Michigan (played in Arlington, TX) This primetime matchup kicks off at 8:00 PM on Saturday and will be one of the most anticipated matches of the first week. Defending BCS National Champion Alabama takes on Denard “Shoelace” Robinson and his Michigan Wolverines at Jerry World in Arlington, TX. Will Bama be able to replace the starters they lost to graduation and to the draft? Will Michigan be able to play up to the level they used to reach or will they be mediocre? Both of these teams finished the season successfully, the Tide winning the BCS Title in their rematch with LSU and Michigan winning the Sugar Bowl. Whoever wins this game will gain much momentum heading into the rest of the season. Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech This ACC tilt ends Week 1 at 8:00 PM on Monday night. Both teams had decent seasons last year and each one looks to jump out to an early ACC lead. Both the Jackets and the Hokies have had trouble finding offensive rhythm and identity over the past few years, so whichever team does so will likely win this game. Virginia Tech is known for its defense and special teams, while Georgia Tech runs the rarely seen triple option offense that can trip up undisciplined defenses. By Don Phan - Just another sports enthusiast.