#1 Alabama vs. #14 Miami: Owen Pustell
Miami comes into this matchup with a chance to redeem a 2020 season that ended with a pair of heartbreaking losses to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Oklahoma State. Expect head coach Manny Diaz to open up the playbook early, taking advantage of new transfer receiver Charleston Rambos’ game-breaking speed. For the Crimson Tide, it has been an offseason of change as they return just two starters on offense. Sophomore quarterback Bryce Young will be working with the next generation of Alabama receivers headlined by an electric John Metchie III as he looks to start his era in Tuscaloosa with an important out-of-conference win. This game will start off fast, but Alabama should pull away safely in the third quarter as Miami struggles to keep pace with what looks to be another dangerous Nick Saban offense.
Final Score Prediction: Alabama 35, Miami 24
Akron at Auburn: Catherine Jeffers
Kicking off for the first time under new head coach Brian Harsin, the Auburn Tigers host the Akron Zips this Saturday at 6 p.m. Led by junior quarterback Bo Nix, the Tigers will look to utilize Tank Bigsby’s offensive presence and effectively run the ball down Akron’s throat. Nix’s biggest issue will be composure under pressure. In his sophomore stint, Nix scrambled almost before any pressure appeared, losing yards quickly and often resulting in turnovers. However, new offensive coordinator Mike Bobo has proven he can develop quarterbacks, so only time will tell if the same is true with Nix. If Nix can find a way to settle in the pocket and make use of receivers Shedrick Jackson and Demetris Robertson, Auburn can expect to score and score often. On the other side of the ball, expect a big game out of Colby Wooden, Zakoby McClain, and Smoke Monday. In the Gus Malzahn era, the defense was Auburn’s strength. Former Vanderbilt head coach Derek Mason now runs the Tiger defense, with the luxury of Roger McCreary returning to finish his degree. Watch out for a high-powered offense and a wall on defense to shut down Akron and settle this game early.
Final Score Prediction: Auburn 48, Akron 10
#5 Georgia vs. #3 Clemson: Jane Rob Pannell
College football is back, and what better way to start out than a matchup between a pair of top-five teams? The Clemson Tigers and the Georgia Bulldogs will be facing off at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina. One huge determining factor of this matchup will be which quarterback executes better, so the pressure is on for the two California boys. This will be the Tiger’s first season without No. 1 overall draft pick Trevor Lawrence, so quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has some big shoes to fill. Don’t doubt him though. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney admitted that Uiagalelei has a better arm than past Tiger quarterbacks, including Lawrence. As for Georgia, a more experienced quarterback, JT Daniels, will be taking the snaps. While the Bulldogs have a history of being a run-first type of team, head coach Kirby Smart believes that having Daniels at quarterback changes that dynamic. Clemson is returning all but one starter on defense, whereas Georgia has had to replace some of their top defensive players, but both teams showcase a strong defensive line. Although it’s only the first week, this is one of the most anticipated games of the year. Ultimately, it will come down to which offensive line proves themselves to be better and which quarterback makes less mistakes.
Final Score Prediction: Clemson 35, Georgia 28
Florida Atlantic at. #13 Florida: Ruby Draayer
The FAU Owls are making their way to the Swamp this weekend, and as much as I hope they beat Dan Mullen, I think this one goes to the Gators. Florida lost a massive portion of their offensive production this off-season and will be looking to new starting quarterback, Emory Jones to produce in the same way that Kyle Trask did. Florida is going to struggle without Kadarius Toney, Kyle Pitts, and Trevon Grimes this season, but they are still Florida. The FAU Owls have named the former Miami quarterback N’Kosi Perry as their starter ahead of the Saturday matchup, but going into the Swamp against a Top-15 team usually doesn’t go well for Conference USA games.
Final Score Prediction: Florida: 48, FAU: 14
Louisville vs. Ole Miss: Aidan Gallardo
It’s the second season for Ole Miss’s head coach Lane Kiffin and it’d be expected that his team will start off its 2021 campaign with a bang. Even though the Rebels suffered some key losses on the offensive side of the ball with wide receiver Elijah Moore and tight end Kenny Yeboah starting their careers in the NFL, there are still glimpses of hope and excitement of what this team can achieve this season. With junior quarterback Matt Corral coming off a stellar year, many are excited to see what he can do this coming season and there are even talks of him competing in the Heisman race. As for Louisville, coming off a poor 2020 season in the ACC with a 4-7 record, there’s a difficult opening opponent that they’ll face in Ole Miss. It’ll be tough to stop Ole Miss’s high powered offense but they could definitely put up points of their own. The Rebels ranked near the bottom in total defense last season among FBS teams. This game will come down to who makes that one key defensive stop because both offenses will be lighting up the scoreboard.
Final Score Prediction: Ole Miss 42, Louisville 28
