College football's opening weekend is finally here!
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We have a ton of great matchups for Week 1, including USC vs. Alabama, Clemson vs. Auburn, and Georgia vs. North Carolina. But which powerhouse teams are on the hot seat of an upset in Game 1 of the season? Here are three teams who could see their dream season derailed in season-opening out-of-conference matchup.
Florida State
Sept. 5 vs. Ole Miss in Orlando
Florida State does return a ton of talent from last year's 10-3 team, and running back Dalvin Cook could be better than over. However, one thing to watch will be redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois, who will be making the first start of his college career in the wake of Sean Maguire's injury.
They won't have the Nkemdiche brothers on defense any more, but Ole Miss still has the talent to put pressure on the quarterback. This seems like a game Florida State should win, but if Ole Miss can pressure Francois into mistakes, then the Rebels may get a signature win in Week 1.
Oklahoma
Sept. 3 vs. Houston
Rarely do you have the trap game two weeks out, but Oklahoma might have that here. They play Ohio State in Week 3, and Houston may be able to take advantage of being slightly overlooked to shock the Sooners.
Houston showed in last year's Peach Bowl that they can hang with top-tier competition. Dynamic quarterback Greg Ward Jr. is back this year, and he definitely has the talent to give Oklahoma a lot of problems. What out for this game, because at the very least, it should be very entertaining.
LSU
Sept. 3 vs. Wisconsin in Green Bay
Considering College GameDay will be at Lambeau Field for this game, it is kind of surprising that this matchup of LSU vs. Wisconsin is getting so much less hype than the other games on opening weekend.
LSU is a 10-point favorite and everyone is very high on them as a College Football Playoff contender, but it seems like people are underestimating Wisconsin. Sure, the Badgers likely aren't Playoff contenders, but they've historically had one of the better run defenses in college football.
LSU does Leonard Fournette, who is probably the best running back in college football, but last season showed one thing: if Fournette is slowed in the slightest, it puts LSU in real danger with their lack of a consistent passing game. Wisconsin's defense, plus Fournette still recovering from an ankle injury, could put the Tigers in a very tough spot.
