‘You Are Looking Live’: A Complete College Football Viewing Guide For Week 1

We made it. No, really. We finally made it. Some of us had an eventful offseason. Still others are familiar faces in new places. Already we’ve had one coach fired, and a couple more are in trouble of their own. College football is here, and it’s about dang time.

The season has this way of arriving exactly when it’s supposed to. Sure, the date and time is pretty static and rigid and we can plan and schedule around it. But its arrival is like catching a train right when you get to the platform. It hits us when we need it most, when the weather gets a slight chill (even if it’s still hot as blazes) at night. When the sky takes on a different hue if you’re up early enough to appreciate it.

Life doesn’t revolve around football, nor should it, but life gets a little bit better when college football is around. Maybe it’s the influx of youth, the promise of opportunity. Or the fact that for these few months, this really is our time.

Week 1 is always a little bit strange. We don’t know what to expect from any of these teams, even if we have unreasonably high expectations. There’s no conference battles. A lot of games are at neutral sites, and many are played on Thursday or Friday (or, even Monday). Our first true college-football Saturday is next weekend, but this is more of a five-day celebration of what we have back in our lives. None of us need it to be happy, and that’s important to remember, but it certainly doesn’t hurt.

Here’s what to watch for in Week 1. (All times are EST.)

Thursday, Sept. 3

FRONT AND CENTER

6 p.m.: North Carolina vs. South Carolina *in Charlotte* (ESPN)

Sure, there’s the Florida International and UCF game to compete with, but this is the real start of the season. The game that pretty much everyone is going to tune into, at least to start. When all of us will be firing off tweets and texting our friends. It’s not a game with possible playoff implications down the road, and who knows if either of these teams will even be ranked at the end of the year, but North Carolina’s crazy offense and new defensive coordinator Gene Chizik going up against Steve Spurrier in Charlotte has the potential to be a heck of a lot of fun.

8:30 p.m.: Michigan at Utah (Fox Sports 1)

Welcome to the Jim Harbaugh era at Michigan. Finally all the talk can stop, and Harbaugh can finally start coaching, which I’m sure he is even more relieved about than I am. The Wolverines will have some growing pains this year, and might have trouble offensively until Harbaugh finds a quarterback he can trust, but watching their trajectory over the course of the year is going to be an ongoing storyline to monitor. As for Utah, this is a dangerous team with maybe the best special teams unit in all of college football. They’re hoping to start the year on a high note.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL

9 p.m.: TCU at Minnesota (ESPN)

Left out in the playoff cold, TCU jumped into the Peach Bowl and beat the tar out of Ole Miss. Heading into this season, the Horned Frogs are a trendy pick to not only make the College Football Playoff, but possibly win the whole dang thing, and Trevone Boykin is a Heisman frontrunner. While Minnesota likely isn’t quite as good as it was last year, the Golden Gophers would love nothing more than to play spoiler at home on a Thursday. Although, even in a loss, hopefully everyone gets Dilly Bars.

9:30 p.m.: Duke at Tulane (CBS Sports Network)

I just have a funny feeling about this one. Don’t ask me why. Plus it’s a good reason to drop in Holly Anderson’s terrific look back at the Green Wave post Katrina.

Friday, Sept. 4

FRONT AND CENTER

7 p.m.: Michigan State at Western Michigan (ESPNU)

So, yeah, that.

10:15 p.m.: Boise State at Washington (ESPN)

Any time you can get Boise State playing in an early season game against a major conference opponent, you take that opportunity to watch the Broncos. Especially when the team they are playing against is coached by the former long-time head man (Chris Petersen) who helped build them into what they are today.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL

9 p.m.: Kent State at Illinois (Big Ten Network)

Because I really want to see how the Illini respond after removing Tim Beckman with a little over a week before the season started.

Saturday, Sept. 5

FRONT AND CENTER

Noon: Stanford at Northwestern (ESPN)

NERD FIIIIIIIGGGGHHHHHTTTTTTTTTT

3:30 p.m.: Auburn vs. Louisville *in Atlanta* (CBS)

Only watch this game if you like points. (Okay, see, everyone likes points.) Will Muschamp is going to make that Auburn defense better, as he’s one of the best defensive coordinators in football, but this is going to be an ongoing process, and Louisville’s offense gives you so many different looks, it’s incredibly tough to scheme against. In one of the sneakier good games of the weekend, this gets prime afternoon placement.

7 p.m.: Arizona State vs. Texas A&M *in Houston* (ESPN)

In what will probably be the most fun game of the entire weekend unless we get some sort of craziness in Ohio State-Virginia Tech (more on that later), Mike Bercovici brings his gunslinging attitude to the starter’s role he waited so patiently to earn. On the other side is Kyle Allen, a former five-star who got better as the year went on for the Aggies last year after supplanting Kenny Hill (who is now at TCU). These two teams are pretty evenly matched, although former LSU defensive coordinator John Chavis watching over that ultra athletic A&M squad could be an X-factor here.

8 p.m.: Alabama vs. Wisconsin *at Jerry World in Dallas* (ABC)

The marquee game of Saturday, if you believe in those sorts of things. One of five quarterbacks is going to play for Alabama, maybe more. And Wisconsin has Paul Chryst as coach now, which is neat. The Crimson Tide are probably still stung after losing to Ohio State in the playoff last year, so don’t be surprised if Nick Saban comes out firing to hush all the Big Ten dominance talk that the SEC had to hear all offseason. Although, if Corey Clement can find daylight on the ground for the Badgers, this one could stay close.

10:30 p.m.: Arkansas State at USC (Pac-12 Network)

We need more football. We crave more football. Give me the Red Wolves going across the country to play the Trojans well into the late hours of the evening, pls.

SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL

3:30 p.m.: BYU at Nebraska (ABC)

Taysom Hill’s return, coupled with the start of the Mike Riley regime with the Cornhuskers, makes this a very fun game to keep an eye on with the potential to flip to the main screen if things stay tight in the second half.

3:30 p.m: Virginia at UCLA (Fox)

Hey, the Cavs almost pulled off the upset last year. But things might be a bit trickier with the Bruins’ playmakers and talented freshman quarterback Josh Rosen set to start his UCLA career.

7:30 p.m.: Texas at Notre Dame (NBC)

Kind of insane that Texas playing Notre Dame wouldn’t get center stage on opening weekend, but none of us still know what to make of the Longhorns in year two under Charlie Strong. The offense has a long way to go, and the Fighting Irish – at least on paper – appear to be a much better team right now. Knowing Strong and his ability to build a team, this might be a different story if these two teams were playing in November.

8 p.m.: Eastern Washington at Oregon (Pac-12 Network)

The Vernon Adams Experience at Oregon facing his former team in Week 1? Yes. Sign me up.

Monday, Sept. 7

8 p.m.: Ohio State at Virginia Tech (ESPN)

The Buckeyes have revenge on their minds, along with a title to defend, and the Hokies are trying to prove they’re healthy and up to the challenge of stopping Ohio State for a second straight year. Lane Stadium is going to be loud, Blacksburg is going to be crazy, and regardless of how this one plays out, this should be an amazing cap to college football’s opening weekend.