ATLANTA, GA, Sporting Alert — The college football Week 1 schedule will continue on Saturday with an electrifying list of games, including the clash between No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Florida State.
More than a dozen teams ranked in the current AP Top 25 poll are set to open their respective seasons on Saturday but without a doubt, the Crimson Tide and the Seminoles battle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, is the main headline this weekend.
The clash, the first college game at the $1.5 billion replacement for the Georgia Dome, is what the college football supporters have been waiting to see since the schedule was released earlier this year, and live coverage is available on ABC, starting at 8:00 p.m. ET. WatchESPN will also provide live stream.
Florida State head coach Jim Fisher speaks to QB Deondre FrancoisWhen Alabama and Florida State take the field on Saturday, it will be the first time two teams ranked in the Top 3 will open a season against one another since the AP preseason poll started in 1950.
The game, which could play a massive part in the College Football Playoff decision this season, will also see one of the coaches, Nick Saban or Jimbo Fisher — losing their perfect starts in season openers.
Alabama’s Saban, who is 10-0 all-time against his former assistant coaches, comes into this game with a 10-0 record in his season openers, while Florida State’s Fisher has a 7-0 record in season openers.
Fisher coached under Saban at LSU as the offensive coordinator from 2000-04 and he would love to make a statement with a win on this weekend.
“The guys have been looking good in practice so hopefully they can carry that over into the game,” Fisher said.
He added about Alabama: “It’s not about them, it’s about us.”
ESPN’s Football Power Index is giving the Crimson Tide, who were beaten in the College Football Playoff championship game by Clemson last season, a 59 percent chance to beat the Seminoles.
But this isn’t the only game of interest this weekend, as the encounter between No. 11 Michigan and No. 17 Florida at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, is also expected to be among the highlights.
Meanwhile, defending CFP champion Clemson will open its season at home against Kent State.
The Tigers, who are in a semi-rebuilding process, enter the new term ranked No. 5 in the AP Top 25.
Elsewhere, No. 5 Penn State entertains Akron, No. 7 Oklahoma will host UTEP, fourth-ranked University of Southern California welcomes Western Michigan, while No. 13 LSU opens up against BYU at Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.
College Football Games on TV Today
Saturday, Sept. 2, 2017
Matchup Time (ET) TV
Akron at No. 6 Penn State 12:00 pm ABC
Ball State at Illinois 12:00 pm Big Ten Network
Bowling Green at Michigan State 12:00 pm ESPNU
Kent State at No. 5 Clemson 12:00 pm ESPN
Maryland at No. 23 Texas 12:00 pm Fox Sports 1
Missouri State at Missouri 12:00 pm SEC Network
Wyoming at Iowa 12:00 pm Big Ten Network
California at North Carolina 12:20 pm ACC Network
Bethune-Cookman at No. 18 Miami, FL 12:30 pm RSN
Youngstown State at Pittsburgh 1:00 pm ACCNExtra
Portland State at Oregon State 2:00 pm Pac-12 Network
VMI at Air Force 2:00 pm ESPN3
NC State vs. South Carolina 3:00 pm ESPN
Alabama A&M at UAB 3:30 pm
No. 11 Michigan vs. No. 17 Florida – in Arlington, TX 3:30 pm ABC
Nevada at Northwestern 3:30 pm Big Ten Network
Temple at Notre Dame 3:30 pm NBC
UTEP at No. 7 Oklahoma 3:30 pm FOX
William & Mary at Virginia 3:30 pm ACCNExtra
Troy at Boise State 3:45 pm ESPNU
Charleston Southern at Mississippi State 4:00 pm SEC Network
Eastern Washington at Texas Tech 4:00 pm Fox Sports Network
Kentucky at Southern Miss 4:00 pm CBSSN
Stony Brook at No. 19 USF 4:00 pm ESPN3
Western Michigan at No. 4 USC 5:15 pm Pac-12 Network
Albany at Old Dominion 6:00 pm ESPN3
James Madison at East Carolina 6:00 pm ESPN3
NC Central at Duke 6:00 pm ACCNExtra
Appalachian State at No. 15 Georgia 6:15 pm ESPN
Miami, OH at Marshall 6:30 pm Stadium
Central Arkansas at No. 20 Kansas State 7:00 pm K-StateHD.TV
Eastern Kentucky at WKU 7:00 pm FloSports.TV
Hampton at Ohio 7:00 pm ESPN3
Houston Baptist at Texas State 7:00 pm ESPN3
Lamar at North Texas 7:00 pm ESPN3
Liberty at Baylor 7:00 pm Fox Sports 2
Northwestern State at Louisiana Tech 7:00 pm ESPN3
SE Louisiana at UL Lafayette 7:00 pm ESPN3
SE Missouri at Kansas 7:00 pm
Stephen F. Austin at SMU 7:00 pm ESPN3
UMass at Coastal Carolina 7:00 pm ESPN3
Cal Poly at San Jose State 7:30 pm
Georgia Southern at No. 12 Auburn 7:30 pm SEC Network
No. 16 Louisville vs. Purdue (in Indianapolis) 7:30 pm FOX
South Alabama at Ole Miss 7:30 pm ESPNU
Abilene Christian at New Mexico 8:00 pm
Arkansas State at Nebraska 8:00 pm Big Ten Network
No. 3 Florida State vs. No. 1 Alabama (at Atlanta, GA) 8:00 pm ABC
Grambling State at Tulane 8:00 pm ESPN3
Jackson State at TCU 8:00 pm Fox Sport Network
Northern Iowa at Iowa State 8:00 pm Cyclones.tv
Vanderbilt at Middle Tennessee 8:00 pm CBSSN
Southern Utah at Oregon 8:15 pm Pac-12 Network
UC Davis at San Diego State 8:30 pm
Howard at UNLV 9:00 pm
BYU vs. No. 13 LSU (in New Orleans) 9:30 pm ESPN
Incarnate Word at Fresno State 10:00 pm
Montana State at No. 24 Washington State 10:30 pm Fox Sports 1
NAU at Arizona 11:00 pm Pac-12 Network
Western Carolina at Hawaii 11:59 pm
