5 ranked matchups highlight Week 1

A year after the traditional Labor Day weekend bonanza of college football was whittled down to fewer than a dozen games by the pandemic, the 2021 season starts like none ever before.

For the first time since 2005, when the holiday weekend became college football’s official launch date, the season will open with five games pairing Top 25 teams — including a topfive match-up.

The jewel of Week 1 comes Saturday night in Charlotte, North Carolina, where No. 3 Clemson faces No. 5 Georgia.

Elsewhere, No. 1 Alabama opens its national title defense and season as it usually does: At a neutral site against a Power Five opponent. The Crimson Tide and new starting quarterback Bryce Young face No. 14 Miami and D’Eriq King in Atlanta.

The Big Ten decided to open its season with a bunch of conference games that produced two ranked matchups. No. 12 Wisconsin hosts No. 19 Penn State, two Big Ten powers trying to quickly wash away the memory of disappointing 2020 seasons. No. 17 Indiana, ranked in the preseason for the first time since 1969, goes to No. 18 Iowa.

Maybe the most intriguing of the ranked vs ranked games is one that Texas probably didn’t expect would require such heavy lifting when it was scheduled. The 21st-ranked Longhorns host No. 23 Louisiana-Lafayette in the debut of head coach Steve Sarkisian.

The Ragin’ Cajuns of the Sun Belt knocked off a ranked Big 12 team, Iowa State, on the road last season.

Beyond the ranked matchups, there is No. 4 Ohio State at Minnesota on Thursday night; No. 10 North Carolina visiting Virginia Tech on Friday night; No. 16 LSU playing UCLA in the Rose Bowl on Saturday night; and No. 9 Notre Dame goes to Florida State Sunday night.

Last year, there just nine games played over Labor Day weekend in mostly empty stadiums. The Power Five conferences had all delayed their seasons, and four conferences had no plans to play in the fall at all.

The pandemic hasn’t gone away, but vaccination rates among college football players are well ahead of the general adult population. Optimism abounds. College football is back to — mostly — normal.

The picks, with odds from FanDuel Sportsbook:

THURSDAY

No. 4. Ohio State (minus 13.5) at Minnesota

Buckeyes have won 11 straight against the Gophers and haven’t lost a season-opener since 1999 against Miami ... OHIO STATE 35-23.

FRIDAY

No. 10 North Carolina (minus 5 1/2) at Virginia Tech

Early tone-setter in ACC Coastal ... NORTH CAROLINA 28-20.

SATURDAY

No. 1. Alabama (minus 19 1/2) vs. No. 14 Miami

‘Bama is 10-0 in neutral-site openers under coach Nick Saban by an average margin of 27 points ... ALABAMA 42-25.

Tulane (plus 31 1/2) at No. 2. Oklahoma

Sooners were scheduled to play in New Orleans, but Hurricane Ida forced a change ... OKLAHOMA 4914.

No. 3. Clemson (minus 2 1/2) vs. No. 5 Georgia

Don’t call it a playoff elimination game, but it could serve as tiebreaker of sorts come December ... GEORGIA 28-24.

Kent State (plus 28 1/2) at No. 6. Texas A&M

Golden Flashes averages almost 50 points per game last season, but it was far Aggie-level competition ... TEXAS A&M 55-21.

Miami, Ohio (plus 22 1/2) at No.

8. Cincinnati

Bearcats have won 14 straight in the Battle for the Bell ... CINCINNATI 31-10.

Fresno State (plus 20 1/2) at No.

11. Oregon

Bulldogs warmed up by shutting out UConn last week; This will be tougher ... OREGON 38-16.

No. 19. Penn State (plus 5 1/2) at No. 12 Wisconsin

Nittany Lions have won four straight and six of seven meetings, dating back to 2007 ... WISCONSIN 24-21.

FAU (plus 23 1/2) at No. 13. Florida After a three-year wait, Emory Jones takes over at quarterback for the Gators ... FLORIDA 35-14.

San Jose State (plus 14 1/2) at No.

15. Southern California

USC is 4-0 against the defending Mountain West champions ... USC 37-17.

No. 16. LSU (minus 2 1/2) at UCLA Boy, could the Pac-12 use a victory over an SEC team to start the season ... LSU 31-23, BEST BET.

No. 17. Indiana (plus 3 1/2) at No. 18 Iowa

Hawkeyes have won three straight and seven of eight in the series, but these aren’t your father’s Hoosiers. Or are they? ... IOWA 28-23.

No. 23. Louisiana-Lafayette (plus 8 1/2) at No. 21 Texas

Ragin’ Cajuns are coming off consecutive double-digit victory seasons ... TEXAS 31-21.

SUNDAY

No. 9. Notre Dame (minus 7 1/2) at Florida State

Seminoles have lost four straight opening games ... FLORIDA STATE 27-23, UPSET SPECIAL.

TWITTER REQUESTS

Boise State (plus 5 1/2) at UCF, Thursday — @bkbeban

Two of the best programs outside the Power Five square off ... UCF 3127.

Michigan State (plus 3 1/2) at Northwestern, Friday — @ColinDilworth

Spartans upset the Big Ten West champions last season ... NORTHWESTERN 23-20.

Texas Tech (plus 1/2) vs. Houston at NRG Stadium, Saturday — @jefe172

Cougars looking to prove they belong in the Big 12 ... HOUSTON 3428.

Stanford (plus 2 1/2) vs. Kansas State at Arlington, Texas, Saturday — @BenPetersheim

Body clock game alert for this 11 a.m. CT kickoff for a West Coast team ... STANFORD 28-26.

Oregon State (plus 6 1/2) at Purdue, Saturday — @Ashleyrgsports

Get to know Purdue DE George Karlaftis, a possible future firstround NFL draft pick ... OREGON STATE 31-27.

Nevada (plus 3 1/2) at California, Saturday — @lilerq74

Get to know Nevada QB Carson Strong; Maybe this season’s Zach Wilson ... NEVADA 28-24.

West Virginia (minus 2 1/2) at Maryland, Saturday, —- @SydneyCarton1

Mountaineers have dominated the regional rivalry recently, winning nine of 10 since 2004 ... MARYLAND 27-24.

Record

Last season: 179-78 straight; 124132-1 against the spread.

Bowl season: 12-13 straight; 12-13 against the spread.