IN FULL GEAR
Headlined by Alabama-Fla. State, college football offers fans riveting weekend
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3 Florida State leads actionpacked weekend
Let the pursuit begin! The quest for college football’s ultimate prize is underway this holiday weekend after starting with a couple of key clashes Thursday night (No. 2 Ohio State at Indiana, Tulsa at No. 11 Oklahoma State).
The weekend slate contains one clear blockbuster matchup, one of the biggest openers in years. Every result is a data point, and several other contests will also have direct — as well as residual — effects on how the College Football Playoff selection committee views the contenders in the final assessment. No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 3
Florida State in Atlanta, Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
The game of the weekend, featuring two Playoff contenders. This game will tell us a lot about these teams. No. 9 Michigan vs. No. 16
Florida in Arlington, Texas, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Florida comes in missing 10 suspended players; coach Jim Harbaugh and Michigan have much to prove. No. 20 West Virginia vs.
No. 22 Virginia Tech in Landover, Md., Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC uEach of these regional rivals
that have not faced off since 2005 could get a big boost with a win. Texas A&M at UCLA, Sun
day, 7:30 p.m. ET, Fox
Both are coming off disappointing seasons, and each coach could use a strong performance to cool his seat a bit. No. 12 LSU vs. Brigham
Young in New Orleans, Saturday, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
The Tigers would very much like to open the season with a resounding statement. (The game was moved from Houston because of Hurricane Harvey.)