You bet I’ll be watching on the first day of the season, but it’s who I’ll be watching that matters.
If I’m a college football fan, I’ll likely wait for the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff game or the Duke Mayo Classic to start watching College Football 2021. I’ll want until September 4 to see how the reigning national champion, the Alabama Crimson Tide, looks coming out of the gate versus the Miami Hurricanes. Will the champs have the skill and firepower to make another undefeated run? And will a team from the Duke Mayo Classic–either Georgia or Clemson–challenge the Tide? That game will be played on September 4, too.
Here’s a problem, though. If I wait until the Tide takes the field or Clemson clashes with Georgia, I’ll miss fun games played by lesser-known and followed teams. So, I’ll be watching two match-ups on the first weekend of the season, Saturday, August 28.
—FSU (Fresno State, that is) v. the Huskies of the University of Connecticut. Fresno State’s Maxwell Award and Doak Walker nominee, RB Ronnie Rivers, rushed for 507 yards and scored 7 touchdowns last year. In 2019, Rivers ran for 899 yards, scored 13 TDs, and rushed for an average of 5.1 yards a carry. Rivers and Fresno State will face top defensive lineman and Bednarik Award nominee, UC’s Travis Jones (6’4” 336). Jones registered 14 solo tackles in 2019 and 3.5 sacks. Watch the action at 2p Eastern on the CBS Sports Network.
The San José State Spartans will defend the Mountain West Championship against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. Sound easy for the Spartans? Not a chance! USU has a trio of All-Americans, including offensive lineman Braxton Jones (6-6, 310 lb), linebacker La’akea Kaho’ohanoohano (39 solo tackles, 7 sacks in 6 games), and QB Justin Miller (1704 yards, 15 TDS). The Spartans will bring their own trio of top-tier talent. TE Derrick Deese Jr. (6-4, 235) is a Mackey award nominee. DL Cade Hall is a preseason defensive player of the year prospect (finished 2020 with 17 tackles, 9 assists, and 10 sacks). And QB Nick Starkel passed for 2,174 yards. The game will be televised by the CBS Sports Network at 8p Eastern.
Lesson? You don’t have to watch ‘The Big Boys’ to enjoy college ball.
