7 things to watch in college football’s opening weekend

Technically, college football came back last weekend with Cal beating Hawaii in Australia, but football returns to North America this weekend.

ESPN is billing it as the greatest opening weekend of all time, and for once it might not just be self-serving hyperbole.

Here’s what you need to know before the games get going.

1. It all starts Thursday with a whole bunch of games, including No. 19 Louisville hosting Charlotte and No. 9 Tennessee hosting Appalachian State.

2. The fun continues Friday night with three more ranked teams in action: No. 12 Michigan State hosts Furman, No. 8 Stanford hosts Kansas State and No. 23 Baylor hosts Northwestern State.

3. Saturday you might need to get an extra DVR. While No. 6 Ohio State hosts Bowling Green and No. 7 Michigan hosts Hawaii (both at noon), there are also three games between ranked teams: No. 3 Oklahoma against No. 15 Houston, No. 18 Georgia vs. No. 22 North Carolina in Atlanta and No. 20 USC vs. No. 1 Alabama in Arlington, Texas.

4. Sunday might feel like a trip down memory lane as Notre Dame and Texas will play each other in prime time. The matchup would have more appeal if the Longhorns hadn’t so badly underachieved the past few years, but the Fighting Irish have to prove they deserve their No. 10 ranking without a handful of talented players who are now NFL rookie. They also have a two-headed quarterback monster including Alter graduate Malik Zaire.

5. The best might be saved for last… unless No. 4 Florida State is for real and No. 11 Mississippi is overrated. Both of these things are distinctly possible. We’ll find out about the Seminoles and the Rebels when they play in Orlando on Monday night.

6. Miami University begins its 128th season of football at 3:30 Saturday afternoon at No. 17 Iowa. The RedHawks, who last played at Iowa City in 2003, are 0-3 against Iowa and 9-37-1 against the Big Ten.

7. Dayton kicks off the season at 7 p.m. Saturday at home against Central State. The Flyers are coming off the first FSC playoff appearance in school history and were picked second in the Pioneer League.