Week 1 of the college football season is finally upon us. Here is how to watch the biggest games, such as the Oregon-Auburn showdown, along with viewing information and notes for each Top 25 game. We’ll highlight the best of our experts’ picks, betting tips and important stuff like uniform reveals — and a bacon vending machine at Ohio State.
Here’s everything you need to get ready for a full day of action:
The latest: Injury updates and news
Jump to: Top 25 games | Saturday’s best
Previewing this weekend’s action
2:21
SVP provides his picks against the spread for Week 1, which includes Georgia Southern vs. LSU, Ole Miss vs. Memphis and Nevada vs. Purdue.
Top 25 games
Check back here throughout the day for the latest results and quick takes from Week 1 (in order by kickoff time; all times ET; lines courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook):
Florida Atlantic at No. 5 Ohio State
Time: Noon
How to watch: Fox
Line: Ohio State -27.5
And our best line: Florida Atlantic has never beaten an AP-ranked opponent, going 0-20 and losing by an average of 34 points per game.
Northern Iowa at No. 21 Iowa State
Time: Noon
How to watch: Fox Sports 1
Line: No line
And our best line: Brock Purdy took over as starting quarterback last Oct. 13, and the Cyclones went 6-2 the remainder of the season.
South Alabama at No. 24 Nebraska
Time: Noon
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Line: Nebraska -36.5
And our best line: Huskers QB Adrian Martinez currently has 10-1 odds to win the Heisman Trophy, trailing only Trevor Lawrence, Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts.
Eastern Washington at No. 13 Washington
Time: 3 p.m.
How to watch: Pac-12 Network
Line: No line
And our best line: Georgia transfer Jacob Eason (13 career starts, 16 TDs/8 INTs) takes over at quarterback for Washington after the graduation of Jake Browning.
Duke vs. No. 2 Alabama (in Atlanta)
Time: 3:30 p.m.
How to watch: ABC and ESPN App
Line: Alabama -33.5
And our best line: The Crimson Tide look to extend their FBS-record 82-game winning streak against unranked opponents.
Idaho at No. 15 Penn State
Time: 3:30 p.m.
How to watch: Big Ten Network
Line: No line
And our best line: FPI gives Penn State a 99% chance to win; Idaho has lost 39 straight to teams in the AP Top 25.
Northwestern at No. 25 Stanford
Time: 4 p.m.
How to watch: Fox
Line: Stanford -6.5
And our best line: Last season, Stanford averaged 107.9 rush yards per game, which ranked 122nd in the FBS. Northwestern allowed 129.6 rush yards per game last season, fourth-fewest in the Big Ten.
No. 22 Syracuse at Liberty
Time: 6 p.m.
How to watch: ESPN+ and ESPN App
Line: Syracuse -18
And our best line: Syracuse is ranked in the preseason Top 25 for the first time since 1998. New Liberty head coach Hugh Freeze has been hospitalized during fall camp due to a staph infection and might miss the game or could coach from the box rather than on the field.
No. 3 Georgia at Vanderbilt
Time: 7:30 p.m.
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Line: Georgia -22.5
And our best line: Jake Fromm threw 30 touchdown passes last season, third-most in Georgia history (Aaron Murray had 36 in 2012 and 35 in 2011), but he loses his top five receivers from last season.
Georgia Southern at No. 6 LSU
Time: 7:30 p.m.
How to watch: SEC Network and ESPN App
Line: LSU -27.5
And our best line: LSU, which finished 10-3 last season, is the only SEC team returning at least eight starters on both offense and defense.
Middle Tennessee at No. 7 Michigan
Time: 7:30 p.m.
How to watch: Big Ten Network
Line: Michigan -34.5
And our best line: First chance to see how Michigan’s offense will look under new coordinator Josh Gattis.
No. 11 Oregon vs. No. 16 Auburn (in Arlington, Texas)
Time: 7:30 p.m.
How to watch: ABC and ESPN App
Line: Auburn -4
And our best line: Auburn, which struggled on offense last season, is starting Bo Nix, the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Tigers since 1946. Oregon returns 10 offensive starters, including QB Justin Herbert, the potential No. 1 overall NFL draft pick next year.
Miami (Ohio) at No. 20 Iowa
Time: 7:30 p.m.
How to watch: Fox Sports 1
Line: Iowa -21.5
And our best line: Iowa defensive end A.J. Epenesa had 10.5 sacks last season (tied for most in the Big Ten) despite averaging fewer than 30 snaps per game.
Louisiana Tech at No. 10 Texas
Time: 8 p.m.
How to watch: Longhorn Network and ESPN App
Line: Texas -19.5
And our best line: Texas comes in with its highest preseason ranking since opening No. 5 in 2010, but has to replace six starters on offense and eight on defense.
New Mexico State at No. 23 Washington State
Time: 10 p.m.
How to watch: Pac-12 Network
Line: Washington State -31.5
And our best line: Washington State is coming off the first 11-win season in school history. The Cougars haven’t reached double-digit victories in consecutive seasons since 2001 through 2003.
Sunday: Houston at No. 4 Oklahoma
Time: 7:30 p.m.
How to watch: ABC and ESPN App
Line: Oklahoma -23
And our best line: Jalen Hurts arrives from Alabama to take the reins of Lincoln Riley’s prolific OU offense. Houston’s D’Eriq King was responsible for 50 touchdowns last season, behind only Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray and Ohio State’s Dwayne Haskins (54 each).
Monday: No. 9 Notre Dame at Louisville
Time: 8 p.m.
How to watch: ESPN and ESPN App
Line: Notre Dame -19
And our best line: Notre Dame, with its highest preseason ranking since 2006, faces a Louisville team that went 2-10 before firing Bobby Petrino and hiring former Appalachian State coach Scott Satterfield.
Thursday: No. 17 UCF 62, Florida A&M 0
The spotlight was on UCF’s quarterbacks going into the opener against FAMU, and they did what was expected against an overmatched opponent. Brandon Wimbush and Dillon Gabriel combined for five touchdown passes, and it would not be a surprise if they continue to split snaps. Of far greater importance was the Knights losing starting cornerback Brandon Moore to a serious leg injury. Moore was hurt in the third quarter, with the game well in hand, and now the Knights must replace one of their most veteran defensive players. — Andrea Adelson
Aug. 24: No. 8 Florida 24, Miami 20
The Gators put together one of the sloppier performances to open the season and were fortunate to beat Miami. But the real question is whether that was a product of Week 0 or the way we can expect Florida to play once it faces its next FBS opponent. Florida needs to get more consistency from veteran quarterback Feleipe Franks, improve its run game and cut down on the turnovers. Defensively, tackling needs to get better, and so does safety play. — Adelson
Saturday’s best
“OH PORK,” it says
We know you’re skipping this to read the tweet anyway, but I just wanted to type the words “Ohio Pork Council” and “bacon vending machine.”
The Ohio Pork Council invites Buckeye fans to visit the Bacon Vending Machine, located near section 37A in the south stands, at tomorrow’s game against Florida Atlantic and each home game for the remainder of the season. @OhioPork#Baconhttps://t.co/6iVvUiJ58P pic.twitter.com/yFuG710EMc
— NationalHogFarmer (@NHF_Magazine) August 30, 2019
Different type of throwback
Duke used the create-a-uniform style of EA Sports’ dearly departed NCAA Football video game series to reveal its uniform combination for Saturday’s game against Alabama.
🔵😈🏈 19 drops this Saturday 👀
❄️❄️❄️ Week 1️⃣ Threads ❄️❄️❄️@DukeFBEquipment | #GoDuke pic.twitter.com/oiaby0qI4i
— Duke Football (@DukeFOOTBALL) August 29, 2019
Game-winner? Check. Scholarship? Check. All-time school legend? Check.
Solid first game for Nevada kicker Brandon Talton. The freshman nailed a 56-yarder with no time left — the longest game-winning FG by a freshman kicker as time expired over the last 15 seasons — to lead the Wolf Pack to a 34-31 victory over Purdue.
It’s a good night for @btalton111.#BattleBorn // #NevadaGrit pic.twitter.com/0IezKayVJs
— Nevada Football (@NevadaFootball) August 31, 2019