Week 1 college football picks: USC-Alabama, Notre Dame-Texas, more
After months of expectations and speculation, it's time to finally settle some things on the field. And while Week 1 used to mean tuneups against cupcake opponents, the 2016 college football season's opening weekend is full of exciting showdowns. Can Group of Five darling Houston start a run to the College Football Playoff with a win over Oklahoma? Can USC spoil another possible championship run from Alabama before it even gets started? Does Charlie Strong finally have Texas in position to compete again with powerhouse programs like Notre Dame? And can redshirt freshman quarterback Deondre Francois pick up on the legacy of the last Florida State redshirt freshman QB to start (Jameis Winston) and lead the Seminoles to a pivotal season-opening win against Ole Miss?
There are plenty of storylines to watch in these marquee showdowns and other Week 1 matchups. SI's college football experts Andy Staples, Pete Thamel, Lindsay Schnell, Brian Hamilton, Joan Niesen, Colin Becht and Gabriel Baumgaertner pick the winners of all of the opening weekend's top games.
2016 preseason Crystal Ball: Picks for the playoff, Heisman, hot seat, more
| Staples | Thamel | Schnell | Hamilton | Niesen | Becht | Baum- |
S. Car. at Vandy | |||||||
K-State at Stanford | |||||||
Ga. Tech vs. BC | |||||||
Okla. vs. Houston | |||||||
BGSU at Ohio St. | |||||||
W. Mich. at N'western | |||||||
Hawaii at Michigan | |||||||
Missouri at W. Vir. | |||||||
UCLA at Tex. A&M | |||||||
LSU vs. Wisc. | |||||||
Georgia vs. UNC | |||||||
USC vs. Alabama | |||||||
Clemson at Auburn | |||||||
BYU vs. Arizona | |||||||
Notre Dame at Texas | |||||||
Ole Miss vs. Fla. St. |
