College Football Watchability Tiers: Week 0’s Limited Slate Offers One Marquee Matchup

The Irish kick things off in Ireland, the Heisman favorite gets his junior season underway and more.

Author:
Richard Johnson
Publish date:
Aug 25, 2023

We are so back. After months of everything under the sun that isn’t football, we finally get real live action. It’s Week 0 so the slate is not particularly long, and the depth of good games will not exactly land on a list of classics, but it’s football and that’s something to celebrate. At Sports Illustrated, we’ll be putting together a weekly tiering system for the slate of games on a given week, so while Week 0’s list is small, we consider it mighty and we’re definitely excited for more to come.

All times Eastern.

Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman drops back to pass during the spring game. — Quarterback Sam Hartman makes his Irish debut after transferring from Wake Forest.
Greg Swiercz/USA TODAY NETWORK

Definitely good

• Navy vs. Notre Dame (Ireland/2:30 p.m.)

Yes, admittedly, in a regular week this one might not be up so high on the list, but it earns the distinction as a rivalry game played at a neutral site and we have faith—get it?—that the Irish and the Midshipmen will play an entertaining game across the pond.

Sneaky good (or at least with something of notable intrigue)

• San Jose State vs. USC (8:00 p.m.)

Caleb Williams is playing. You might not get many chances to see him do that in a USC uniform if he leaves for the NFL after this season is over. In a real commentary on the entire Pac-12’s situation, this game is being broadcast on the Pac-12 networks, so you might not even get a chance to watch it, anyway.

• Ohio vs. San Diego State (7:00 p.m.)

You should get to know the name Kurtis Rourke, as the young QB has a chance to be an under-the-radar NFL draft darling and bring some serious juice to the MAC this season if he can stay healthy and live up to the billing. His season will be very intriguing to track.

• Hawai’i vs. Vanderbilt (7:30 p.m.)

If you’re in the Nashville area, maybe you don’t watch this one on TV. We suggest you actually go buy a ticket to this one as the Dores’ athletic department promises to donate a portion of ticket revenue to the Hawai’i Community Foundation’s Maui Strong Fund to support victims of the Maui wildfires.

“The Maui Strong Fund is providing financial resources that can be deployed quickly with a focus on rapid response and recovery for the devastating wildfires on Maui,” a school release said. “Funding will support evolving needs, including shelter, food, financial assistance, and other services as identified by the organization’s partners doing critical work on Maui.”