The 2019 chase to the College Football Playoff begins on Aug. 24, when Florida and Miami kick off the season with a neutral-site matchup in Orlando, Fla. The first full weekend of college football is the week after, on Aug. 31.
MORE: SN’s preseason Top 25
The championship on Jan. 13 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans figures to be an exciting one, and Sporting News can’t wait to get there. And it all starts with that first weekend,
It’s never too early to look ahead to Week 1. With that said, here are 100 reasons we’re looking forward to Week 1 of the college football season (in mostly chronological order).
1. Florida-Miami (Aug. 24)
Manny Diaz’s debut with the Hurricanes
Feleipe Franks and Dan Mullen in Year 2
Is there still a “Turnover Chain”?
Arizona vs. Hawaii late night
Khalil Tate vs. Cole McDonald in top 25 QB battle
Holy war between Utah and BYU (Aug. 29)
UCLA on at Cincinnati in the Mick Cronin Bowl. (Aug. 29)
Georgia Tech at Clemson
Geoff Collins’ head coaching debut
Clemson’s entrance
Trevor Lawrence’s first pass to Justyn Ross. Or Tee Higgins. Or. …
Travis Etienne’s first big run up the middle
Xavier Thomas’ first sack
Get back, Brent Venables
16. Dabo Swinney’s halftime interview
Kellen Mond and Jimbo Fisher in Year 2
Friday Night Sparty with Tulsa (Aug. 30)
Colorado State-Colorado
Kelvin Hopkins Jr.’s first option keeper for Army
MORE: Six best national title contenders for 2019
21. Rondale Moore’s first jet sweep for Purdue
Jonathan Taylor’s first off-tackle run for Wisconsin
Utah State-Wake Forest in a shootout (Aug. 30)
ESPN College GameDay (Aug. 31)
Lee Corso headgear — who will it be?
Ohio State’s Ryan Day, Justin Fields, Garrett Wilson and Zach Harrison debut against … Lane Kiffin and FAU.
Chase Young
The first Script Ohio
Northwestern-Stanford SAT jokes
Hunter Johnson’s debut at Northwestern
Northwestern linebacker Paddy Fisher
Adrian Martinez and Scott Frost in Year 2
Huskers hype returns, but do the Blackshirts?
Fresno State-USC in a gotta-have-it-game for Clay Helton.
Jacob Eason’s debut at Washington
Mike Leach’s first sideline interview
Mason Fine at North Texas
Matt Wells’ debut at Texas Tech
Neal Brown’s debut at West Virginia
“Texas is back!”
MORE: Composite preseason top 25
Sam Ehlinger
Bru McCoy?
43. Bevo
A.J. Epenesa’s first sack for Iowa
Mike Locksley’s debut at Maryland
Upset alert! (Doesn’t matter where)
47. Yetur Gross-Matos and Penn State’s pass rush
Joe Burrow and LSU’s revamped passing attack
Grant Delpit’s first interception
Ed Orgeron’s first sideline interview
Derek Stingley Jr.’s debut
Ole Miss at Memphis
Alabama vs. Duke
Tua Tagovailoa’s first deep pass to Jerry Jeudy
Najee Harris and Trey Sanders
Jaylen Waddle running very fast
#RunTheDamnBallSark
Nick Saban’s first outburst
59. Saban’s second outburst …
- Anfernee Jennings, Dylan Moses and a defense with something to prove
MORE: Can anything stop Bama-Clemson V?
Auburn vs. Oregon at Jerry World
Who’s Auburn’s QB?
Justin Herbert at Oregon
Pac-12 implosion (if the Ducks lose)
Gus Malzahn hot-seat talk (if Tigers lose)
North Carolina vs. South Carolina in Charlotte, N.C.
Mack Brown’s Tar Heels debut
Jake Bentley. He’s still at South Carolina?
Florida State vs. Boise State
Virginia vs. Pitt in ACC Coastal showdown
Hugh Freeze’s debut at Liberty
Syracuse with Tommy DeVito under center
AJ Dillon at Boston College
Georgia-Vanderbilt
Jake Fromm and UGA’s offensive line
Georgia running back D’Andre Swift
Vanderbilt running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn
Michigan and #SpeedInSpace
The first chorus of “The Victors”
Shea Patterson to Donovan Peoples-Jones, Nico Collins and Tarik Black
MORE: 19 predictions for 2019
Jim Harbaugh and Josh Gattis. Does it work?
Is Baylor back with Charlie Brewer?
Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy
Les Miles’ debut at Kansas
Chris Klieman’s Kansas State debut
Kelly Bryant’s debut at Mizzou
Jim McElwain’s debut at Central Michigan
The first chorus of “Rocky Top”
Houston at Oklahoma (Sept. 1)
Jalen Hurts’ debut at OU
Dana Holgorsen’s debut at Houston
92. D’Eriq King’s return for Cougars
93. CeeDee Lamb, Kennedy Brooks and Kenneth Murray
Notre Dame at Louisville (Sept. 2)
Scott Satterfield’s Louisville debut
Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book
Khalid Kareem off the edge
Week 1 overreactions, over-analysis and Heisman cases
Reading about it at Sporting News
100. Looking ahead to Week 2