What to Watch: Week One (part 4 of 5)

This is part 4 of "What to Watch: Week One." I'm counting down the 10 games I think are the most worthy to be watched in Week One of the season. Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3

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4. Notre Dame at Georgia Tech
Saturday, September 2 - 7:00 p.m.
ABC

The Brady Quinn for Heisman/Charlie Weis for Supreme Ruler of the Universe train pulls into the ATL on opening weekend and it is sure to be a media circus. Throngs of journalists will be fawning over the Fighting Irish in true 1950s-school-girl-in-love-with-Elivis-style and I will be tuning in to see it all. This made the list because everyone will want to see if Notre Dame can live up to their preseason hype.

As we all know, Notre Dame is the black licorice of the college football world. People either love them or hate them with very few holding a neutral opinion. If ND plays a team that has a snowball's chance in h-e-double-hockey-stick of beating them, that game is almost certain to wind up on my Top 10 of the week to watch list. Love `em or hate `em, they're always fun to watch (I even pulled for them against USC last year!)

While I expect the Irish to win, I have a feeling that Georgia Tech will give them all they want and that it'll be a close one. If I were a betting man, I might even take GT plus the 7 & 1/2.

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3. Utah at UCLA
Saturday, September 2 - 6:00 p.m.
FSN

First of all...FSN? What in the world is that all about? This game should be on a better channel.

I know some would say that this game is ranked too high on the list, but I'm kind of excited about it. One of my goals for the 2006 season is to watch more west coast football and I figured what better time to start than week one? Utah averaged 30 points per game last year and UCLA averaged 39. Needless to say, I'm not expecting the 6-3 slugfest of last year's Alabama v. Tennessee game.

Utah fancies themselves as BCS busters this year for the second time in three seasons and UCLA obviously wants to continue the momentum of their 10-win 2005 season. It's a crucial game for both teams and the scoreboard operator in this game is a likely candidate to develop carpel tunnel syndrome on September 2nd. Odds makers currently have UCLA favored by 5 & 1/2.

Check out our friends at Block U and Bruins Nation for more insight...and smack talk.

(Games 1 & 2 plus the honorable mentions will be posted tomorrow)