College Football Kickoff: Afternoon Thread

The afternoon games are simply excellent. Games of national and conference note include:

No. 16 UCLA at Texas A&M at 2:30 on CBS. Weird one here, as the teams haven’t met in 61 year. Leo Mazzone was UCLA’s OC last year, a job he now holds for the Aggies. And, if the Ags stumble early to a P12 South contender, are we watching the beginning of Kevin Sumlin’s farewell tour?

No. 5 LSU vs. Wisconsin (in Lambeau!!!) on ABC/WatchESPN at 2:30. Seriously, this is just going to be a chance to see Leonard Fournette on an NFL field a year early, and to see how much (or not at all) Brandon Harris has improved.

La. Tech at Arkansas 3:00 SECN / WatchESPN. This would have been a much better one last season, but the Hogs have this penchant for losing early ones, so who knows.

No. 18 UGA vs. No. 22 UNC in the oh, so neutral confines of the Georgia Dome at 4:30 on ESPN/WatchESPN. Let’s see what the new-look Dawgs’ offense with same ole’ Bryce Ramsay can do. My guess is it looks over the long run worse than Georgia under Mike Bobo and Mark Richt, but this season probably a little better. I wouldn’t take too much away from this one: It’s UNC, one of the most pitiful defenses you’ll find. Unless UGA losses, then we can point and laugh.