Previewing No. 16 Auburn vs No. 11 Oregon

After an extremely sloppy week zero headliner between Florida and Miami, we'll hopefully see a higher quality game of football this Saturday evening between the No. 16 Auburn Tigers and the No. 11 Oregon Ducks. Labor Day Weekend's marquee matchup will be taking place at 6:30 Central Time at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas. As if we don't see enough nationally televised games each fall at the Cowboys' stadium. The last time these two programs faced off was in the National Championship of the 2010 season when Cam Newton led the Tigers to a thrilling victory, beating Chip Kelly's Ducks 22-19. Auburn opened up last season with a neutral-site battle against a Pac 12 team, where they edged out Washington 21-16 in Atlanta.

Gus Malzahn and his Tigers are coming off of a subpar 8-5 season, which included losses to LSU, Mississippi State, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama. Honestly, their only quality SEC win last year was a 28-24 win over Texas A&M, with their only other conference wins being over Arkansas and Ole Miss. In terms of numbers, the Tigers looked better than their record, ranking 19th in points per game with 42.8, and allowed the 18th fewest points per game with 19.6. Again, not the most impressive showing from Auburn, but they do have some positive momentum to carry over from a 63-14 beatdown of Purdue in the Music City Bowl.

The Tigers just recently announced true freshman Bo Nix as the official starter under center for Saturday evening's matchup. Nix was a five-star recruit in high school and is a skilled dual-threat quarterback, who is also an Auburn legacy; Bo's father Patrick played QB there from 1992-1995. Jimbo Fisher was actually Auburn's quarterback coach at the time. Obviously there's the potential danger of Nix crumbling under the bright lights in his first ever collegiate game, but they obviously wouldn't name him QB1 if they didn't think he could step up. So we'll see if the coaching staff's evaluation was an accurate one come Saturday. For what it's worth, Bo Nix is a phenomenal football name. Especially for quarterback in the SEC. Luckily for Nix, he should expect some strong protection from an incredibly talented and experienced offensive line.

Expect sophomore Seth Williams to be one of Nix's main targets in the passing game; in his freshman season, Williams put up 26 catches for 534 yards and five touchdowns. Also, the coaching staff has had some good things to say about receiver Matthew Hill, who redshirted last season. The 6 foot 1 Georgia native reeled in five catches for 128 yards and two touchdowns in Auburn's spring game.

This offense has a deep group of running backs, so expect a few different guys to be heavily in the mix. The running backs are coached by the absolute legend Cadillac Williams, and he is on record saying he wants "as many guys contributing as possible." Most likely at the head of the pack will be JaTarvious Whitlow, who was Auburn's leading rusher in 2018. Whitlow went for 787 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

I had mentioned the Auburn offensive line checking off both the "talented" and "experienced" boxes, but their defensive line may just outshine the hogs on the offense. This defensive line corps is highlighted by senior Derrick Brown, who's coming off of a stellar junior season in which he tallied 48 tackles (26 solo, 22 assisted) with 10.5 tackles for loss, and 2.5 sacks. Brown also defended two passes in 2018. The d-line also features senior Marlon Davidson, who had 46 total tackles (20 solo, 26 assisted) with 4.5 of those being for loss (2.5 sacks) and three passes defended. Nick Coe had a great sophomore season, as 13.5 of his 26 tackles were for loss, seven of them being sacks. Big Kat Bryant should contribute in his junior season, after recording 18 tackles with 3.5 sacks, and a forced fumble last year, along with a pick-six in Auburn's bowl win over Purdue.

In Mario Cristobal's first year as Oregon's head coach last season, the Ducks finished 9-4, with losses coming to Stanford, Washington State, Arizona, and Utah. Three out of those four losses are pretty reasonable, especially for a first year coach. The biggest of their nine wins were: 42-24 over Cal, an OT victory over Washington, and an ugly 7-6 win over Michigan State in the Redbox Bowl. Oregon scored an average of 34.8 points per game, while allowing an average of 27.

Most of Oregon's preseason discussion has obviously surrounded senior quarterback Justin Herbert, who is considered a consensus first round NFL draft pick next spring. I'll be completely honest with everybody here, I don't particularly see where all the hype is coming from. Now, that's not me writing off Justin Herbert and saying he's a bad player. In any sense. He'll be drafted in the first round. I'm not denying the potential for his ceiling. In his senior campaign, he very well could convert me into a believer. He finally gets to play under the same head coach in consecutive seasons for the first time in his collegiate career, which should do him nothing but favors. But as of right now, I just don't understand the amount of drooling praise this guy gets. Numerically speaking, taking the handful of basic passing statistics, he was the 3rd or 4th best quarterback just in the Pac 12 last year. Like I said, he could have an astounding season and eventually warrant all of this hype, but until then let's pump the brakes on that a bit.

In 2018, Herbert completed 59.4% of his throws, tallying 3,151 yards, 29 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. He eclipsed the 300-yard mark just twice: 308 vs San Jose State and 346 in an OT loss to Stanford. A loss in which Herbert threw an overtime interception.

Herbert is athletic enough to roll out and improvise if necessary, but luckily for him, the Ducks are returning all five of their starters from the 2018 offensive line. For now, the QB's targets are unproven. I'd keep an eye on Penn State transfer Juwan Johnson, a 6 foot 4, 231 pounder from Glassboro, New Jersey. In his junior year for the Nittany Lions, Johnson 25 had catches for 352 yards and a touchdown. His sophomore year was more productive; he put up 54 receptions and 701 yards in total.

The Ducks have some serious Sophomore skill in the backfield with Travis Dye and CJ Verdell, both California natives. The Oregon State defense got absolutely sliced by these guys last year, as Dye ran for 199 yards against the Beavers, and Verdell got 187 yards of his own. And I probably shouldn't fail to mention Verdell's five rushing touchdowns that game. That added to his season totals of 1,018 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground. He definitely was involved in the passing game too, catching 27 balls for 315 yards and two touchdowns. Travis Dye totaled 739 yards and four touchdowns on 140 carries.

Oregon understandably feels confident in their defensive unit, and I'm especially excited to watch true freshman defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (another A+ name playing in this one), the No. 1 overall recruit of his class. The kid is simply a freakish athlete, standing at 6 foot 5, weighing in at 245 pounds. He played some tight end in high school as well; his highlight tape is fun as hell. His mobility is constantly on full display, and he seems to have good instinct. Thibodeaux is on record saying his goal is to get ten sacks this season. Setting the bar high, no doubt about that.

I'm sure the little rant I had about not being sold on Justin Hebert may have given you a hunch that I'm not completely sold on Oregon as a whole. That's pretty much correct. I do think Cristobal had an impressive first season in Eugene, and I do think the program is headed in the right direction. But like I said, I'm not entirely sold on Oregon. Now Auburn isn't a title contender, and who knows what their final record will look like after their gauntlet of a schedule. But I'm more confident in the Tigers to come out on top in this one, diminishing the Pac 12's national credibility just that much more. Oregon had a successful 2018, but you can't sit there and tell me they'd finish with anything close to a similar record if they played in the SEC West. I know SEC bias can be completely exhausting, but let's take it into consideration when comparing these two teams. As of now, the Tigers are favored by 3.5. That line gives me a bit of the spooks, but if it helps your decision making, the public is currently in favor of Oregon +3.5. Tough to trust the general public.

Other games to watch this weekend: Thursday features the reigning champs, Clemson, hosting Georgia Tech. Clemson is favored by 37. Late night we've got No. 14 Utah at BYU. The Utes are favored by 6.5, with an over/under of 48.

Friday night: No. 19 Wisconsin (-11.5) at USF; No. 18 Michigan State vs Tulsa.

Saturday early games: No. 5 Ohio State vs Lane Kiffin's Florida Atlantic; Memphis (-5.5) vs Ole Miss

Saturday afternoon: No. 2 Alabama vs Duke; North Carolina vs South Carolina; No. 25 Stanford (-6) vs Northwestern

Saturday night: Florida State (-4.5) vs Boise State; No. 3 Georgia at Vanderbilt; USC (-13.5) vs Fresno State.

Sunday night: No. 4 Oklahoma (-23) vs Houston (now coached by Dana Holgorsen)

Monday night: No. 9 Notre Dame (-18) at Louisville

Enjoy the first full slate of college football. We made it.

College football week zero: No. 8 Florida vs. Miami

Typically week zero of the college football season doesn't quite appeal to me all that much, as there usually aren't the most exciting matchups presented until the true opening, Labor Day Weekend. But luckily we get to see the No. 8 Florida Gators take on the Miami Hurricanes (who did receive the fourth most votes of teams outside the AP top 25) for an in-state battle at Camping World Stadium in Orlando this Saturday night. Many are considering this to be a de facto state championship game, although something makes me believe that UCF fans would very, very loudly disagree. I don't know, just a hunch. And we can most definitely all agree that Florida State is not currently the best team the state of Florida has to offer.

Both of these previously dominant Floridian programs are in the midst of optimistic resurgence. Two (of the many) football programs that are in the discussion of being "back." This will be the 56th meeting between the Gators and 'Canes, and Miami leads the all-time series 29-26. This will be the first time since 2013 that the two have faced off, a game in which Miami won 21-16. In fact, Miami has won five of the last six dating back to 2001, which included the 2004 Peach Bowl and the 2001 Sugar Bowl.

Miami's 2018 season was certainly something they're putting in the rearview, as they finished with a 7-6 record which included a 35-3 loss to Wisconsin in the Pinstripe Bowl. After coaching the 'Canes for three season, Mark Richt retired last December, which led to an unexpected return from Manny Diaz. Diaz had served under Richt as the defensive coordinator, but took the job as Temple's head coach....last December. Manny Diaz was Temple's head coach for 17 days before he returned to the U as their head coach. That is certainly an easier transition for a new head coach than an external hire, so perhaps the 'Canes turnaround can happen quicker than usual. Miami averaged 28.8 points per game last year, and allowed an average of 19.5 points per game, the 18th fewest in college football.

After what seemed to be a quarterback competition between N'Kosi Perry and Ohio State transfer Tate Martell, Miami announced redshirt freshman Jarren Williams to be QB1 for game one. Williams has only appeared briefly in a 77-0 beatdown of Savannah State last season. His play is obviously crucial, as Miami's primary concern lately has been stability under center. The 'Canes now have Dan Enos on staff as offensive coordinator and QB coach, who coached Alabama's quarterbacks last year, which should obviously aid the development of Jarren Williams. Who knows if Perry or Martell could be utilized as well; it has been reported that Tate Martell might take some reps at receiver. Something tells me we haven't heard the last of quarterback controversy for Miami in 2019.

Joining Williams in Miami's backfield is a deep running back corps, led by junior Deejay Dallas. In his sophomore season, Dallas averaged 5.7 yards per carry, totaling 617 yards and six touchdowns. He also did some serious damage in the special teams department, returning 17 kicks for a total of 367 yards (21.6 yards per return), and averaged 17.4 yards on 11 punt returns, including one he took 65 yards to the house against Pitt. He likely will be sharing carries with a few guys, including sophomore Lorenzo Lingard, whose 2018 season was ended early by a leg injury. Lingard was the No. 2 running back in his recruiting class. Also expect sophomore Cam'ron Harris to be in the mix, who averaged 5.9 yards on 28 carries last year.

A few other names to look out for on Miami's offensive side of the ball: KJ Osborn just transferred in from Buffalo after putting up 53 catches for 492 yards and four touchdowns in 2018. The 'Canes also have sophomore tight end Brevin Jordan, who earned second-team All-ACC honors by reeling in 32 catches for 287 yards and four touchdowns. He was the top tight end in his recruiting class.

Miami's defense has certainly been the main contributor to their recent stock increase, and is deservedly getting most of the shine in this preseason hype. They have a very talented and experienced group of linebackers: senior Shaq Quarterman will be drafted next spring; the All-ACC first-teamer recorded 82 tackles (45 solo, 37 assisted) with 14 of them being for loss, and six sacks. Shaq also had six QB hurries, two pass breakups, and a pick. He's joined by fellow seniors Zach McCloud (44 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss) and Michael Pinckney (74 tackles, 11 for loss, 1 INT).

The Gators are coming off a successful first season with their new head coach Dan Mullen (had previously served as offensive coordinator for Florida from 2005-2008), finishing 10-3 with a strong showing in the Peach Bowl, where they absolutely throttled Michigan 41-15. Add that to the list of big games Jim Harbaugh has not won. Florida's three losses in 2018 came to Kentucky, Georgia, and least understandably, Mizzou. On average they scored 35 points per game, which was the 22nd most nationwide, and their defense allowed 20 points per game (20th best in the country).

The Gators' offense is led by redshirt junior QB Feleipe Franks who, in 2018, completed 58.4% of his 322 throws for 2,457 yards and 24 touchdowns. Franks only threw six picks on the year. He also ran for a total of 350 yards and seven touchdowns. Franks has a good bunch of experienced targets to throw to this year; redshirt senior Van Jefferson totaled 35 receptions for 503 yards and six touchdowns last season. Senior Tyrie Cleveland caught 18 balls for 212 yards and three touchdowns. In his junior campaign, Josh Hammond tallied 28 catches for 369 yards and four touchdowns. The chemistry between these top three and Feleipe Franks should do them some favors against a fierce Miami defense.

Saturday night's rivalry renewal will feature not one, but two, disruptive defensive units. The Gators boast a ridiculous cornerback tandem in CJ Henderson and Marco Wilson. Wilson tore his ACL early last season, but put up good numbers the previous year as a freshman with 34 tackles and ten pass breakups. Henderson, a junior, is widely considered one of the best corners in college football after he had 38 tackles (five for loss, three sacks), seven pass breakups, two picks, and two forced fumbles last year. The Gators' defensive line is anchored by Jabari Zuniga, who is projected to be drafted into the NFL after this final season in Gainesville. In 2018, Zuniga recorded 45 tackles (eleven for loss, 6.5 sacks) and four QB hurries.

As I write this, the Gators are currently favored by 7.5 points, and I do think they'll not only come out on top, but I think they'll cover the spread. The first few games of the season are obviously the most difficult to predict, as everything is based off of speculation. But at the end of the day, I feel much more confident in the spot that Florida is in as a program than I do with Miami. I trust Dan Mullen more than I trust Manny Diaz. Florida has the edge in the momentum department, if that even plays a factor this many months later. Miami's recent improvement is undoubtable, but let's remember that they've been certainly short of dominant in the ACC Coastal, of all divisions.

The 'Canes had a tough go last year, as I said before it's just nothing to boast about or feel proud of. They did have an extremely hot start in 2017, winning their first ten games. That included consecutively beating up on both ranked Virginia Tech (28-10) and Notre Dame (41-8). They lost their last three games of that season: 24-14 to Pitt, 38-3 in the ACC Championship to Clemson, and 34-24 to Wisconsin in the Orange Bowl. Do those two good wins in November two years ago really skip over 2018's mediocre season (again, in the ACC Coastal) and carry over to this Saturday night? The U still hasn't really convinced me. Florida isn't a national contender, but Dan Mullen has proven that they're turning things around and I trust that they'll prove to be the better team on Saturday.

Plus, if we're talking Gainesville vs. Miami, Tom Petty over Pitbull all day.