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Exciting Storylines To Follow In SEC Football’s First Weekend
Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles (6) tackles Texas Longhorns wide receiver Ryan Wingo (5) during the second half of the Cotton Bowl Classic College Football Playoff semifinal game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Jan. 10, 2025. Ohio State won 28-14.

The College Football season kicks off this Saturday and SEC Football is loaded with a slate of non-conference games to watch.

Two Orange Teams Face Off

The Tennessee Volunteers and Syracuse Orange will face off against each other Saturday in one of the most interesting games of the weekend, a neutral-site matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA.

Both teams are coming off good seasons, with the Vols reaching the College Football playoffs and the Orange winning 10 games in Fran Brown’s first season at the helm.

According to Fanduel, Tennessee is a 13.5-point favorite.

Arch Manning Visits The Shoe

With the Texas Longhorns currently leading the pack at No.1 in the AP poll and the Ohio State Buckeyes at No.3, the excitement for this game is palpable. This is expected to be one of many games to keep your eye on as the day unfolds.

Arch Manning is in his first season as Texas’ QB, and a lot of hype surrounds him. This will be a significant test to see where he stands on the national stage, given his talent showcased last year under center. Expect fireworks early.

Ohio State is the favorite. According to the opening lines on BetMGM, the Buckeyes are listed as a -1.5 point favorite against the Longhorns.

Death Valley Against Death Valley

Whichever Death Valley one wants to consider the best will be decided on Saturday night. The Clemson Tigers will face off at home against the LSU Tigers in a huge tilt for both teams, starting with playoff implications as well.

LSU hasn’t won a national title since 2019, and the last time they won an opening game was also in 2019, with Brian Kelly going 0-3 in his time as coach.

Expect plenty of motivation in this game; it’s as big a first game as any, and probably the second-best, next to the Texas-Ohio State game, in terms of watchability.

According to bet365, Clemson is favored by four points at home.

Bama Travels To FSU

Last season was one the Florida State Seminoles would like to forget and move on from. Things won’t get any easier as the Alabama Crimson Tide is coming to town, eager to prove themselves after a season that fell short of their standard.

According to BetMGM Sportsbook, the Crimson Tide is favored. (-13.5)

Virginia Tech/ Gamecocks Clash

This is the interesting game of the weekend and will take place on Sunday in the Aflac Kickoff game Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The South Carolina Gamecocks, a team with potential to surprise, are considered a sleeper by many to make a strong run at the college football playoff. They have one of the top quarterbacks in the country, Lanorris Sellers, leading the team.

A unique aspect of this game is the coaching situation-the Gamecocks’ coach, Shane Beamer, is facing his dad’s former school, where he coached for 29 years with great success.

According to FanDuel, South Carolina is favored by 7.5 points.

How South Carolina-Virginia Tech in Atlanta was set up | Hilton Head Island Packet

End Of My SEC Football Rant

The time is now.

The SEC Football season is underway this weekend, and what a way to jumpstart the opening weekend with some high-impact games that have big playoff and Heisman potential, featuring all the top names involved.

SEC Football is what I live for and We are Back. Let’s Party!

This article first appeared on Stadium Rant and was syndicated with permission.

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