Top-10 matchup highlights opening weekend of games

By foxsports
Published

Reviewing and previewing college football:

WHO'S HOT

Boise State. The third-ranked Broncos are looking to bust up the Bowl Championship Series with their highest-ranked team entering a season. Boise State's main test will be at 8 p.m. Monday at No. 10 Virginia Tech.

WHO'S NOT

Southern California. Has any team dropped faster than the Trojans during the off-season? NCAA sanctions will keep the Trojans from postseason play this season and in 2011. Then, there's a reduction in scholarships (30) over three years. And if that's not bad enough, smack-talking Lane Kiffin is the head coach.

BEGINNING ANEW

Florida begins the post-Tebow era with QB John Brantley. More importantly, the fourth-ranked Gators play for the first time since the 2001 season without Charlie Strong as defensive coordinator. Strong, whose defenses helped Florida win national championships in 2006 and 2008, is now head coach at Louisville.

HELLO, JIMBO

With the retirement of coaching legend Bobby Bowden after last season, Jimbo Fisher takes the reins at Florida State. The 44-year-old Fisher served as the Seminoles' offensive coordinator the past three seasons.

RANKING THE BIG FOUR

1. Georgia Tech: Augusta-area high school coaches will tell you the defending Atlantic Coast Conference champion Jackets are hitting this area hard. One of their best finds is Jefferson County's B.J. Bostic, whom the Atlanta Journal-Constitution believes will see time as a kick returner.

2. Georgia: Bulldogs make major switch to 3-4 defense this season with the offseason hiring of defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

3. South Carolina: How much has the offensive line improved from last season? And what will we see from QB Stephen Garcia?

4. Clemson: Tigers will have to replace all-everything C.J. Spiller, but the team still has playmakers in QB Kyle Parker and DE Da'Quan Bowers.

WHAT'S NEXT

Southern Miss at South Carolina, 7:30 p.m., Thursday (ESPN)

Louisiana-Lafayette at Georgia, noon, Saturday (WRDW-My12: Comcast-Ch. 21, Knology-Ch. 7, Atlantic Broadband-Ch. 7)

S.C. State at Georgia Tech, 1 p.m. (No TV)

North Texas at Clemson, 3:30 (ESPNU)

Savannah State at Georgia Southern, 6 (No TV)

THIS WEEK'S STORYLINES

Clemson: What will the running game look like this year sans Spiller?

Georgia: How will freshman QB Aaron Murray perform behind the Bulldogs' experienced offensive line?

Georgia Tech: Bulldogs have virtually no shot at slowing down Joshua Nesbitt and the Yellow Jackets' high-powered offense.

South Carolina: All eyes will be on highly-touted freshman RB Marcus Lattimore.

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645

or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com