The college football season is unofficially getting underway this week. Even though the Gators won’t take the field until next week, there are eight games being played at the FBS level today as part of Week 0.
There will be hardcore fans who will try to watch all eight games, but we wanted to rank which games would be of the least interest to Florida and which games are the ones that Gators fans are going to want to prioritize this Saturday.
Week 0 games Florida fans should make sure they watch on Saturday
8. Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan — 6:30 PM, ESPN+
If Jaden Rashada were still with Sacramento State, this game could actually get bumped up the list. But he is now at Mississippi State, and with a 9.5 point spread featuring two teams that Gator fans don’t care about, this is the most skipable game of the day.
7. San José State at No. 14 USC — 3 PM, NBC
USC is the only tanked team playing today, which could create a hint of interest. But since this is the USC with academic standards and not the USC the Gators are going to play later in the year, combined with this being a 38.5-point spread, there are other games of interest.
6. Hawai‘i at Stanford — 7 PM, ACC Network
Neither of these are teams that Florida fans are going to have much investment in, and this game does run in conflict with another game we are going to highlight later, but it is a 4-point spread in favor of Stanford, so this might wind up being one of the closer games of the day.
5. Jacksonville State at North Dakota State — 5:30 PM, CBSSN
The Bison of North Dakota State have made the jump to FBS, and this is a 6.5-point spread in favor of NDSU. These are necessarily two teams Florida fans are going to care about, but it falls in a time slot that could be a solid bridge to the 7 PM games if the 3:30 PM games are a snooze fest.
4. NC State at Virginia — 3:30 PM, ESPN
Now we are getting to the power conferences. This game was originally supposed to be in Brazil, but it got moved back to the States after logistical issues and low ticket sales. With UVA being a 4.5-point favorite, this also could wind up being the best all-around game of the day, even if it's two teams Florida fans otherwise wouldn’t care about.
3. North Carolina vs. TCU — noon, ESPN
This game will probably be a blowout in favor of TCU, but the games in Ireland over the years have found a way to be more competitive than we thought. Throw in UNC having three former Gators on the team (Greg Smith, Tarvorise Brown, Gannon Burt), along with the spectacle that is modern-day UNC, and this is going to be one worth checking out.
2. New Mexico State at Florida State — 7 PM., CW
On paper, this game won’t be close, as FSU is a 31.5-point favorite. But Florida fans are bound to hate watching this game, and if this game is even remotely close into the second half, the opportunity to join in on some trash-talking online is going to be golden. It is in Mike Norvell's wheelhouse to lose a game like this.
1. Memphis at UNLV — 10 PM, FOX
We wish this game were an 8 PM start and not 10 PM, but this is by far the most compelling game of the day for Florida fans. For starters, you have the fact that UNLV is a legit playoff contender as the G6 representative. Then throw in UNLV being coached by Dan Mullen, who has been shy about taking shots at the Gators this offseason. Memphis is probably starting former Gator commit Marcus Stokes at QB, though that hasn’t been 100% confirmed, as Memphis is keeping this close to the vest. Throw in a 4.5-point spread, and this is the game of the day.
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