College football 2017: The College Five, Week 1

College football is finally back and fully underway this weekend, which means the College Five is back as well, bringing you (as always) the best games and what the outcome will be. Not only is this a guide through the many games that happen every weekend, there will also be a fair amount of upsets predicted here. Buckle up and get ready for the 2017 college football season.

5 - Colorado State vs. Colorado, Friday at 8 -

After trouncing Oregon State 58-27, the Rams head out to the road to take on the Colorado Buffaloes. The Buffaloes are hot of their 10 win season and an elite defense will be there to try and cool of the the Rams offense. Colorado ranked 24th in total defense with only 20.5 points allowed per game and 328 yards. This is a buzz saw of a group and while the offense will have a couple games of reset, the defense can carry the team through the opening weeks.

Colorado Wins 36-24

4 - Texas A&M vs. UCLA, Sunday at 7:30 -

Texas has had solid defense as a staple, most notably churning out pass rushers like Myles Garrett and Von Miller through the years. UCLA has a top level quarterback in Josh Rosen, but no running game and the Aggies showed last season they know how to throw the Bruins offense out of whack and constantly get to the quarterback. The offense for Texas A&M will not be nearly as explosive as because they are brining in a fresh crop of quarterback talent, but UCLA is not diverse enough on offense to take advantage.

Texas A&M Wins 26-21

3 - (22) West Virginia vs. (21) Virginia Tech, Sunday at 6:30 -

The Mountaineers had a lethal offense that put up points quickly, in the Big 12. The ACC defense of Virginia Tech, a team that nearly stunned the championship Clemson Tigers in the ACC title game, will be a formidable opponent. Freshman quarterback Josh Jackson will also be coming in for the Hokies, after almost beating out Jarod Evans last season, he will be the established signal caller that can run the offense for Virginia Tech. Their offense will be very underrated starting out the season, which makes this my first upset of year.

Virginia Tech Wins 35-27

2 - (11) Michigan vs. (17) Florida, Saturday at 3:30 -

One of the premier games of the weekend is the Wolverines taking on the Gators, for an early look at the state of Michigan after losing so much talent to the draft. The Gators will have Feleipe Franks starting at quarterback over Luke Del Rio and Malik Zaire, which could be the surprise of the first week of football, although it has been reported that all the quarterbacks could receive playing time. With the quarterback quandary for the Gators, this is fixing up to be a defensive battle of immense proportions. This game will be won on turnovers and scoring outside of the offense. This is the game the Gators played all season long, however, the X factor is Michigan’s running game powered by Chris Evans. He may be the fastest player in this game and will be the difference.

Michigan Wins 31-24

1 - (3) Florida State vs. (1) Alabama, Saturday at 8 -

The game of the weekend goes down between Florida State and Alabama. FSU is coming off of a great recruiting year and returns two key players quarterback Deondre Francois and defensive back extraordinaire Derwin James. But the Tide is coming and will be rolling in full force. After having seven defensive players taken in the first four rounds of last seasons draft, many will focus on how they fill the defensive holes, but the focus should be on the offense. Jalen Hurts is coming back after his freshman season, with a season of experience and a massive running back in Bo Scarbrough to lean on. This offense will dominate the game for Alabama. This team is going to be unstoppable again this season.

Bama Rolls 45-30