5 Must-Watch Games on College Football's Opening Weekend
#16 UCLA Bruins vs Texas A&M Aggies
This has got to be the best game of the bunch. In fact, our algorithms rate this game as the most uncertain of Saturday's schedule. It's very near a toss-up, and Vegas tends to agree, giving Texas A&M three points at home, in College Station. This might seem like a slap in the face to UCLA, being the lone ranked team of the two, so it will be interesting to see if the Bruins come out with a fire that so many believe PAC12 teams lack.
Within the lines of the field is where that will play out. It's also where we'll see two of the biggest superstars (and draft prospects) go head to head. For UCLA, that's sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen. For the Aggies, it's junior defensive end Myles Garrett. Rosen will be trying to conduct an offense, put up points and improve off of a freshman campaign in which he threw for 3,669 yards and 23 touchdowns. Garrett will attempt to disrupt Rosen, make him uncomfortable in the pocket, and build upon an 11.5-sack season last year. The winner of this game-inside-the-game might lead his team to victory.
When Texas A&M has the ball, the story will be Oklahoma transfer Trevor Knight versus a stingy UCLA secondary. Knight, who was an on and off starter in his three years in Norman, brings in a dual-threat skillset that has proven to be effective from time to time. But the graduate transfer's Achilles' heel has been turnovers, which ultimately led to him being supplanted by the aforementioned Mayfield. In 24 appearances, Knight threw a total of 19 picks, including 12 in 10 games during his sophomore season.
Hopefully, Knight has learned from his mistakes and can take advantage of Kevin Sumlin's quarterback-friendly offense. If not, he could be in a heap of trouble against UCLA's experienced secondary that includes four seniors and two juniors. This same group put up above-average numbers last year, holding opponents to 57.1% passing and a touch over 200 yards per game. Can Knight rise to the occasion and outplay his fans' new least favorite player? I can't wait to see!
