College Football Thursday

Strike up the bands and get to your favorite spot on the couch, 'cause College Football is back baby!! Why not start with tonight's games?

Thursday Night
What better to start off the season then with some smash-mouth hard nosed SEC football. They say it's the best brand of pigskin in the land, and conference favorite and 2nd ranked LSU goes out to Starkville to face the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. MS coach Sly Croom knows that his behind is toasty on the hot seat and this season is put up or go home. Big taliking Les Miles leads his Tigers into battle led by 5th year senior Matt Flynn. Early Doucet is Flynn's top target and can spread the field quite well. LSU looks to make it 8 straight wins in this rivalry. The game is on ESPN at 8pm.
On ESPNU at 7:30, Steve Kragthorpe debuts as the head coach of Big East favorite Louisville as Heisman candidate Brian Brohm leads the 10th ranked Cardinals against the Racers of Murray State.
Rutgers looks to follow up it's magical season with a win at home against terrible Buffalo, 7pm on ESPN Plus.
Boise State will take on Weber State. The Legion of Liberty will be on at 9 on ESPN.com.
Cincinnati will be in action tonight, Miami (OH) will take on Ball State in MACtion, and Tulsa played Louisiana-Monroe at 7 on ESPN2. In what should be a good game, possible BCS busters Utah brings their high octane O to Pac 10 riser Oregon State at 10.

Friday Night Lights
Navy has to beat Temple, right? 7:30pm ESPNU. Woeful Syracuse hosts Washington at 8pm on ESPN.

Opening Saturday!!!
The big Colorado-Colorado State rivalry is today at Noon. The Big Ten Network also launches today with meaningless games featuring Northwestern, 5th ranked Michigan, 11th ranked Ohio State, and #17 Penn State in 12pm regional coverage. Michigan State could have their hands full at home against UAB, 12pm ESPN2. VaTech plays their first football since the tragedy occurred their against East Carolina. The 9th ranked Hokies will be on at noon on ESPN. Miami opens their season at home against Marshall at 12 on ESPNU.
#6 Florida opens its national championship defense by hosting Western Kentucky at 12:30 on GamePlan.
#14 UCLA opens up a promising campaign on the road at Stanford at 3:30. Notre Dame opens up their season at home against a talented Georgia Tech squad at 3:30 on NBC, expect the Yellow Jackets to come up with the victory. Defending ACC champion Wake Forest opens its season at BC T 3:30 ON ABC. Other regional ABC coverage includes #20 Nebraska hosting Nevada and #7 Wisconsin hosting Wazzu. Missouri and Illinois will battle in St Louis at the same time on ESPN2, and #3 West Virginia will host Western Michigan on GamePlan. Iowa will play Northern Illinois from Chicago on ESPNU, and Houston will take on Oregon on GamePlan.
Kentucky, Maryland, UNC, and NC State will open up their seasons at 6pm on ESPN.com
#22 TCU could also be a BCS buster and will play at 6 against Baylor on CSTV.
OK State can be feisty against tough competition, they play at 12th ranked Georgia at 6:45 on ESPN2. Purdue faces scandal ridden Toledo at 7 on ESPNU, and Auburn plays a great game against K-State at 7:45 on ESPN.
But the best game of the weekend takes place at Cal where the 12th ranked Golden Bears look to exact a measure of revenge on the 15th ranked Tennessee Volunteers who whooped 'em last year in Knoxville. Eric Ainge and Nate Longshore will be 2 great college QB's to watch, and will either prove Les Miled right or wrong. For the sake of humanity, I'm goin with Cal here.
After midnight.....Y'all know the song, and if you've never seen Heisman candidate Colt Brennan play, this is required watching. #23 Hawaii battles Northern Colorado at 12:05.

Monday Night Labor Day Football
Texas Tech takes on SMU at 4pm on ESPN, but the big attraction is the game that follows is the Bowden Bowl as Florida State travels to Clemson in an 8pm ESPN ACC clash.

Watch some college football, the playoffs start NOW.