College football teams prepare for Week 1 playoff impact games

The college football season opens this week with several matchups carrying significant weight for the eventual College Football Playoff field. No. 11 LSU hosts Clemson in Baton Rouge, marking the debut of Lane Kiffin as head coach of the Tigers. In other ranked action, No. 9 Ole Miss travels to face No. 24 Louisville, while No. 19 SMU plays at Florida State to begin their conference schedule. Additional high-profile matchups include Auburn against Baylor and a series of contests featuring Group of Five teams facing ranked opponents. These include No. 2 Oregon hosting Boise State, No. 5 Texas playing Texas State, and No. 14 USC facing Fresno State. While no postseason berths are decided in the opening week, coaches and analysts noted that these games often establish critical early-season narratives that influence the national.

• 3:00 PMCBS Sports — Week 1 College Football Playoff impact games: LSU vs. Clemson headlines, downballot shots could define weekend