Now is not the time for hyperbole.
The biggest game of the year in college rests a mere 48-hours-plus from kickoff.
No. 19 Illinois at No. 9 Penn State.
Satire, of course. Though not at all a bad game.
No. 2 Georgia visits No. 4 Alabama in a rematch of last year's SEC Championship game, Nick Saban's final league crown and the coaching GOAT's penultimate time patrolling the sidelines.
"I think this is the biggest game of Kalen DeBoer's career, and I know he's coached in four national championships," said FootballScoop's Zach Barnett.
DeBoer just coached in the most recent national championship, guiding Washington to a national runner-up finish in last year's College Football Playoff against Michigan -- a run that included the Huskies' semifinal win against Texas.
Perhaps hyperbole from Barnett, perhaps not.
It is a massive game, but it is much less dire for the loser in this dawning of the 12-team CFP era.
Can Georgia's defense continue its touchdown-less blitz through the season's opening month? Can Carson Beck continue to operate the Bulldogs offense with prime efficiency? Can the Crimson Tide score an early home win for an inside track to Atlanta and an SEC Championship berth in Year 1 under DeBoer?
Speaking of Prime. Can Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes match their win total from the entire 2023 season by upsetting Gus Malzahn and Central Florida in the Bounce House?
Will Travis Hunter have another 'Heisman Moment' after securing Colorado's overtime-win last week at home against Baylor with a forced fumble at the goal line?
Does Notre Dame, heading into a bye week to open October, reassert its relevance in this season and keep alive CFP hopes for the No. 16 Irish as No. 15 Louisville comes to town?
It's much more than a revenge game for the Irish, who trailed 33-13 late last year and were felled 33-20 by the Cardinals in the worst loss of Marcus Freeman's three seasons at the helm.
This is a juncture-point game for Notre Dame, period. Win, and CFP aspirations are revived and all things look possible.
Lose, and ...
But these games all just scratch the surface of college football's most complete weekend to date. Auburn and Oklahoma meet on the Plains with each team in dire need of victory, the Tigers more so than the Sooners. Kentucky visits Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss, Ohio State travels to Michigan State, BYU goes to Baylor, Utah hosts Arizona and much, much more.
The entire FootballScoop staff breaks down the weekend's slate, and Scoop President Scott Roussel even issues a late-podcast challenge for a one-of-a-kind podcast opportunity coming out of this weekend.
Check it all out below:
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