Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's College Football Study Guide: A Historic Week 1 Slate

I'm not sure if there's been a better opening weekend of college football than the one that we're about to see.

Week 1 is here, headlined by an electric matchup between No. 1 Texas and No. 3. Ohio State at noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app.

The matchup between these two juggernauts will be the first instance of the defending national champion opening the season against the No. 1-ranked team since 1988, and just the fourth time ever that's happened. In the previous three instances, my Miami Hurricanes took down No. 1 Florida State (1988) and No. 1 Penn State (1984). 

The Longhorns-Buckeyes tilt isn't the only banger of a game this weekend, as we have two other ranked matchups — No. 10 Miami hosts No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 4 Clemson hosts No. 9 LSU. This is the first time ever we’ve seen three top-10 matchups on opening weekend. 

With weekends like this one, lengthy discussions ensue between myself and the fine people at FOX Sports every week as we plan our production for Big Noon Kickoff. Every Sunday night, I reflect on what’s to come, and send out a lengthy email to producers, researchers, and my colleagues on air about things to watch out for. 

I've decided to peel back the curtain and share those thoughts with you all, because everyone should rejoice in the splendor that is college football. 

So, with that being said, let's dive into my thoughts for this weekend. 

Besides the fact that the defending champion opens up its season against one of the most historic programs in college football history, there are so many interesting storylines in this game. 

How different will both of these offenses look compared to last year? 

Arch Manning will be making his third career start while Julian Sayin makes his collegiate