Rob's Rankings: Most intriguing Week 1 games; coffee shop menu items

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The 2018 college football season technically opened last Saturday, but games with true national appeal begin this weekend. The season’s opening weekend seems to get more and more appealing each year, as programs are beginning to schedule marquee games early in the season. This week in Rob’s rankings, we rank the five most interesting season-openers complete with a prediction about each contest.

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WHEN: Sat. Sept, 1. 3:30 pm ET

WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta

WHY IT’S INTRIGUING: The obvious reason is the playoff implications. The Tigers and Huskies are ranked sixth and ninth respectively in the preseason AP poll, and each is expected to contend for its conference title. The loser won’t be eliminated from playoff contention, but the blow from a week-one loss will be a tough pill for either team to swallow when you consider the fact that each expects a monster season. This is also, in a way, a statement game for the Pac-12, a league that hasn’t produced a national champion since 2004 and is looking for respect.

Should Washington find a way to steal a win over last year’s SEC runner-up, it’s possible that member of the elderly playoff selection committee will caffeinate well enough to stay awake for their conference games. Crazy, right?

ONE SPECIFIC AND BOLD-ISH PREDICTION: The loser will come a bit unhinged, lose a couple more games and fall well short of lofty preseason expectations. To get more specific, let’s just say whoever gets the short end of the stick on Saturday will finish 9-3 at best. Finding out you aren’t the juggernaut you think you are this early in the season, isn’t good for the psyche.

WHEN: Sun. Sept. 2. 7:30 pm ET

WHERE: AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas

WHY IT’S INTRIGUING: Miami hopes to continue its rise back to national prominence and LSU hopes to, well, have a decent season and silence those expecting a rough fall. Expectations are higher in South Florida than they are in Baton Rouge, but the Tigers aren’t short on athleticism.

At its core, this is a game between two programs oozing with talent but lacking proven quarterbacks. The Hurricanes will again start Malik Rosier, who led the team to a 10-win season in 2017 despite shortcomings that had some UM fans calling for a change. LSU will roll out Ohio State transfer Joe Burrow, who has thrown a total of 39 passes at the college level. Let’s get weird.

ONE SPECIFIC AND BOLD-ISH PREDICTION: LSU and Miami will combine to turn the ball over five or more times on Sunday. The two defenses are loaded with athletes and the two quarterback situations are loaded with questions marks. Add in the fact that there will likely be some offseason rust lingering on both sides, and it’s hard to expect an error-free game. This will get messy in the best and most exciting kind of way.

WHEN: Sat. Sept, 1. 7:30 pm ET

WHERE: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

WHY IT’S INTRIGUING: The last installment of this rivalry took place in 2014, when Notre Dame clubbed a Brady Hoke-coached Michigan bunch 31-0. It’s safe to say this this year’s game will be closer than that. Jim Harbaugh has tabbed Ole Miss transfer and former five-star quarterback Shea Patterson as his starter, and the expectations for this team are sky high.

The same goes for the Irish, which bounced back from a lackluster 2016 with a 10-3 finish a year ago. Everyone (expect Missouri, Kansas, Texas and Texas A&M) loves when a rivalry gets renewed, and it’s easy to get excited about a matchup between two of the sport’s most history-rich programs. Watching two re-tooled offenses at work also adds interest.

This is one of the more difficult week one games to predict, as nobody has much of an idea what to expect from either side.

ONE SPECIFIC AND BOLD-ISH PREDICTION: Patterson will throw two or more interceptions. It’s not that the Ole Miss transfer won’t be successful at Michigan. It’s just easy to see him pressing in a such a high-profile road opener. It’s also easy to see him needing more time to fully master his new offensive scheme. The Wolverines may well win this game even if Patterson experiences ups-and-downs against a stout Notre Dame defense.

WHEN: Monday, Sept. 3, 8 pm ET

WHERE: Doak Campbell Stadium, Tallahassee, Fla.

WHY IT’S INTRIGUING: Willie Taggart’s Florida State debut comes against another one of America’s best young coaches in Virginia Tech’s Justin Fuente, who has won 19 games in his first two seasons at the school. Monday’s game will also feature the return of FSU quarterback Deondre Francois, who will start under center after missing nearly all of last year with an injury.

Seminole fans are baking on an immediate bounce-back from last year’s 7-6 finish, so this game has a cards-on-the-table feel from that standpoint.

ONE SPECIFIC AND BOLD-ISH PREDICTION: FSU running back Cam Akers will rush for 125 yards or more against the Hokies. Virginia Tech’s defense lost plenty this offseason and will be asked to plug a number of holes, so things seem to set up nicely for Akers, a sophomore that flashed an elite skill set a year ago.

WHEN: Saturday, Sep. 1, 3:30 pm ET

WHERE: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte

WHY IT’S INTRIGUING: Jeremy Pruitt, whose head coaching tenure at Tennessee was born out of one the most memorable coaching changes in history, starts his career against a prolific offense. West Virginia is led by dynamic quarterback Will Grier and seen as a dark-horse candidate to win the Big 12. The Mountaineers also return wide receiver David Sills, who led the nation is touchdown catches last season.

Tennessee, on the other hand, is hoping to wipe away last year’s 4-8 campaign, which saw a long list of things go haywire. The Vegas line sits at 9.5 in favor of the Mountaineers, but it’s hard to truly know what to expect from the Vols.

ONE SPECIFIC BUT BOLD PREDICTION: West Virginia will eclipse the 35-point mark. Will it be good enough for a win? Who knows? The Mountaineers have questions of their own on defense, but WVU’s high powered offense is not an ideal opponent for a first-time coach installing a new defense. This has the makings of a shootout regardless of who comes out on top.

This week, we use the overtime period to dive into the often-necessary but objectively kinda gross world of coffee. As somebody that works in a coffee shop multiple times I week, I’ve dubbed myself an expert on typical coffee shop menu items. It’s why this week, we bring you the definitive rankings of coffee shop menu items.

1. Cold brew

Cocaine for rule followers.

2. Shot of espresso

Plays the game the right way. No frills. Gets to the point. Scores a touchdown and hands the ball to the referee.

3. Latte

This ranks here because of the oversize cup in which it’s often served. Branding matters when I’m the judge and jury.

4. Cappuccino

Seems to have faded a bit in popularity over the last decade, but still a fun word to say. That counts for something.

5. Americano

This is essentially an espresso shot with extra water, right? It’s for people that want the espresso but like the aesthetic that comes with sipping something? I don’t know. Something had to go in the No. 5 spot.