Before The Snap: Breaking down Georgia-Oregon, Ohio State-Notre Dame games in Week 1

Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football series where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.

We’re back with another college football season and the fifth season of Before The Snap, and before Week 1 officially kicks off, we’re taking a look at two of the biggest matchups this weekend: Georgia versus Oregon and Ohio State versus Notre Dame.

The defending national champs enter their season opener against the Ducks as 16.5-point favorites, according to Tipico Sportsbook as of Wednesday. But will the Bulldogs still have their powerhouse defense, or will it be a bit of an adjustment now that former Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning is Oregon’s head coach? Does he have extra insight to help too?

For a top-5 matchup between the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish, Ohio State is a whopping 17.5-point favorite, which seems like an awful lot for a team with a Heisman Trophy-contending quarterback in C.J. Stoud who lost crucial pieces of his receiving corps since last season. Will this be a blowout, or are the Fighting Irish, with new coach Marcus Freeman, being underestimated?

Either way, we’re just thrilled college football is back, and we’re rooting for chaos.