Welcome to Glass Slipper! The day has finally come; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Every Saturday morning of the college football regular season, I will be predicting the outcome of the six best games of the weekend. Every time I pick the wrong team to win, it costs me $15. At the end of the year, I will use the total pot of money to buy gifts for random Glass Slipper subscribers. That’s right; you literally benefit from my failures. Let’s have a fun year.

Game 1: No. 14 Clemson vs No. 1 Georgia

The pick: Georgia wins, 31-13.

I know that I’m about to sound like a whiny baby. But how in the world do Alabama and Georgia constantly get away with scheduling neutral site games in Atlanta? It feels really weird to be going to bat for Clemson right now, and I honestly don’t think the location would’ve made a huge difference. But the crowd in Mercedes-Benz Stadium is going to be split 85-15 in favor of the Dawgs, and that doesn’t quite seem fair.

Regardless, I told you how this one is going to play out six weeks ago. Georgia will look bigger, faster, and sharper in every facet, and the Dabo Swinney hot seat rumors are going to be running rampant before he even gets back to the locker room.

Game 2: No. 8 Penn State vs West Virginia

The pick: Penn State wins, 24-16.

These are dangerous waters for Penn State. A season opener in Morgantown against an NFL quarterback? James Franklin better be careful here. A loss would likely force the Nittany Lions to run the table in order to feel totally comfortable on Selection Sunday. I have Penn State creating a turnover late and escaping.

Game 3: No. 19 Miami (FL) vs Florida

The pick: Miami (FL) wins, 30-27.

This will be a fun one. An in-state battle between two teams with fairly high hopes. Graham Mertz really impressed me last year, and he has a chance to get his campus buzzing immediately. Florida would immediately jump into the top 25 if he pulls this out. Unfortunately for the Gators, I think Cam Ward does just enough in his debut with the Hurricanes. Miami emerges victorious on a game-winning field goal.

Game 4: Fresno State vs No. 9 Michigan

The pick: Michigan wins, 28-17.

This feels like a leave-it-on-just-in-case contest for anyone wanting to witness an upset in Week 1. Michigan will be in control the whole way, but I see a competitive Fresno State squad sticking around. The Wolverines don’t have the personnel to run away and hide from their weaker opponents like they did so often in 2023; Sherrone Moore’s guys are going to have to execute in the fourth quarter to put teams away all year.

Game 5: No. 7 Notre Dame vs No. 20 Texas A&M

The pick: Notre Dame wins, 27-14.

Texas A&M should not have been included in the preseason AP poll. The Aggies had zero ranked wins last season. They’ve lost five of their last eight games total. I’m supposed to buy into them because Conner Weigman is healthy? The kid is undeniably talented, but he’s only delivered one memorable moment in two years. I want to see him beat a good team without the aid of a showstopping De’Von Achane performance before I believe in him.

This Notre Dame secondary is going to flex its muscles tonight. Benjamin Morrison and company will force Weigman into some shaky moments, and the Irish will go into College Station and win comfortably.

Game 6: No. 23 USC vs No. 13 LSU

The pick: LSU wins, 38-24.

These two quarterbacks boast exactly one career start apiece, so really anything could happen tomorrow evening. I’ll go with the guy that looked totally composed after being forced into action against Georgia in the 2022 SEC Championship Game.

Lincoln Riley declared in November that USC would play great defense at some point. I don’t know where that confidence is coming from, because this Trojans unit is going to be bad again. I think Garrett Nussmeier posts a big stat line, and prompts dreams from LSU fans about a third Heisman-winning QB in the last six years.

Pressroom

Spin It

“Let’s Dance” by David Bowie. No more boring Saturdays.