Florida Gators at (14) Utah, Thursday at 8 ET on ESPN-SWFL and ESPN TV

The Gators open the season against Utah for the second straight season Thursday night.  Due to the recent hurricane, the team left Gainesville earlier this week. They practiced in Dallas before heading to Salt Lake City.

Last year Florida won 29-26 in Gainesville behind 274 total yards and three rushing touchdowns by Anthony Richardson.

This is the first time that the Gators have played a true road game outside the state of Florida in non-conference play since 1991, when they lost 38-21 at No. 18 Syracuse.

Florida must replace Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Colts. He was the second Gator quarterback selected in the top 10 picks in the common draft era (since 1967); Steve Spurrier was the No. 3 pick in 1967. The Gators have finished with at least 200 rushing and passing yards per game in each of the past two seasons.

The Gators allowed opponents to convert on 49.7% of third downs last season. That's the third-worst third-down defense in FBS. Austin Armstrong, who spent the last two seasons as defensive coordinator at Southern Miss after serving as linebackers coach for Billy Napier at UL Lafayette in 2020, joins the staff as co-defensive coordinator.

Utah has lost seven of eight games that is has played against SEC opponents. Their lone win coming against Alabama in the 2009 Sugar Bowl. This is the first time that the Utes have hosted an SEC opponent; Utah has won 28 straight non-conference home games, the third-longest active streak in FBS behind Alabama (42) and Oregon (30).

A big question for the Utes heading into this game is the status of Cameron Rising, who tore his ACL in the Rose Bowl to end last season. Last season, Rising became the 4th player (6th instance) in Utah history to record 3,000 passing yards in a season.

Rising also finished ninth in Total QBR among qualified FBS quarterbacks in 2022 and third among Pac-12 players, behind only Caleb Williams and Bo Nix. In 2022, Rising had a 83.1 Total QBR and an 84.2 mark in 2021. Prior to Rising, the last quarterback to record a Total QBR that high for Utah in a season was Alex Smith in 2004.

More on this game during Shemon and Sheppard 2-6pm.

College Football's 10 Best Games Of Labor Day Weekend.  We are getting so close to those dates! The start of the college football season is always highly anticipated by fans across the country. The 2023 season is no exception.

While it's still early to make definitive predictions, there are several storylines and matchups that are already generating buzz.

There are already several high-profile games scheduled for the early part of the season. These include matchups such as Alabama vs. Texas. Clemson vs. Georgia.  And Ohio State vs. Notre Dame, among others.

One of the most intriguing storylines is the continued rise of young quarterbacks across the country.

Many of the top teams in the country will be led by quarterbacks who are only in their second or third years of college, which promises to make for some exciting games.

Labor Day weekend is always an exciting time for college football fans, as it marks the start of the season and features several high-profile matchups.

The LSU vs. Florida State game is certainly one of the most highly anticipated games of the weekend, as both teams are expected to be strong contenders in their respective conferences.

The rivalry game in the Carolinas is also sure to draw a lot of attention, as there is always plenty of excitement when these two teams meet.

And while the FBS debut for Deion Sanders as head coach of Colorado against TCU may not have as much national significance, it's still an intriguing matchup that will be closely watched by fans of both teams.

Just the top 10 matchups that I think most of you are looking forward to during week 1.

One of the biggest questions will be just how many points Ohio State beats Indiana by on Saturday, September 2nd.  It says here in the Pete Sheppard crystal ball that the Buckeyes win by 50.  Craig Shemon may disagree.

Here's my Top 10 early season matchups.  Again, these are in no particular order.

TCU is heavily favored in this one. TCU is currently ranked at #17, Colorado is unranked.

(Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The Florida State Seminoles and LSU Tigers will face off in Orlando to open their 2023 seasons. The neutral-site game will be played on Sunday, September 3 at 7:30 p.m. ET and will be televised nationally on ABC from Camping World Stadium.

Benjamin Morrison #20 speaks with Sam Hartman #10 of Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the Notre Dame Blue-Gold Spring Football Game at Notre Dame Stadium on April 22, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)

The game will be broadcast from Dublin at a 2:30pm local time start. Perfect.

Spencer Rattler #7 of the South Carolina Gamecocks runs the ball during the 2nd quarter of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at TIAA Bank Field on December 30, 2022 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

7:30pm start time on ABC.

Jack Miller III #10 throws a pass during the second half of the Florida Gators spring football game at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on April 13, 2023 in Gainesville, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)

The Florida Gators will be opening the 2023 season with some Thursday night football. 8pm start.

Penn State Nittany Lions players and coaches line up to sing the alma mater after the Penn State Spring Football Game at Beaver Stadium on April 15, 2023 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

Heavily favored Penn State home game. And it's at night.

Defensive tackle Scott Matlock #99 of the Boise State Broncos smiles with the Frisco Bowl trophy after winning the game against the North Texas Mean Green at Toyota Stadium on December 17, 2022 in Frisco, Texas. Boise State won by a final of 38-35. (Photo by Emil T. Lippe/Getty Images)

3:30pm Eastern time start on ABC.

A Miami Hurricanes fan wearing football gloves reacts during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Miami Hurricanes in the Elite Eight round of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament at T-Mobile Center on March 26, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

This game should be played every year with the losing team being referred to as the "Other Miami" for the rest of the season.

Quarterback Kyle McCord #6 of the Ohio State Buckeyes throws the ball during the Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on April 15, 2023 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

This is not going to go well for Craig's Hoosiers.

Ethan Davis #86 of the White Team gets tackled out of bounds by Arion Carter #47 of the Orange Team in the fourth quarter during the Tennessee Volunteers Spring football game at Neyland Stadium on April 15, 2023 in Knoxville, Tennessee. (Photo by Eakin Howard/Getty Images)

This noon kickoff in Nashville looks to be fun.