The 2018 college football season is still more than five months away, but its never too early to start talking football. It was not long ago that Alabama prevailed over the Georgia Bulldogs in an all-time classic. There has been an increased emphasis the last few years on scheduling and going out and playing elite opponents. The first week of the season provides us with plenty of intriguing games. Let's take a look at the top non-conference games from Week 1 of the upcoming season.

Tide look to keep it rolling in 2018

Louisville vs Alabama (Orlando) - Louisville begins a new era without Heisman Trophy-winning star Lamar Jackson against the reigning national champs.

Bama will probably be No. 1 in the preseason polls, given the fact they return several starters from last year's squad and a top 10 recruiting class. According to a report by CBS Sports’ Barrett Sallee, “rising sophomore wide receiver Jerry Jeudy recently underwent surgery for a meniscus injury,” and will miss spring action. The Cards will turn to red-shirt Sophomore quarterback Jawon Pass in order to shock the Tide in Orlando. Saban's teams have won their last five openers by an average of 23 points.

Tigers, Huskies meet up in Atlanta

Auburn vs Washington (Atlanta) - The Tigers lost six starters on offense, including quarterback Kerryon Johnson, but should still possess a top-15 team. The Huskies will enter the upcoming season with their eyes set on making the College Football Playoff for the second time in the last three years.

Jake Browning returns at quarterback, but Washington does lose Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year Vita Vea.

A tough challenge for Harbaugh in South Bend

Michigan at Notre Dame - The Wolverines vs The Fighting Irish. Not many better ways to open up the season than seeing these two college football powerhouses face off in South Bend.

Michigan's offense received a huge boost by landing Ole Miss transfer quarterback Shea Patterson to help its pitiful offense that only threw for nine touchdowns last season. Nine. The Irish return Wimbush at quarterback and Ian Book, who replaced Wimbush in Notre Dame's Citrus Bowl win over LSU in December.

ACC, SEC showdown in Jerry's world

Miami vs LSU (Dallas) - After ending the 2017 season on a negative note, Mark Richt's squad will look to make yet another playoff push this season. The U almost returns everybody on both sides of the ball but will need returning quarterback Malik Rosier to take the next step in order to knock Clemson off its ACC throne. The depth at the quarterback position for Miami took a hit, as Troy Provost-Heron reported backup quarterback Evan Shirreffs “announced Tuesday he plans to transfer to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte.” Much like Michigan, LSU's offense over the last few years has been almost non-existent. Factor in that the Tigers lose quarterback Danny Etling and star running back Derrius Guice, it looks like it will be a struggle in Baton Rouge to score 20 points.

Taggart's FSU debut

Virginia Tech at Florida State - Good news for Florida State.

They don't open the season against Alabama. They return quarterback Deondre Francois from a season-ending injury from Week 1 of last season, as well as the stud running back Cam Akers. However, they do lose big-time players on the defensive side of the ball in McFadden and James who will be drafted in the next few weeks. It is also Willie Taggart's first season in Tallahassee, so many Seminole fans will have to learn to be patient while their team goes through its bumps and bruises of the ACC season. The Hokies return seven offensive starters, including quarterback Josh Jackson, but facing a Florida State team at home on opening weekend after an embarrassing season in 2017 will be a daunting task, to say the least.

Honorable Mentions: Ole Miss vs Texas Tech in Houston, Tennessee vs West Virginia in Charlotte.
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