Starting strong: Bama-Va Tech; Oregon-Boise St; OU-BYU highlight wall-to-wall football weekend

Bama, Boise St among teams with huge openers

Even Nick Saban, a coach who is all about urgency, wasn’t quite ready to buy into the idea that the first game of the season was a make-or-break deal

“It’s horrible. It’s a horrible thought for any team to be out of anything after one game,” the Alabama coach said earlier this week.

True, but in college football, one loss can change a season, which makes opening weekend games such as Alabama-Virginia Tech, Oregon-Boise State and BYU-Oklahoma so intriguing.

No. 5 Alabama starts its season in the Georgia Dome for the second straight year, this time taking on No. 8 Virginia Tech, the Atlantic Coast Conference favorites. The Crimson Tide jump started a national title run in 2008 by beating up supposed-ACC heavyweight Clemson in Atlanta last season.

The Tigers never quite recovered from the 34-10 beating and a season of great expectations fizzled.

This season, four games matching ranked teams highlight the Labor Day weekend football bonanza, starting with Thursday night’s showdown on the Blue Turf in Boise, Idaho. For No. 14 Boise State, the visit by the 16th-ranked Ducks is being called the biggest home game in school history.

No. 3 Oklahoma and No. 20 BYU open the season Saturday at the Dallas Cowboys’ new stadium in Arlington, Texas. An upset by the Cougars would stoke national title talk in Provo, Utah.

No. 9 Oklahoma State hosts No. 13 Georgia in a game that should help stir the debate over which league is better, the Southeastern Conference or the Big 12.

The picks: