Saturday Football Primer/Daytime Open Thread

God, it is finally here. Football day in America.

Michigan will officially be without Fitzgerald Toussaint and Frank Clark for the game, a move that is equal parts justified and deeply worrying. The hope for Michigan's rush offense now rests on the shoulders of a true sophomore with only garbage time carries to date, and a leeeeettle bitty scat back from Florida. Let's see what Al has cooked up for this one.

The Game: (8) Michigan vs. (2) Alabama

The Details: 8:00pm, ABC

The Weather: Jerry Jones' Hermetically Sealed Retractable Roof (Closed)

The Previews: Maize n Brew (mine), MGoBlog, Burgeoning Wolverine Star, Holdin' the Rope

Other Writings of Interest: Who Are You And Why Do We Care?, Know Your Foe, Q&A with Roll Bama Roll, Five Questions on Offense, Five Questions on Defense, The Real William Carlos Williams, Fee Fi Foe Film, The Infinite Thing, Two Keys in the Trenches

The Odds: Michigan +13.5

Click after the jump for more games of interest and the open thread...

9:00 AM ET Notre Dame Dublin, Ireland Navy CBS

The Irish travel to the land of the people whom the Catholic school in Indiana is named after to take on Navy, a school with no history in Ireland. Dave Brandon is still jealous of the "wow factor" with this one.

The Irish are reeling in the secondary and unsure about who in the hell is going to be the quarterback of the future present, but should still roll in this one. But hey, nine o'clock game. Can't beat that.

12:00 p.m. ET Miami (Ohio) at 18 Ohio State Big Ten Network

Upset Alert? Probably not. Look for the Meyer Death Machine to start off strong against the Red Hawks. While the game might not be very competitive, it should be a good look into what Ohio State is going to look like as a team over the next few years.

12:00 p.m. ET Ohio at Penn State ESPN

Upset Alert? You bet your sweet ass. Ohio Is not an easy win, especially for a Penn State team that should be abjectly awful on offense. This game will go a long way toward foreshadowing just how badly the Nittany Lions do this year.

12:00 p.m. ET Marshall at 11 West Virginia FX

This rivalry game is a must watch. Plus, Dana Holgerson's offense in year two.

3:30 p.m. ET Southern Miss at 17 Nebraska ABC or ESPN 2

Southern Miss was 12-2 a year ago, beat Houston in the C-USA Championship Game, and could give Nebraska a solid challenge.

3:30 p.m. ET Iowa Chicago, IL Northern Illinois ESPN U

The Hawkeyes are breaking in two new coordinators and might not have a running back left on the roster by the time the game ends.

7:00 p.m. ET 14 Clemson vs. Auburn (Atlanta, GA) ESPN

Clemson looks to rebound from a firebombing in last year's Orange Bowl, and Auburn looks for an offensive spark in its continued life after Cam.

10:30 p.m. ET Arkansas State at 5 Oregon ESPN

Gus Malzahn v. Chip Kelly II. This should be all offense, and while Oregon will win with relative ease, there will be fireworks.