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Big Ten, SEC teams loaded up Week 1
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All the talk surrounding opening weekend for Power Five conferences is usually about cupcakes. No, not the half dessert.
I took a look at how every Power Five conference is opening up the season. The Big Ten and SEC are not guilty of the cupcake claim. Eight of their 14 Week 1 opponents are squaring off with 2014-15 bowl teams.
The Big Ten has four road games and one at a neutral site. The SEC has eight bowl opponents, but none of them will be playing in a true road game.
The other three conferences? Well, let’s just say the majority of their teams are pigging out on pastries opening weekend.
Here’s a look at the Power Five teams with Week 1 matchups against 2014-15 bowl qualifiers.
Big Ten
Wisconsin vs. Alabama*
Purdue vs. Marshall
Stanford vs. Northwestern
Michigan State vs. Western Michigan
BYU vs. Nebraska
TCU vs. Minnesota
Michigan vs. Utah
Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech
SEC
UNC vs. South Carolina
Western Kentucky vs. Vanderbilt
UTEP vs. Arkansas
Louisville vs. Auburn
Bowling Green vs. Tennessee
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M
Louisiana Lafayette vs. Kentucky
Wisconsin vs. Alabama*
ACC
UNC vs. South Carolina
Virginia vs. UCLA
Louisville vs. Auburn
Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech
Big 12
Oklahoma State vs. Central Michigan
TCU vs. Minnesota
Texas vs. Notre Dame
Pac 12
Washington vs. Boise State
Arizona State vs. Texas A&M
USC vs. Arkansas State
*Played at neutral site
Connor O'Gara is the senior national columnist for Saturday Tradition. He's a member of the Football Writers Association of America. After spending his entire life living in B1G country, he moved to the South in 2015.