With the 2008 college football season set to begin Thursday, here is a preview of the most anticipated games of the 2008 college football season.

Aug. 30

No. 9 Clemson vs. No. 24 Alabama

For the second year in a row, Alabama faces an Atlantic Coast Conference opponent at a neutral site. Last season, the Crimson Tide lost to Florida State in Jacksonville, Fla. The Tide begins their 2008 campaign against Clemson at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, where the Tigers narrowly lost to Auburn -- Alabama's state rival -- in the Chick-fil-A Bowl to end the 2007 season. If either of these former national championship-winning teams is poised to return to the title race in 2008, winning this game would likely be a boost to their stock.

Sept. 6

Miami at No. 5 Florida

The battle for the Seminole War Canoe returns when Miami travels north to Gainesville, Fla., for the first regular-season meeting between the Hurricanes and Florida Gators since 2003. This one-time annual rivalry was discontinued after the 1987 season, when the Southeastern Conference required all member teams to play an eight-game conference schedule the following year. The rivalry was briefly renewed for a home-and-home series in 2002 and 2003, but the Gators opted not to play again on a yearly basis when the 12-game regular-season schedule was permanently adopted in 2006. This has left a sour taste in the mouths of Miami fans who might just as well call the Gators chickens for continuously finding a way to avoid playing the Hurricanes. On paper, Florida appears to be the better team. Miami will be breaking in a new quarterback -- either Robert Marve or Jacory Harris, neither of whom have taken a collegiate snap -- while Heisman Memorial Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow returns for his third year at the helm of Florida coach Urban Meyer's offense. But the Hurricanes have won six in a row dating to 1986, including three bowl victories and a 41-16 drubbing in their last visit to Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in 2002.

Sept. 13

No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Southern California

Could this be a preview of the national championship game? Ohio State has appeared in every Bowl Championship Series national title game since its inception in 2006, while Southern California has participated in six straight BCS games, losing only once in that span. The Trojans won the national championship in 2004 after defeating Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl but fell just short of winning the BCS championship in 2005 after losing to Texas in the Rose Bowl. Not to be outdone, the Buckeyes have won a national championship in the BCS era, although college football fans seem more likely to remember their most recent championship game performances (a 38-24 loss to Louisiana State last season and a 41-14 loss to Florida in the inaugural BCS title game) than their overtime victory against Miami in the Fiesta Bowl to claim the 2002 national title. Ohio State returns nine starters on both sides of the football, led by running back Chris Wells (a Heisman candidate with 1,609 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns in 2007) and Butkus Award-winning linebacker James Laurinaitis. On the flip side, USC is returning just four starters on offense and must rely on a first-year starter at quarterback in Mark Sanchez, who is nursing an injured knee. Still, the Trojans will benefit from playing at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, where they have won 38 of their last 39 games.

Arkansas at No. 11 Texas

First-year Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino will be tested early in this meeting between former Southwestern Conference rivals. The intensity will be turned up a notch for this border war after it was announced earlier this year that Arkansas was scrapping its 2009 game against the Longhorns to add Texas A&M to the schedule. As if canceling a long-scheduled meeting in favor of the rival isn't bad enough, Texas fans might also recall the last time the Razorbacks came to town in 2003 and pulled off the upset, knocking the Longhorns from the national title race. Although Texas lost its top tight end, wide receiver and running back from a year ago, the Longhorns still have third-year starting quarterback Colt McCoy behind center. The Razorbacks are a good team still capable of pulling the upset (a la last season's 50-48 victory at LSU in triple overtime), but Arkansas fans shouldn't expect Petrino's newly installed offense to come together by the third game of the season.

Sept. 20

No. 1 Georgia at No. 15 Arizona State

Georgia, which could have the nation's toughest schedule, makes a rare trip west for its first-ever meeting with Arizona State. The Bulldogs are led by third-year quarterback Matthew Stafford, one of seven returning offensive starters. That doesn't include running back Knowshon Moreno, who wowed Georgia fans last season with his 1,332 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns as a freshman. Arizona State is a worthy adversary for the Bulldogs under second-year coach Dennis Erickson, who led the Sun Devils to an 8-0 start last season before they lost three of their last five games. The Sun Devils also return seven offensive starters -- notably senior quarterback Rudy Carpenter -- from a unit that averaged 32 points per game last season, but they struggled against stiffer competition, which Georgia certainly will be.

Sept. 27

North Carolina at Miami

Butch Davis returns to South Florida for the first time since leaving Miami for a stint in the National Football League following the 2000 season. Davis is 1-0 against his former team after last year's 33-27 victory in his first season at North Carolina. The Tar Heels are loaded with young talent, especially on defense, with five returning sophomores and just one returning senior. In all, the Tar Heels return 18 starters, including safety Deunta Williams, the 2007 ACC defensive rookie of the year, and QB T.J. Yates, who passed for 2,655 yards as a freshman last year. The Tar Heels are 2-2 against the Hurricanes since 2004 but 0-2 in their last two trips to Miami.

Oct. 4

Florida State at Miami

It seems strange not to think of this state rivalry game as one that has national championship implications, but that was the case last season, when neither Florida State nor Miami was ranked for the first time since 1977. That was also the last year neither team was ranked to begin the season -- until now. The Hurricanes defeated FSU last season by scoring two touchdowns within 11 seconds late in the fourth quarter, propelling them to their only win in their final seven games. The hero for Miami was QB Kirby Freeman, who directed the Hurricanes down the field to take a 30-29 lead with 1:15 left on the clock. The fall guy for the Seminoles was QB Xavier Lee, who threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles, including one that was returned for a touchdown with 1:04 remaining. Prior to that, the Seminoles had won the last two meetings, including a 13-10 victory in their last trip to the Orange Bowl in 2006. Miami abandoned the cozy confines of the Orange Bowl (which has since been demolished) after last season, trading in the history and mystique for modern-day amenities at Dolphin Stadium (where the Seminoles have played more often than the home team). Freeman and Lee are no longer at their respective schools, leaving the heroics to either an untested Miami QB or fourth-year starter Drew Weatherford, who won back the job following Lee’s outing against Miami last year and is 2-0 in his career against the Hurricanes.

Oct. 11

No. 7 Louisiana State at No. 5 Florida

The past two national champions meet at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, where LSU lost in its last visit to "The Swamp" in 2006. The Tigers suffered a serious setback to defending their national title when junior QB Ryan Perrilloux was kicked off the team in May. That leaves either redshirt freshman Jarrett Lee or junior Andrew Hatch with the task of trying to defeat the Gators in their house, where Meyer has only lost once since becoming coach.

No. 4 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas

If history is any indicator, Oklahoma should come out on top against Texas in this year's "Red River Rivalry." The Sooners are 6-3 against their border rival since Bob Stoops became coach in 1999, including last season's 28-21 victory at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas. Those six victories came when Oklahoma owned a higher ranking than Texas. In the three games Texas won in that span, Oklahoma was either unranked or ranked lower than the Longhorns. Oklahoma's offense will be led by sophomore QB Sam Bradford, who set an NCAA freshman record with 36 touchdown passes and led the nation in passing efficiency a year ago.

Oct. 18

No. 6 Missouri at No. 11 Texas

This could be a preview of the Big 12 Conference championship game. Missouri won its first-ever Big 12 Northern Division title en route to a 12-2 finish in 2007, earning QB Chase Daniel conference offensive player of the year honors. Daniels returns for his senior season and is a major reason why Missouri is ranked in the top 10 -- its highest preseason ranking in school history. Texas, meanwhile, begins the season ranked in the top 15 for the ninth consecutive season. The Longhorns defeated the Tigers 51-20 in their last meeting in 2005 and haven't lost to Missouri since 1997. If the Tigers intend to compete for a conference title again this season, a victory at Texas is imperative.

Oct. 25

No. 1 Georgia at No. 7 Louisiana State

Georgia travels to LSU for the first time since 2003 in a battle between the two most successful SEC programs of the 21st Century. The Bulldogs and Tigers have combined to win five SEC titles in the past seven seasons. The last time these teams met, Georgia thumped LSU 34-14 in the 2005 SEC title game for its second championship in four years. In the 2003 championship game, the Tigers defeated Georgia 34-13 to win their second SEC title in three years. The Bulldogs will take on the reigning champions at "Death Valley," where they haven't won since 1998.

No. 17 Virginia Tech at Florida State

Virginia Tech makes its first trip to Tallahassee, Fla., since a 39-28 loss to Florida State in 1990. The defending ACC champions defeated FSU last season for their first victory against the Seminoles since 1975 -- one season before Bobby Bowden became coach. Virginia Tech coach Frank Beamer finally got the proverbial monkey off his back by beating FSU, but can he win at Doak Campbell Stadium? The Hokies -- winless in Tallahassee since 1974 -- will have to do so without running back Branden Ore, who ran all over his opposition on his way to first-team all-ACC honors in 2006 but was booted from the team in March for his off-field antics. Leading the Hokies offensively is the QB tandem of Sean Glennon and Tyrod Taylor -- Glennon for his passing skills and Taylor for his mobility. The Hokies are favored to win the ACC Coastal Division title, but the Seminoles are still capable of pulling off the upset, as they did against Virginia Tech in the inaugural ACC title game in 2005.

Mississippi at Arkansas

Houston Nutt returns to Arkansas, where he spent 10 seasons roaming the sidelines as coach of the Razorbacks before bolting to Mississippi prior to last season's bowl game. The Razorbacks were 75-48 during Nutt’s time at Arkansas, winning two SEC Western Division titles and leading them to seven bowl games (though he didn't stick around to endure the last -- a 38-7 drubbing versus Missouri in the Cotton Bowl). That apparently wasn't good enough for fans in Fayetteville, Ark., who seemed ready to part with Nutt after a late-season collapse in 2006. Despite the school's offer to extend his contract for another two seasons, Nutt chose to begin anew at Mississippi, where wins have come few and far between. While Mississippi gained a proven winner, Arkansas found a favorable replacement in Petrino, who quit as coach of the Atlanta Falcons 13 games into last year's losing campaign but was successful in four seasons at Louisville and as Auburn's offensive coordinator in 2002. Arkansas will once again by led by QB Casey Dick, but the Razorbacks lost two-time Doak Walker Award winner Darren McFadden to the NFL. Making his debut for the Rebels is QB Jevan Snead, the strong-armed transfer from Texas who redshirted in 2007.

Nov. 1

No. 1 Georgia vs. No. 5 Florida

The nation is likely to pay more attention to this annual grudge match in Jacksonville, Fla., after last season's celebration. The Gators own a 15-3 record since 1990, but the Bulldogs have won twice in the last four seasons, including a 42-30 victory a year ago. Georgia coach Mark Richt admitted after the game that he instructed his team to draw a personal foul following their first touchdown. The motivational technique inspired Moreno to rush for 188 yards and three touchdowns against Florida. Despite receiving an apology from Richt about the bench-clearing, end-zone celebration that earned the Bulldogs a 15-yard excessive celebration penalty, Meyer wrote in his autobiography due out in September: "That wasn't right. It was a bad deal. And it will forever be in the mind of Urban Meyer and in the mind of our football team." Enough said.

Nov. 8

No. 24 Alabama at No. 7 Louisiana State

Nick Saban will roam the sidelines at LSU for the first time since returning to college football as coach of the Crimson Tide. The last time Alabama beat LSU, Saban was coaching the Tigers, winners of five in a row against the Tide. Just as Saban quickly angered LSU fans by making fun of his former team before last season, it was LSU coach Les Miles who incensed Tide fans this offseason with his comments to boosters in New Orleans about Alabama. Miles was quoted as saying "not to make too much of that game, as it seems a lot of teams in Louisiana beat that team," referencing Alabama's loss to Louisiana-Monroe last season. LSU last lost to Alabama 31-0 at "Death Valley" in 2002.

No. 9 Clemson at Florida State

"Bowden Bowl X" could be the game where Clemson coach Tommy Bowden pulls even with his daddy. For the first time since FSU joined the ACC in 1992, the elder Bowden's Seminoles were not picked to win either their division or conference. That distinction instead belongs to his son's Tigers, who have won four of the last five meetings. Another loss for Bobby on his 79th birthday would even the series at 5-5. The winner of this game can expect to be in the running for the ACC Atlantic Division title, while the losing team's coach might not be around long enough for the next "Bowden Bowl." The expectations for this year's Clemson team are the highest since Tommy took over in 1999 -- thanks in large part to the "Thunder and Lightning" duo of running backs James Davis and C.J. Spiller, together for their final year -- so anything short of a trip to the ACC title game could cost him his job. With Bobby nearing retirement, the time is ticking on who will walk away with the most wins when this rivalry comes to an end.

Nov. 15

UCLA at Washington

Rick Neuheisel returns to Washington, where he last brought the Huskies a Pacific 10 Conference title in 2000. Neuheisel, a UCLA alumnus, coached the Huskies to a 33-16 record and four straight bowl games from 1999-2002. The Bruins are thin at QB after a rash of injuries to their projected starters. Patrick Cowan was slated to be No. 1 but was sidelined for the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. That left the job to backup Ben Olson, who broke his right foot in spring practice but was expected to play in time for the season opener before breaking the same foot again in August. The battle is now between junior college transfer Kevin Craft and redshirt freshman Chris Forcier.

Nov. 22

Michigan at No. 2 Ohio State

This Big Ten Conference rivalry almost always determines the champion and New Year's Day Rose Bowl representative. Ohio State has won six of the last seven meetings and hasn't lost to Michigan at "The Horseshoe" since 2000. A victory for the Buckeyes this year would be their fifth in a row, something no other Ohio State has accomplished. It's a feat that doesn't seem unattainable considering the state of Michigan football. The Wolverines, who have been caught in the middle of first-year coach Rich Rodriguez's bitter divorce with West Virginia, lost both their career passing leader in Chad Henne and career rushing leader in Mike Hart to graduation. To make matters worse, QB Ryan Mallett transferred to Arkansas after Rodriguez took over for the retired Lloyd Carr and starting offensive guard Justin Boren -- the team's most experienced offensive lineman -- left the program in the spring for, of all places, Ohio State, citing deteriorating "family values."

Nov. 29

No. 5 Florida at Florida State

The Seminoles will try to return to their winning ways at home against Florida when the Gators come to town in this annual state rivalry. The Gators have won four in a row, the longest streak in the rivalry since Florida won six straight from 1981-86. Although Meyer is a perfect 3-0 against FSU, Bowden still holds the edge with a 17-16-1 record against Florida.

No. 10 Auburn at No. 24 Alabama

Auburn has won the annual "Iron Bowl" a record six consecutive years, putting the pressure on Saban to produce immediate results. Senior quarterback John Parker Wilson will try to lead the Crimson Tide to their first victory against Auburn in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where the Tigers are 4-0 since the teams started playing a rotating home schedule in 2000. Wilson is the undisputed leader for the Tide, owning the team record for touchdown passes in a season (18 in 2007) and most passing yards in a season (2,846 in 2007). Auburn, meanwhile, will rotate quarterbacks between sophomore Kodi Burns, who scored two touchdowns in relief of the departed Brandon Cox during last year's bowl game, and junior college transfer Chris Todd, who played in new offensive coordinator Tony