Last week's college football Week 0 slate was just a taste. Now we get the full thing. Labor Day weekend brings the first full Saturday of the college football season, and the sport's most talked about coach finally takes the field with his new team.

Last week I mentioned LSU as the team to watch heading into this season. Now Lane Kiffin makes his debut against Clemson, and the team he left behind opens the same weekend against a ranked opponent.

Elsewhere, the US Open continues without one of its biggest names after an early exit, and NFL Week 1 is next week.

*One scheduling note: Since NFL Week 1 kicks off next Wednesday night, next week's issue is coming early. Look for it Wednesday morning.

The stakes: This is the most anticipated debut of the season. Lane Kiffin takes over at No. 11 LSU after a messy, highly controversial exit from Ole Miss, and he didn't waste time reshaping the roster, bringing in 43 transfers and landing the No. 1 class in the country per 247Sports. Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt at quarterback is the most important addition. College GameDay is on site, and after an offseason of headlines, Kiffin gets his first chance to show the offseason noise was worth it.

For Clemson, a storied, championship-pedigree program has been in decline for years, and Dabo Swinney's window to reverse it is closing. This is their chance to make a statement.

What to watch for: What will the LSU offense look like? The talent is undeniable, Leavitt at quarterback, skill players and a line built through the portal, and Kiffin's track record of scoring in bunches. The question is whether that talent shows up right away or needs time to gel.

There's a real case for both. Leavitt is working back from foot surgery, and this offense has never taken a live snap together. But Kiffin has also made a career out of finding a way to get the most out of his new players, and if Saturday is any indication of who this group is, it could be a statement out of the gate.

Skin in the Game: Back LSU -10. After an offseason of nonstop noise, this is a statement game for Kiffin, and he'll want to make one in front of a sold-out Death Valley crowd. Clemson will come into this with a chip on their shoulder but they’re breaking in a new quarterback in a tough spot to walk into on the road. Kiffin’s teams have averaged over 50 points in openers, LSU’s talent should overwhelm in this one. Remember this is for fun, not your rent money.

The stakes: This is the only ranked matchup of the entire opening weekend, and the other half of the Kiffin story. No. 9 Ole Miss opens life without him in Nashville, with Pete Golding coaching his first regular season game as head coach. The Rebels are coming off a deep run to the CFP semifinals, so the standard is already set.

The good news for Ole Miss is the majority of their offense came back. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss led the SEC in passing yards and finished eighth in Heisman voting. Running back Kewan Lacy returns after 1,587 yards and 24 scores. The question is whether that production continues under a new head coach and a new coordinator.

This won’t be a tune up game against No. 24 Louisville. Coach Jeff Brohm is in year four, the Cardinals went 9-4 and won their bowl, and they have one of the best running backs in the country in Isaac Brown.

What to watch for: Louisville's new quarterback against Ole Miss's defensive front. Lincoln Kienholz transferred in from Ohio State, where he spent three years as a backup. Now he's asked to run an offense with a shaky offensive line in his first real start, against a Rebels defense that returns veteran playmakers up front. If Louisville can't protect him or get the run game going, it's going to be a long day.

Skin in the Game: Back Ole Miss -6.5. Experience at quarterback matters in openers, and the gap here is enormous: a Heisman finalist on one side versus a backup transfer on the other. Take them to win and cover. Remember this is for fun, not your rent money.

US Open | Third Round Fri-Sat (ESPN): The tournament lost its biggest name immediately. Novak Djokovic went out in the first round to Mariano Navone, his first opening-round loss in US Open history and his earliest major exit in 20 years, snapping a run of 78 straight first-round wins. Carlos Alcaraz is defending his own title in his first tournament back from a wrist injury, and so far he looks like he never left.

On the women’s side, Aryna Sabalenka continues chasing a third straight title, something no woman has done in New York since Serena Williams.

Wisconsin vs. Notre Dame | Sunday (NBC): A neutral-site opener at Lambeau Field, the longtime home of the Packers, which alone makes it a fun one to tune into. It's also the start of Notre Dame's revenge tour. The Irish missed the playoff last season despite the talent to make a run, and they come in this year with a top-five ranking and something to prove. CJ Carr leads the way, behind a defense returning most of its starters.

NFL Week 1 starts Wednesday: Football's back next week. The Seahawks host the Patriots on Wednesday, Sept. 9 at 8:20 PM ET on NBC in a Super Bowl LX rematch, the league's first Wednesday opener since 2012. Then the 49ers and Rams play in Melbourne on Thursday, the first NFL regular-season game ever in Australia, streaming on Netflix.

Must-watch:

Worth tuning in:

— Zach Blumenstein

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