College football fans around the country are preparing to settle into their seats – most of them at home, some of them in on-campus stadiums for the first time – for the opening round of College Football Playoff games this weekend.
The football feast kicks off at 8 p.m. ET Friday when Indiana plays Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana, on ESPN and ABC. Saturday holds a full slate of games when Penn State hosts Southern Methodist University (noon ET on TNT), Texas hosts Clemson (4 p.m. ET on TNT) and Ohio State hosts Tennessee (8 p.m. on ESPN and ABC).
Here are five players to watch in this weekend’s opening round – plus some honorable mentions.