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Beth Maiman | krikya18.com | June 21, 2017

When does the 2017 season starts?

  The Clemson Tigers ended the 2016 season as champions, what's in store for 2017?

Well, the 2016 football season ended in a pretty thrilling way when Clemson defeated Alabama 35-31 in the College Football Playoff championship thanks to a last-second touchdown. In case you already forgot — Clemson's quarterback DeShaun Watson found wide receiver and former walk-on Hunter Renfrow in the end zone to secure the victory for the Tigers. In case you want to relive the epic moment, check it out here. 

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But if you are ready for the 2017 season to begin, don't worry — it's coming soon. Stanford and Rice will kick off the football season when they face off in Sydney, Australia at Allianz Stadium.

If you're in the United States, the season will officially begin on Saturday, Aug. 26, although it will be Sunday, Aug. 27 in Australia for the Stanford-Rice game. Four other games are slated for Aug. 26. There are then 13 games slated for Thursday, Aug. 31 and eight more on Friday, Sept. 1. 

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For most programs, Sept. 2 serves as opening day. That includes Clemson, who will begin its title defense against Akron at 2 p.m. ET. Here are some more high-profile matchups to gear up for in the opening week:

Western Michigan @ USC, Saturday, Sept. 2, 5:15 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network

Florida vs. Michigan (game will be played at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas), Saturday, Sept. 2, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Alabama vs. Florida State (game will be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia), Saturday, Sept. 2, 8 p.m. ET, ABC

LSU vs. BYU (game will be played at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas), Saturday, Sept. 2, 9:30 p.m. ET, ESPN

West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (game will be played at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland), Sunday, Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Texas A&M @ UCLA, Sunday, Sept. 3, 7:30 p.m. ET, FOX 

And we will have some Monday night college football action in Week 1 as well, when Tennessee takes on Georgia Tech at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. That game will be played at the new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. 

Click here for the full slate of games.

We'll be waiting for you, college football season.

 

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