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UNDATED (AP) — College football owns Labor Day weekend and has turned it into five-day football holiday. Week 1 features an unprecedented opener between No. 1 Alabama and No. 3 Florida State; No. 17 Florida putting a 27-game winning streak on the line against No. 11 Michigan; Heisman winner Lamar Jackson in an NFL stadium; and a couple of hot seat coaches meeting in the Rose Bowl.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — No. 17 Florida has suspended two more players, including starting running back Jordan Scarlett, for its season opener against 11th-ranked Michigan. The Gators also suspended receiver Rick Wells, bringing to 10 the total number of Florida players suspended for Saturday's game in Arlington, Texas. Scarlett and Wells were suspended indefinitely for their roles in a credit card fraud.
GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) — Feleipe Franks will make his first career start on one of college football's biggest stages. No. 17 Florida named Franks its starting quarterback and ended a monthlong competition that also included incumbent Luke Del Rio and Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire. Franks, a redshirt freshman from a small town south of Tallahassee, will make his debut Saturday against 11th-ranked Michigan in Arlington, Texas, and in front of about 100,000 fans.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Nate Northington broke the color barrier in SEC football 50 years ago and the conference continues to reap the benefits of the milestone. Northington became the first black player to play in a regular season SEC game on Sept. 30, 1967 when he took the file for Kentucky against Ole Miss. The Southeastern Conference will officially celebrate the historic moment in December, but Commissioner Greg Sankey says "Nate Northington affected us all" and this is about "more than just one date."
UNDATED (AP) — The result of the Alabama-Florida State could be a topic of conversation all season, especially among the College Football Playoff selection committee. The top-ranked Crimson Tide and No. 3 Seminoles face off in an unprecedented opener Saturday in Atlanta. The winner gets an early resume builder when it comes to playoff seeding. No. 11 Michigan faces No. 17 Florida this weekend, too.
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — John Calipari and Kentucky will co-host a telethon to aid Texas victims of Hurricane Harvey. Wife Ellen Calipari, players and others will work with Lexington station WKYT-TV in hosting the 'Teaming Up For Texas' telethon with proceeds going to the American Red Cross.
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Tennessee will be without its projected starting left tackle and its top linebacker when the 25th-ranked Volunteers open the season against Georgia Tech. Volunteers coach Butch Jones announced that offensive tackle Drew Richmond will be suspended for a violation of team rules and that linebacker Darrin Kirkland Jr. will miss the start of the season with a knee injury.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas will open the season against Football Championship Subdivision member Florida A&M on Thursday night in Little Rock. Arkansas went 7-6 last year, failing to improve its win total for the first time in four seasons under Bret Bielema. The Razorbacks return a host of talented playmakers on offense, including senior quarterback Austin Allen.
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