College football is BACK! Don't miss Week 1's biggest games on Channel 2

ATLANTA — College football fans can rejoice Saturday. The months of waiting for football season are finally over and Channel 2 has you covered for the biggest games in Week 1 on ABC.

The season marks the 150th anniversary of college football and it is starting off with a bang.

From the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff in Mercedes-Benz Stadium to top 25 showdown, here are the games airing on Channel 2 this Labor Day weekend.

Ole Miss at Memphis, Noon

With their campuses only 80 miles apart, Ole Miss and Memphis is a rivalry casual football fans may not know much about.

The Mid-South rivalry goes back to 1921 and the Rebels hold a 47-11-2 record against the Tigers. But with no future games scheduled, this could be the last time the two meet for a while.

"I'd love for it to continue. I think these regional games – whether it's Ole Miss, Arkansas, Mississippi State, Missouri – those are all games we'd love to play in. It brings our fan base to a new level of excitement," Memphis coach Mike Norvell said in his weekly news conference.

Memphis hasn't lost a home opener in five seasons, including all three seasons under Norvell.  The Tigers are coming off an 8-6 campaign in 2018 where they won the AAC West division.

Last season, Memphis ranked fourth in total offense, which was mostly led by running back Darrell Henderson. The Rams selected Henderson in the draft, but quarterback Brady White and leading receiver Damonte Coxie return for the Tigers.

Ole Miss got off to a great start in 2018 with a 5-2 record before it lost five straight to end the season. Head coach Matt Luke hired two new coordinators with former Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez to run the offense and former Colorado coach Mike MacIntrye for the defense.

The Rebels return 11 starters, including eight on the Landshark defense expected to be led by junior MoMo Sanago. The linebacker finished with 112 tackles last year and he is only the second Rebel in the last 12 years to have over 100 tackles in a season.

Duke at No. 2 Alabama, 3:30 p.m., Mercedes-Benz Stadium

For the first time in three seasons, Alabama will not start the season at No. 1. But when did preseason rankings ever matter to Nick Saban and Tide fans?

Alabama has never lost a season opener in the Saban era and will be favored against Duke in the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff. The game features two of the best coaching minds between Saban and David Cutcliffe, who played at Alabama.

"I've always thought that he's one of the best quarterback coaches in the country. Obviously his track record has proved that," Saban said of Cutcliffe. "I think he has that reputation, so I think a lot of players are interested in playing for him."

That reputation will come in handy with Quentin Harris taking over as starting quarterback. Harris previously served as the backup for Daniel Jones, who the Giants selected with No. 6 pick in the NFL Draft.

Alabama, of course, will have a familiar face under center with Tua Tagovailoa. The junior is sure to be the favorite for every major award again this season including the Heisman Trophy race.

Unfortunately on the defensive side, Alabama linebacker Dylan Moses is likely to miss the entire season due to a knee injury. Moses led the team in combined tackles (85) and finished top five in tackles for loss last season.

No. 11 Oregon at No. 16 Auburn, 7:30 p.m., AT&T Stadium

It's a rematch of the 2011 BCS National Championship game for Saturday Night Football on ABC, which is starting at a new time this season.

No. 11 Oregon and No. 16 Auburn have met only once before when the Tigers defeated the Ducks and Saturday's game marks the only one between two ranked opponents.

"You look at Oregon, and we're playing one of the top teams in the country. One of the most experienced teams if not the most experienced team in the country," Auburn head coach Gus Malzahn said in a news conference.

Oregon's 17 returning starters are tied for fourth-most in Division I. That experience includes Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert, who returns one of the top quarterbacks in the country.

The Ducks have averaged 38.3 points a game in 28 starts for Herbert. The senior and running back CJ Verdell are one of only four duos returning who threw for 3,000 and rushed for 1,000 respectively.

The good news for Auburn is the experience returning on the defensive side. Seniors Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson along with Nick Coe and Big Kat Bryant look to pressure and slow down Herbert and the Ducks high-powered offense.

Auburn could make it two-in-a-row in season openers against the Pac-12 after last year's win against Washington. The Tigers are 9-3 versus the current Pac-12 and an undefeated 6-0 in neutral site games.

Stats and information from game notes and news conferences were used in this report.

Cox Media Group