After two weeks of college football appetizers, it's time for the main course.

Though the SEC doesn't start until September 26 with its conference-only schedule, the ACC and Big 12 begin this week, and there are plenty of reasons to be excited.

If the offseason felt like it took forever, you're not alone. The coronavirus pandemic was declared around the time spring football was getting cranked up and has affected nearly every part of the planet.

Despite a difficult year, some conferences have decided to kick off a season, and though it won't look quite the same with players opting out, health questions from week to week, a modified schedule and fewer fans in the seats, we're trying to cherish what college football we have.

The Pac-12, Big Ten, Mountain West and MAC conferences won't play in the fall, but there are still some quality showdowns to look forward to.

B/R experts David Kenyon, Adam Kramer, Kerry Miller, Brad Shepard and Joel Reuter try to rank those who are playing. Each panel member submitted a ballot, with a first-place vote being worth 25 points, followed by 24 points for second, 23 for third, etc.

B/R Top 25

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. Oklahoma
5. Florida
6. Notre Dame
7. Oklahoma State
8. LSU
9. Texas A&M
10. North Carolina
11. Texas
12. Auburn
13. Cincinnati
14. UCF
15. Tennessee
16. Iowa State
17. Louisville
18. Kentucky
19. Appalachian State
20. Miami
21. Virginia Tech
22. Memphis
23. Baylor
24. Mississippi State
25. Florida State

Others receiving votes: Pittsburgh, Louisiana-Lafayette, SMU, Kansas State

The Favorites

Clemson Tigers

With LSU losing all but five starters from last year's championship team, the favorite to win it all has to be Dabo Swinney's Clemson Tigers, who lost the national title game to LSU a season ago and still have plenty of firepower, led by quarterback Trevor Lawrence and running back Travis Etienne.

Ohio State's Justin Fields is likely out of the Heisman Trophy picture with Big Ten football postponed, so that duo is at the forefront for college football's top individual honor. Lawrence has plenty of other weapons, too, even with Justyn Ross out for the year after neck surgery. Receivers Amari Rodgers, Joe Ngata and Frank Ladson are quality options.

The Tigers should also have plenty of talent on defense for coordinator Brent Venables, despite losing secondary stalwarts Isaiah Simmons, A.J. Terrell and Tanner Muse, as well as leaders in the linebacking corps.

Clemson is right there every year. Who would bet against the Tigers in '20?

Alabama Crimson Tide

Last season was an off year by Crimson Tide standards. Though most teams would take 11-2 every season, Nick Saban has elevated the standard in Tuscaloosa, and injuries and inconsistency derailed what could have been a championship year in 2019.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, receivers Jerry Jeudy and Henry Ruggs III, and others are gone, but Alabama reloaded. The Tide bring back receivers DeVonta Smith and Jaylen Waddle and running back Najee Harris. The better news is Alabama should be much-improved on defense with linebackers Dylan Moses and Joshua McMillon back.

The quarterback battle is worth watching as Mac Jones takes over and talented true freshman Bryce Young breathes down his neck, but NFL talent is everywhere for Saban. Don't expect a major drop-off, even if they aren't spraying the ball all over the field like they did a year ago.

Georgia Bulldogs

Even with last week's news that Georgia's presumed starting quarterback, Jamie Newman, is opting out of the 2020 season, the Bulldogs are still very much on the mind of our voters. After all, USC transfer signal-caller JT Daniels is immediately eligible as well, and he may be the better of the two players.

Head coach Kirby Smart has loaded up on high-end recruiting classes and has built a defense that is the envy of the nation. This offseason, he hired offensive coordinator Todd Monken from the NFL too. 

Championship-caliber pieces are all over the field for the Dawgs, and while nothing is a sure thing this year, Smart's team is as good a bet as any to hoist the national title trophy for the first time since 1980.

Oklahoma Sooners

The top three teams are generally agreed upon, but this is where things get dicey. With uncertainty abounding, why not go with familiarity? It breeds confidence, after all.

During the Lincoln Riley era in Norman, we've penciled the Sooners into the College Football Playoffs several times. Of course, when Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray or Jalen Hurts is behind center, it's much easier to make predictions like that.

There's no sure thing for OU at quarterback this year. But with the news last week that redshirt freshman quarterback Spencer Rattler beat out Tanner Mordecai, there will be another high-ceiling signal-caller out there for the Sooners.

Will coordinator Alex Grinch's defense be good enough?

The Dark Horses

Oklahoma State Cowboys

With Big 12 rival Oklahoma far from a sure thing, don't be surprised if head coach Mike Gundy's Cowboys make noise.

There's no questioning an offense led by Heisman candidate running back Chuba Hubbard, elite receiver Tylan Wallace and dual-threat quarterback Spencer Sanders.

The defense has some exciting potential too. OSU's secondary is loaded and features the safety duo of Kolby Harvell-Peel and Tre Sterling, and there is defensive end Trace Ford and linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga, who are all-conference-caliber.

If the Cowboys stay healthy, they will be a tough out.

North Carolina Tar Heels

This is one of the biggest stretches on the list, but what if coach Mack Brown's team made another monumental leap this year? The Tar Heels have talent all over the field, led by quarterback Sam Howell, who is a sleeper Heisman pick as a sophomore.

He has elite receivers Dyami Brown and Dazz Newsome, a terrific running back duo in Michael Carter and Javonte Williams and a lot of depth and experience on defense. Brown's quality recruiting on that side of the ball means there will be talented reinforcements too.

Before you say the ACC is Clemson's, remember UNC nearly upset the Tigers a year ago, and this is still not a deep enough league to allow another team to get hot and build confidence. With Howell at the helm, the Tar Heels can sling it with anybody.

Cincinnati Bearcats

If there is ever going to be a year when a Group of Five team gets the benefit of the doubt for a College Football Playoff berth, it's 2020, with two Power Five conferences not taking the field in the fall.

Let's say parity in the SEC and Big 12 means teams in those conferences beat up on one another, and the Bearcats (or UCF or Memphis) run the table in the AAC and do so with style points. Would the playoff committee make things even more interesting?

Coach Luke Fickell has built a sturdy program, and the Bearcats have a terrific defense. Though Cincinnati will miss Michael Warren II and his 2,900-plus yards over the past two seasons, Alabama transfer running back Jerome Ford is an intriguing option who could have a breakout year alongside quarterback Desmond Ridder.

Texas A&M Aggies

Year three of the Jimbo Fisher era carries plenty of intrigue, especially when you consider the roster depletion the defending champion LSU Tigers have experienced.

Several tough SEC West opponents exist, but Fisher has experienced signal-caller Kellen Mond leading the way. The Aggies may compete with the Bayou Bengals, which would leave only Alabama in their way on that side of the league. 

Coordinator Mike Elko's defense has turned some big recruiting wins like DeMarvin Leal and Demani Richardson into instant-impact players, and those guys could take the next step to stardom in 2020. Do not count out the guys from College Station in the SEC. 

If they come out of that league, the playoffs await.

ACC Kickoff Must-Watches

Syracuse at North Carolina

Brown's North Carolina Tar Heels carry massive expectations in year two of his return to Chapel Hill. Are they too high?

This weekend's season-opening showdown with Syracuse may be a good barometer. 

Howell and the UNC offense have most of their weapons back, and the defense has plenty of veteran leadership mixed with new faces. But the Orange cannot be counted out, despite coming off a disappointing 5-7 season. This should be one of the marquee games of a slim Week 2 slate.

Georgia Tech at Florida State

Question marks abound for these two once-proud programs. Even though head coach Geoff Collins has the Yellow Jackets heading up, they still should be a tick behind the Seminoles talentwise.

The cupboard is far from bare for Florida State coach Mike Norvell, who takes over after Willie Taggart was fired a season ago. The defense especially has a lot of star power. 

For Georgia Tech, it's the second season building toward a more traditional offense after head coach Paul Johnson retired and left the Bees with a triple-option hangover. We'll see how far they've come this weekend.

Clemson at Wake Forest

Swinney's Tigers shouldn't have any trouble in the season opener against Wake Forest and are favored by more than 30 points, according to Oddsshark. But there are a lot of reasons to watch, including seeing how well Lawrence jells with his new offensive playmakers.

Life without Newman won't be easy for the Demon Deacons, but signal-caller Sam Hartman will sit at the helm of an offense that still has some good pieces for head coach Dave Clawson. The Tigers have a lot of weaponry on both sides of the ball, though.

They'll all need to get going earlier than they did a season ago, when they started sluggishly, as there's little margin for error. 

Duke at Notre Dame

Maybe the best game of the ACC's opening weekend will involve temporary league participant Notre Dame.

Everybody should be excited about what the Fighting Irish can do with a competition uptick, and playing the Blue Devils in the season opener will be a good gauge for both teams. Former Clemson quarterback Chase Brice will start, and Duke could be good this year.

Though the Irish will be favored, there are plenty of reasons for everyone to watch.

Big 12 Kickoff Must-Watches

The weekend's biggest showdown was supposed to be TCU-SMU, but COVID-19 concerns at TCU caused the game to be postponed. Another showcase game in the Big 12 would have been Oklahoma State-Tulsa, but it was moved to September 19.

Welcome to 2020 football.

With those games off the slate, there aren't as many go-to Big 12 matchups for channel surfers, but a few are still worth looking into.

Louisiana-Lafayette at Iowa State

If you want a big "name" upset this weekend, you may want to tune into this game.

Coach Matt Campbell's Cyclones are expected to improve this year with Brock Purdy a seasoned veteran at quarterback, Breece Hall leading the rushing attack and tight end Charlie Kolar an All-American candidate.

But you cannot look past coach Billy Napier's Ragin' Cajuns, who are coming off an 11-3 year with a top-10 offense. Quarterback Levi Lewis leads that unit, as do running backs Trey Ragas and Elijah Mitchell, whose 5,203 career yards are proof Louisiana has a couple of capable playmakers in the ground attack.

This game could go either way.

UTEP at Texas

There's almost no chance a sputtering UTEP, which struggled with Stephen F. Austin in a 24-14 season-opening win, will keep things close with the Longhorns.

The best reason to watch this is to see how coach Tom Herman's new puzzle pieces fit. The 'Horns head honcho had to clean house after a disappointing, injury-riddled season that carried heavy expectations. 

Now, with quarterback Sam Ehlinger entering his senior year, Texas again needs to show up, or Herman's seat may get hotter than a belt buckle in an Austin summer. Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich is back in the Big 12 after spending one season at Ohio State under Ryan Day, following a stint at Oklahoma State.

Former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash is the new defensive coordinator and is charged with helping a group of talented players rebound from a couple of awful seasons. It all starts against the Miners. 

Missouri State at Oklahoma

The Big 12 has some clunkers this weekend, and while Louisiana Tech-Baylor may be more entertaining than this one, if you care about the long-term potential of anybody knocking off Oklahoma, it wouldn't be a bad idea to watch this.

After all, Rattler will make his first career start, and the Sooners have a lot of holes to fill on both sides of the ball. Jadon Haselwood is out with a lower leg injury, Rhamondre Stevenson is serving a suspension and there aren't as many proven playmakers on either side of the ball.

Rattler and star receiver Charleston Rambo need help. Where will it come from? The answers will be clearer beginning this weekend. Missouri State is awful, but it does have head coach Bobby Petrino on the sideline, so that's some entertainment value in its own right.

Who to Watch This Weekend

Several players will get garner attention because they've already built their superstar resume. College football fans will tune into the Clemson game to see Lawrence and Etienne.

The trio of Texas signal-caller Ehlinger, Houston-to-Miami transfer D'Eriq King and North Carolina super sophomore Howell already have given fans reasons to watch them.

But who are some other guys you should pay close attention to this weekend?

The Spencer Rattler Experience Begins

The Oklahoma quarterback must follow in the huge cleatsteps of Hurts, Murray and Mayfield as the man who makes Riley's offensive symphony beautiful. While Missouri State won't pose much of a hurdle, it's still fun to pay attention to first steps.

Rattler got some mop-up time a season ago, but these are the former star prospect's Sooners, and with running back Kennedy Brooks opting out and Haselwood missing the game with a lower-leg injury, Rattler won't have some of the stars he expected. He'll have to prove his mettle in a hurry.

Freshman Runners Ready to Roll

It may not be Chris Tyree's show in South Bend or Jahmyr Gibbs' in Atlanta, but this weekend will give you your first glance at a pair of running backs who could be elite playmakers by the end of the season.

Kyren Williams likely will be Notre Dame's first runner on the field against Duke, but Tyree may not be far behind. He has next-level speed and is the kind of game-changing back the Irish have been missing.

"He has great vision, patience and sees the hole extremely well," Irish head coach Brian Kelly told the Chicago Tribune's Teddy Greenstein. Reading between the lines, those seem like strong words from a coach usually hesitant to heap praise on youngsters.

As far as Gibbs, Georgia Tech's first-year phenom will split time with Jordan Mason. Running backs coach Tashard Choice told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Ken Sugiura: "The kid is unbelievable. There's no point of just trying to get him in (the game); he's going to play."

Texas Receivers Take the Reins

It won't be easy for the Longhorns to replace the production of Devin Duvernay and Collin Johnson, but they have the playmakers to do so.

Michigan transfer Tarik Black is starting at X receiver, per Paul B. Livengood II, and it could be a big year for him with a major opportunity. There are plenty of youngsters with breakout potential, too, like redshirt freshman Jordan Whittington, sophomore Jake Smith and junior Brennan Eagles.

Baylor Coach Dave Aranda

OK, so it will be tough to "watch" Aranda on the sideline, but it will be intriguing to see how the Baylor Bears look in the post-Matt Rhule era. 

What Rhule did in a short time in Waco after the Art Briles debacle was impressive enough to land him the head gig with the Carolina Panthers. Now, Aranda gets his first head coaching job after successful stints as Wisconsin's and LSU's defensive coordinator.

How will his program look? Will the Bears still be a Big 12 contender with under-the-radar quarterback Charlie Brewer leading the way? This is the high-profile job nobody is really talking about.

All stats courtesy of CFBStats.com and Sports Reference, and recruiting rankings per 247Sports' composite rankings unless otherwise noted.

Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter at @Brad_Shepard.