The time has come. The 2012 college football season kicks off Thursday with a good set of games to get the ball rolling.

The only ranked team on the slate are #9 South Carolina who opens the year on the road against Vanderbilt in an early season SEC clash.

Another intriguing story line is the debut of Brett Hundley as UCLA starting quarterback in head coach Jim L. Mora’s first game at the helm.

In the battle of the Cougars, Washington State travels to Provo to take on BYU in Mike Leach’s inaugural game as WSU head coach.

Games to Watch

Ranking high school recruits is not an exact science. Well, if you compare ranking high school recruits to how NFL players are scrutinized, it isn’t very scientific. On the morning of April 27th 2012, Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay would have helped determine the fate of the first 32 picks of the NFL Draft. Similarly, the likes of ESPN, Rivals.com and Scout.com compile rankings and analysis of high school recruits. The particular ranking of a recruit can significantly improve or reduce that player’s stock and be the difference between Division I, DII, DIII or less.