One aspect where college football has its professional cousin beat is the lack of a preseason. College teams can, and do, schedule games against cupcakes to ease into the campaign. But others open with make-or-break games that can dash Bowl Championship Series aspirations before the season is three hours old. Even schools that are opening against overmatched opponents need to be wary — just ask Michigan about Appalachian State last season.

The 2008 season officially kicks off tonight with 14 games, highlighted by North Carolina State at South Carolina (8 p.m., ESPN) and no. 23 Wake Forest at Baylor (8 p.m., FSN), but the real action comes over the long weekend, with a pair of outstanding games each on Saturday and Monday.

No. 24 Alabama vs. No. 9 Clemson

(At Atlanta), Sat, 8 p.m., ABC

Clemson is the heavy favorite to win the ACC, but the Tigers haven’t always held up under high expectations. Anything less than a BCS berth will be a major disappointment for Tommy Bowden’s team this season. Alabama is expected to improve in Nick Saban’s second year, especially after landing a major recruiting haul in the offseason. Look for true freshman receiver Julio Jones to make an instant impact, catching passes from John Parker Wilson.

Clemson has one of college football’s best backfields with quarterback Cullen Harper and tailbacks C.J. Spiller and James Davis. But it’s the men up front — Clemson’s inexperienced offensive line, with three new starters — that may determine its success in the early going.

In Bowden’s 10th season, optimism at Clemson has never been higher. The Tigers have a clear talent edge in this matchup, but Saban’s club won’t roll over. A loss or a narrower-than-expected win will raise doubts about a Tiger team that has been inconsistent for years, while a solid victory could set Clemson on a course to dominate the ACC and get its first-ever BCS bid.

No. 20 Illinois vs. No. 6 Missouri

(At St. Louis), Sat, 8:30 p.m., ESPN

In last year’s opener, Missouri pulled out a high-scoring squeaker over Illinois in a game that showcased two programs on the rise. Missouri would eventually reach no. 1 late in the season before falling to Oklahoma in the Big 12 championship and being snubbed by the BCS. Illinois stunned Ohio State in November and ended up in the Rose Bowl — where it was crushed by USC. Missouri ended the year on a better note, destroying Arkansas in the Cotton Bowl.

With most of its key players back, including prolific quarterback Chase Daniel and standout receiver Jeremy Maclin, Missouri looks to be in a better position to build on last season’s success. Illinois lost perhaps its best player, running back Rashard Mendenhall, to the NFL draft. Without him, it will rely more on the arm of quarterback Juice Williams, who has made great strides in each of his two seasons. Illinois also has one of the game’s most electric receivers in Arrelious Benn, a player who can also score in the return game.

Both teams’ defenses should be better than they were at this time a year ago, so a repeat of last season’s 74 points scored is unlikely. This is not going to be a field position battle either, not with the talent on both offenses. Illinois’s front must pressure Daniel to bottle up the Missouri spread in order to have a chance at pulling the upset.

Fresno State at Rutgers

Mon, 4 p.m. ET, ESPN

It has been a difficult offseason for Rutgers, a program still trying to take the next step after its breakout season in 2006. First, coach Greg Schiano was courted by Michigan before opting to stay in New Jersey. Then cracks in the financing plan for stadium improvements started to show, leading to fears that Schiano may leave for Penn State as soon as Joe Paterno retires.

Mix in the loss of running back Ray Rice, and Rutgers’s opener against Fresno, a WAC team with BCS aspirations (such as Hawaii and Boise State, WAC clubs that made the BCS for the past two years), is a tricky one.

Rutgers still has quarterback Mike Teel and a bevy of talented receivers, but nothing will come easy if defenses are able to load up against the pass while the Knights try to find a consistent rushing attack between Kordell Young and Mason Robinson.

Teel should have plenty of success throwing to Tiquan Underwood and Kenny Britt against Fresno’s secondary, but the Fresno running game could cause problems for Rutgers’s undersized front. Fresno will try to play ball control while Rutgers goes over the top for quick scores in what could be a very close contest.

No. 18 Tennessee at UCLA

Mon, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN

Tennessee is hoping for a better result to its season-opening California road trip. A year ago, the Vols traveled to Berkeley only to be handed a loss by Cal on the way to a 1-2 start that ended any national-title talk in Knoxville before September was out. Still, Tennessee rallied to win the SEC East and beat Wisconsin in the Outback bowl, raising hopes for a strong 2008.

This year’s California visit should be a bit easier against the banged-up and rebuilding UCLA team, which will be making its debut under coach Rick Neuheisel. Injuries in camp have forced UCLA to look down the depth chart at QB, and Kevin Craft won’t have an easy time throwing against Tennessee’s outstanding secondary.

Tennessee is also breaking in a new quarterback in Jonathan Crompton, who sat behind Erik Ainge for two seasons. A strong showing against the Bruins will prove that Tennessee intends to be a player in the rugged SEC East, alongside Florida and Georgia.

russell@footballoutsiders.com