The U.S. college football season begins Thursday with the first 14 of the close to 700 games that will eventually lead to the naming of a national champion.

Only one team from those ranked among the preseason top 25 will be in action Thursday -- No. 23 Wake Forest visiting Baylor. Another highlight will be a Pac-10 league encounter that will send Oregon State to Stanford.

The Georgia Bulldogs, who will open the season ranked No. 1 in the country, start their schedule with a home game against Georgia Southern on Saturday and second-ranked Southern California will kick off with a cross-country trip to the University of Virginia.

In the only meeting of top 25 teams on the opening weekend, No. 19 Illinois will visit No. 7 Missouri on Saturday.

The last regular-season games will be held on Dec. 6, after which 29 bowl games will be contested.

The top two teams in the Bowl Championship Series standings will play for the national title on Jan. 8 in Miami.

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