Gameday Morning Dawg Bites and Open Comment Thread

It’s here. You made it. The first real gameday of the 2021 college football season is upon us! If you’re anything like me, today has been nagging at the back of your mind all week, wreaking havoc on any hopes of productivity you might have had.

The sun is coming up and that means I’ve prepared an inaugural gameday beverage and started prepping the smoker. In a few short moments smoke will begin billowing toward the sky as eight racks of ribs begin their journey to my dinner table (and the table of some family members — I may have gone a little overboard). A September morning just outside the Classic City is a wondrous thing and I plan to soak up every moment. I’d love to hear how you and yours plan to spend your time leading up to the game. Perhaps you’d like to kill a few minutes with the most recent stories coming out of Dawg Nation.

But before we can get started we’ll need a little bit of music... and, in what has become something of a tradition for opening days over the last several years, there was really only one choice:

And now your Gameday Morning Dawg:

• The AJC brings us a look at the contingent of Dawgs that are descending on Charlotte leading up to the game. If you’re among them, have fun and stay safe and healthy, please.
• Brooks Austin over at Dawgs Daily (SI/Fan Nation) has some bold predictions for tonight’s contest. 1 of them is truly bold. I’ll let you figure out which one that is.
• UGA Wire (USA Today) takes us back to 2014 when the Dawgs last took on the Tigers. What a wonderful day that was.
• Here is the final injury report for this evening... there’s obviously some bad news, but also a few guys we thought we might be without that will likely see action.
• And finally, if you were wondering, the Redcoat Band will be in Charlotte in all it’s glory and for that, I am very thankful.

And that’s it!

This space will also serve as your Gameday Morning Open Comment Thread. Share your tailgating plans (be they in Charlotte or your own backyard), your thoughts on today’s games, and rejoice in the start of another college football season. Macondawg will be along later with a comment thread for the day’s other games and, of course, tonight’s contest between our Georgia Bulldogs and the Clemson Tigers.

Until then...

GOOOO DAWGS!!!