IN THE TRENCHES: THIS WEEK’S OUTLAND TROPHY MATCHUPS PRESENTED BY THE NATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR INFECTIOUS DISEASES MICHIGAN AT NOTRE DAME, 7:30 P.M. ET ON NBC Michigan and Notre Dame, two of the country’s most storied programs, will renew their rivalry for the first time since 2014 under the lights at venerable Notre Dame Stadium. And, on the field will be four of the 82 preseason watch list candidates for the Outland Trophy, given to the nation’s best interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. On the offensive front for Notre Dame are center Sam Mustipher (Olney, Md.) and right guard Alex Bars (Nashville, Tenn.). This tandem paced an offense that was seventh in the nation in rushing yards (269.3) last season and broke the school’s single- season rushing yards (3,503) and yards per carry (6.3) records. Both are returning captains who started all 13 games last year and have played alongside each other since leading the scout team as freshmen in 2014. Neither saw the field in that 2014 season, making this the duo’s first Michigan-Notre Dame game in uniform as the Wolverines and Irish renew their 41-game series that dates to 1887. The pair only gave up one sack and allowed the quarterback to be hit once all of last season. On the other side of the ball for Notre Dame is defensive tackle Jerry Tillery (Shreveport, La.), a senior who saw action in all 13 games and led the team in quarterback hurries (11) and sacks (4.5) for a stingy Irish defense that yielded 20 points or less in its first eight games last year. He will be matched up against Michigan left guard Ben Bredeson (Hartland, Wis.), a second-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2017. Brederson, a junior, has 20 career starts at left guard and is part of an offensive line that has paved the way for Michigan to gain more than 2,300 rushing yards in three straight seasons. Notre Dame has three Outland Trophy winners in its history but none since Ross Browner in 1976. The Irish came close last year with guard Quenton Nelson among the three finalists and offensive tackle Mike McGlinchey as a semifinalist. George Connor was the first Outland Trophy winner in 1946 and Bill Fischer earned the honor two years later for Notre Dame. Michigan has had three Outland finalists – the last being Jake Long in 2007 – but never a winner. CHICK-FIL-A KICKOFF GAME: WASHINGTON VS. AUBURN, 3:30 P.M. ET ON ABC Plenty of eyes will be on this game as the Pac-12 favorite travels east to face the defending SEC West champion in an intersectional battle in Atlanta, featuring two programs that have become annual national championship contenders. This is the first meeting between Washington and Auburn and, with both teams ranked in the top 10, it’s a featured game for the Outland Trophy with four Watch List members on opposite sidelines. Derrick Brown (Sugar Hill, Ga.) of Auburn, a junior defensive tackle, is on the preseason All-SEC second team coming off a season where he started all 14 games and was second on team in tackles for loss (9.5) and fourth in total tackles (56). Brown will be lined up against one of the nation’s top offensive lines anchored on its ends by towering linemen Trey Adams (Wenatchee, Wash.) and Kaleb McGary (Fife, Wash.). Adams (6-8, 316) was an All-Pac-12 first-teamer and a second-team FWAA All-American at left tackle in 2016, but lost the last half of 2017 to a season-ending injury. McGary (6-8, 324) has started 30 of the last 31 games at right tackle and was a first-team All-Pac-12 player in 2017. On defense, Washington’s Greg Gaines (La Habra, Calif.) returns along the Huskies’ defensive front as a second-team All-Pac-12 player who has started the last 31 games at defensive tackle. Tracy Rocker (1988) and Zeke Smith (1958) are Outland Trophy winners from Auburn, while the Huskies can boast Steve Emtman (1991) as an Outland Trophy winner. OTHER MATCHUPS OF NOTE ... • West Virginia vs. Tennessee (at Charlotte, 2:30 p.m. ET on CBS): Ed Oliver of Houston became the first sophomore to ever win the Outland Trophy last year. Tennessee has another strong sophomore candidate in Trey Smith (Jackson, Tenn.), who started all 12 games as the Vols’ first true freshman to start at left tackle in more than 30 years. The 6-6, 320-pounder has earned plenty of preseason All-SEC accolades. Yodny Cajuste (Miami, Fla.) of West Virginia is also a presence at left tackle at 6-5, 323. He’s on most preseason All-Big 12 lists after 19 career starts. • Boise State at Troy (6 p.m. ET on ESPNews): An early showcase of perhaps underrated lineman has Boise State junior defensive tackle David Moa (San Diego, Calif.) and Troy senior center Deontae Crumitie (Lake City, Fla.) facing off in the interior line. Moa was second-team All-Mountain West last year after fighting through constant double-teams to record 21 tackles, 2.0 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss. Crumitie is one of four returning starters on the Troy offensive line that ranked sixth nationally in efficiency last season according to SportSource Analytics. • Virginia Tech at Florida State (8 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN): Hokies defensive tackle Ricky Walker (Hampton, Va.) and Florida State center Alec Eberle (Mechanicsville, Va.) are on opposite lines in an early matchup of ACC powers. Team captain Eberle has 32 consecutive starts for the Seminoles dating back to 2015 and was second-team All-ACC in 2017. Scott Farrell, collegepressbox.com outlandtrophy.com #FIGHTFLU @OUTLANDTROPHY 2018 OUTLAND TROPHY PRESEASON WATCH LIST OL Paul Adams, Missouri ..........................@Paul_Adams77 DT Dre’Mont Jones, Ohio State .................@TheOfficial_80 OL Trey Adams, Washington OL Michael Jordan, Ohio State .....................@BigMikeJ73 OL Hakeem Adeniji, Kansas OL Luke Juriga, Western Michigan ........... @Luke_Juriga56 C Ryan Anderson, Wake Forest C John Keenoy, Western Michigan ...............@Keenoy_52 OL Alex Bars, Notre Dame .................................@AlexBars_ OL Marcus Keyes, Oklahoma State OL Ryan Bates, Penn State ............................ @52batesryan C Sean Krepsz, Nevada .......................................@Skrepsz DT Terry Beckner, Missouri .............................@beckner_jr DT Dexter Lawrence, Clemson ................. @llawrence2139 DT Ryan Bee, Marshall ..........................................@r_bee91 G Jimmy Leatiota, Eastern Michigan G David Beedle, Michigan State ....................@Big_Bug90 DT Ira Lewis, Baylor OL Beau Benzschawel, Wisconsin ................@BeauBench DT Ray Lima, Iowa State C Tyler Biadasz, Wisconsin .........................@TylerBiadasz OL Chris Lindstrom, Boston College .............. @Big_Fish68 OL Lanard Bonner, Arkansas State OL Greg Little, Ole Miss .................................@Thegreglittle G Tyler Bowling, Tulsa ................................@T_Bowling72 C Toa Lobendahn, USC ........................................ @T_Lo55 C Garrett Bradbury, N.C. State ................ @Gbradbury_11 OL Joe Lowery, Ohio ........................................@thejlow_65 OL Parker Braun, Georgia Tech OL Kaleb McGary, Washington ................@steelers47kaleb OL Ben Bredeson, Michigan C Connor McGovern, Penn State ......@Condor_McGovern DT Derrick Brown, Auburn ................... @DerrickBrownAU5 OL Patrick Mekari, California ......................... @PattM5997 C Jesse Burkett, Stanford C Chandler Miller, Tulsa OL Yodny Cajuste, West Virginia.................@YC_Rich4Ever DT David Moa, Boise State ......................@moaconstrictor_ DT Marquise Copeland, Cincinnati ...............@Be_Steezy_ C Sam Mustipher, Notre Dame ................. @smustipher53 C Deontae Crumitie, Troy ......................@deontaecrumitie C Will Noble, Houston ......................................@W_Noble OL Michael Deiter, Wisconsin ...................@MichaelDeiter OT Marcus Norman, USF .....................@MarcusNorman77 OL Tommy Doles, Northwestern ....................@TommyDoles DT Ed Oliver, Houston .....................................@Edoliver_11 OL O’Shea Dugas, Louisiana Tech ................. @Osheadugas C Ross Pierschbacher, Alabama ......................@RossP71 C Alec Eberle, Florida State ....................... @aleceberle54 OL Ben Powers, Oklahoma ...............................@BigBen_72 OL David Edwards, Wisconsin ....................@d_edwards79 OL Isaiah Prince, Ohio State .......................@ThePrince_59 OL Bobby Evans, Oklahoma ........................@BobbyEvans44 OL Dalton Risner, Kansas State ..................@DaltonBigD71 C Justin Falcinelli, Clemson ............................... @Jfalc50 NT Olive Sagapolu, Wisconsin .........................@OSagapolu C Lo Falemaka, Utah .................................@peterfalemaka OL Dru Samia, Oklahoma ................................... @DruSamia OL Hjalte Froholdt, Arkansas .............................@HFroholdt OT Max Scharping, NIU .............................@MaxScharping C Lamont Gaillard, Georgia DT Jordon Scott, Oregon DT Greg Gaines, Washington ..................... @GregGaines99 DT Jeffery Simmons, Mississippi State ...@GrindSimmons94 C Tyler Gauthier, Miami OL Trey Smith, Tennessee ...............................@smithtrey98 DT Youhanna Ghaifan, Wyoming .................. @yogaifhan81 OL Trevon Tate, Memphis ................................@_TopSh0tta C Jake Hanson, Oregon ...............................@J_Hanson55 OL Calvin Throckmorton, Oregon ................ @calthrock_54 OL Phil Haynes, Wake Forest ...................... @PhilHaynes95 DT Jerry Tillery, Notre Dame ........................... @JerryTillery G Nate