College Football's Highest-paid Players Revealed For New Season

(KMDL-FM) Has the college football season already started? Well, no SEC teams have played a game so far, so I am going with "No" as the answer to that question. Almost all of the league's teams will be in action this weekend.

So, as you settle in to watch your favorite teams, we thought you might want to know which of these 18- to 22-plus-year-olds are making more money going to college than many of us will make in our professional lifetimes.

College football as we know it is now professional football. Okay, there have always been teams that paid players under the table, but the table is gone, and the money is out in the open, so which college football players will earn the most money on the gridiron during weekends this fall?

If you're a fan of the sport, you will recognize the names, especially of the high-profile quarterbacks. Eighteen of the players on the list curated by On3Sports play the quarterback position. The highest-paid of those getting paid to run their team's offense is Darian Mensah, who is earning a reported $6.5 million from the University of Miami.

Which LSU Players Will Earn The Most Money Playing For the Tigers This Season?

The highest-earning non-quarterback is Jeremiah Smith, who is getting paid $5 million to catch passes for Ohio State. Offensive Tackle Jordan Seaton of LSU is the highest-compensated lineman on the list. He is set to earn $4 million while playing for the Tigers this season.

The other LSU player to make the On3Sports list is quarterback Sam Leavitt. He is reportedly earning compensation of $4.5 million, which is half a million less than Ole Miss signal caller Trinidad Chambliss. He earns $5 million. Arch Manning at the University of Texas? He's making a paltry $2.5 million.

The highest paid defensive player on the list is Colin Simmons of the University of Texas, he is an Edge Rusher, Damon Wilson of Miami is the other Edge Rusher on the highest paid list.

What Are The Marquee Matchups in College Football This Week?

Week One of the College Football Season will kick off with a slew of games on Thursday night. Featured games on Thursday will be #25 Missouri hosting Arkansas-Pine Bluff. #21 Utah will host Idaho, and Georgia Tech will host Colorado.

Friday's marquee matchups are #7 Miami on the road at Stanford and USC, Southern California, hosting Fresno State. We should note that Southern Cal has already played a game; they defeated San Jose State 42 to 26 this past Saturday.

Who Does LSU Play on Saturday?

Saturday's schedule will be full of great games. LSU will face Clemson in a legitimate football game. Many of the other SEC Schools will be facing something from the Hostess or Dolly Madison collection because we see cupcakes for Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama, too.

We should note that the University of Louisiana at Monroe also has a pushover opponent to start its season. The Warhawks will travel to Starkville, Mississippi, where they will face the Bulldogs of Mississippi State. I know State is an SEC school, but we're talking about State, y'all.

Regardless, football is back. Now, if we could only afford what those "broke college kids" could afford, we might be eating good at tailgating. Wait, if you eat this, then you are eating good.