Football has finally returned to Saturdays as the SEC kicks off its first weekend of games on Sept. 5 with a slew of intriguing matchups, including non-conference tilts against Arizona State, Louisville and Wisconsin.

While some games seem to be nothing more than glorified scrimmages, we still revel at our first look at who our stars and our fading stars might be this season.

Here are three candidates to “boom” on Saturday, and three candidates to bust:

Booms

1. Kelvin Taylor: Kelvin Taylor inherits the full-time starting role out of the Florida backfield this year. The junior’s reward is a matchup against New Mexico State, owner of the nation’s outright worst rushing defense in 2014.

Taylor is the son of former NFL great Fred Taylor. He is also the Florida high school all-time rushing champ, a title he wrested away from none other than Emmitt Smith. Although he’s rushed for 1,073 career yards in Gainesville, Taylor has spent much of his time in a reserve role behind Matt Jones. With Jones now in the NFL with Washington, Taylor gets his shot to lead the Gators’ running back corps which also features freshmen Jordan Scarlett and Jordan Cronkrite.

The Aggies yielded an average of 309.9 rushing yards to opponents last year. With a still-inexperienced quarterback under center for the Gators in Treon Harris, Florida will likely rely on its run game for stability. That’s where Taylor comes into play. Whether he can maintain a high performance throughout the season remains to be seen. But Taylor will have a breakout game against a porous New Mexico State defense.

2. Joshua Dobbs: He’s firmly entrenched as the starting quarterback. The junior — who burst on the scene late last season making five starts and being named TaxSlayer Bowl MVP — is out to prove 2014 wasn’t a fluke as the Volunteers’ full-time starter to begin the year. And he couldn’t ask for a more favorable Week 1 opponent than Bowling Green.

The Falcons ranked No. 104 in total defense in 2014. And while Bowling Green had an average secondary (No. 61 nationally in passing defense), their run defense was worse at No. 99 in country coughing up an average of 201.1 yards per game on the ground.

Dobbs can beat you with his arm (1,901 career passing yards) and legs (469 yards, 8 rushing touchdowns). The Falcons will find that out the hard way.

3. De’Runnya Wilson: Don’t blame De’Runnya Wilson if he has a bit of a chip on his shoulder after being snubbed for the All-SEC preseason teams. Don’t blame the Mississippi State wide receiver if he takes out that aggression on the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles during the season opener on Sept. 5, either.

Wilson returns for his junior year after a 2014 campaign that saw him become Dak Prescott’s favorite target with a team-high 680 yards and 9 touchdowns. Wilson and the potential Heisman-candidate quarterback draw a Golden Eagles defense in Week 1 that finished ranked No. 104 in the nation last season in total defense with 451.4 yards per game surrendered.

Expect Wilson to have a big game and set the tone for the rest of the season.

Busts

1. Tra Carson: Texas A&M leading rusher Tra Carson returns for his senior year to College Station, but don’t expect him to get off to a big start in the season opener on Sept. 5 in Houston. At least that’s Arizona State’s game plan, anyway.

Carson is the Aggies starter in 2015 after making four starts last year — during which he racked up team-highs for rushing yards (481) and attempts (124). Even with an experienced offensive line in front of him, the Sun Devils rushing attack should create headaches for the back. Arizona State was No. 9 in the nation last season in tackles-for-loss with 99, or roughly 7.5 per game. Todd Graham employs a hybrid attack defense that blitzed more than any other team in the country last year (294 blitzes) generating 32 sacks, the most off of blitzes in the nation.

It’s a lot of chaos. It’s a lot to contend with. It’s bad news for Carson.

2. Greyson Lambert: Greyson Lambert makes his Georgia debut on Sept. 5, after winning a lengthy quarterback battle in camp over Brice Ramsey. Lambert arrives in Athens after losing his starting job at Virginia this spring to Matt Johns. The junior Lambert threw for 1,632 and 10 touchdowns last year, but also tossed 11 interceptions. He should thrive, however, with one of the better offensive lines in the SEC East protecting him and the nation’s No. 11 rushing attack to lean on, rather than No. 97, like the Cavaliers.

He draws a tough matchup in Week 1 against Louisiana-Monroe between the hedges. The Warhawks have a tough defense that finished No. 14 in the nation last year in passing yards allowed, yielding 189.9 ypg — better than every SEC team save for No. 3 LSU and No. 5 Georgia.

Look for Lambert to try to establish the pass early and often, but to rely steadily on the Bulldogs stacked run game. Expect a few hiccups as he assimilates to the offense.

While he might have earned the Georgia starting role, he might still have a ways to go to earn the respect of fans, and celebrity chefs, alike…

3. Roc Thomas: “Bust” is not the best word to use here. Let’s just say, we don’t expect Auburn running back Roc Thomas to put up the cartoonish-type numbers against a sturdy Louisville defense the same way Georgia’s Nick Chubb or Alabama’s Derrick Henry might produce against inferior defenses in Week 1.

Look for the sophomore to obliterate defenses this year in his first season as full-time starter. But a Cardinals defense under Todd Grantham that finished No. 6 in the nation last season in total defense, No. 10 in rushing defense and No. 26 in red zone defense should be enough to slow Thomas … if just by a little bit.