The second most eagerly awaited game of the weekend is almost at hand as 90 percent of the Florida Gators roster will play the Michigan Wolverines at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

It’s the first time Florida will open the season away from the comfy confines of The Swamp since a 31-4 loss to the Miami Hurricanes in 1987. It’s the first time Florida will open the season against a school from a major conference since a 50-7 win against Oklahoma State in 1990, when the Cowboys were in the Big 8.

That was Steve Spurrier’s first season as the Gators’ head coach.

The following year Florida went north for a non-conference game against Syracuse. The Orangemen worked the Gators, 38-21, and the old tale goes that a few weeks after the 1992 Sugar Bowl, Spurrier went to new athletic director Jeremy Foley and told him that the Gators just needed to play their SEC schedule and Florida State — without any additional potential pitfalls.

After a couple of one-off home games against Louisville and Houston to finish up some previously signed agreements, the Gators were soon enjoying cake wins such as 70-21 over New Mexico State and 49-10 over The Citadel.

For the next 25 years, with the exception of four games against Miami (and seriously, can we get the Miami-Florida series back, pretty please), the Gators played a wide assortment of directional mid-major programs with the occasional 1-AA cupcake mixed in.

And hey, it worked. Since that decision was made, Florida has won eight SEC titles and three national championships.

But that was then. The game has changed a little and the system now comes down to a dozen people sitting in a board room for a weekend and deciding which one-loss team looks better.

All of sudden opening the season with UMass and North Texas isn’t a good idea. Not when Alabama is rolling USC and Georgia is battling North Carolina. In today’s college football, people want to see big matchups featuring iconic programs.

So finally, Florida has joined the party and it should be an AWESOME atmosphere in Dallas, because I know Gator Nation is excited to be playing in an opening week game of importance at an NFL stadium. And frankly, this needed to happen. After a blowout loss to Florida State to end the regular season and an even more lopsided defeat to Alabama in the SEC Championship Game, the Gators clearly need to test themselves early — and not just be satisfied with winning the SEC East.

So on to the questions:

Is Franks ready?

Gators coach Jim McElwain made the long overdue announcement that redshirt freshman Feleipe Franks will be the starting quarterback Saturday. The 4-star prospect battled his way back from major struggles in the spring of 2016 to beat last year’s opening day starter Luke Del Rio and Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire in a three-way quarterback race. Franks was the leader in the clubhouse coming out of spring and held on the job through training camp despite the addition of Zaire.

Franks has good size (listed at 6-foot-5, 227) and a fairly live arm. His accuracy was a question, as was his ability to work through his reads. He’s matured to correct some of those problems, and surely the Gators will simplify some things to make him comfortable. Don’t expect to see Tim Tebow 2K17 or anything, but Franks is the best quarterback on the roster and should improve with every game.

Who’s available to help the QB?

The Gators top running back, Jordan Scarlett, and top wide receiver, Antonio Callaway, are suspended and will not play. Lamical Perine should get the bulk of the carries, and I expect Mark Thompson to come in for relief and on passing downs. Don’t be surprised if one of both of the true freshman running backs, Malik Davis and Adarius Lemons, also get in the game for a couple of series.

At wide receiver, this is a chance for 5-star prospect Tyrie Cleveland to live up to his billing. Sophomore Freddie Swain and tight ends C’yontai Lewis and Deandre Goolsby should provide support. The one guy I’d like to see break out with a big effort is Brandon Powell. I expect he’ll get some touches on the perimeter and close to the line of scrimmage. If he can break one early, it will give the offense a lot of confidence.

Will Franks have protection?

Martez Ivey is still the centerpiece of the offensive line, and if the starting five stays healthy they should be pretty good Saturday. There isn’t much experienced depth, however, and it’s safe to say the Gators only go 6-7 deep up front with super sub Tyler Jordan the top backup at several positions. If injuries, even minor ones like cramps, force the Gators to do some mixing and matching up front, they could be in trouble against Michigan’s talented, young front line.

I would say more about Michigan’s front but the Wolverines depth chart is still unknown. Heck, it took a threat of legal action to get a roster of out Jim Harbaugh.

Enough about the offense, how’s the D?

Probably not as opportunistic as last season but pretty good. The Gators look very deep at defensive line, especially when a potential stud like Antonneous Clayton is listed on the third team. Cece Jefferson is still the man, but the Gators really flex their muscles when talented, experienced second-teamers like Jordan Sherit and Luke Ancrum are added to the mix.

The secondary is the big question. Jalen Tabor (sorry, I won’t call a grown man “Teez”), Quincy Wilson and Marcus Maye are gone while Marcell Harris is out for the season with an Achilles injury. Cornerback Duke Dawson and safeties Chauncey Gardner and Nick Washington have good experience, but some true freshmen will have to play. Marco Wilson, brother of Quincy, might start Saturday and will likely be tested early.

The linebackers group is a little thin, but sophomores David Reese and Vosean Joseph showed me a lot last year when they were pressed into duty.

So how is the game gonna go?

It’s going to be a grind. I believe Michigan is going to be pretty good on defense, even with a lot of new starters and no known depth chart. They will give Franks a lot of different looks and try to confuse the heck out of him. Florida’s defense should be up to the task against Michigan. After a quarter of the teams feeling each other out, we’ll start to see which coaching staff is quicker to make adjustments and spot the weaknesses on the opposing side.

If the game stays close, Florida probably has a special teams advantage. Johnny Townsend is one of the best punters in the nation and Eddy Pineiro proved he was worth the hype after hitting 21 of 25 field goals in his first season with the Gators.

Either way, if you are expecting a shootout in the 40s, go watch a Big 12 game.