ATLANTA (AP) — The first season major college football’s champion will be decided by a playoff began Wednesday night in a mostly empty Georgia Dome, with one of the newest members of FBS taking on a team starting its second season in DIvision I.

The road to the College Football Playoff starts here and Georgia State is getting a head start on the rest of the competition opening up against Abilene Christian — which seems fair given the Panthers’ credentials.

On Thursday, the heavyweights start to join the race.

The Georgia Dome crowd will swell significantly when No. 18 Mississippi faces Boise State on Thursday night. On Saturday, No. 2 Alabama fans figure to pack the home of the NFL’s Falcons for its opener against West Virginia.