Breaking down the best matchups of Week 0:

No. 1 Servite vs. Long  Beach Poly
Thursday, at Veterans Stadium, 7 p.m.

Outlook: There are easier ways to start the season, but these two teams aren’t buying it.

Long Beach Poly is the defending Pac-5 champion. Servite enters the season with aspirations of dethroning the Jackrabbits.

The preseason CIF-SS polls, which came out Tuesday, have Poly No. 1 and Servite No. 2 in the Pac-5.

What a way to open the season.

Cody Fajardo returns at quarterback for the Friars.

The team is already without lineman Matt Jakubiec (knee injury). It will be important for the Friars to stay healthy as they battle their way through a brutal lineup of nonleague games.

The Jackrabbits also have a tough nonleague schedule, playing St. Bonaventure of Ventura, Narbonne of Harbor City and Oceanside. And they’re doing it with a young team.

Poly coach Raul Lara returns only four starters (all on the offensive side of the ball), however, Poly is a lot like USC – they don’t rebuild, they reload.

There are always players to watch at Poly and this year is no different as Corey Waller (DL), Kaelin Clark (WR) and Cory Westbrook (RB) top the team’s list of college prospects.

The Friars are the more experienced team. Will it matter?

*Rankings are based on the OCVarsity.com preseason poll

Check out the rest of this week’s Calhoun Six:

•  No. 5 Mater Dei vs. Carson
• No. 17 Dana Hills vs. No. 14 Santa Margarita
• No. 12 Fountain Valley vs. No. 22 Foothill
• No. 10 Tustin vs. Kennedy
• No. 24 Fullerton vs. No. 19 Canyon

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