Clear your calendar, make sure that refrigerator is stocked and plan out a little stretching time, my friends, because we are ready to embrace a full slate of college football. Oh, it's good to be back. Georgia Tech kicked off the 2024 season in style with an upset of Florida State.
The opening Saturday, however, was simply a precursor to the long-awaited arrival of Week 1. There are several Top 25 showdowns, rivalries and even a conference game on the slate. And there will be upsets.
Enough talking, more picks. Enjoy the weekend. Illinois State at No.
25 Iowa, Noon ET As usual, defense will be the strength of Iowa's roster and should minimize any concerns of an upset alert against Illinois State. But, uh, I'm a little concerned about the Hawkeyes' quarterback situation—which I know is preaching to the choir for much of the fanbase. Prediction : Iowa 27, Illinois State 10 Western Carolina at No.
24 North Carolina State, Thursday, 7 p.m. ET Western Carolina had a quality 7-4 team in 2023, but a bad Arkansas team wrecked the Catamounts 56-13.
Given that North Carolina State may contend for an ACC crown, this result should be straightforward. Prediction : NC State 41, Western Carolina 14 No. 23 USC vs.
No. 13 LSU, Sunday, 7:30 p.m.
ET For prediction, see No. 13 LSU. Lindenwood at No.
22 Kansas, 8 p.m. ET In the program's third year as a Division I team, Lindenwood isn't expected to challenge Kansas.
The bigger story is the return of KU's extremely talented, oft-injured quarterback Jalon Daniels. For the Jayhawks to contend in the Big 12, he absolutely must stay healthy. Prediction : Kansas 52, Lindenwood 7 New Mexico (0-1) at No.
21 Arizona, 10:30 p.m. ET FCS power Montana State took out New Mexico in Week 0, so Arizona is a hefty favorite for this matchup.
This is the first-regular season tilt between the nearby programs since 2008. Prediction : Arizona 49, New Mexico 17 No. 7 Notre Dame at No.
20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET For prediction, see No.
7 Notre Dame. No. 19 Miami at Florida, 3:30 p.
m. ET One thing we know for certain: Whichever team loses, a third-year coach—Miami's Mario Cristobal or Florida's Billy Napier—will be unable to escape hot-seat discussions. Florida's home-field advantage must not be discounted, and the Gators have an experienced team.
But a more explosive Miami offense has a slight edge. Prediction : Miami 27, Florida 24 UT Martin at No. 18 Kansas State, 7 p.
m. ET The reigning Ohio Valley champion, UT Martin is built to make a charge at the FCS playoffs. Kansas State, nevertheless, is a strong favorite because of its experienced defense, and new starting quarterback Avery Johnson is an exciting dual-threat talent.
Prediction : Kansas State 41, UT Martin 14 South Dakota State at No. 17 Oklahoma State, 2 p.m.
ET Last season, South Dakota State finished 15-0 and secured a second straight FCS national title. An easy opener, this is not. Oklahoma State's veteran-laden offense will likely be able to handle SDSU's impressive defense, but don't expect a blowout in Stillwater.
Prediction : Oklahoma State 31, South Dakota State 23 Temple at No. 16 Oklahoma, Friday, 7 p.m.
ET On the other hand, a comfortable victory is the anticipated outcome in Norman. Oklahoma, which is set to unveil Jackson Arnold as the full-time QB, figures to run all over a Temple defense that surrendered 6.3 yards per play in 2023.
Prediction : Oklahoma 52, Temple 17 Chattanooga at No. 15 Tennessee, 12:45 p.m.
ET As with several other FCS programs taking on Top 25 teams, Chattanooga had a successful 2023 campaign. And, similarly, one contest with a great FBS school—Alabama, in this case—went poorly. Tennessee isn't at that level, of course, but the Vols should win handily, too.
Prediction : Tennessee 47, Chattanooga 13 No. 14 Clemson vs. No.
1 Georgia, Noon ET For prediction, see No. 1 Georgia. No.
23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU, Sunday, 7:30 p.
m. ET Another narrative game, USC and LSU are squaring off in Las Vegas for a battle of Heisman Trophy-winning replacements. Miller Moss is taking over for Caleb Williams, and Garrett Nussmeier is the heir to Jayden Daniels.
Whether these defenses will be improved after terrible 2023 seasons is a pivotal story, and both programs have new coordinators. This is the long version of saying that no result—a close game or blowout either way—should be surprising, given the vast amount of change. And, in short: LSU wins a tight one.
Prediction : LSU 30, USC 27 Southern Utah at No. 12 Utah, Thursday, 9 p.m.
ET Finally, he's back. Cam Rising faced a difficult recovery from a knee injury and missed the entire 2023 season. He's healthy and ready to guide Utah through its debut campaign in the Big 12.
The question is more about Rising's effectiveness in his return than if the Utes win. Prediction : Utah 38, Southern Utah 10 Murray State at No. 11 Missouri, Thursday, 8 p.
m. ET Missouri begins a favorable nonconference stretch with Murray State, which mustered a 2-9 record last season. So, yeah, we know which direction this one is probably headed.
Prediction : Missouri 48, Murray State 7 Boston College at No. 10 Florida State (0-1), Monday, 7:30 p.m.
ET Unfortunately for FSU, its ranking is likely to fall no matter what happens on Labor Day. That opening loss to Georgia Tech, however, would be compounded with a second ACC letdown. I don't expect that to happen, but we'll need to dramatically reassess FSU's expectations if Boston College rides dual-threat QB Thomas Castellanos to an upset.
Prediction : Florida State 27, Boston College 22 Fresno State at No. 9 Michigan, 7:30 p.m.
ET As a new era begins in Ann Arbor, we're still waiting for official word on the starting quarterback. Alex Orji is expected to lead the Wolverines, but Davis Warren remains in the hunt. Regardless, though, U-M will roll out a ground-focused attack led by Donovan Edwards and lean on what should be another strong defense.
Prediction : Michigan 33, Fresno State 14 No. 8 Penn State at West Virginia, Noon ET Last year, Penn State totaled 170 more yards of offense and shredded West Virginia 38-15. While a repeat of that performance should not be expected—I believe in dynamic quarterback Garrett Greene quite a lot—WVU's defense may be the weakest unit on the field.
West Virginia is a very legitimate threat in this contest, but Penn State should snag another win over the Mountaineers. Prediction : Penn State 31, West Virginia 27 No. 7 Notre Dame at No.
20 Texas A&M, 7:30 p.m. ET Beyond the obvious as a Top 25 matchup, this is a massive game.
Notre Dame is aiming to back up its College Football Playoff upside after a quiet 2023, while Texas A&M is working to shake the Jimbo Fisher era and start Mike Elko's tenure with an emphatic upset. The hosts are favored, but ND's veteran defense can be the difference in a dramatic game. Prediction : Notre Dame 24, Texas A&M 20 Furman at No.
6 Ole Miss, 7 p.m. ET Furman reached the FCS quarterfinals last year but essentially has a brand-new secondary in 2024.
The transition, in very simple terms, is problematic for an FCS school that is opening the season against a top FBS quarterback in Jaxson Dart and one of the nation's best receiving corps. Prediction : Ole Miss 56, Furman 10 Western Kentucky at No. 5 Alabama, 7 p.
m. ET At this point, you understand the idea. Ranked Team A is going to win, but we're still interested in Storyline X.
Truly, that's the beauty of Week 1. How will Kalen DeBoer's influence alter the playing style of Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe? I'm excited to find out. Prediction : Alabama 48, Western Kentucky 14 Colorado State at No.
4 Texas, 3:30 p.m. ET Texas is ready to unveil a new skill-position group around Quinn Ewers, who guided Texas to a Big 12 title last year.
More importantly: This is a tune-up game before the Horns travel to Michigan in Week 2. Prediction : Texas 45, Colorado State 21 Idaho at No. 3 Oregon, 7:30 p.
m. ET Idaho, which dropped to the FCS level in 2018, has recently found its footing under head coach Jason Eck and made back-to-back appearances in the FCS playoffs. It's a great achievement that deserves praise.
Also, Oregon is a top national title contender in 2024. Enough said, no? Prediction : Oregon 56, Idaho 14 Akron at No. 2 Ohio State, 3:30 p.
m. ET Did you know: Akron once defeated Ohio State. It happened in 1894.
Neat! The streak will not end at 130 years. Sorry, Zips. Prediction : Ohio State 52, Akron 7 No.
14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia, Noon ET On one hand, I think Clemson will rebound from a frustrating 2023 campaign to reclaim its throne atop the ACC.
On the other, I believe UGA is still a light-year or two ahead—until and unless Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik proves me wrong—in this outstanding opener. Prediction : Georgia 29, Clemson 17 Howard at Rutgers, 6 p.m.
ET Prediction: Rutgers 42, Howard 13 North Carolina A&T at Wake Forest, 7 p.m. ET Prediction: Wake Forest 41, North Carolina A&T 10 New Hampshire at UCF, 7 p.
m. ET Prediction: UCF 44, New Hampshire 10 Jackson State at Louisiana-Monroe, 7 p.m.
ET Prediction: ULM 31, Jackson State 20 Lafayette at Buffalo, 7 p.m. ET Prediction: Buffalo 26, Lafayette 21 Fordham at Bowling Green, 7 p.
m. ET Prediction: Bowling Green 30, Fordham 16 Central Connecticut at Central Michigan, 7 p.m.
ET Prediction: CMU 38, Central Connecticut 14 Arkansas Pine-Bluff at Arkansas, 7:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Arkansas 44, UAPB 7 Duquesne at Toledo, 7:30 p.
m. ET Prediction: Toledo 37, Duquesne 13 North Carolina at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
ET Prediction: Minnesota 27, North Carolina 24 North Dakota State at Colorado, 8 p.m. ET Prediction: Colorado 24, North Dakota State 21 Southeastern Louisiana at Tulane, 8 p.
m. ET Prediction: Tulane 40, SE Louisiana 14 Alcorn State at UAB, 8 p.m.
ET Prediction: UAB 37, Alcorn State 10 Northwestern State at Tulsa, 8 p.m. ET Prediction: Tulsa 34, Northwestern State 16 Coastal Carolina at Jacksonville State, 8 p.
m. ET Prediction: Jax State 27, Coastal Carolina 23 Eastern Illinois at Illinois, 9 p.m.
ET Prediction: Illinois 31, Eastern Illinois 14 Sacramento State at San Jose State, 10 p.m. ET Prediction: Sacramento State 28, San Jose State 26 Lehigh at Army, 6 p.
m. ET Prediction: Army 31, Lehigh 14 Florida Atlantic at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
ET Prediction: Michigan State 34, FAU 20 Elon at Duke, 7:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Duke 30, Elon 10 Western Michigan at Wisconsin, 9 p.
m. ET Prediction: Wisconsin 33, WMU 17 TCU at Stanford, 10:30 p.m.
ET Prediction: TCU 27, Stanford 24 Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt, Noon ET Prediction: Virginia Tech 34, Vanderbilt 16 Austin Peay at Louisville, Noon ET Prediction: Louisville 42, Austin Peay 14 Kent State at Pitt, Noon ET Prediction: Pitt 33, Kent State 10 Connecticut at Maryland, Noon ET Prediction: Maryland 35, UConn 13 Indiana State at Purdue, Noon ET Prediction: Purdue 31, Indiana State 14 Bucknell at Navy, Noon ET Prediction: Navy 28, Bucknell 10 Towson at Cincinnati, 2:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Cincinnati 37, Towson 7 Portland State at Washington State, 3 p.
m. ET Prediction: Washington State 38, Portland State 14 Ohio at Syracuse, 3:30 p.m.
ET Prediction: Syracuse 33, Ohio 16 Florida International at Indiana, 3:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Indiana 37, FIU 14 UTEP at Nebraska, 3:30 p.
m. ET Prediction: Nebraska 36, UTEP 13 Miami (Ohio) at Northwestern, 3:30 p.m.
ET Prediction: Miami 24, Northwestern 20 North Dakota at Iowa State, 3:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Iowa State 27, North Dakota 17 Kennesaw State at UTSA, 3:30 p.
m. ET Prediction: UTSA 30, Kennesaw State 14 Western Illinois at Northern Illinois, 3:30 p.m.
ET Prediction: NIU 42, Western Illinois 17 Eastern Michigan at Massachusetts, 3:30 p.m. ET Prediction: EMU 26, UMass 23 Merrimack at Air Force, 3:30 p.
m. ET Prediction: Air Force 35, Merrimack 7 East Tennessee State at Appalachian State, 3:30 p.m.
ET Prediction: App State 37, ETSU 14 Boise State at Georgia Southern, 4 p.m. ET Prediction: Boise State 31, Georgia Southern 21 Old Dominion at South Carolina, 4:15 p.
m. ET Prediction: South Carolina 34, ODU 17 UC Davis at Cal, 5 p.m.
ET Prediction: Cal 38, UC Davis 16 Stony Brook at Marshall, 5 p.m. ET Prediction: Marshall 42, Stony Brook 13 North Texas at South Alabama, 5 p.
m. ET Prediction: South Alabama 24, North Texas 23 Richmond at Virginia, 6 p.m.
ET Prediction: Virginia 33, Richmond 14 Eastern Kentucky at Mississippi State, 6 p.m. ET Prediction: Mississippi State 34, EKU 13 Norfolk State (0-1) at East Carolina, 6 p.
m. ET Prediction: ECU 37, Norfolk State 10 Campbell at Liberty, 6 p.m.
ET Prediction: Liberty 48, Campbell 17 Idaho State at Oregon State, 6:30 p.m. ET Prediction: Oregon State 31, Idaho State 14 Tarleton State at Baylor, 7 p.
m. ET Prediction: Baylor 41, Tarleton State 17 UNLV at Houston, 7 p.m.
ET Prediction: Houston 29, UNLV 24 North Alabama at Memphis, 7 p.m. ET Prediction: Memphis 47, North Alabama 14 Bethune-Cookman at South Florida, 7 p.
m. ET Prediction: USF 52, Bethune-Cookman 10 Sam Houston at Rice, 7 p.m.
ET Prediction: Rice 20, Sam Houston 14 Tennessee Tech at Middle Tennessee, 7 p.m. ET Prediction: MTSU 38, Tennessee Tech 13 Nevada (0-1) at Troy, 7 p.
m. ET Prediction: Troy 27, Nevada 20 Central Arkansas at Arkansas State, 7 p.m.
ET Prediction: Arkansas State 30, Central Arkansas 21 UCLA at Hawaii (1-0), 7:30 p.m. ET Prediction: UCLA 34, Hawaii 24 Abilene Christian at Texas Tech, 7:30 p.
m. ET Prediction: Texas Tech 42, Abilene Christian 13 Alabama A&M at Auburn, 7:30 p.m.
ET Prediction: Auburn 48, Alabama A&M 10 Southern Miss at Kentucky, 7:45 p.m. ET Prediction: Kentucky 41, Southern Miss 14 Georgia State at Georgia Tech (1-0), 8 p.
m. ET Prediction: Georgia Tech 29, Georgia State 17 Houston Christian at SMU (1-0), 8 p.m.
ET Prediction: SMU 42, Houston Christian 10 Southern Illinois at BYU, 8 p.m. ET Prediction: BYU 34, Southern Illinois 20 James Madison at Charlotte, 8 p.
m. ET Prediction: JMU 31, Charlotte 21 Nicholls at Louisiana Tech, 8 p.m.
ET Prediction: Louisiana Tech 30, Nicholls 20 Texas A&M-Commerce at San Diego State, 8 p.m. ET Prediction: SDSU 34, Texas A&M-Commerce 13 Robert Morris at Utah State, 8 p.
m. ET Prediction: Utah State 38, Robert Morris 17 Grambling at Louisiana, 8 p.m.
ET Prediction: Louisiana 41, Grambling 14 Lamar at Texas State, 8 p.m. ET Prediction: Texas State 45, Lamar 10 Southeast Missouri State at New Mexico State, 9 p.
m. ET Prediction: NMSU 30, SEMO 21 Wyoming at Arizona State, 10:30 p.m.
ET Prediction: ASU 27, Wyoming 20 Weber State at Washington, 11 p.m. ET Prediction: Washington 42, Weber State 10.
