Football is back and, with it, your weekly viewing guides for the season. Each Thursday, we'll look across the college football landscape and tell you what to watch before, during (if you choose), and after the Buckeyes. Since the Buckeyes were nudged into the ACC's Monday night Labor Day kickoff this year, this feature will be your definitive guide on what to watch this extended weekend.
Thursday
North Carolina vs. South Carolina [in Charlotte] (ESPN, 6 p.m.). South Carolina once again starts the college football season as the first game on the first Thursday night. South Carolina fans will hope this start to the season will fare better than last season's opener. In that game, South Carolina was trounced at home by 24 points, momentarily making Kenny Hill into "Kenny Trill" before he bottomed out and transferred to Texas Christian.
South Carolina is favored (-2.5), but not without a lot of conviction. Don't be surprised if North Carolina takes this one. If so, it could be the beginning of the end for Spurrier's tenure in Columbia.
Florida International at Central Florida (CBS Sports, 6 p.m.). This game is available if you are bored with the other one. I wish I had more to say about it. George O'Leary, UCF's coach, is also doubling as the athletic director and reportedly wants to stop coaching after this year.
Oklahoma State at Central Michigan (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). Oklahoma State, a fringe top-25 team and a "dark horse" (if any) in the Big 12 this year, is opening on the road at a MAC school. Your guess is as good as mine. Mike Gundy may be trying to take advantage of that fertile Mt. Pleasant recruiting ground?
Western Kentucky at Vanderbilt (SEC Network, 8 p.m.). Who will finish last in the SEC West is one of the more interesting questions in the SEC year. We already know who will finish last in the SEC East, though.
Michigan at Utah (FOX Sports 1, 8:30 p.m.). This is the first of two big games for the Big Ten on Thursday. It will also be the much-awaited debut of Jim Harbaugh.
My hot sports take is Michigan is objectively a five-win team with a schedule that may get them to seven wins. This win is not "critical" toward that projection. However, a face-plant against the favored Utes (-4.5) in Salt Lake City to start the season would reaffirm my belief Michigan is objectively a 5-7 squad with a coach whose peculiar personality commands his own dedicated camera named after his choice of trousers.
Texas Christian at Minnesota (ESPN, 9 p.m.). Is this the most hyped game in Minnesota history? The Gophers, a January bowl team from last year and all-around respectable squad, are hosting the no. 2 team in the country.
I want to like the Gophers in this one. Jerry Kill's program has shown discernible improvement from year to year. However, things like J.T. Barrett's run and hapless Missouri running wild on them in the Citrus Bowl suggest Minnesota probably does not have the horses to run with elite programs. Minnesota may make it closer than what Vegas thinks (TCU is favored by 16), but this game will probably be deflating for the Gopher fans in attendance.
Duke at Tulane (CBS Sports, 9:30 p.m.). Duke, 9-4 last year, may bottom out after a few good years and finish last in its division. However mediocre this team may be in 2015, it will have the distinction of being the first team to break in Tulane's new stadium.
Duke is also led by a pre-season All-American at safety: Jeremy Cash. That name should sound familiar to Ohio State fans.
Texas San Antonio at Arizona (Pac-12 Network, 10 p.m.). Arizona, last year's Pac-12 runner-up and Fiesta Bowl runner-up, will start its season again with Larry Coker's Roadrunners.
Colorado at Hawaii (CBS Sports, 1 a.m.). Do it. Pull an all-nighter and watch it. Call in sick on Friday too. You know you want to...
Friday
UNC-Charlotte at Georgia State (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.). College football fans welcome the Charlotte 49ers to the FBS ranks in its first ever game at the top division of college football. The 49ers started the current football program in 2013 and played as an FCS independent for the past two seasons.
Baylor at Southern Methodist (ESPN, 7 p.m.). Critics dog Ohio State's "easy" schedule, ostensibly because there's nothing left to say about a team that put 59 points on then the country's best defense, beat Alabama in New Orleans, and won a national championship. Do we not say the same about Baylor? Baylor's three-game non-conference schedule is Southern Methodist, Lamar, and Rice.
This is the coaching debut for Chad Morris, the former Clemson offensive coordinator. SMU fans hope he can realize SMU as a sleeping giant.
Michigan State at Western Michigan (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). Michigan State starts its season in Kalamazoo, for some reason. Michigan State should win handily, though Ohio State fans may want to watch closely. The Buckeyes play both teams this season. P.J. Fleck, Western Michigan's head coach and former Ohio State graduate assistant, is a name on the rise in the coaching ranks. He may become a top candidate for the Illinois gig.
Weber State at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network, 8 p.m.). Gary Andersen coaches his first game at Oregon State just nine months after Ohio State ran him off the field in the Big Ten Championship Game.
Kent State at Illinois (BTN, 9 p.m.). Illinois fired Tim Beckman last Friday. It starts an interim era with Bill Cubit tomorrow. Illinois' timing is not so good.
Washington at Boise State (ESPN, 10:15 p.m.). Washington's head coach recruited half of Boise State's roster, which may or may not be awkward.
I'm curious what Chris Petersen does in his second year as Washington head coach. He inherited a team last year loaded with talent. The Huskies had three first-round draft picks on last year's defense. Petersen coached them to an 8-6 record with no signature win to boast. This followed a post-Kellen Moore stretch at Boise State that was not terribly exciting either.
Saturday
Louisiana-Monroe at Georgia OR UT-Martin at Ole Miss (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). Yeah, okay...
Stanford at Northwestern (ESPN, 12 p.m.). It's the nerd fight college football fans have been wanting for some time.
Norfolk State at Rutgers (ESPN News, 12 p.m.). This is the tenth consecutive year that Rutgers has played a school from the MEAC.
Illinois State at Iowa (BTN, 12 p.m.). Iowa barely beat an FCS team last year. Illinois State was the runner-up in last year's FCS Championship Game.
Richmond at Maryland (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). The sooner the Big Ten implements that no-FCS scheduling pledge, the better.
UTEP at Arkansas (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.). It took last year's thrashing of Texas to convince me, but I think Bert may actually turn the Hogs into something good this year. That said, Arkansas may still finish last in the SEC West. It'll be that kind of season down south.
Louisville at Auburn [in Atlanta] (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). Finally, a game of intrigue for the SEC. Louisville will travel to Atlanta to play Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. College football fans who've been around the block may remember that Bobby Petrino, now in his second stint at Louisville, secretly interviewed for the Auburn job in 2003 when there was a possibility that Tommy Tuberville would be fired. Petrino was Auburn's offensive coordinator in 2002.
Auburn (-10.5) is a clear favorite in this game. They're also the modal pick to win the SEC this year. Louisville may not be that good this year, but it's a credible threat to win the ACC Atlantic Division. I think that projection says more about the ACC Atlantic this year than about Louisville's talent-level in 2015.
Virginia at UCLA (FOX, 3:30 p.m.). UCLA will trot out five-star freshman quarterback Josh Rosen to start this game. He beat out Jerry Neuheisel, the folk hero from last year's game against Texas and son of the former UCLA coach, for the job.
Brigham Young at Nebraska (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). I love this matchup for the basis of regional curiosity alone. Nebraska starts the Mike Riley era with a home game against BYU. Taysom Hill returns for BYU after suffering a season-ending leg fracture last year against Utah State.
Penn State at Temple (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.). Don't sleep on Temple. The Owls had the best "bend-but-don't-break" defense in the country last year and will be better this year. Every starter and almost every depth player of consequence last year returns.
Bowling Green at Tennessee [in Nashville] (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). I don't know why Tennessee felt compelled to schedule a MAC snack for a game in Nashville, but that's not my question to answer.
Southern Illinois at Indiana (ESPN News, 4 p.m.). This is the last FCS game of the week for the Big Ten. I promise.
Southeast Missouri State at Missouri (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). Missouri is smart to get its FCS cupcake in Week 1 while others get shame for scheduling them for November. Missouri hosts BYU later this season in that same slot.
Arizona State at Texas A&M [in Houston] (ESPN, 7 p.m.). Arizona State is the no. 15 team in the country. Texas A&M is unranked, had a wretched defense from last year, and may finish last in its division. Yet, A&M is a three-point favorite in Vegas.
"Statement wins" are overused cliches from talking heads on ESPN, but it may be appropriate here for Arizona State. The same team that beat Notre Dame by 24 and upset USC in Los Angeles also lost at Oregon State and was routed by five touchdowns at home to UCLA. I think sportswriters want to love Arizona State since the team has weapons this year. The Sun Devils need to give sportswriters a convincing reason why.
Louisiana-Lafayette vs. Kentucky (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). This is also a game you could watch.
Texas at Notre Dame (NBC, 7 p.m.). I was never among those Big Ten fans that seriously minded Notre Dame dropping its series with Michigan, Michigan State, and, eventually, Purdue. Notre Dame has at least been rather creative in its scheduling practices since.
Notre Dame last had a home-and-home with Texas in 1995 and 1996. Both games coincided with some mediocre years for Notre Dame. Lou Holtz was past his coaching prime and was trying to shoehorn Ron Powlus into a triple-option based offense. However, Texas was rather grim while Notre Dame was at least respectable. The Irish won both games and even won the contest in South Bend by 28 points.
Both programs notably had three legendary Cotton Bowls between them in the 1970s. The 1970 Cotton Bowl (to conclude the 1969 season) saw undefeated Texas defeat the 8-1-1 Irish en route to a consensus national championship. The 1971 Cotton Bowl classic was another case of a team winning a national championship despite losing its bowl game. The undefeated Longhorns were awarded the national championship in the Coaches Poll but lost 24-11 to Notre Dame in the bowl game. The 1978 Cotton Bowl Classic saw Notre Dame upset Texas, 38-10. Texas, then-undefeated and the consensus no. 1 team in the country, tumbled in the rankings and allowed Notre Dame to leapfrog both it and Alabama en route to another national championship.
Amid this historical backdrop, Notre Dame hopes a team that returned everyone from last year can use the Longhorns as a footnote to a national championship run. Texas, which is known more for attrition with Charlie Strong than anything else for the time being, could use a win in South Bend to justify Charlie Strong's young tenure in Austin.
UNLV at Northern Illinois (CBS Sports, 7:30 p.m.). You may want to watch this game if you want to look ahead a bit. UNLV plays at Michigan the same day that Northern Illinois plays at Ohio State.
Wisconsin vs. Alabama [in Arlington] (ABC, 8 p.m.). I'm telling myself Alabama, which is absolutely averse to playing home-and-home contests against the Big Ten, penciled this game for Arlington to start 2015 as a celebration for winning a national championship in the same venue to end 2014. That's not how that unfolded and I'm sure that story isn't true. I just like the thought of it.
Alabama is a curious team in 2015. By Alabama standards of late, it's a rebuilding year. By college football standards, it's still a rebuilding year. That's at least the way it seems. Alabama doesn't have a sure thing at quarterback and lost its only play-maker at wide receiver. This suggests Alabama's offense devolves to what it was in 2011 when Alabama won a national championship despite its quarterback. However, Alabama has major concerns in the secondary as well. It brought Mel Tucker to Tuscaloosa to iron out that position.
Wisconsin has nice assets, but I doubt the Badgers could capitalize. The Badgers lost Melvin Gordon and three starting linemen from last year.
I think this is the matchup college football fans would've liked to see in 2011.
Texas State at Florida State (ESPN News, 8 p.m.). Florida State lost every player of consequence from 2013's national championship team and is still favored to win its fourth-straight ACC championship. I'm not convinced. I think the ACC is probably Clemson's to lose this year. Given Clemson's lore, it just might lose it too.
Eastern Washington at Oregon (Pac-12 Network, 8 p.m.). You are probably aware by now that Oregon's new starting quarterback, who has been in Eugene for all of two weeks, will start the season against Eastern Washington, the team he quarterbacked last year.
Arkansas State at USC (Pac-12 Network, 11 p.m.). Arkansas State apparently commands a marquee 8 p.m. local kickoff slot against the Men of Troy.
Sunday
Purdue at Marshall (FOX Sports 1, 3:30 p.m.). Purdue, the Big Ten's most notorious pinch-penny football program, is now accepting pay-out games against Conference-USA teams.
Monday
Ohio State at Virginia Tech (ESPN, 8 p.m.). This is your game of the week. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game.
