Saturday
12:00 PM ET ESPN2: Western Michigan @ Michigan St. (-23.5) - Week 2 last season fellow MAC team, Central Michigan came into East Lansing and shocked Sparty 29-27 on a last second field goal. This Broncos teams isn't as highly regarded, but they are the pick by many to win the MAC West. They lose QB Tim Hiller, but bring back a senior lead WR corps, highlighted by former QB Robert Arnheim. The Spartans come into this one with junior QB Kirk Cousins and LB Greg Jones, who was a 1st team All-American last season. I'll be honest with you, this game is the best of what should be a pretty boring slate of early games. If you have other things to do/errands to run, this is the time to do them because the late afternoon/night games are where it's at.
3:30 PM ET ABC: UConn @ Michigan (-3) - The first ever meeting between these two teams should set the tone this season for two programs seemingly headed in opposite directions. On the way up is a UConn team that is a pre-season pick by some to win the Big East. The Huskies bring back 16 returning starters including junior RB Jordan Todman. Coach Randy Edsall is a hot name in coaching circles and could leave after this season for greener pastures. On the way down is a Michigan team that ended last season on a 5 game losing streak to finish last in the Big Ten, which caused many to question if Rich Rodriguez was the right man for the job in Ann Arbor. Erratic QB play by Tate Forcier has Denard "Shoelace" Robinson running with the starters, but it wouldn't shock me if to see true freshman Devin Gardner take a few snaps. With the Big(ger) House rocking (it now seats over 100,000) and Rich-Rod coaching for his job, this one will be fun to watch.
3:30 PM ET NBC: Purdue @ Notre Dame (-11) - Love 'em or hate 'em, Notre Dame is always a team that draws attention. They ended last season with the highly publicized firing of coach Charlie Weis and the exits of QB Jimmy Clausen and WR Golden Tate to the NFL. They bring in former Cincinnati head coach Brian Kelly and turn the team over to an outstanding trio in sophomore QB Dayne Crist, junior WR Michael Floyd, and junior TE Kyle Rudolph. The Boilermakers have a new QB of their own in former Miami Hurricane junior Robert Marve. Like ND, they also have a highly talented WR in junior Keith Smith. On the defensive side of the ball, DE Ryan Kerrigan should be wreaking havoc all day long. If you care about tv announcers then take notice of the fact that NFL Network's Mike Mayock will be the game analyst for NBC this Fall.
3:30 PM ET ABC: UCLA @ Kansas St. (-1.5) - I like this game because these are two programs trying to build their way back up. Rick Neuheisel might not have sophomore QB Kevin Prince or some of his offensive line as the injury bug has bitten the Bruins. The next 3 weeks UCLA gets Stanford at home, Houston at home, and then goes to Austin to face UT, so this game is critical to them not starting off 0-4. For the Wildcats, I like head coach Bill Snyder and love his senior RB Daniel Thomas. I'd like nothing more than for this program to get back to the highs they experienced the first time Snyder ran things. Under the Radar Game of the Week
7:00 PM ET CBS College: Washington @ BYU (-3) - Last season new Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian took an 0-12 team and turned in a 5-7 record. This season he has them setting their sites on a bowl game. They're led by Heisman hopeful senior QB Jake Locker, who can really do it all and is reason enough to tune in. At his disposal are junior WR Jermaine Kearse and junior TE Kavario Middleton. The Cougars are a team in transition as they lose QB Max Hall, RB Harvey Unga, and their two playmaking TEs Dennis Pitta and Andrew George. They'll start with QB junior Riley Nelson, but expect true frosh Jake Heaps to see snaps. Coach Bronco Mendenhall always has his team prepared as they're 7-2 in home openers. This should whet your appetite for the big Pac-10/MWC game of the night...
7:45 PM ET ESPN: #24 Oregon St. vs #6 TCU (-13.5) @ Arlington, TX (Jerry's World) - The first ever meeting between the Beavers and Horned Frogs could go a long way to determining if TCU gets a BCS Bowl Game this season. Heisman hopeful, senior Andy Dalton is the face of this team. He gets the luxury of lining up behind an offensive line that loses only one starter and features two studs in senior C Jake Kirkpatrick and senior T Marcus Cannon. As good as the offense is, the defense may be even better. Coach Gary Patterson has a great defensive line and linebacking corps that includes junior Tank Carder. Oregon St. comes in with the Rodgers brothers, junior RB Jacquizz & senior WR James, returning to their home state. The two are a dynamic duo that fuel the Beavers offense. Coach Mike Riley has guided Oregon St. to a top 3 finish in the Pac-10 each of the last 4 years. I'm a little bit surprised the line is this big, but then again this is pretty much a home game for TCU. If you watch only one game Saturday, make it this one.
8:00 PM ET ABC: #21 LSU (-6.5) vs #18 North Carolina @ Atlanta, GA (Georgia Dome) - I was pretty excited about this game, but that was before I found out that senior DT Marvin Austin was suspended indefinitely by UNC this week. But that's only the tip of the iceberg here as the NCAA has two investigations going on in Chapel Hill that may force Butch Davis' crew to be without as many as 16 players for this game, including senior WR Greg Little. While I recommend you focus your attention on the Oregon St./TCU game, this one is still worth keeping an eye on because Les Miles is a riverboat gambler, if I've ever seen one. Miles aka "The Hat" has junior QB Jordan Jefferson leading his team along with senior WR Terrance Toliver and wild-card sophomore Russell Shepard (he can lineup almost anywhere). On defense it doesn't get much better than junior CB Patrick Peterson, who is probably the best CB in all of college football. For the Tar Heels, look for senior TJ Yates to be under center and run the offense. I would write about the other players to watch for UNC (there are a ton of defensive beasts on this squad), but I honestly have no idea who will suit up for them. If at any point Jordan Jefferson can't play in this game for the Tigers and junior QB Jarrett Lee is forced into action, turn to this game immediately, listen for the boos from LSU fans, and prepare to watch a UNC comeback.
10:00 PM ET ESPN2: Cincinnati @ Fresno St. (-2.5) - Former Central Michigan head coach Butch Jones steps in for Chip Kelly at Cincinnati and has what should be a pretty competitive team. Junior QB Zach Collaros, junior RB Isaiah Pead, junior WR DJ Woods, and senior transfer from USC WR Vidal Hazelton are all players to watch in this pass friendly offense. For the Bulldogs, everything starts with their offensive line, which is led by senior C Joe Bernardi and senior G Andrew Jackson. Pat Hill is not afraid to schedule a good non-conference team and try to hang with the big boys (see Wisconsin & USC), so don't be surprised by the line for this game. I expect to see lots of points in this late night duel out west.
Sunday
3:30 PM ET ESPN: SMU @ Texas Tech (-13.5) - At 60.5 points, this game has the highest over/under total of any game this weekend. Coach June Jones' spread offense is led by sophomore QB Kyle Padron. He will be without WR Emmanuel Sanders (NFL) and junior WR Terrance Wilkerson (academic issues). The Red Raiders have a new coach in Tommy Tuberville, who used to coach at Auburn. He brings with him the Troy offensive coordinator to keep the "Air-Raid" system in place. Senior QB Taylor Potts knows this offense well and should be firing on all cylinders. It'll be interesting to see how Senior RB Baron Batch is used as Tuberville is focused on bringing some balance to a previously pass heavy offense. This one should be a shoot-out.
Monday
4:00 PM ET ESPN: Navy (-6.5) vs Maryland @ Baltimore, MD (Ravens Stadium) - Why watch this game? Two words: Ricky. Dobbs. The senior QB for the Midshipmen is a possible Heisman candidate and for good reason, he can run the ball out of the triple-option or step back and fling it. This a team loaded with upperclassmen and should be fun to watch. Maryland comes in with senior RB Da'Rel Scott and senior LB Alex Wujciak to lead the Terps. Make no mistake, Ricky Dobbs is not only fun to say, but the main reason to tune in.
8:00 PM ET ESPN: #3 Boise St. (-2) vs #10 Virginia Tech @ Landover, MD (FedEx Field) - It doesn't get any bigger than this in week one as Boise St. comes in ranked #3 with national title aspirations. Head coach Chris Petersen has junior QB Kellen Moore, senior WR Austin Pettis, and 18 other returning starters. Say what you will about their schedule, but the Broncos play tough and almost always beat the opponent set before them. Last season the Hokies opened up with Alabama down in the Georgia Dome, so head coach Frank Beamer knows what it's like to get tested early. He has his own offensive weapons in senior QB Tyrod Taylor, awesome sophomore RB Ryan Williams, and his back up junior Darren Evans. As always, they'll be dialing up the special teams in an effort to play "Beamer Ball." This is an absolute must win game for Boise St. if they are to get to the national championship. If you call yourself a college football fan, you'll be watching this game. This is the first ever meeting between these two teams.