Cincinnati vs Neb – Thursday night appetizer
GA Tech @ Colorado – College football’s darling vs Everyone’s fade of the year
Toledo @ Kentucky – another MAC vs SEC upset looming?
Utah @ UCLA – Is Utah back vs who is Nico, really?
Everyone and their cousin is excited for Texas at OSU, Alabama heading into Tallahassee to dismantle FSU, and LSU going to Clemson’s Death Valley. Here are some appetizers and mid day fillers for the highly anticipated Week 1 of college football.
Read more: Week 1 – Under the Radar Top MatchupsCincinnati vs Nebraska
Thursday night (8/28) we get two hungry Power 4 teams facing off at Arrowhead. Not much better than Baby Mahomes, aka Dylan Raiola – playing in Chief’s stadium for some mid-week entertainment. Will we be able to tell if it’s Mahomes or Raiola? Nebraska enters year 3 under Matt Rhule looking to start their march for what they’re optimistic could be the best Nebraska football year in over a decade. On the other side, a Cincinnati team with their returning quarterback, Brendan Sorsby, looking to prove they belong in the Power 4, or at the very least, make a bowl game.
Georgia Tech @ Colorado
The week 1 showdown in Boulder gives us a second sneaky good matchup before the full slate on Saturday. Georgia Tech, who all college football talking heads and college football fans across the country are very high on this year, are a popular long shot to contend in the ACC and make the playoff . Haynes King and GTech would love to make a statement early. On the other hand, Colorado is one of the most popular fades of the summer. After 2 years of hype train, Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter talk, Colorado has not had many positive vibes coming out of camp. An underrated QB battle, lots of turnover like normal on the roster, and no superstars this year for the Buffaloes. But what would be more college football – esque then to have a preseason darling lose to an afterthought Big 12 team before week 1 has really even started.
Toledo @ Kentucky
A 12:45pm ET kickoff won’t be the most watched game of a busy Saturday of football – but keep an eye on a potential upset looming as the MAC favorite with a chance to take down an SEC team. It wouldn’t be Toledo’s first time, as just last year they laid the wood against Mississippi State in a convincing 41-17 win. A Kentucky loss to a MAC school could be devastating to the Kentucky program, especially after coming off a 4-8 season last year. Mark Stoops is hoping that quarterback transfer Zach Calzada is the answer, and that’s not a bet I’d want to make.
Utah @ UCLA
Is this Utah’s first season in 7 years without Cam Rising injury rumors circulating fall camp? Sure feels like it. Utah went from top of the conference every year to almost unwatchable last year – but may just return what they’re accustomed to under Kyle Whittingham. An electric quarterback transfer, Devon Dampier looks to put them back on track against an unknown UCLA team out of the gate. Nico Iamaleava, more famously known for demanding a brinks truck be backed up to his door room in Tennessee than he is for anything else, finds a new home at UCLA to try to prove he is a good quarterback. While the talent may be there, it didn’t shine through at Tennessee last year. If Utah wants to consider themselves back, this seems like a game they should handle start to finish.