It’s crazy to believe that another college football season is upon us. This year looks to be one of the most transformational inn the sport’s history. New conference alignments, a bigger playoff, and some great matchups to look forward to. Here are five games from this week’s slate that you need to know about.
TCU Horned Frogs @ Stanford Cardinal | Friday @ 9:30 P.M CT on ESPN
ACC after dark….didn’t think we’d be saying that about the Stanford Cardinal, but this is really happening. Stanford hosts the TCU Horned Frogs in their first season as an ACC school. It’s rebuilding year for the Cardinal as they are projected to finish last in the conference. Meanwhile the Horned Frogs are projected to finish 10th in the Big 12 this year. It’s been a downhill ride for TCU, two years since their appearance in the National Championship game. I think this game will be an ugly win for the Horned Frogs. I don’t see Stanford winning this even at home. TCU 31 | Stanford 18
No. 8 Penn State Nittany Lions @ West Virginia Mountaineers | Saturday @ 11:00 A.M. CT on FOX
The eighth ranked Nittany Lions face an early trap game in Morgantown, West Virginia. The Mountaineers have played spoiler to teams over the last several years and will look to do the same this weekend. Penn State comes into this game off a 10-3 season with a loss to Ole Miss in the Peach Bowl.
The Nittany Lions are projected to finish third in the Big 10 behind Ohio State and Oregon. They do return starting quarterback Drew Allar who threw for over 2,600 yards and 25 touchdowns last year. The Mountaineers were selected to finish 7th in the preseason Big 12 poll. It’s a big season for fifth year head coach Neal Brown after he got his team to an eight win season for the first time since 2016. It’s a tough game to predict, but I think Penn State survives a close game to start the season. Penn State 28 | West Virginia 24
Nevada Wolfpack @ Troy Trojans | Saturday @ 6:00 P.M. CT on ESPN+
This game is probably flying under most people’s radar, but I think this will be an early season for the two-straight Sun Belt Champs. Troy comes into the season under new coach Gerad Parker. The Trojans also will introduce their new quarterback Goose Crowder. Nevada has already played a game. They lost a close one at home last week to SMU. I think Nevada already having a game under their belt, plus Troy’s uncertainty with several positions, makes this game a closer one than people would expect. I still think Troy wins the game. Troy 31 | Nevada 21
UCLA Bruins @ Hawaii Rainbow Warriors | Saturday @ 6:30 P.M. on CBS
UCLA has a tough season ahead of them, but it can’t be any tougher than the travel schedule they have getting to their road games this year. The Burins will travel the most of any FBS team this season with a total of 22,237 miles covered to and from their games. This game at Hawaii will cover most of that number. The Bruins were projected to finish the season in the bottom half of the Big 10. The Bruins have a ver tough schedule with games against LSU, Oregon, Penn State and Washington.
As for Hawaii, honestly you never really know with this team. They are either a great vacation for their road opponents or they’ll be your worst nightmare. The Rainbow Warriors are projected to finish 10th in the mountain West this year. They got the season started last week with a 35-14 win over Delaware State. I think considering the long travel and the questions around the Bruins, I am going with an upset. Hawaii 28 | UCLA 24
Georgia State Panthers @ Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets | Saturday @ 7:00 P.M. on ACC Network
This game is another sleeper game to me. After an emotional win in Dublin, Ireland over tenth-ranked Florida State, Georgia Tech returns to Atlanta for their opening home game. There’s got to be some excitement after that monumental win, but I also think there could be a letdown as well. Georgia State will be motivated to win for bragging rights in the city of Atlanta. If you’re an Auburn fan, you know about possible upsets from Georgia State. On paper, Tech should dominate this game. Quarterback Hayes King has been outstanding. He looks confident and I think he’ll have a big game. I also think the Yellow Jackets are a dark horse in the ACC this year as well. Georgia Tech 38 | Georgia State 20.
