Week zero delivered one of the best appetizers possible, with countless upsets at the FCS level, a sloppy slugfest in Ireland, and, lastly, a heavyweight battle between UNLV and Memphis that ended with the rest of the country taking full notice of Coach Charles Huff and the Memphis Tigers as contenders for the College Football Playoffs. With week zero in the rearview mirror, week one is here, and teams across both FBS and FCS will be in action this weekend, likely delivering a memorable weekend of college football. 

From Thursday until Monday night, every person who has eagerly awaited college football will get their fix on all levels of the sport. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fan of a Juco program or an LSU fan waiting on the Lane Kiffin era to begin; this weekend will have something for you. Everyone has a different game or two that they’re looking forward to; from matchups to coaching debuts to stadium renovations, there’s something for everyone this weekend. 

Starting on Thursday night, Deion Sanders and his Colorado Buffaloes head to Bobby Dodd Stadium to take on Georgia Tech. Colorado comes into another season needing to open the season with a road win in the worst way possible, as the first three years of the Deion Sanders era at Colorado have been interesting, with two losing records and another season where they won nine games but lost the Alamo Bowl, leaving this 4th year as a pivotal year for Colorado. A win over Georgia Tech on Thursday night would bring life back to the program and likely earn a little outside respect, too. For Georgia Tech, after finishing 9-4 last season, the Yellow Jackets are entering the post-Hayes King era with Alberto Mendoza to lead the way this season at quarterback. With that in mind, Thursday night will likely be another disappointing loss for Colorado as the Yellow Jackets defend Bobby Dodd Stadium and earn a massive season-opening win. 

At the FCS level on Thursday night, I will have an eye on Southern Illinois as they head to Birmingham to take on Samford. Both Southern Illinois and Samford are looking to pick up their first wins of the season after losing last weekend to North Alabama and West Florida. 

Other games on Thursday to watch out for: 

Idaho at Utah 

West Georgia at Kennesaw State 

UAB at Illinois 

JUCO:

#5Mississippi Delta at #3 Northwest

Friday night games of interest: 

Toledo At Michigan State 

#7 Miami at Stanford 

Fresno State at #14 USC 

Once Saturday rolls around, the action on the field picks up for three days of exciting football across the entire landscape of college football. 

Morning football games to watch: 

Tarleton State at Bowling Green ( Possible FCS over FBS) 

East Carolina at #13 Alabama 

North Texas at #6 Indiana 

Coastal Carolina at West Virginia 

Liberty at James Madison 

Afternoon games: 

Boise State at #2 Oregon 

Baylor / Auburn – Atlanta 

Tulane at Duke 

Oklahoma State at Tulsa 

Wyoming at Colorado State 

Once the sun starts to set, there’s a host of high-level matchups that have the potential to deliver heart-stopping matchups. 

Starting with the start of the Coach Lane Kiffin era in Baton Rouge as the 11th-ranked LSU Tigers host the Clemson Tigers inside of the real Death Valley. An offseason filled with the Lane Kiffin experience for LSU fans will bear fruit on Saturday night, as Tiger Stadium becomes an absolute frenzy. From the matchup itself, it’ll be interesting to see how LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt responds to his first game as an LSU Tiger. Then you have the two returning offensive starters and the three returning defensive starters, and how they fit into the new scheme. Another storyline to watch out for is the offseason development of linebacker Whit Weeks, who was named the permanent team captain before last season, a role that Coach Kiffin decided to honor when he took over as Head Coach. As for the matchup itself, Clemson needs a win in the worst way possible to change the narrative around the program, as the noise about a new Head Coach keeps getting louder after the last few seasons of not living up to the standard Coach Dabo Swinney built. Clemson returns five on offense and three on defense. This game will likely be closer than the 10-point spread in favor of LSU, but it’s hard to pick against during a night game at Tiger Stadium. 

Kicking off about 30 minutes before the LSU-Clemson game will be Memphis hosting Arkansas State inside the newly renovated Simmons Bank Stadium after a massive statement win last Saturday night over UNLV. Coming into the game with Arkansas State, one thing to monitor is how Memphis responds to last weekend’s emotions; will they stay focused? Or will Arkansas State come into Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium and hang around long enough to make Memphis fans uncomfortable? Odds are, the Tigers will keep on doing what they did last week, as Coach Charles Huff has this Memphis team in a position where no detail is too small, and it showed last weekend in Las Vegas. If Memphis continues playing at the level they played last weekend, then the opening of the newly renovated Simmons Bank Liberty Stadium will be a great celebration. 

Night games: 

UNLV at Hawaii 

UCLA at Cal 

South Dakota State at Northwestern ( Possibly FCS over FBS) 

Tennessee Tech at UT Chatt 

West Florida at Central Arkansas ( FCS game of the week) 

Moving on to Sunday, college football fans will have a treat with three FBS games and two FCS games as well. An Apple Cup matchup between Washington and Washington State, and Notre Dame and Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, and the nightcap with Ole Miss and Louisville in Nashville. 

Sunday morning: 

Texas Southern at Prairie View A&M 

Sunday afternoon:

South Carolina State / Florida A&M – Miami Gardens 

Washington State at Washington 

Wisconsin / #4 Notre Dame – Lambeau Field 

Closing out the night with a massive matchup between the Rebels of Ole Miss and Louisville at Nissan Stadium. Under the bright lights of an NFL stadium, Coach Pete Golding and the Ole Miss Rebels look to carry the momentum from last season, where they finished the season a few yards short of reaching the National Championship game. Ole Miss returns five on offense, including Trinidad Chambliss, Kewan Lacy, Delano Townsend, Brycen Sanders, and Patrick Kutas. On defense, the Rebels return five as well, with Kam Franklin and Will Echoles holding the line on the defensive line, Suntarine Perkins at linebacker, and Antonio Kite and Jaylon Braxton. With that much talent and leadership returning on both sides of the ball, Rebel Nation has to feel good about picking up an opening victory over Louisville. With that said, one of the biggest concerns heading into the season opener for Ole Miss would be the weight of the LSU game in week three. Are the Rebels mentally prepared to handle business in week one? If not, this is a Louisville team that can play spoiler if you allow them to hang around too long. Ole Miss should win this one; it might be close for a while, but the talent on the roster is deep for the Rebels. 

Monday night: 

#19 SMU at Florida State