With all due respect to Week 0 (and with respect to @Macanudo and @closetojumping for stealing their bit), the 2022 college football season truly kicks off this week. Here are the games I feel are worth keeping an eye on:
Thursday, September 1st
Central Michigan @ #12 Oklahoma State - 6:00pm, FS1
Oklahoma State figures to be a major factor in the Big 12 title race this season. Central Michigan had a very nice 9-4 season last year. OSU is a 21 point favorite.
West Virginia @ #17 Pittsburgh - 6:00, ESPN
The return of the Backyard Brawl! Due to West Virginia’s move to the Big 12, this game hasn’t been played since 2011. Despite losing Kenny Pickett and Jordan Addison (and Brennan Marion), Pitt is a 7 point favorite. JT Daniels is now the QB for WVU.
Penn State @ Purdue - 7:00, FOX
I’m not going to pretend I know a lot about these teams, but Jeff Brohm has done a good job at Purdue and there are some preseason prognosticators who are bullish on Penn State this year. Purdue is a Thursday night home dog (I don’t think this means as much as it did 10-15 years ago) as Penn State is favored by 3.
Friday, September 2nd
Temple @ Duke - 6:30, ACCN
This isn’t anything special, but Stan Drayton’s debut as head coach of Temple deserves a passing mention on this board. Duke is favored by 7.
Illinois @ Indiana - 7:00, FS1
Nothing special, but it's a conference game taking place on a night where not a lot of exciting games are happening. Indiana is a 3 point home favorite.
TCU @ Colorado - 9:00, ESPN
Again, nothing special but it's a conference foe opening on the road against a Power 5 opponent. It's also the beginning of the Sonny Dykes era at TCU, which is favored by 10.5 on the road.
Saturday, September 3rd
*Unfortunately, none of the 11:00am games on Saturday are terribly appealing. This will be a good time to make sure you’re fully stocked up on beer and to get the smoker going. I may check in on the aggy game (11:00am, SECN) to see how Evan Stewart’s blocking looks.*
North Carolina @ Appalachian State - 11:00am, ESPNU
This one could be worth checking out just for the atmosphere alone. App State sold out their season tickets for the first time in school history, and the primary factor in that was the visit from UNC. Carolina’s season opening win against FAMU was fairly meh, so maybe this is a spot where we can see the home team pull off an upset. Carolina is only a 2 point favorite.
#23 Cincinnati @ #19 Arkansas - 2:30, ESPN
This is where the day starts to take off. Both of these teams are coming off successful 2021 campaigns. Cincinnati broke through and made the CFP, while Arkansas went 9-4 in Sam Pittman’s second year. Cincinnati will be replacing Desmond Ridder. Arkansas is a 6 point favorite.
#11 Oregon vs. #3 Georgia (in Atlanta) - 2:30, ABC
Dan Lanning makes his head coaching debut against the team he helped lead to a national championship last season as its defensive coordinator. Can’t really say that I think Oregon has much of a shot here, but I didn’t give them any chance on the road against Ohio State last year and they won that one, so who knows. Georgia is favored by 17.5.
#24 Houston @ UTSA - 2:30, CBSSN
Houston has gotten some hype as a G5 team who could possibly run the table and be in playoff contention. UTSA is our week 3 opponent. Definitely a game worth keeping an eye on during breaks in the two games listed immediately above. Houston is a 4 point favorite.
#7 Utah @ Florida - 6:00, ESPN
I think Utah is going to be one of the best teams in the country and Cam Rising will be one of the top QB’s in college football this year. This will be a potential showcase game for them. On the other side of things, this is the Florida head coaching debut for Billy Napier. Utah is favored by 2.5.
#5 Notre Dame @ #2 Ohio State - 6:30, ABC
This is the marquee game of week 1. Marcus Freeman makes his head coaching debut against his Alma Mater. Ohio State is loaded this year and could have the best offense in the country. I’m not sure how competitive the game will be (Ohio State is favored by 17), but tuning in at the beginning and seeing all the pomp and circumstance surrounding this game should really bring home the fact that college football season is back.
SMU @ North Texas - 6:30, CBSSN
The debut of Thomas J. Herman as an analyst!
UL Monroe @ Texas - 7:00, LHN
The beginning of the Quinn Ewers era! This should be a beat down (we’re a 38.5 point favorite) and hopefully we see multiple young players flash. Also no injuries.
Boise State @ Oregon State - 9:30, ESPN
The season debut of Pac 12 After Dark. One last chance to chase your gambling losses for the day. Should be a competitive game as Oregon State is just a 3 point favorite.
Sunday, September 4th
Florida State @ LSU - 6:30 ABC
Brian Kelly’s debut as LSU coach. He’s a clown and the fit feels weird, but he can coach. Florida State had a glorified scrimmage against Duquesne yesterday. This is an interesting game, enhanced by the fact that it's the only game of the day. LSU is favored by 3.
Monday, September 5th
#4 Clemson @ Georgia Tech - 7:00 ESPN
The final game of the long kickoff weekend. A #4 ranking for Clemson feels a bit optimistic to me, but that shouldn’t show against hapless Georgia Tech. Honestly, this is a game you could skip entirely if it was taking place on Saturday, but as the only game of the day, we all know we’ll be watching.
That’s it for week one. Is there anything I missed?