Week 0 Players to Watch: Will UNC offensive duo get Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels off to a good start against TCU?

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Week Zero is upon us as the FBS returns to action in a bit of a preview weekend before getting fully underway the first weekend in September.

There will be eight matchups on Saturday, Aug. 29, beginning with UNC and TCU duking it out in Dublin, Ireland, and the night will be capped by Dan Mullen and UNLV hosting Memphis.

Even though there are only 16 teams in action throughout the day, that doesn't mean there aren't exciting players to watch. Teams have spent months tinkering with their roster and strategies, and we finally get to see how their practiced game plans translate to real games with real stakes.

Here is a look at the players to watch in Week Zero.

  • UNC vs. TCU, 12 p.m. ET – Dublin, Ireland (ESPN/DirecTV)

Saturday will mark the debut for several transfer quarterbacks at their new schools, but perhaps none will be more focused on than Edwards' first game in a Tar Heel uniform.

The former Maryland and Wisconsin quarterback is tasked with leading Bill Belichick's team after beating out Texas A&M transfer Miles O'Neill for the starting role.

Edwards appeared in just two games for the Badgers last year due to a knee injury. Overall, Edwards was 7-of-16 passing for 113 yards in that very limited playing time after spending his first three seasons at Maryland. In 2024, he completed 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards and a 15-to-9 TD/INT ratio, with five rushing touchdowns.

After an embarrassing 4-8 campaign in Belichick's first season as head coach at UNC, which featured several struggling quarterbacks, the pressure will be on for Edwards to succeed.

  • UNC vs. TCU, 12 p.m. ET – Dublin, Ireland (ESPN/DirecTV)

Shipp is heading into his third season with the Tar Heels. Last year, he dealt with poor QB play from Max Johnson and Gio Lopez, both of whom have since transferred. Shipp still finished with 671 yards and six touchdowns on 60 catches last season, leading North Carolina.

The Heels had 13 receiving touchdowns as a team last year, and Shipp had nearly half of them. UNC had only two players on the roster with more than 200 receiving yards on the year. If Belichick is going to improve this season, Shipp is going to be featured early and often as the Tar Heels open against the Horned Frogs.

  • UNC vs. TCU, 12 p.m. ET – Dublin, Ireland (ESPN/DirecTV)

TCU will also be debuting a new quarterback in the game. The Horned Frogs will now be led by Jaden Craig, a transfer from Harvard, after his predecessor Josh Hoover went to Indiana.

Craig was the Crimson's starting QB for the past two seasons. In that span, he threw for 5,299 yards with 48 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, earning First-Team All-Ivy League honors. Craig isn't known for his legs and should look to stay in the pocket against the Tar Heels.

  • San Jose State at USC, 3 p.m. ET (NBC/DirecTV)

While Lincoln Riley's offense is always going to get all the attention for how many points it puts up, the defense has been the reason for the Trojans' lack of a playoff appearance under the sixth-year coach.

Stephens was only a sophomore last season, but he led the team in tackles on a unit that was better than previous iterations. Now he has a new and venerable defensive coordinator in Gary Patterson, so he should only improve. SJSU likely won't give them too much trouble, but it'll be a good first look at Stephens in Patterson's new scheme.

  • NC State at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Bailey is back for a third season with the Wolfpack. Last year, he threw for 3,105 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions over 13 games. Bailey was also NC State's third-best rusher, tallying an additional 215 yards and six touchdowns on the ground.

The biggest question for the quarterback will be who he leans on in the passing game. NC State has overhauled its wide receiver room, with six of the top seven players on the projected depth chart new to the program either through transfers or as true freshmen. The lone outlier is Keenan Jackson, who had 281 yards and two touchdowns last season.

  • NC State at Virginia, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Robinson returned to the Cavaliers for his senior season and looks poised to be the leader of the defense. Virginia lost pillars Devin Neal Jr. and James Jackson from last year's defense, and now Robinson will shoulder that load.

The linebacker had the third-most tackles on the team a season ago, including two sacks. He is known for being everywhere on the field, and likely would have had a career year for himself if he had been able to play in all 12 games last year.

He is notably coming off a torn ACL that ended his 2025 campaign, but he is reportedly on track to play in this game. Virginia head coach Tony Elliott said the linebacker is a "game-time decision."

  • Sacramento State at Eastern Michigan, 6:30 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

Llewellyn has been with the Eagles for two years. The defensive back played in all 12 games last season and led the team with 102 total tackles. He did a little bit of everything, adding two interceptions and four passes defended.

His 102 tackles were 28 more than his next teammate, and even as a defensive back, he will be called on to play all over the field for Eastern Michigan. While the Eagles may not have national championship aspirations, Llewellyn is definitely a player to watch.

  • Hawaii at Stanford, 7 p.m. ET (ACC Network)

The Cardinal open their season at home against Hawaii. Stanford will have a new-look offense with grad transfer Davis Warren under center and No. 1 wide receiver junior transfer Carter Shaw.

One staple from last year to this year will be starting running back Micah Ford. As a true sophomore, he led the team last season with 643 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns. He should be called upon more this season to take on an even bigger role as Stanford attempts to improve its standing in the ACC.

  • New Mexico State at Florida State, 7 p.m. ET (CW)

Robinson is heading into his fourth collegiate season, his second with Florida State. The 6-foot-6 wideout has a size advantage on almost all corners that defenses try to stick on him.

Last year with the Noles, Robinson brought in 56 passes for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns, leading the team in all categories. He had the ninth-most receiving yards in all of the FBS last season.

FSU quarterback Ashton Daniels had a down season last year with Auburn, appearing in only a handful of games after Jackson Arnold got benched. Head coach Mike Norvell must have seen enough to like to bring in Daniels, though, and he will have to lean on his top wide receiver this year.

Robinson is on the preseason watch list for the Walter Camp Award, which goes to the FBS Player of the Year.

  • Memphis at UNLV, 10 p.m. ET (Fox/DirecTV)

UNLV head coach Dan Mullen refused to name a starting quarterback entering the week. He went so far as to say that both Jackson Arnold and Alex Orji would play in the season opener against Memphis.

With UNLV's janky split QB situation to start the season, the Rebels may have to rely heavily on Thomas, a proven talent who has run for nearly 2,000 yards and scored 21 touchdowns in the past two seasons at the school.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos