6 bold college football predictions for Week 1: Another major upset could happen
NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...
Week 1 is underway in college football and Thursday night didn’t disappoint. We saw Rutgers lose to UMass and the Colorado Buffaloes took down Georgia Tech with a blocked field goal.
Heading into the weekend, there will be four more days of college football. Starting on Friday night and ending on Labor Day.
Here are six bold predictions for the rest of Week 1.
MORE: Predicting Big Ten football scores in Week 1 — Can Wisconsin upset Notre Dame?
Another major upset takes place
In college football, you never know what you’re going to get. And that rang true on Thursday night when Rutgers entered the game against UMass as a 29.5 point favorite, but suffered an embarrassing loss to the Minutemen.
But that might not be the only upset of the weekend. There are a few games to pay attention to if you like those Group of Six wins over a Power Four school.
On Friday, Michigan State hosts Toledo, and the Spartans aren’t that big of a favorite. The Rockets should be good this season, and it’s the first game at MSU under Pat Fitzgerald. Clearly, MSU has more talent, but how will both sides gel together? The Spartans lost star WR Nick Marsh to Indiana, and the Spartans will likely need a year or two under Fitzgerald.
Another Friday night game to keep an eye on is Fresno State at USC. The Trojans are expected to do big things this season, but after playing in Week 0, USC might enter the game sleepwalking against another Group of Six program. Fresno State can score points, and if the Trojans don’t take the Bulldogs seriously, it could get interesting in a late-night game.
There is no QB battle in Lubbock after all
It’s been a shuffling deck in Lubbock at the QB position. Former IU and Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby was supposed to be the man at Texas Tech, but he’s no longer with the program. Instead, Will Hammond, who suffered a season-ending injury last October, is slated to start.
Plus, the Red Raiders went out and landed former Boston College and Florida State QB Thomas Castellanos, who figures to battle Hammond in Lubbock.
But Hammond is the starter and he has the tools to do well. In fact, in Week 1, Texas Tech has Abilene Christian, and you should look for Hammond to end the battle right away. He has a big arm and knows the offense better than anyone.
A solid 300-yard-plus day won’t give Castellanos a chance to make things interesting.
At least one former NFL player has college football stats in Week 1
Talk about total chaos surrounding the LSU Tigers, the NCAA, and SEC. Friday marks the day when the Tigers have to make their roster official, and LSU has three NFL players it wants to add to its roster.
On Thursday night, Louisiana judge William Jorden ruled in favor of players looking for a fifth year of eligibility and against the SEC. But the SEC isn’t happy, and neither is the NCAA.
That’s not going to stop Lane Kiffin from doing whatever it is he wants. Kiffin has been looking for loopholes and he has found them. And to further upset the people in charge, don’t think for a second Kiffin wouldn’t put in a former NFL player on Saturday night against Clemson to make the world talk even more about his program.
MORE: Predicting every SEC final score in Week 1: Auburn poised for signature win
UCLA vs. Cal is the best game of the weekend
If you like some late-night football, then buckle up for Saturday night. UCLA will head to Cal for a 10:30 p.m. ET kickoff and it will be Bob Chesney’s first game as the Bruins’ head coach. We saw what Chesney did at James Madison, taking it to the College Football Playoff last season.
UCLA is going to be better this season, but so is Cal. The Bears return star QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and after a sensational freshman season, he is looking to make a real name for himself entering Year 2.
It’s going to be the Nico Iamaleava vs. Sagapolutele showdown, and there might be a lot of points scored in this game. This will be a game worth staying up to see.
Curt Cignetti hangs 60 in his post-national title debut
After winning the national title, Indiana lost a lot of star power from the team. Heisman QB Fernando Mendoza is gone, as well as both of the Hoosiers’ RBs, playmakers, and linemen. But that didn’t stop Curt Cignetti from hitting the portal once again and retooling his roster.
Josh Hoover comes from TCU at QB, and Hoover can put up some stats. Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh will be the top playmakers for Hoover and the Hoosiers’ defense should be stout again. And knowing Cignetti, he will make a statement.
Last season, IU scored over 60 points twice and that could happen here in Week 1.
Kalen DeBoer turns to Austin Mack
It’s going to be a hot one in Alabama on Saturday for the Crimson Tide’s game against East Carolina. Kalen DeBoer chose Keelon Russell over Austin Mack and the former five-star will make his first start of his career.
There is a possible 110-degree heat index for the game Saturday and weird things can happen when it gets that hot. Russell is a great talent and someone who should thrive under Kalen DeBoer, but if the game gets off to a rough star, DeBoer could look past Russell.
Austin Mack is a veteran and someone DeBoer knows well. While Mack might not take Russell’s job in Week 1, turning to Mack against a good enough East Carolina team is a possibility.
— Enjoy free coverage of the top news & trending stories with The Big Lead Newsletter —
More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos