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As quickly as Rich Rodriguez turned the Arizona Wildcats around, the program went into a funk and RichRod was let go. It was an up and down tenure for the former coach, who won 26 games his first three seasons and posted the team’s first double-digit win campaign in 16 seasons with 10 in 2014. However, three victories in 2016 was the beginning of the end and Rodriguez was jettisoned amid a scandal following the 2017 season. The Wildcats made a good hire in Kevin Sumlin, who opens a new chapter i... 

The last time the Iowa Hawkeyes hosted the Northern Illinois Huskies, it was the beginning of another fantastic season for Northern Illinois. The Huskies were coming off an undefeated regular season and an Orange Bowl appearance, and they were aiming to repeat the feat. Northern Illinois upset Iowa as an underdog per the CFB odds, and the Huskies went on to finish the regular season undefeated once more. The Huskies are a popular upset pick in Week 1 of the 2018 season, and they will look to rew... 

Mark Stoops has continued to slowly lead the Kentucky Wildcats in the right direction. The longest-tenured head coach in the SEC East has rebuilt this program from the ground up, and Kentucky is looking to make it to a bowl game for the third straight season in 2018. The Wildcats will face a somewhat tough opponent in their Week 1 opener though, when the Central Michigan Chippewas come to town. Central Michigan went 8-5 last season and knocked off a Power Five opponent in non-conference play. Ke... 

The Georgia Bulldogs seem to have found their man in Kirby Smart. Smart’s second year in Athens was an unabashed success. Much like his mentor Nick Saban, he started off slow in his first year, but then ratcheted things up to a level that Georgia fans hadn’t seen in decades. The Bulldogs stomped most of their SEC East brethren on their way to a conference title and eventually a spot in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game. However, Smart was unable to best his mentor and ended... 

No fan of the Appalachian State Mountaineers will ever forget the team’s first game on the Big Ten Network. At the time, Appalachian State was an FCS team, but the Mountaineers soon launched themselves into the national consciousness. The Mountaineers pulled off one of the most stunning upsets ever when they beat No. 5 Michigan 34-32 in Ann Arbor. It set the program on a crash course with the FBS, where it has been one of the best Group of Five teams since moving up to the FBS five years ago. Ap... 

On Monday night Week One will wrap up with an outstanding matchup of ranked Atlantic Coast Conference teams as the Florida State Seminoles will host the Virginia Tech Hokies. The game marks the debut of new Florida State head coach Willie Taggart who arrives after the ugly departure of Jimbo Fisher to the riches of Texas A&M. The Seminoles were sluggish at the finish of 2017 as everyone knew that Fisher wanted out of town. FSU’s 7-6 finish capped off a stunning fall from the national champio... 

Without question one of the most highly anticipated Week One matchups is set for Sunday night when the Miami Hurricanes travel to Heart of Texas to face the LSU Tigers in the only game for Sunday. The Dallas Cowboys AT&T Stadium will host the matchup. This primetime showdown of two ranked teams will have the entire country focused on it. For Miami it’s a chance to maintain the momentum started last year in their first season under head coach Mark Richt. For LSU it’s a chance to cool off the hot seat talk in regards to lightly regarded coach Ed Orgeron. ... 

Even though it is Week One the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors have already posted a win following their “Week Zero” annihilation of Colorado State in what was certainly a nice respite for their storm ravaged state. For the Navy Midshipmen yet another winning season and bowl berth is the expectation for a program that is among the most consistent in the country. Both the run and shoot Rainbow Warriors and option-oriented Midshipmen are stark contrasts to each other. This makes for a challenging handicap... 

Among the Week One matchups that will garner plenty of attention features the debut of a head coach that was one of the oddest and unique hires last December. Herm Edwards emerged out of nowhere to take over as head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils. Edwards takes over from Todd Graham despite the fact that Graham had the support of most of the fan base. Yet its also true Graham’s last three seasons were quite underwhelming. Meanwhile the University of Texas San Antonio Roadrunners continue ... 

With Week One finally here the top ranked Alabama Crimson Tide will be going for their sixth national championship since 2009 under head coach Nick Saban, who must be regarded as the greatest college football coach of all time. Saban has been coy about who will be his starting quarterback but regardless of whether its Jalen Hurts or Tua Tagovailoa the Tide is expected to romp towards a playoff berth at bare minimum. Meanwhile the Louisville Cardinals are moving on as Heisman Trophy winning quart... 

Among the most highly anticipated Week One matchups for Saturday is the Nebraska Cornhuskers hosting the Akron Zips. Indeed, Nebraska fans have been counting down the days for this epic evening as Scott Frost will be coaching in his first game for the Big Red. Frost arrives after his sensational work at Central Florida in which he led the Knights to an undefeated season and bowl win over Auburn. Frost is a native of Nebraska and quarterbacked the Huskers to their last national championship in 19... 

If an alien arrived from outer space and asked what college football is all about there is a Week One matchup that would easily define it. Tradition, history, and potential excellence on the gridiron from two strong academic institutions that strive to “do it the right way” are all there for Saturday’s Marquee Matchup of the Michigan Wolverines and Notre Dame Fighting Irish. This showdown of historic power brands will take place under the watchful eye of Touchdown Jesus himself at Notre Dame Sta... 

Week one action includes the unique situation of a Power Five school traveling to play on the road on the home field of a Group off Five program. While this is a rare occurrence the Syracuse Orange will make the trip to Kalamazoo, Michigan to face the Western Michigan Broncos. Syracuse is again picked for the basement of the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic division as third year head coach Dino Babers is yet to break through. Western Michigan is no longer “Rowing the Boat” and took a big step... 

Week One features one of the top favorites of the Big Ten going up against a team and coach facing a must win season. The Michigan State Spartans did much to reclaim respect and credibility with a strong 10-win season that followed the worst ever year for head coach Mark Dantonio since his arrival in 2007. For the Utah State Aggies, they have fallen off the heights of 30 wins in three years from 2012 through 2014. Three consecutive losing seasons have head coach Matt Wells facing a more skeptica... 

Among the most attractive Friday night openers for Week One is the matchup between the Duke Blue Devils and the visiting Army Black Knights. These are two college football programs regarded for winning despite respectively strong academic requirements at their schools which are also nothing close to being football factories. Despite that both teams have enjoyed recent success and appear to be set to sustain it for 2018. Yet their matchup is also one of opposites as far as offensive styles and ab... 

Friday night action for Week One includes a team that continues to garner respect and betting activity and the highest expectations in the history of their program. The Wisconsin Badgers were one touchdown shy of making the College Football Playoff last December and have almost all of their offense back including all five starters from what is considered to be the best offensive line in the country. For the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers an opening game at Madtown may pay a lot of bills but at the... 

Week One gives all of us a brief respite from all of the recent off the field issues that have dominated training camp news. At least one would think. But when it comes to Saturday’s game at Columbus between the Oregon State Beavers and Ohio State Buckeyes the story line will be primarily focused on the one man that will be absent from the field. Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer is out due to suspension. Fortunately for the loaded Buckeyes it will likely not matter against a vastly undermanned ... 

The Maryland Terrapins cannot wait to start the regular season. To say it’s been a tumultuous offseason for head coach DJ Durkin and the Terps is an understatement. Durkin has been under heavy criticism due to a number of actions and allegations. In late May, offensive lineman Jordan McNair collapsed during an offseason workout and died two weeks later. McNair’s tragic death led to some digging into the program and two weeks ago, there were reports that Durkin had fostered a toxic environment wi... 

Who’s ready for a good old-fashioned shootout? That’s what you should expect when the Mississippi Rebels and Texas Tech Red Raiders square off in Week 1 action. Texas Tech is in a make or break season with Kliff Kingsbury. Kingsbury started off strong in his first year in Lubbock, posting an 8-5 record, but he has failed to win more than seven games in a season since that point. Fans and the administration are growing restless with their former star quarterback, and another middling year might b... 

All aboard the Lane Train! Lane Kiffin’s first year in Boca Raton as the head coach of the Florida Atlantic Owls was a smashing success. After a 1-3 start that included a head scratcher of a loss to Buffalo, the Owls ran the table in Conference USA play. They crushed North Texas for the Conference USA Championship, and they followed that up by blasting Akron 50-3 in the Boca Raton Bowl. FAU has one of the longest winning streaks in the country, and the Owls have a chance to make some serious noi... 

The Stanford Cardinal has been the class of the Pac-12 North since the league expanded, and the expectation remains the same heading into 2018. With another legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate in Bryce Love leading the offense, the Cardinal is looking for its fifth division title in eight years. But they better not overlook the San Diego State Aztecs, who won last year’s meeting and should contend for the Mountain West title. The West Coast powers kick off Week 1 on Friday night.... 

Coming off their first winning season since 2002 and their first bowl appearance and bowl victory since the JFK Administration, the New Mexico State Aggies were eager to get the 2018 season underway. So eager in fact that they opened the year with a pair of games in less than a week. The Aggies begin life as an independent after getting the boot from the Sun Belt. They are hanging around the FBS ranks to take on Power Five schools like the Minnesota Golden Gophers in Week 1, who they help initia... 

New Central Florida coach Josh Heupel has big shoes to fill as he embarks on his first year with the program. The Knights were the only undefeated FBS team last season, capping a perfect 13-0 campaign with a Peach Bowl victory over Auburn, the only team to beat CFP champion Alabama. The success came at a price, however, when Scott Frost was lured back to Nebraska to change the fortunes of that program. Heupel and the Knights jump right into AAC action with a Week 1 matchup against the Connecticu... 

Week one’s best matchup for Thursday night is a pair of dark horse teams looking to surprise in the Big Ten West Division. The Purdue Boilermakers are back! In just one season on the job head coach Jeff Brohm gave this slumping program its belief again. Purdue was tough, smart and productive en route to a surprise 7-6 record capped off with a Foster Farms Bowl win last year. The Northwestern Wildcats are coming off their second ten-win season in three years as they finished 10-3 and as Music Cit... 

As college football fanatics celebrate Week One’s Thursday night opening of the regular season there is an intriguing handicap of an Atlantic Coast Conference over achiever against a Group of Five team stuck in the muck but hosting what for them is a big home opener against a Power Five school. The Tulane Green Wave have made one bowl game since 2002 but will get their shot for national attention against the visiting Wake Forest Demon Deacons. Wake Forest is coming off their second straight bowl...