We’re halfway through looking at just one night worth of football, and we have 14 weeks of this goodness. Ahh, feels nice, right? Ok, back to your previews. Once again, all times eastern, lines from Vegas.com, and rankings are from the coaches poll.
8:00 PM- Florida Atlantic at UAB: This is the only game of the night featuring two non-BCS opponents going at it. Both teams have question marks, with UAB trying to replace QB Joe Webb, and FAU replacing just about everything but the quarterback. UAB should have a substantial edge here, but these types of games are hard to read in week 1. Line: UAB by 14. That seems generous- for FAU. UAB won the same game last year by 27, and I think they might do it again.
8:00 PM, Regional TV- Northern Illinois at Iowa State: NIU is hoping that this game is the coming out party for a big 2010 season. They’re stacked and the favorite to win the MAC, but ISU won’t be a pushover game just because they aren’t a national power. That said, if the Cyclones are looking ahead to Iowa, they could find themselves in trouble. Line: Iowa State by 4.5. I like NIU’s chances of winning this game a lot. I like their chances of keeping within four even more, I’d take NIU plus the points.
8:00 PM- Southeastern Louisiana (FCS) at Tulane: The SE Louisiana Lions went 6-5 in 2009. Tulane better win this one, because they’re not going to get much of a chance against Ole Miss, Houston, or Rutgers. Or many other teams after that. No line.
8:30 PM, Versus: #15 Pittsburgh at #24 Utah: Game of the Night, to be sure. TCU and Boise State are getting all the attention, but Utah has a clear path to the top as well, and it starts tonight. Dave Wannstedt’s propensity to lose important games appears to have waned some, so this certainly won’t be a walkoff for the Utes. Line: Utah by 3. Seems about right- I do think Utah can and should win tonight, but it will probably be close.
9:00 PM: North Dakota at Idaho: The North Dakota Fighting Sioux went 6-5 a year ago. Fighting Sioux? Yes. But only for a little while- the nickname will be retired after this school year. Oh, and Idaho should win this one. No line.
9:05 PM: Eastern Washington at Nevada: The Eastern Washington Eagles went 8-4 last year. Still, Nevada should hang half a hundred on them by the third quarter. No line.
11:00 PM, ESPN: Southern Cal at Hawaii: Hawaii’s going to have their hands full tonight, trying to replace a bunch of players while taking on the Kiffinized Trojans. Of course, there’s no telling what Kiffin (lifetime head coaching record 12-21) will do exactly with USC. But they should beat Hawaii on raw talent alone. Line: USC by 21. I wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole. I’m hearing people think USC is a lock there, but Hawaii is capable of scoring a few of their own, and can a first-week coach be counted on to put up 40? Who knows.
So that’s it- you are now ready for opening night. Next up, we’ll start looking at what each conference is up to over the weekend. We’ll recap tonight’s games tomorrow morning and break down the Friday night pair of games tomorrow too. Cheers.