College Football Week 1 Games to Watch

Ken — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:40:54 +0000

FOOTBAWW! College football returns, at last. It has been a long summer of anticipation.

A few games are already on the books. Wisconsin romped over UNLV yesterday, 51-17. Wisconsin will be a tough team to stop this year, with N.C. State transfer Russell Wilson at the helm.

Games to watch on Saturday

At noon, turn on Northwestern vs. Boston College on ESPNU, which should be competitive. Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa may be out with a bum Achilles tendon, though. During breaks, flip over to the Ohio State/Akron game on ESPN to see how the Buckeyes are doing with a new coach and a new quarterback. After 12:30, keep an eye on the ticker for the Virginia Tech vs. Appalachian State score; as we all know too well, App St. is capable of some surprises.

At 3:30, of course I'll be watching Michigan vs. Western Michigan on ABC/ESPN2. If you're not a Michigan fan, the Notre Dame vs. South Florida matchup on NBC might be interesting. Skip Holtz, the USF coach, is a Notre Dame grad and the son of former ND coach Lou Holtz. Also keep an eye on Minnesota vs. USC on ABC/ESPN2, where new Minnesota coach Jerry Kill will be looking to make a splash by scoring a big upset.

At 6:00, N.C. State opens against Liberty; this one is only available on ESPN3.com. Not to worry, though... this game will likely be a yawner.

Take a break between 7:00 and 8:00, because after 8:00 you'll be hunkered down watching this week's Game of the Week: #3 Oregon against #4 LSU on ABC. I think LSU is probably overrated this year, but this is a huge early game for both teams nonetheless. During breaks, flip over to ESPN to watch the only other game between ranked teams this week, as Boise State takes on Georgia.

Your late-night dessert is Colorado vs. Hawaii on ESPN at 10:15. Hawaii is always an entertaining team to watch. They're favored by 11 over Colorado, who is breaking in new coach Jon Embree.

Michigan game prediction: Michigan 38, Western Michigan 20.

N.C. State game prediction: N.C. State 48, Liberty 13.