4 College Football Teams on Upset Alert in Week 1
By Geoff Magliocchetti
There’s the College Football Playoff’s fearsome four. And then…there’s this quartet.
College football returns to the airwaves and to the stadiums this weekend, as a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision games kick off our weekend obsession this Saturday: Florida vs Miami and Arizona vs Hawaii. With its return, college football brings many joys…endless food and drink, 11 straight hours of football…but also upsets.
Who should be on watch in Week 1?
Arizona (@ Hawaii)
(August 24, 10:30 p.m. ET, CBSSN)
The Kevin Sumlin era did not get off to a good start in Tucson. A 5-7 campaign was bookended by a pair of heartbreaking losses, including a 41-40 L at home to Arizona State that cost the Wildcats bowl eligibility.
They get a head start in their quest for redemption as one of four FBS squads playing on Saturday night. But they face a big task against a Rainbow Warriors squad that can score in a hurry. Hawaii is coming off its best season since 2010 (8-6) and was 7-0 when it scored at least 30 points. If a suspect Wildcats defense falters, there could be trouble in paradise.
UCLA (@ Cincinnati)
(August 29, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
No, we’re not picking on sophomore coaches in the Pac-12. Chip Kelly endured a year even more brutal than Sumlin’s in Pasadena. A young Bruins squad struggled right from the get-go, losing their first five games before some late positives arose, including a final win over USC that kept its rivals from going to the postseason.
Older and wiser, there’s a good opportunity for the Bruins to get off to a stellar start. Another mid-major awaits at home in Week 2, and a scary non-conference game against Oklahoma will at least be likewise held at the Rose Bowl. But the Bruins’ season became unraveled against these same Bearcats last year, when they lost 26-17 in the season opener. If it happens again, any progress UCLA was hoping to make could go up in flames.
Florida State (vs. Boise State @ Jacksonville)
(August 31, 7:00 p.m. ET, ESPN)
After last season, things couldn’t have gotten much worse for the Seminoles. They lost four ACC games by at least 19 points, got pushed to the brink by Samford (seriously, SAMFORD, not Stanford) and saw a bowl streak dating back to Reagan’s inauguration snapped.
Obviously, it would be ideal for the Seminoles (as well as head coach Willie Taggart) to get off to a good start in 2019. They only have to leave the state of Florida once before October, and that’s to play Virginia. A tall task still awaits them in a “neutral” site game in Jacksonville. The Broncos may not be at the height of their Cinderella power, but they’ve still shown they’re capable of topping elite competition (Oregon was the latest example in 2017’s Las Vegas Bowl). History has also shown Boise State is able to beat ACC foes in front of their people; in 2010 it opened the year with a win over Virginia Tech at FedEx Field.
Oklahoma (Houston)
(September 1, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC)
The Sooners seemed paced to ride their wagon all the way to the College Football Playoff again. Numerous starters return from a dangerous squad, and they recently named former Alabama star Jalen Hurts their starting quarterback.
The trek seems poised to begin with a win. After all, Houston’s most recent college football showing is a loss in literally the most lopsided bowl game in history (70-14 to Army in the Armed Forces Bowl). But the Sooners have seen this movie before and it was one where the protagonists faltered. A “neutral” site game at the city’s NFL stadium ended in a 33-23 Cougars victory, one that eventually directed then-UH coach Tom Herman into the arms of Texas, Oklahoma’s most hated rival. Returning from injury will be Cougars quarterback D’Eriq King, who was responsible for 50 touchdowns (36 through passing) last season.