Hopefully you doubled down on snacks and your favorite cold beverage, because the college football season opens tonight with 21 games, several involving the Big Ten and/or the Top 25, a couple of future Oregon opponents.
It begins at 3:00 P.M. Pacific when Rutgers hosts Howard on the Big Ten Network. The Scarlet Knights were 7-6 last year after beating Mario Cristobal's Miami team in the Pinstripe Bowl. They travel to Seattle to face Washington on September 27, have future dates vs. UCLA and at USC but won't meet the Ducks unless both make it to the Big Ten Championship. The Knights like to pound the rock: Senior running back Kyle Monangai led the Big Ten in rushing last season with 1,262 yards and 8 touchdowns, 5.2 yards a carry.
In the Top 25, Number 11 Missouri hosts Murray State at 5:00 P.M. on the SEC Network. The Tigers are a team picked by many to have a chance to sneak into the playoff field or even the SEC Championship Game. They were 11-3 last season after clubbing Ohio State 14-3 in the Cotton Bowl. Quarterback Brady Cook leads a high-powered passing attack. He spun the ball for 3,317 yards and 21 touchdowns last season with most of an excellent receiver group returning in 2024, including All-America candidate Luther Burden, who turned in 86 catches for 1212 yards and 9 TDs in 2023.
Number 12 Utah hosts Southern Utah at 6:00 P.M. on ESPN Plus. The Utes welcome back senior quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe, both of whom missed all of 2023. Kyle Whittingham's squad is the pick by many to dominate in the reconfigured Big 12, giving them an inside route to a top four seed in the College Football Playoff. With a season like that, Rising could emerge as a Heisman spoiler.
Elsewhere, North Carolina is at Minnesota, and Illinois hosts Eastern Illinois. The Illini travel to Oregon on October 26, a week before the Ducks visit Michigan.
Many eyes around the country will tune in to what be the night's most fascinating game from a Name and Image standpoint. At 5:00 P.M. on ESPN, perennial FCS power North Dakota State travels to Boulder to take on Coach Prime, Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and the Colorado Buffaloes. Both Sanders and Hunter are among the preseason contenders for the Heisman, while head coach Deion Sanders has already stirred controversy this August by banning and snubbing a couple of the reporters on the Colorado beat.
The Buffs are a 10.5-point favorite. The visiting Bison went 11-4 last season, losing in double overtime 31-29 to Montana in the FCS semifinals. Sanders and his traveling roadshow should not overlook them: NDSU has won nine FCS national titles since 2011 and defeated six of its last seven FBS opponents. Senior quarterback Cam Miller returns after throwing for 2,530 yards and 18 touchdowns last year, just 4 INTs.
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