Week 1 (9/3) Preview

The season is finally here! But in week 1, there aren't very many games to really pay attention to, but there are a few.

Montana State at Utah - The season opener is on a Thursday night for the Utes. Montana State is a tough FCS team, and was the only FCS team to beat national champion Eastern Washington last year. But, they're still an FCS team.

#3 Oregon vs #4 LSU - This is going to be a great matchup. If Oregon wins this game, I think they go undefeated and might play for the national title. If LSU wins, I think they'll go 11-1 with a loss at undefeated Alabama. LSU will be without their starting QB Jordan Jefferson, but QB Jarrett Lee has been just as good statistically, if not better. The biggest problem with LSU not having Jefferson is just the distraction of having your starting QB arrested and charged with a felony (second degree battery). We'll see how much that affects the team. The big story here is going to be Oregon's offensive line against LSU's defensive line, just like the in the national championship game against Auburn. Unfortunately, LSU's front seven is probably better than Auburn's was last year, and they have a much better secondary to go along with it. This will probably be a low scoring affair, and could be won by a late turnover or special teams play.

#14 TCU at Baylor - TCU lost a lot of talent this year, and Baylor has one of the top dual-threat quarterbacks in Robert Griffin. This could end up being a tough game for TCU on the road in the opener with a lot of new players. But it's still a Gary Patteron team and the defense is expected to be fast and solid.

UCLA at Houston - UCLA will be playing two quarterbacks in the season opener. On the road, this is a tough game for them. They are coming off a 4-8 season and head coach Rick Neuheisel is on the hot seat. Houston QB Case Keenum is the key to success this year, and last year he was knocked out for the season in a loss at UCLA. Keenum staying healthy all year is going to be necessary for Houston to end up winning 10 or more games.

#5 Boise State at #19 Georgia - Sure, this isn't a true home game for Georgia, but it's in Atlanta so it might as well be. Boise State won't be as good as they were last year, and Georgia will be better than last year's disappointing 6-7 team. Georgia sophomore QB Aaron Murray should be improved, but he will be without top WR A.J. Green from last year. Also, the top three rushers from last year's Georgia team are gone. Boise State returns Heisman finalist QB Kellen Moore, but lost his top two targets in WR Austin Pettis and WR Titus Young. BSU's defense will not be as good as last year, but will still be tough.

Here are the games I would like to watch if I wasn't spending the weekend at a cabin at Bear Lake:

Thursday 6:00 - UNLV at #11 Wisconsin (ESPN)
Thursday 6:00 - Montana State at Utah (KJZZ, UtahUtes.com)
Friday 6:00 - TCU at Baylor (ESPN, ESPN3)
10:00 - Utah State at Auburn (ESPN2, ESPN3)
1:30 - Louisiana-Monroe at Florida State (ESPNU)
1:30 - Western Michigan at Michigan (ABC/ESPN2, ESPN3)
1:30 - UCLA at Houston (ROOT)
6:00 - #3 Oregon vs #4 LSU (ABC)
6:00 - #5 Boise State at #19 Georgia (ESPN, ESPN3)
Sunday 5:30 - SMU at #8 Texas A&M (ROOT)