Every college football season we are surprised by at least one or two notable upsets in the opening week. While they can vary in scale, the reality is that by now we should expect the unexpected to happen at least a few times in Week 1. The fact that teams usually need at least a couple of games to hit their stride provides obvious reason to expect more upsets early in the season. While many teams schedule Cupcake State for their early games to ease into the season (since there is no preseason in college football), it doesn’t mean that things go according to plan. Here is a look at five potential Week 1 college football surprises.
Stanford Cardinal @ Northwestern Wildcats
Stanford has still be competitive in the David Shaw era but it still feels like they’ve tapered off a bit after Jim Harbaugh left. The will have a difficult time competing with the top teams from the Pac-12 this season and their schedule includes an early upset alert matchup as they make their way across the country to Evanston for a showdown with Northwestern. Stanford’s lack of preparation has already shown as coach Shaw didn’t even know that Clayton Thorson had been named the Wildcats’ starting quarterback when prompted this week.
The Wildcats would like nothing more than to open the season with a surprising upset and they are both talented enough and coached well enough to believe it can happen. Factor in that the start time for this game is noon in the Eastern Time Zone, which will feel like a 9:00 AM for the Cardinal players, and this matchup definitely has the potential for an upset.
[related_post_one]
Virginia Cavaliers @ UCLA Bruins
UCLA is the obvious favorite at home against Virginia but the Cavaliers return four offensive linemen, their top three pass catchers and a number of defensive players from a unit that wasn’t that bad last season. While they are likely to get rolled, it’s also impossible to completely write them off. UCLA is starting a freshman quarterback in the opener and that can lead to some adventures.
BYU Cougars @ Nebraska Cornhuskers
There will be a ton of pressure on Nebraska in its first game under head coach Mike Riley as they enter the season as one of the most intriguing teams from the Big Ten West. However, they have Boise State rolling in to town the following week and have to be careful not to get caught off guard. BYU is a solid team and while they might not win this game on the road straight up, they should at least be able to put a scare into Nebraska and cover the spread.
Louisville Cardinals @ Auburn Tigers
There is no denying how strong the Auburn offense is with Jeremy Johnson finally getting the opportunity to show the football world what he is capable of but the bigger issue for the Tigers is on the defensive side of the football where they were beaten up pretty bad at points last season. Bobby Petrino will have his side ready and they could be a good bet to upset Auburn or at least cover on the road. The AAC is looking for respect and this is a game where they could get it.
TCU Horned Frogs @ Minnesota Golden Gophers
TCU is the national No. 2 and the hype heading in to this season is justifiable based on a roster that is loaded with talent including, Heisman trophy favorite quarterback Trevone Boykin. The Horned Frogs are looking for a shot at redemption after being left out of the College Football Playoff a year ago. While they are a far more talented team than Minnesota, they are also facing more pressure on the road heading in to what should be a hostile environment. Jerry Kill has rebuilt this Minnesota program and they’re respectable now. If TCU thinks this is going to be a walkover, they’re mistaken. The Golden Gophers have a good enough defense to slow Boykin and the TCU offense. This game could be closer than expected.
