College Football Cheat Sheet: Labor Day Marathon

For my money, Labor Day weekend is one of the best on the sports calendar. After a long offseason, college football will control a holiday weekend from Thursday until Monday. For five consecutive days, we get to watch football games as Week 1 takes over the sports world. Buckle in for a fun ride.

KSR’s College Football Cheat Sheet is arriving a day early this week to set the table for a long weekend. There are numerous Power Five vs. Group of Five/FCS matchups sprinkled throughout the slate but a mixture of heavy Thursday/Friday night action to go along with some good games on Sunday and Monday will be more than enough to keep us hooked for the entire weekend.

Let’s take a closer look at Week 1.

The Slate

— Elon at Wake Forest (7:00 Thursday, ACC Network)

— Kent State at UCF (7:00 Thursday, FS1)

— NC State at UConn (7:30 Thursday, CBS Sports Network)

— Nebraska at Minnesota (8:00 Thursday, FOX)

— Florida at No. 14 Utah (8:00 Thursday, ESPN)

— South Dakota at Missouri (8:00 Thursday, SEC Network)

— Southern Utah at Arizona State (10:00 Thursday, Pac-12 Network)

— Miami (Ohio) at Miami (7:00, ACC Network)

— Central Michigan at Michigan State (7:00, FS1)

— Louisville vs. Georgia Tech (7:30, ESPN)

— Missouri State at Kansas (8:00, ESPN+)

— Stanford at Hawai’i (11:00, CBS Sports Network)

— Virginia vs. No. 12 Tennessee (Noon, ABC)

— Fresno State at Purdue (Noon, Big Ten Network)

— Utah State at No. 25 Iowa (Noon, FS1)

— Northern Illinois at Boston College (Noon, ACC Network)

— Louisiana Tech at SMU (Noon, ESPNU)

— Arkansas State at No. 20 Oklahoma (Noon, ESPN)

— Ball State at Kentucky (Noon, SEC Network)

— Bowling Green at Liberty (Noon, CBS Sports Network)

— Colorado at No. 17 TCU (Noon, FOX)

— East Carolina at No. 2 Michigan (Noon, Peacock)

— Western Carolina at Arkansas (1:00, ESPN+)

— Akron at Temple (2:00, ESPN+)

— Mercer at No. 22 Ole Miss (2:00, ESPN+)

— Northern Iowa at Iowa State (2:00, ESPN+)

— Portland State at No. 15 Oregon (3:00, Pac-12 Network)

— UMass at Auburn (3:30, ESPN)

— Towson at Maryland (3:30, BTN)

— Tennessee State at No. 13 Notre Dame (3:30, NBC)

— Rice at No. 11 Texas (3:30, FOX)

— No. 3 Ohio State at Indiana (3:30, CBS)

— Boise State at No. 10 Washington (3:30, ABC)

— Eastern Kentucky at Cincinnati (3:30, ESPN+)

— Buffalo at No. 19 Wisconsin (3:30, FS1)

— Wofford at Pittsburgh (3:30, ACC Network)

— South Florida at WKU (3:30, CBS Sports Network)

— Southeastern Louisiana at Mississippi State (4:00, SEC Network)

— California at North Texas (4:00, ESPNU)

— Colgate at Syracuse (4:00, ESPN+)

— UT Martin at No. 1 Georgia (6:00, ESPN+)

— Nevada at No. 6 USC (6:30, Pac-12 Network)

— New Mexico at No. 23 Texas A&M (7:00, ESPN)

— Southeast Missouri at No. 16 Kansas State (7:00, ESPN+)

— Washington State at Colorado State (7:00, CBS Sports Network)

— UTSA at Houston (7:00, FS1)

— Texas State at Baylor (7:00, ESPN+)

— Central Arkansas at Oklahoma State (7:00, ESPN+)

— Army at ULM (7:00, NFL Network)

— Alabama A&M at Vanderbilt (7:00, ESPN+)

— Middle Tennessee at No. 4 Alabama (7:30, SEC Network)

— No. 21 North Carolina vs. South Carolina (7:30, ABC)

— Texas Tech at Wyoming (7:30, CBS)

— Toledo at Illinois (7:30, Big Ten Network)

— West Virginia at No. 7 Penn State (7:30, NBC)

— South Alabama at No. 24 Tulane (8:00, ESPNU)

— Old Dominion at Virginia Tech (8:00, ACC Network)

— Northern Arizona at Arizona (10:00, Pac-12 Network)

— Sam Houston at BYU (10:15, FS1)

— Coastal Carolina at UCLA (10:30, ESPN)

— Northwestern at Rutgers (Noon Sunday, CBS)

— No. 18 Oregon State at San Jose State (3:30 Sunday, CBS)

— No. 5 LSU vs. No. 8 Florida State (7:30 Sunday, ABC)

— No. 9 Clemson at Duke (8:00, ESPN)

Top 10 Games

1. LSU vs. Florida State
2. North Carolina vs. South Carolina
3. Florida at Utah
4. Nebraska at Minnesota
5. UTSA at Houston
6. Colorado at TCU
7. Boise State at Washington
8. South Alabama at Tulane
9. Clemson at Duke
10. Louisville vs. Georgia Tech

Matt Rhule’s Nebraska

Nebraska is 19-37 overall over the last five seasons and has not been to a bowl game since the 2016 season. Yes, you read that right.

The Huskers brought in former linebacker Trev Alberts to run the athletics department, and his first big move — outside of fundraising and getting NIL efforts in order — was hiring Matt Rhule. The former Temple and Baylor head coach is fresh off a failed experiment with the Carolina Panthers and is returning to college football with a monster contract and is looking awake a football program with a ton of resources, history, and tradition.

Rhule hit many of the preseason checkpoints talking about toughness (QBs were live during the spring game), brought back the fullback, and recently announced the continuation of a long-standing program tradition. There is alignment in Lincoln, but all of the offseason goodwill will be put to the test on Thursday night in Minneapolis.

During Nebraska’s swoon, P.J. Fleck has built one of the most consistent programs in the Big Ten. The Golden Gophers are 29-10 over the last three full seasons. Only Ohio State (55), Michigan (46), Iowa (43), and Penn State (43) have wom more games than Minnesota (39) since 2018. The Gophers have some star power to replace but should still be a bowl team this season.

That makes this a nice measuring stick for Nebraska. Georgia Tech transfer Jeff Sims is taking over at quarterback, wide receiver is a huge question mark, and new defensive coordinator Tony White is installing a 3-3-5 stack. There are a lot of unknowns with the Huskers.

The Big Ten game should feature two teams that want to establish the run in a matchup where punting for field position will have a lot of value. I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Big test for Billy Napier, Florida to begin year 2

Billy Napier owns a 6-7 overall record. Billy Napier signed a top-10 high school recruiting class in 2023 and has the Gators on track to sign a top-five class in 2024. The former Louisiana head coach was hired to do the latter, but he also needs to win some games.

The 44-year-old play-caller is entering a big season in Gainesville with a schedule that is stacked. The Gators made some big personnel changes in the offseason bringing in 30-year-old defensive coordinator Austin Armstrong to institute a pressure-heavy scheme and turning to Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz at quarterback. Those moves will be put to the test early.

Utah figures to be a contender in the Pac-12 again under Kyle Whittingham despite availability concerns with star quarterback Cameron Rising. Rice-Eccles Stadium is a very tough place to play, and that venue will be rocking for a rare non-conference game with an SEC foe. Will the Gators be improved on offense? Is Mertz a good fit for Napier’s wide zone play-action scheme? We’ll find out soon.

No matter what happens, Florida has a tough road in 2023, and this team needs to grab wins when they’re available. If Rising is out of the lineup, this is a game that Napier needs to win. His road underdog record (11-3-1 against the spread) tells us the Gators will be ready on Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

New alum head coaches square off

Louisville fans finally got what they wanted when Scott Satterfield left for Cincinnati allowing Jeff Brohm to return home after six seasons at Purdue. At Georgia Tech, interim head coach Brent Key led the Yellow Jackets to four upset wins in ACC play and ultimately landed the job at his alma mater.

In an ACC game on Friday night, these two new head coaches will go head-to-head, and we could have a sneaky good game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

There will be a pair of transfers starting at quarterback, transfer-heavy wide receiver units, and two programs looking for fresh starts. On paper, Louisville has the better roster but this game is away from home and against a squad that performed very well as a dog last season under Key.

Don’t be surprised if this becomes one of the better games of the weekend with some exciting moments. Former Louisville tailback Trevion Cooley is now at Georgia Tech, which could add some more intrigue after both head coaches refused to release depth charts earlier this week.

Coach Prime returns to FBS college football

Deion Sanders will be making his FBS head coaching debut, and FOX certainly is ready for it.

The 400 lbs "Buffalo Prime" was in the building today as new @CUBuffsFootball HC @DeionSanders gets set to make his Buffs debut this week!

📺: Colorado vs TCU, Sept. 2, Big Noon Saturday, @CFBONFOX pic.twitter.com/pJHGogiWl8

— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) August 28, 2023

The network is sending its pregame show to Fort Worth and will have the A broadcast team of Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt, and Jenny Taft on the call at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Everyone is anxious to see how Coach Prime’s roster-building experiment will play out. We’ll get to see it against the national runner-up. In year two under Sonny Dykes, TCU will be breaking in a new offensive coordinator (Kendal Briles) and a new quarterback (Chandler Morris) against the Buffaloes in what will be a Big 12 matchup beginning in 2024.

The scenarios feel endless for Colorado this season. Don’t be surprised if this is the most-watched game of Week 1. It will dominate the noon window even if the contest turns into blowout city.

Carolina Bowl

ESPN’s College GameDay is heading to Charlotte for a neutral-site game in an ACC vs. SEC matchup, but it’s one with plenty of intrigue. South Carolina and North Carolina are both looking to build on good seasons in 2022 and return star quarterbacks. However, each is breaking in a new offensive coordinator and had defenses that underperformed last season.

On paper, a shootout seems possible between Drake Maye and Spencer Rattler. This is a significant game for both sides as both Carolinas enter the game with high expectations. There should be a fun neutral crowd at Bank of America Stadium. We will get to see early what kind of shape South Carolina’s offensive line is in after losing starting tackle Jaylen Nichols in the spring.

A loss for either side will be a tough sell for each fan base and could immediately kill off some preseason momentum.

Another ACC-SEC clash

The Carolina Bowl will be a nice appetizer before we get to the main dish. We’ve got another neutral site game on Sunday night, but this one is the top contest of Week 1.

Florida State and LSU are running it back after the Seminoles upset the Tigers in New Orleans last season. After that game, both teams went on to record double-digit win seasons and enter the 2023 season with College Football Playoff aspirations. A win could go a long way in this matchup.

LSU is traveling to Orlando with plenty of hype. The Bayou faithful quickly became believers in Brian Kelly after he won an SEC West title in year one. With Jayden Daniels returning at quarterback and potential All-American Harold Perkins back at linebacker, there are legit national championship hopes for the Tigers.

Over in Tallahassee, Mike Norvell finally posted a winning season at Florida State, and the positive avalanche has not stopped yet. Jordan Travis returns at quarterback, Jared Verse is a preseason All-American at defensive end, and another loaded transfer portal class gives the Seminoles a great shot at winning the program’s first ACC title in a decade.

The ball is teed up for both programs. Now they have to go play the games. Sunday night should be a very fun stage for college football.

Duke hosts Clemson to cap off a wild college football weekend

Did you know that Duke quarterback Riley Leonard is considered a legitimate NFL Draft prospect after throwing for 2,967 yards, rushing for 790 non-sack yards, and totaling 33 total touchdowns? Did you know Graham Barton is one of the top tackles in college football? Did you know that head coach Mike Elko was 6-0 against the spread at Wallace Wade Stadium?

The Blue Devils surprised many by going 9-4 last season, and they could be a sneaky team in the ACC again. They’ll get a chance to see exactly where they stand when Clemson rolls into town on Labor Day.

The defending ACC champions made a big change in the offseason bringing in Garrett Riley to call plays. The partnership with sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik has people excited. Dabo Swinney‘s squad is still the team to beat in this league.

Monday night’s game will feature a champion and challenger. We’ll get to see if Clemson is still head and shoulders above the rest of the league and if Duke is a serious candidate to make a run at double-digit wins. This is an excellent way to end a football marathon.

The rest of the college football card

— The drive to 325 starts at home for offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz when Iowa hosts Utah State for an 11:00 a.m. local start. Michigan quarterback transfer Cade McNamara will make his debut in Iowa City. Will we see Kirk Ferentz hit on the gas in the fourth quarter with a lead?

— Ryan Walters makes his head coach debut at Purdue with Graham Harrell calling plays and Texas transfer Hudson Card at quarterback. However, Fresno State is a tough Week 1 draw at home. The Boilermakers are barely laying a field goal. An upset could be possible.

— The best game of the day might be in the Lonestar State when Houston hosts UTSA. Dana Holgorsen could quickly find himself on the hot season this season, while Jeff Traylor seems destined to land a big coaching job very soon. The Roadrunners might be better outright and could hand Houston a very tough blow to begin their first season in the Big 12.

— Don’t fall asleep, Illinois. Toledo is the best team in the MAC and could have the goods to pull off a road win over a Big Ten foe.

— Texas Tech is a college football preseason darling. The Big 12 commissioner has gone publicly on record about wanting the Red Raiders to beat Texas. A Week 2 home contest with Oregon awaits. But first, Joey McGuire‘s team has to deal with a road trip to Laramie. Wyoming is very salty on defense and could have a trap waiting for Texas Tech in a game that gets a prime time slot on CBS.

— An old regional rivalry will be renewed in State College. West Virginia is traveling to Penn State to face a James Franklin team with legitimate College Football Playoff aspirations. Meanwhile, Neal Brown is firmly on the hot seat in Morgantown. The Mountaineers could be in trouble at Beaver Stadium.