Week Zero: A Guide to College Football's Opening Weekend, Presented by LaRosa's

College football is officially back. Week Zero is here. Enjoy every second of it with LaRosa’s. The family pizzeria is ready to make it memorable, with their crowd pleasers that include an order of 50 wings for all your friends, or an extra-large pizza for just the family. LaRosa’s will make your game day a guaranteed hit! Visit us at LAROSAS.com to order pick up, delivery, or join us in our dining room!

Nebraska at Illinois

• Kickoff: 1 p.m. ET
• TV: Fox
• Spread: Nebraska -7
• SP+ Projection: Nebraska 32.4, Illinois 22.3

The college football season opens with Big Noon Saturday (well, noon central time). Originally scheduled to be played in Dublin, COVID-19 moved the season-opener to Champaign. Bret Bielema will get the sport’s brightest spotlight in his first game as a Big Ten head coach since he was on the Wisconsin sideline in 2012. Scott Frost’s seat is getting hotter. It may be on fire if Nebraska cannot exact revenge.

Yes, Nebraska actually lost to Illinois 41-23 last year in Lincoln. It’s one of the many embarrassing losses on Frost’s resume. Touted as an offensive mastermind, the Huskers’ offense has never got going. At least he has a three-year starter in Adrian Martinez to lean on, but Bielema will have a three-year starting QB of his own, Brandon Peters.

Nebraska lost Wan’Dale Robinson and Illinois returns more super seniors than any other team in the country. It may be a tall task to turn around the Illini in week zero, but Bielema has enough guns to make this a fun one (at least by Big Ten standards).

UConn at Fresno State

• Kickoff: 2 p.m. ET
• TV: CBSSN
• Spread: Fresno State -27.5
• SP+ Projection: Fresno State 43.1, UConn 18

UConn is playing its first game as an independent, a year after they canceled the 2020 season, citing COVID-19 (a nice copout). The Huskies are getting thrown to the dogs right away.

Fresno State is one of the most exciting college football programs you haven’t heard about. Head coach Kalen DeBoer is a rising star in the coaching ranks. Last fall quarterback Jake Haener, a Washington transfer, was fourth in the nation in passing — ahead of folks like Matt Corral, Kedon Slovis and Trevor Lawrence — throwing for 336.8 yards per contest and 14 touchdowns in just six games. The Bulldogs are a fun team to watch and they could run it up against the Huskies in week zero.

Hawaii at UCLA

• Kickoff: 3:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
• Spread: UCLA -17.5
• SP+ Projection: UCLA 42..5, Hawaii 21.4

The Rainbow Warriors are a fan favorite because they are the Rainbow Warriors. Unfortunately, this isn’t the team you grew up watching score 50 points at 1 am ET. Former Arizona State head coach Todd Graham is at the helm of a team that ranked 84th in scoring offense a year ago.

As much as folks love to hate on Chip Kelly, this could be his breakout year in Westwood. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is in his third year quarterbacking in the system that fits his skillset well. With that said, this is just a tuneup for the date with LSU at the Rose Bowl. Kelly is 1-5 ATS against non-conference foes, teeing up the Rainbow Warriors to cover a large spread that opened at UCLA -11.

UTEP at New Mexico State

• Kickoff: 9:30 p.m. ET
• TV: Bally Sports AZ/FloSports
• Spread: UTEP -10
• SP+ Projection: UTEP 34.1, NMSU 24.8

This could be an ugly one. That’s why it will be very difficult to find on television. There should be extra juice for each team in the I-10 rivalry, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where a New Mexico State plays good football after sitting out in 2020. At least you can get an early scouting report for the Nov. 20 date against Kentucky at Kroger Field.

Southern Utah at San Jose State

• Kickoff: 10 p.m. ET
• TV: CBSSN
• Spread: San Jose State -22
• SP+ Projection: San Jose State 42.7, Southern Utah 13.7

San Jose State might have been the least talked about great story in college football from 2020. The Spartans went undefeated in Mountain West play and upset Boise State to win their first FBS conference title. San Jose State plays quality football, which should make for a few enjoyable Mountain West After Dark moments in week zero.