OK, now it’s college football season. Week 1 brings the first full Saturday of games across the country, which means our wire-to-wire coverage of all the mayhem is back.
We were treated to a thriller right away as Colorado went on a back-and-forth 45-42 battle with No. 17 TCU to give Deion Sanders a marquee win in his Power Five debut.
The whole offseason is the Coach Prime show, but his stars gave for him in every way possible on Saturday. His son, Shedeur Sanders, threw for 510 yards and four TDs in his own big-time debut. Four Buffaloes receivers finished with over 100 yards – one of them being Travis Hunter, the former five-star recruit who played for Coach Prime at Jackson State. Hunter finished with 11 catches for 119 yards and an interception while playing both ways.
There are plenty of other great matchups to look forward to as most teams open their 2023 seasons. Here are some of the key games we’ll be watching for the rest of the day (all times Eastern):
Time: 3:30 pm | TV: ABC | Line: UW -14 | Total: 58.5
Washington’s offense was terrific during last year’s surprise 11-2 season and most of that unit is back, including QB Michael Penix, a legitimate Heisman candidate with one of the best receiver groups in the country. that he can use. Can the Huskies carry over last year’s success? A win against a potentially tough Boise State team is a good start. Boise State has been up and down in recent seasons, but it is the betting favorite to win the Mountain West and has a long history of giving Pac-12 opponents a hard time.
Time: 7:30 pm | TV: ABC | Line: UNC -2.5 | Overall: 64.5
Can North Carolina make some noise in the ACC? Clemson and Florida State are the clear favorites, but UNC was picked third in the preseason ACC poll. The Tar Heels return Drake Maye, who emerged as one of the best quarterbacks in the country last fall. South Carolina, meanwhile, is entering its third season with Shane Beamer as head coach. The Gamecocks went 7-6 in 2021 and then 8-5 last year in a campaign that included dominant late-season wins over Tennessee and Clemson. Can that momentum continue into 2023?
Time: 7:30 pm | TV: NBC | Line: PSU -20.5 | Total: 49.5
Drew Allar’s season begins in State College. After the departure of four-year starting QB Sean Clifford, Allar took over under center for a Nittany Lions team with high expectations this season. The defense is stacked and Allar has a lot of potential to lead Penn State to more wins. It’s a tough road game to open the season for a West Virginia team that has struggled mightily in four years under head coach Neal Brown. He could be coaching for his job this season.