Saturday Blitz
Fansided

College Football 2019: Your binge-watching guide for Week 1

By Shelbie Warr

CORVALLIS, OREGON - NOVEMBER 23: Running back Travis Dye #26 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)
CORVALLIS, OREGON - NOVEMBER 23: Running back Travis Dye #26 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates after scoring a touchdown during the second half of the game against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium on November 23, 2018 in Corvallis, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 5
Next
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 27: The Wisconsin Badgers celebrate after the Badgers won the New Era Pinstripe Bowl 35-3 against the Miami Hurricanes at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – DECEMBER 27: The Wisconsin Badgers celebrate after the Badgers won the New Era Pinstripe Bowl 35-3 against the Miami Hurricanes at Yankee Stadium on December 27, 2018 in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images) /

Friday Night, Saturday Morning

No. 19 Wisconsin at USF (Friday, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN)

Both of these teams are coming off of less than stellar seasons. Wisconsin was expected to have a strong 2018 season, but of course, that isn’t what happened. Instead, the Badgers finished 8-5 with a clunker of a loss to BYU. Now, they are once again ranked and looking for a strong season.

Meanwhile, USF started 2018 with a 7-0 record before going on a six-game losing streak to end the year. One of these teams is going to have a stellar opening game and the other is going home with their tail between their legs, but this one may be closer than many expect.

Prediction: USF puts up a fight for the first half, but Wisconsin runs away with it in the second. Look for a two-touchdown win for the Badgers at the very least, despite USF’s growth on offense.

Ole Miss at Memphis (Saturday, 12 p.m. ET, ABC)

This one is a shootout waiting to happen. Neither team has a strong defensive front coming into the season. Ole Miss ranked among the bottom of the SEC in total defense. The Rebels struggled stopping a nosebleed, so to speak. The Memphis secondary has been a mess and if they want anything to get better they have to start there.

On offense, Ole Miss is replacing quite a bit including a grouping of three big-name wide outs in AJ Brown, DK Metcalf and DeMarcus Lodge. Add in losing quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and three starters on the offensive line and you have a recipe for an opening afternoon loss.

Prediction: This one will come down to who has the ball last simply due to how bad the defenses have been playing. Yes, a lot can change in an offseason, but I don’t see the defenses getting all that much better. Memphis by three late.

Home/College Football News