The opening week of the college football season is an exciting time as one America's past times returns on a national scale. In a week that is normally filled with guaranteed wins and blowout victories but there is the occasional upset that sets the season in motion. Here are four matchups that could really do just the trick.
August 28 at 7:00 p.m. - East Carolina @ NC State
The Pirates and Wolfpack get the 2025 season underway as the two familiar foes face off once again. These teams finished last season against each other in the Military Bowl where the Pirates took the 26-21 victory.
The postgame brawl between the two teams may have made more news than then actual game but the adds a new level of passion to the rivalry. NC State is currently a double-digit favorite, but they have been in some tightly contested season openers over the last three years so this could go the Pirates way.
East Carolina has a new head coach after elevating Blake Harrell this past off-season from his defensive coordinator position. He has an excellent quarterback in Katin Houser. Houser threw for 2,006 yards and 18 touchdowns in nine games last season.
NC State is led by CJ Bailey is under center once again for Dave Doeren and hopes to build off of a freshman season where he threw for 2,413 yards and 17 touchdowns. But if East Carolina is able to steal a victory it could be a precursor to a run at an American Conference Championship.
August 28 at 9:00 p.m Eastern - Miami Ohio @ Wisconsin
It's the MAC vs Big Ten on a Thursday night in Madison when Chuck Martin takes his Miami (OH) Redhawks on the road to take on Luke Fickell and the Wisconsin Badgers.
Last season was extremely disappointing for the Badger faithful when they ended season with a 5-7 record and missed a bowl game for the first time since 2001.
Miami (OH) had an excellent 2024 season where they went 9-5 with an appearance in the MAC Championship game and a 43-17 victory over Colorado State in the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl to end the campaign.
The big story for in this one is that both teams will have new starting quarterbacks via the transfer portal. Billy Edwards Jr. is the man under center for Wisconsin after transferring in from Maryland. Edwards threw for nearly 2,900 yards last season for the Terrapins. The question for 2025 is can he reenergize this Wisconsin offense who has been sluggish over the last two seasons.
Miami (OH) has the quarterback advantage in this matchup with Dequan Finn. Finn spent last season at Baylor after his first three years at Toledo. Finn is an excellent dual threat quarterback who can keep defenses guessing.
If the Redhawks are going to pull the upset Finn is going to have to leave in impact on this contest. A MAC school has defeated a Big Ten program in 16 of the last 18 seasons and if one comes to fruition this season, I believe this could be the one.
August 30 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern - Mississippi State vs Southern Mississippi
For these two programs 2024 was a miserable season, with a combined three wins between the two teams the only way for these teams to go is up in 2025.
The Charles Huff era begins in Hattiesburg with an in-state rival and a team who hopes to rise to the top of the Sun Belt. Huff joins the Golden Eagles after spending the past four seasons at Marshall. He brought in 54 transfers this offseason in his attempt to rejuvenate the program. A majority of them made the journey with him to Southern Miss.
Year one of the Jeff Lebby experience in Starkville was a disaster for the Bulldog faithful. An early season injury to starting quarterback Blake Shapen and one of the tougher schedules in the SEC made for a tough start to his season.
But a returner at quarterback along with 34 transfer portal additions and another year in Jeff Lebby's system they hope to climb out of the SEC cellar.
This matchup excites me because it is two programs who are looking to make the climb back from the bottom of their conferences. The excitement will be there in the season opener, the in-state distain for each other and a season opening "Gold Out" should make it a rockus atmosphere where anything could happen.
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