Let’s just tell it like it is: “Week 0” is always great (and that includes this year’s installment), but it obviously has nothing on Week 1—I mean, how could it? While Week 0 takes the edge off with its handful of games after America goes months with no CFB action, Week 1 is where everyone gets going, with some of its biggest matchups being headliners for the entire regular season.
In conditions like those, it’s all the easier for the not-so-breathtaking matchups to get lost in the crowd, but some of them simply have too much potential to let slip away. For me, this season’s leading example of that is Idaho at Washington State.
Normally, this game likely wouldn’t turn many heads, as it’s an FCS-FBS duel with the latter half coming off of an eight-win run. However, taking such a surface-level glance at this game leaves out context that makes it far more competitive on both sides.
For Wazzu, yes, they just won eight games. However, they finished on a horrendously cold streak and have undergone serious changes in regards to both their roster and coaching staff. In other words, the Cougs’ odds of adequately following up their 2024 campaign appear considerably rocky, leaving them all the more ripe for an upset. Enter: Idaho.
After a stretch of struggles, the Vandals finally got the hang of being a formidable FCS power, and just won 10 games last fall. We’ve also seen their abilities to scare bigger fish quite recently, with them having Oregon fans sweating profusely in their previous opener.
By those standards, Idaho would have to be one of the more-probable candidates for pulling off an FCS stunner. I say that while knowing the Vandals have undergone some changes as well, most notably with them also having a new face at head coach. But, while that puts them in a tougher position to maintain their own magic, it’s not enough to arrogantly write them off.
Toss all of this in with both the two teams’ storied history and the rustiness that comes with most season-openers and we’ve got a recipe for disaster in Pullman. Is it Texas-OSU? No, but it’s surely closer to that than you’d think.
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