Week 1 always brings a little chaos, and this season’s opening slate has plenty of spots where an upset can sneak up and bite somebody. Most of the schedule looks lopsided on paper, but a few games have the kind of ingredients that can flip fast once the ball is kicked off. With roster turnover, coaching changes and a lot of teams still figuring themselves out, there’s room for surprises.
The cleanest upset watch on Friday night is Toledo at Michigan State. The Spartans are opening the Pat Fitzgerald era against a MAC team that may have lost longtime head coach Jason Candle to UConn, but still looks dangerous after landing the conference’s top-ranked transfer portal class.
Toledo also brought in former Mercer coach Mike Jacobs, who owns a 94-23 record at the Division II and FCS levels, and he brought several Mercer players with him. That group includes defensive end Andrew Zock, last season’s Buck Buchanan Award winner after piling up 11.5 sacks, 20 TFLs and 23 QB hurries.
Michigan State has had trouble early against smaller programs in recent years, and this one has the feel of a game that could stay uncomfortable deep into the night.
The most high-profile chance for a shocker comes when Clemson meets No. 11 LSU in Tiger Stadium.
It’s a night game in Baton Rouge, and Death Valley figures to be loud for Lane Kiffin’s first game there. LSU is loaded with talent, but the roster is also packed with new faces, so the question is how quickly all of that comes together.
Clemson, meanwhile, is coming off its worst season under Dabo Swinney and has flown a little under the radar entering the year. Swinney leaned on the transfer portal more than usual to patch holes on defense, but this is still mostly a homegrown roster.
Clemson has not officially named a starting quarterback, though the expectation is senior Christopher Vizzina, who has just one college start. LSU is the favorite, but this has the look of a game where Clemson’s underdog position could make things interesting.
The only top-25 matchup of the weekend lands Sunday night in Nashville, where No. 24 Louisville faces No.
9 Ole Miss. It’s also a sharp coaching contrast, with the Rebels’ defensive-minded Pete Golding going against Jeff Brohm, who lives on the offensive side of the ball.
Louisville has real ACC contender potential, but its ceiling will depend heavily on Ohio State transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. Ole Miss, on the other hand, brings back one of the better QB-RB pairings around in Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy.
Still, there’s always the possibility of a team easing off a bit after a big season, and Ole Miss could fall into that trap. Brohm has built a reputation for knocking off highly ranked opponents, and this is a chance to do it again while giving Louisville a strong launch point for a schedule that opens up after Week 1.
In Other News...
Clemsons D-Line Has A Growing Problem Before The LSU Opener
Clemsons defensive line entered the late-summer stretch already under a little scrutiny, and the situation around senior tackle Vic Burley only adds to the uncertainty. Burley remains indefinitely suspended after his arrest on a misdemeanor public disorderly conduct charge, and the case has moved to a conditional discharge that includes probation, education programs and community service if he completes the terms. For a team heading into a major opener, any absence along the interior is worth watching.
Dabo Swinney said Burley is not currently part of Clemsons top defensive tackle group, and there is no timeline yet for his return. That leaves the Tigers trying to sort out a position where depth and rotation matter as much as raw talent, especially this close to the LSU matchup. The longer the situation lingers, the more it turns a single disciplinary issue into a real roster problem. [Read more 🡒]
Dabo Just Added Real Tension To LSUs Opener With Kiffin
Dabo Swinney used a Sept. 1 press conference to give Lane Kiffin an unusually warm public nod, reflecting on the first time the two crossed paths back in the mid-2000s when they were assistant coaches. Swinney called Kiffin one of the best coaches in the business, a notable bit of praise with Clemson and LSU set to open their season against each other in a game that already has plenty of built-in intrigue.
The matchup carries extra edge because it is the first time the two will be on opposite sidelines as head coaches, adding another layer to a heavyweight opener between two programs trying to make an early statement. Swinneys comments only sharpen the spotlight on a meeting that has been a long time coming, and one that should tell plenty about where both teams stand right out of the gate. [Read more 🡒]
Clemson Heads To LSU With A QB Situation Fans Didn't Want
For the third straight year, Clemson went into Week 1 without a public depth chart, keeping the focus on a quarterback race that never seemed to settle down in the days before the opener. Head coach Dabo Swinney waited until late Tuesday to make his decision, and the delay only added to the uncertainty surrounding a team heading into a high-profile trip to LSU with more questions than Clemson fans expected.
Swinneys wait ended with Christopher Vizzina getting the nod over freshman Tait Reynolds, but even that announcement came with the sense that the competition has not exactly been closed off. In the buildup, Swinney made it clear he did not see either quarterback as a true lock, which leaves Clemson entering a difficult road game with the starter identified, but the situation around the position still feeling very much in motion. [Read more 🡒]