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.
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Louisville Just Set Up A Brutal Early Test For Its Ceiling
Louisvilles 2026-27 mens basketball schedule is taking shape, and it already looks like the kind of non-conference slate that can tell fans plenty about where the Cardinals stand before ACC play begins. The season starts with exhibition games in October and then a Nov. 2 opener, but the real exam arrives quickly with a schedule loaded with Power Four opponents, NCAA Tournament teams and national-stage events like the Players Era 16 Tournament and the ACC/SEC Challenge.
The headliners are the ones that will draw the most attention, with Michigan, Kentucky and Baylor all on the docket, along with a trip through the kind of early slate that can expose flaws or confirm upside in a hurry. For a Louisville team trying to measure its ceiling, there will be little mystery about the level of competition, only the harder question of how the Cardinals respond when the calendar gets demanding right away. [Read more 🡒]
Louisville Fans Have A New NFL Roster Milestone To Track
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Bells return comes after a long rehab from the torn ACL he suffered against SMU last November, a setback that interrupted what was already shaping up to be an important step in his development. He is listed as a second-string receiver for Miami, giving Louisville supporters another former Cardinal to track once the season starts, alongside the other alums who also made NFL rosters. [Read more 🡒]
Isaac Brown Just Changed The Feel Of Louisvilles Ole Miss Opener
The biggest question hanging over Louisvilles season opener against Ole Miss has been the status of Isaac Brown, and the answer now appears to be trending in the Cardinals favor. Jeff Brohm said the star running back has turned in a good camp, is ready to go and is expected to be part of the plan when Louisville takes the field in a game that will say plenty about where the program stands right away.
Browns availability matters because he is viewed as one of the top running backs in the country, and Louisvilles offense will need every edge it can get against a tough early test. The concern earlier in fall camp briefly clouded the matchup, but Browns return to full participation gives the Cardinals a much more dangerous look as they head into the opener. [Read more 🡒]