College football’s return always brings a little chaos with it, and Week 0 wastes no time offering up a handful of games that could turn sideways.
Start with North Carolina, where the Tar Heels are 8.5-point underdogs against TCU in a matchup that would have sounded wild a year ago. After the brutal 2025 season Belichick endured at North Carolina, the upset case starts there.
Billy Edwards at quarterback is an upgrade, but the bigger one may be Bobby Petrino taking over the play-calling. And dragging poor TCU to Ireland for this game feels like asking for trouble.
The ACC has another spot where the underdog has a real puncher’s chance. Virginia is coming off an 11-win season, but the Cavaliers are missing a lot of the pieces that made that run possible.
Chandler Morris is gone at quarterback, J'Mari Taylor is gone at running back, and Trell Harris and Devin Neal are also gone after leading the team in receiving and tackles, respectively. NC State, meanwhile, brings back QB CJ Bailey and already handled Virginia 24-21 in the last meeting at UVA in 2023.
It would not be a shock to see that script repeat.
There’s also a first-time FBS test that could get uncomfortable fast. North Dakota State has built its reputation as an FCS powerhouse, but being installed as nearly a touchdown favorite in its first FBS game is a big number.
South Carolina is no pushover, especially with dual-threat quarterback Caden Creel, who threw for 1,514 yards and ran for 1,076 yards a year ago. Jax State won nine games last season and reached the last two CUSA title games by being hard to shake, and that matters here.
Hawaii, meanwhile, has the kind of profile that makes you take notice in an opener. Timmy Chang’s team won nine games last season and opened with a 23-20 win over Stanford.
Micah Alejado is back after throwing for 3,109 yards as a freshman, and one of his top weapons, Pofele Ashlock, returns after catching 76 passes for 827 yards. Stanford is under a new coach and could be in for a rough introduction.
Memphis rounds out the list, and there’s no shortage of questions around the Tigers. They started fast last season, climbed to No. 22, then stumbled badly late as Ryan Silverfield moved on to Arkansas, which he beat in 2025 at Memphis.
Charles Huff takes over, and he’s the kind of coach who can hit the ground running. He inherits a solid offensive line and a strong group of portal additions at the skill spots.
UNLV under Dan Mullen did fine in Year 1, but against other explosive offenses, the Rebels had issues, and Memphis looks capable of stressing them in the same way.
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Memphis Could Feel Week 0 Pressure Before Playing A Snap
Week 0 has a way of making the calendar feel bigger than it is, and Memphis is already caught in that spin before taking a snap. With the College Football Playoff picture still shaped by perception as much as results, the Tigers sit in the same conversation as teams like Miami, NC State, Virginia, UNLV and USC, where an early statement can matter almost as much as the final record when the selection chatter starts to tighten.
For Memphis, the intrigue is heightened by recent history. The Tigers backed up an 11-win 2024 season and an 8-1 start last year with the kind of rsum that keeps them in the broader CFP discussion, even if the path is narrow and the margins are unforgiving. In a race where style points can linger long after opening weekend, Memphis could spend Week 0 under pressure without even being on the field. [Read more 🡒]