Seven Other Notable Games

These games don't involve currently ranked teams (at least not in the AP poll), but they are interesting in my mind in their own ways.

Eastern Illinois Panthers at Minnesota Golden Gophers
Last year, Eastern Illinois was able to lay a whooping on a good San Diego State team and gave what turned out to be a 12 win Northern Illinois team a wail of a game, both on the road. So you can be sure they won't be too intimidated by traveling to Big Ten country. However, those games last year came with NFL prospect Jimmy Garoppolo under center. Garoppolo put up amazing stats which caused him to be a second round selection by the New England Patriots in the 2014 Draft. My guess is their new QB won't be quite as good, but they've got a lot of key guys other than Garoppolo back, so they'll end up making a game of this.
My Call: Minnesota 30, Eastern Illinois 23

Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs. Washington State Cougars (at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, WA)Wazzu coach Mike Leach is looking to take the next step forward in his third season at the helm in Pullman after taking the Cougs to a bowl game a year ago while Rutgers coach Kyle Flood might be coaching for his job this year. Coach Flood doesn't get an easy opener as traveling to Seattle in what will essentially be a road game against Leach's Air Raid offense. I do believe the Knights will put points on the board and that Washington State QB Connor Halliday will make a couple mistakes as he's prone to do, but I also expect Halliday to make up for it with 3 or 4 TD tosses and 400+ yards in the air to lead Washington State to a pretty wild season opening win.
My Call: Washington State 49, Rutgers 38

Colorado State Rams vs. Colorado Buffaloes (at Sports Authority Field in Denver, CO)Buffs head coach Mike MacIntyre is in a somewhat similar position to where Colorado State head coach Jim McElwain was a year ago. McElwain went 4-8 in his first year at the helm of the Rams football program, then won 8 games in 2013, including that miracle comeback in the New Mexico Bowl against Washington State. MacIntyre went 4-8 a year ago in his first full season as the Buffs head coach and will look to take a step forward to a bowl game like McElwain did. With the four wins a year ago, Colorado equaled the number of wins they had combined in 2011 and 2012. That's a nice step forward; and it included a win over Colorado State in this yearly rivalry game. Can the Buffs makes it two straight over their in-state rivals? They'd better; or else it'll be tough to take that next step forward in the MacIntyre era in what promises to be a tough Pac 12 Conference.
My Call: Colorado 30, Colorado State 24

Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Central Florida Golden Knights (at Croke Park in Dublin, Ireland)Tough debut as Penn State head coach for James Franklin, who was hired away from Vanderbilt after he did an outstanding job as the Commodores head man the last three years. UCF returns a lot of players from last year's team that won the Fiesta Bowl over Baylor, but one guy who's gone is QB Blake Bortles. He was taken third overall in the 2014 Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. I am not sure if a volcano is still lurking as a possible threat to this game being played in Ireland, but I'll go off the assumption that these two teams will play. I'm going to take the Nittany Lions in a hotly contested affair. They have the new coach as well as very talented now true sophomore Christian Hackenberg under center. The game should slow down for him more this season. For those on the West Coast and in Hawaii, you'll have to get up early or stay up all night for this one, but it could be worth it.
My Call: Penn State 23, Central Florida 20

Appalachian State Mountaineers at Michigan WolverinesRemember 2007 when Appalachian State went to Ann Arbor and stunned the #5 ranked Michigan Wolverines in a wild finish which saw the Mountaineers block a last ditch field goal attempt and win the game 34-32? I do. Problem is that was a very good Appalachian State team at the time as they were winning three straight FCS national championships. This version is coming off a bad 2013 season where they went 4-8. While Michigan may not be up to the standards they're used to, which may have coach Brady Hoke on the hot seat, I'm not expecting a repeat of 2007. This time the Wolverines will cruise after a bit of a slow start.
My Call: Michigan 41, Appalachian State 10

North Dakota State Bison at Iowa State Cyclones Dangerous game to begin the year for Iowa State as they host the three-time defending FCS Champions. Craig Bohl, the head coach of those teams may have taken his act to Wyoming but the foundation sure remains. His defensive coordinator the last two seasons, Chris Klieman, takes over as the new head coach. Kansas State found out last year the hard way as they lost 24-21 at home not to take these guys lightly as did Minnesota in 2012. Focusing fully on this game may not be easy for Iowa State though as they host Kansas State a week after playing this one. Am I crazy? Perhaps so. I'm gonna call for the upset. My Call: North Dakota State 24, Iowa State 23

Northern Iowa Panthers at Iowa Hawkeyes
Like their in state rivals, the Hawkeyes also face an interesting first week challenge. No, Northern Iowa hasn't had nearly the success of North Dakota State these last three years, but they've gone to play FBS teams on the road and not been the least bit intimidated by it. Last year, they went to Aimes and upset Iowa State by a 28-20 final. In 2012, they hung tough with Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium in a 26-21 loss and also tough with Iowa at Kinnick Field in a 27-16 defeat. I see these Panthers going into Iowa City and giving it their best but coming up a little short. They just won't put up quite enough points to make the upset happen.
My Call: Iowa 24, Northern Iowa 17
Utah State Aggies at Tennessee Volunteers
Tennessee needs to be very careful themselves as they face a Utah State team that will also not be intimidated by the 100 thousand plus fans at Neyland Stadium. Over the last three years, the Aggies have traveled to Auburn (2011), Wisconsin (2012) and USC (2013). They lost all three of those games, but only by two, three and four points respectively. Plus Utah State may well have the best player on the field for this game in QB Chuckie Keeton. Keeton has struggled some to stay healthy, but he's one of the most exciting players in college football you don't know about when he plays. Another thing Utah State has going for it is Tennessee's lack of proven QB play. But one thing Tennessee has is a major size advantage at WR over the Utah State corners. I'm going to call another close but no cigar road loss for the Aggies, though it wouldn't surprise me if they finally come through.
My Call: Tennessee 27, Utah State 23
Miami Hurricanes at Louisville Cardinals
The return of Bobby Petrino to the Louisville sidelines begins with a tough ACC opener at home against "The U." Like him or not (I personally don't), Petrino sure can coach. At least he can at the college level anyway. His teams sure can light up a scoreboard. He'll have to do it this year with a new QB after Teddy Bridgewater departed for the NFL; he was taken by the Minnesota Vikings with the final pick of the first round in May's draft. Louisville's starting QB will be the redshirt sophomore, Will Gardner. Three years ago while Charlie Strong (now the Texas head coach) was still the head coach at Louisville, he helped recruit Gardner and beat out the likes of Alabama and Mississippi State for his services. That should tell you something. Miami running back Duke Johnson won't be easily slowed, but I'm thinking the Cards will do enough offensively to win Petrino's re-debut.
My Call: Louisville 31, Miami 27