{"id":2139,"date":"2026-09-05T11:53:02","date_gmt":"2026-09-05T11:53:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=2139"},"modified":"2026-09-05T11:53:02","modified_gmt":"2026-09-05T11:53:02","slug":"college-football-season-opens-with-new-coaches-eligibility-chaos-and-a-top-25-showdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uscnews.org\/?p=2139","title":{"rendered":"College football season opens with new coaches, eligibility chaos and a Top 25 showdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Colorado team celebrates a win over Georgia Tech after an NCAA college football game, Thursday, Sept. 3, 2026, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/small><\/p>\n

2026-09-05T11:10:08Z<\/p>\n

The grand opening of the college football season<\/a><\/span> has arrived.<\/p>\n

There is only one game between two Associated Press Top 25<\/a><\/span> teams and that comes on Sunday night, with No. 24 Louisville facing No. 9 Mississippi in Music City. But Week 1 is filled with intrigue as a host of top teams<\/a><\/span> kick things off with new coaches, new faces and high hopes. Oh, and major upheaval over eligibility.<\/a><\/span> And jersey patches.<\/a><\/span> Let\u2019s get into it!<\/p>\n

The elephant in the room<\/h2>\n

Clemson at No. 11 LSU on Saturday night was always going to be a showcase game. Two teams that went 7-6 last season trying to get back in the national championship mix (LSU winning in 2019 and Clemson in 2018 seems so long ago), two outspoken coaches in Dabo Swinney and LSU\u2019s expensive new hire, Lane Kiffin.<\/p>\n

The game took on a lot more meaning when the NCAA\u2019s new eligibility rules blew up in courtrooms<\/a><\/span> all over the country and LSU made no secret of its interest in bringing back not just fifth-year players who went to court but players who had signed professional contracts in the NFL\u2019s preseason. The issue lingered late into the week, including the surreal spectacle of the SEC battling LSU in multiple courtrooms.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Who suits up or doesn\u2019t on Saturday night in Death Valley (the LSU version) will be as interesting as the final score.<\/p>\n

There will be blowouts<\/h2>\n

There is no way around it: This year\u2019s Week 1 is light on marquee games and you can expect a lot of lopsided results.<\/a><\/span> No. 1 Ohio State is favored by more than 50 points in its opener against Ball State. No. 6 Indiana (vs. North Texas), No. 8 Texas A&M (vs. Missouri State) and No. 10 Oklahoma (vs. UTEP) are each picked to win by more than 40. Even No. 22 Iowa, a grinder program if ever there was one, is favored by 31-plus against Northern Illinois.<\/p>\n

But look, it\u2019s college football. Already this week, UMass \u2014 the only winless team in the Bowl Subdivision last season \u2014 went into Rutgers as a 29 1\/2-point underdog and shocked the Scarlet Knights<\/a><\/span> with a comfortable 37-21 win to end a 16-game skid. And Colorado, coming off a 3-9 season, escaped Georgia Tech in a 14-13 thriller<\/a><\/span> by blocking a field-goal attempt with no time on the clock.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n