College Football Week 1 Upsets that Could Actually Happen

Pitt and West Virginia are playing in the first Backyard Brawl since 2011. The game is dominated by storylines involving the rivalry between the teams. Pitt lost Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Jordan Addison to the Trojans. West Virginians have a new starting quarterback in J.T. Daniels. Four points or less decided four of the last five games in this series.

Indiana Hoosiers lost last season's game to Mizzou transfer quarterback Connor Bazelak. They are two-point underdogs against the Fighting Illini. Bret Bielema's team is undefeated after beating Wyoming last week.  Illinois could easily win the game. The game is a toss-up.

Houston and UT-San Antonio meet in the season opener on Saturday. Houston has an exciting offense and a good defensive coordinator. UTSA has a talented quarterback and good defense. The Roadrunners lost to San Diego State in Miami Beach Bowl last year. They were Conference USA champion last season. The game should be close and last into the final quarter.

Georgia is defending its national champion. It is playing against Oregon in Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Bulldogs are heavy favorites. Dan Lanning was the defensive coordinator for Georgia last season. He was hired before the College Football Playoff. Georgia lost a record five first-round draft picks. Bo Nix could start at quarterback for Oregon. He played for Auburn.

Arizona is 6-point underdogs to San Diego State in their first game. Last year, Arizona lost to the Aztecs 38-14 in Tucson. This year's team is going to be better with transfer quarterback Jayden de Laura and star freshmen T-Mac McMillan and Rayshon Luke. Brady Hoke's Aztec team has a lot of new players.

Notre Dame is a top-five team and the defending national champions. They are playing a home game against Ohio State, who are heavy favorites. The game is taking place on the 100th anniversary of Ohio Stadium. Oregon won the game in the Shoe last year.   “It’s a special matchup having Notre Dame and Ohio state getting together for a game.”

Last year Memphis upset Mississippi State at the Liberty Bowl. This year, the Bulldogs are going to try to exact a little revenge in Starkville. Memphis is a 16-point favorite. The Tigers have a lot of weapons on their offense and a returning quarterback Seth Henigan.  Memphis has been a dangerous team in recent years. It would be another big-time upset for Memphis to go into Davis Wade Stadium and exit winners of the season-opener.

Louisville and Texas Tech are playing in the first game of the season. Louisville has a lot of talent, but they need to start winning games to keep their coach Scott Satterfield's job. TexasTech is a team that has some good players, especially running back Sean Tucker and quarterback Garrett Shrader. Syracuse is not a good team, and they lost to Louisville last year.

Florida State beat Duquesne 47-7 in their season opener. They travel to the Superdome to take on LSU on Sunday night. The game is essentially a home game for the Bayou Bengals in New Orleans. LSU's new coach Brian Kelly has a lot of new players. Arizona State's transfer quarterback Jayden Daniels is a potential star. He could lead the Tigers to big things if he can rekindle his once-lost potential.