Week 0 is here, which means college football is back! It’s been a long offseason. Let’s spot the ball and have some fun.
The opening weekend slate is a tad light (there are only eight FBS games), but a sneaky exciting matchup in the evening time slot is Memphis-UNLV. This one has real stakes, with both teams vying for a Group of 6 College Football Playoff spot.
Memphis is breaking in a new coach in Charles Huff, a new quarterback in Marcus Stokes and plenty of fresh faces in key positions. UNLV has also spent fall camp with a QB battle on its hands - with Jackson Arnold and Alex Orji vying for the QB1 spot.
Last season at Auburn, Arnold endured some struggles as a passer, but turned out to be a plus in the quarterback run game.
If anyone can get the most out of Arnold’s athleticism, it’s UNLV head coach Dan Mullen.
The loser of this matchup might be eliminated from College Football Playoff contention, despite it not being September yet. Being a Group of 6 program is tough sledding!
The Radar
NC State QB CJ Bailey
North Carolina-TCU will deservedly garner a ton of opening weekend headlines, but North Carolina State-Virginia might be the most skilled matchup of Week 0.
Last season, Virginia was this close to an ACC title game appearance. And NC State, despite a ton of new faces across the offense, brings back a budding superstar quarterback in CJ Bailey.
Bailey stands at six-foot-six and is a unique blend of arm talent and mobility. A season ago, he completed 68.4% of his passes and notched an impressive 5.1% Completion Percentage Over Expectation (CPOE) figure.
With RB Hollywood Smothers off to Texas and numerous newcomers across the offensive line, Bailey might need to make magic happen early and often if the Wolfpack hope to notch an opening-season victory.
The Player to Watch
USC WR Tanook Hines
USC has a chance to do something in 2026 that’s never been done during the Lincoln Riley era: make the College Football Playoff. A big reason why? The Trojans are loaded again at the skill positions.
Last season, wide receiver Tanook Hines flashed some serious deep threat abilities. Over 32% of his routes run were Go routes – a clear indicator that head coach Lincoln Riley wanted to get him open on deep concepts.
In 2026, Hines will be asked to shoulder a greater workload with Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane off to the NFL.
Keep an eye out for Hines to emerge as one of the next great USC wide receivers this season. If he does, the Trojans could have one of the best offenses in college football and morph into a CFP-quality football team.
