CFW Week O Forecast – Two former Auburn QBs playing Saturday
The good thing about Week Zero,
Week One can’t be far behind
For a lack of anything else to call it, this week has been labeled Week Zero for some time now in college football. I suppose the week was named logically since it precedes Week One. But it has a negative sound to it. Maybe it should have been more appropriately named Weak Zero since the few number of games played – seven or eight – is miniscule compared to the number of games – around 90 or so – that will be played during Week One.
Well, Week Zero may be in its waning years.
The NCAA is recommending the college football season start sooner. If that indeed happens, Week Zero would become Week One. Then there is Utah coach Morgan Scalley and Arizona coach Brent Brennan. They want the bowl games to be played during the Week Zero weekend. If either of the above were to happen, there would no longer be a Week Zero.
For some number of years, the traditional start of the college football season has been Labor Day Weekend. I say some number of years because it hasn’t always been that way. Back when I was in college – the ancient times – the college football season began the weekend following Labor Day Weekend. School didn’t start until after Labor Day. The teams only played a 10-game schedule in those days.
Nowadays, school starts mid to late August. The teams play a 12-game schedule. Nothing stays the same. But as Carly Simon sang, “If you’re willing to play the game, it’s coming around again.” And this weekend, the players are willing to play the game. College football is coming around again.
Granted, it’s only a handful of games – eight to be specific. But that’s what Week Zero is – a handful of games a week before the onslaught of games during Labor Day Weekend. It is what it is.
Two teams are moving up from FCS to FBS this football season. Both of those teams are playing this weekend – North Dakota State and Sacramento State. North Dakota State, a powerhouse in FCS football the past several seasons, hosts Jacksonville State. Between 2011 and 2024, North Dakota State won 10 FCS National Championships. Jax State is a feisty Group of Six team. This could be a fun contest to watch. The game is on CBSSN at 5:30 pm ET on Saturday, if you are interested.
The other FBS debuting team – Sacramento State – is on the road at Eastern Michigan. This game tends not to excite me.
Two of the games Saturday will be blowouts – New Mexico State at Florida State and San Jose State at USC. FSU fans should relish this game, as it may be the only blowout the Noles have this season. Oops, I forgot. FSU is also playing Central Arkansas. Okay, two blowouts.
USC, on the other hand, is ranked 14th at preseason. San Jose State will be the first of many victories for the Trojans.
The other four games this weekend should be competitive affairs. We have North Carolina vs. TCU in Dublin, Ireland. Yes, Week Zero has traditionally become the week the Irish get into football. Nothing like a Guinness at kickoff.
Next, it’s NC State at Virginia. This is the game that was originally scheduled to be played in Rio de Janeiro. Apparently, unlike the Irish, the Brazilians aren’t into football. But a Caipirinha sure would be good at kickoff.
Then, it’s Hawaii at Stanford. Last year, in Honolulu, Hawaii’s Japanese kicker Kansei Matsuzawa kicked a 38-yard, game-winning field goal. Hawaii beat Stanford, 23-20. It could be that close this year.
And for the nightcap, it’s Memphis at UNLV. These are two of the better Group of Six teams in the country.
I elaborate on, and forecast the scores of these four games below in my “Four Biggest and Most Intriguing Games.”
There are 12 players to keep an eye on this weekend – eight quarterbacks, three running backs and one wide receiver. The top quarterback playing this weekend is USC’s Jaden Maiava. Some think that Maiava is a potential Heisman Trophy winner. It should be interesting to watch the two quarterbacks in the NC State-Virginia game. The Wolfpack’s CJ Bailey is good, and Virginia’s Beau Pribula had some outstanding games at Missouri.
Two former Auburn quarterbacks are paying this weekend – Ashton Daniels for Florida State and Jackson Arnold for UNLV. The North Carolina-TCU game has two interesting quarterbacks. The Tar Heels have Wisconsin transfer Billy Edwards. TCU has Harvard transfer Jaden Craig. The past three seasons, Craig started 24 games at Harvard. The Crimson won 20 of those games. The past two seasons at Harvard, Craig passed for 5,299 yards and threw 48 touchdown passes. Overall, he has thrown 55 touchdown passes at Harvard, which is a record for career touchdown passes at Harvard. So, how will Craig perform against FBS competition?
The final quarterback to keep an eye on is Jacksonville State’s Caden Creel. Creel is a threat running the ball. Last season, he rushed for 1,075 yards. So, if you like running quarterbacks, keep your eye on Creel.
Two of the three top running backs this weekend are on the same team – USC’s Waymond Jordan and King Miller. They could have a heyday on Saturday against San Jose State. The third running back to monitor is UNLV’s Jai’Den Thomas.
And finally, one of the nation’s best wide receivers will be playing Saturday. He is Florida State’s Duce Robinson. Last year, he caught 56 passes for 1,081 yards.
The only ranked team playing this weekend is USC. The Trojans are 14th in the AP Poll.
The guessing game is over in Tuscaloosa. Alabama named second-year freshman Keelon Russell its starting quarterback. Russell has been in competition with junior Austin Mack for the starting job.
The guessing game is over in Gainesville and Knoxville too. In Gainesville, Gators coach Jon Sumrall named Georgia Tech transfer Aaron Philo the starting quarterback. Philo, a sophomore, beat out redshirt freshman Tramell Jones for the job. And in Knoxville, true freshman Faizon Brandon was named the starting quarterback for the Vols. Brandon beat out redshirt freshman George McIntyre and Colorado transfer Ryan Staub for the starting role.
Memphis coach Charles Huff has added former Miami Hurricanes head coach Randy Shnnon to his staff. Shannon will primarily be a defensive analyst for Memphis.
Is LSU the new Texas Tech? And are Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris each the new Brendan Sorsby? Both Wright and Harris joined NFL teams last spring as undrafted free agents. Wright with the Cleveland Browns and Harris with the New Orleans Saints. Both participated in summer and fall camps with their respective NFL teams. Recently, both Wright and Harris were waived by their respective NFL teams.
Both Wright and Harris played college football at Ole Miss under Lane Kiffin. With Kiffin’s encouragement, both Wright and Harris are returning to college football from the NFL with the intention of being on the LSU roster. This move sent shockwaves throughout college football. So much so that on Tuesday morning the Big Ten athletic directors unanimously passed a rule that stops returning NFL players from playing for a Big Ten school.
The Big Ten’s action was amplified Tuesday evening by the SEC. Athletic directors from the SEC unanimously passed a rule not only banning returning NFL players from playing for a SEC school but also banning returning NBA and WNBA players. The SEC vote was 16-0.
Then the SEC determined what the punishment would be if a school violates the rule. The punishment is as follows:
- 50% of season suspension for the head coach
- 50% of that sport’s annual operating budget
- SEC voting privileges revoked on certain matters
The SEC authorized commissioner Greg Sankey full authority to enforce the punishment. A separate vote was held on the punishment. The SEC vote approving the punishment was 15-0. LSU abstained. Yes, LSU abstained.
Yesterday, the members of the Big 12 unanimously agreed to ban professionals from returning in all sports. The ACC and Notre Dame are expected to announce similar bans today.
Wright is currently available in the NCAA transfer portal after a judge in Louisiana granted him a temporary restraining order to return to college football for a fifth year. Another athlete, star basketball player R.J. Luis, received a temporary injunction from a Louisiana judge to play for LSU this season, despite signing multiple NBA contracts.
It’s unclear if LSU football coach Lane Kiffin and men’s basketball coach Will Wade will continue to pursue these players in violation of the SEC rules. Or will they part ways with the players. This story isn’t over yet. It sounds so much like the Brendan Sorsby-Texas Tech “gambling” situation last June. We know how that ended – Sorsby and Tech eventually parted ways. Stay tuned!
“Johnny Angel, how I love him. He’s got something that I can’t resist. But he doesn’t even know that I exist….” Actress and singer Shelley Fabares died on August 22. Fabares is known for two television roles – the daughter on “The Donna Reed Show” (1958-1963) and the coach’s wife on “Coach” (1989-1997). She is also known for two hit songs – “Johnny Angel” and “Johnny Loves Me.” “Johnny Angel” was a No. 1 song on Billboard’s Hot 100. The song was on the charts in the spring and early summer of 1962. “Johnny Loves Me” peaked at No. 21 on Billboard’s Hot 100. It was on the charts during the summer of 1962. Fabares co-starred with Elvis Presley in three of Presley’s movies – “Girl Happy” (1965), “Spinout” (1966) and “Clambake” (1967). She was the niece of actress, singer and dancer Nanette Fabray. Nanette’s last name was Fabares, but she changed it to Fabray for show biz purposes. Nanette Fabray died in 2018. A native of Santa Monica, California, Michele Anne Marie “Shelley” Fabares was 82. “….Johnny Angel, how I want him. How I tingle when he passes by. Every time he says hello, my heart begins to fly.”
“Here you come again, just when I’ve begun to get myself together. You waltz right in the door, just like you’ve done before. And wrap my heart ‘round your little finger….” America lost an icon. Singer, musician, actress, philanthropist and business woman Dolly Parton died on August 25. She received 11 Grammy Awards, three Emmy Awards and the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, along with nominations for two Academy Awards, six Golden Globes and a Tony Award. Parton wrote more than 3,000 songs. As an actress, she starred in “9 to 5”, “The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas,” “Steel Magnolias” and a handful of other movies. Twenty-five of her songs reached No. 1 on Billboard’s Country Music chart. Twenty of her song made Billboard’s Hot 100 chart, with two of them reaching No. 1 – “9 To 5” (in the winter and spring of 1981) and her duet with Kenny Rogers “Islands in the Stream” (in the fall of 1983). “Here You Come Again” peaked at No. 3 in the winter of 1977-78. Five more of the 20 songs were Top 40 hits. A native of Pittman Center, Tennessee, Dolly Rebecca Parton Dean was 80.“….Here you come again, just when I’m about to make it work without you. You look into my eyes and light your dreamy eyes. And pretty soon I’m wondering how I came to doubt you.”
If nothing else, you can practice watching football during Week Zero in preparation for Week One. Think of Week Zero as a dress rehearsal.
Touchdown Tom
August 27, 2026
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
Week 0’s Four Biggest and Most Intriguing Games…..and then none
GAME OF THE WEEK: NC State at Virginia – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – As mentioned, this game was originally scheduled to be played in Rio de Janeiro. However, a few months back, the ACC became concerned that the local organizers in Brazil didn't have the logistics in place to successfully host the game. As a result, the contest was relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia. Both NC State and Virginia appear to be mid-level teams in the ACC this year. Neither are considered to be threats for the conference championship. At the same time, neither team is considered to be a bottom feeder in the conference. The Wolfpack return a solid quarterback in CJ Bailey. The Cavs have Beau Pribula at quarterback. Pribula transferred in during the offseason from Missouri where he had a fairly successful career. So both teams have experience at quarterback. Overall, Virginia’s offensive line and defense appears to have more experience than the NC State lineup. And Virginia has the home field. Cavs send the Wolves packing – Virginia 21, NC State 20.
RUNNER-UP: North Carolina vs. TCU – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – This is the annual Aer Lingus Classic played in Dublin, Ireland. If it is anything like the recent Classics, this should be a donnybrook. Five of the last six Aer Lingus Classics have been settled by three points or less. I say donnybrook because there is an area of Dublin that is called Donnybrook. It hosted the Donnybrook Fair. The area also has a famous rugby stadium – Donnybrook Stadium. The rugby matches at Donnybrook Stadium used to have a reputation for being close, exciting, wild, chaotic, and rowdy free-for-alls. In the spring of 1990, I attended a rugby match at Donnybrook Stadium. The son of an Irish friend of mine was playing on one of the teams. Interestingly, tomorrow night, the night before the North Carolina-TCU game, a high school football (American football) game will take place at Donnybrook Stadium. The game will be between a high school from North Carolina and a high school from Texas. The North Carolina-TCU game will take place in the much larger Aviva Stadium – 51,711 capacity. Aviva Stadium is in the Ballsbridge section of Dublin, which is adjacent to Donnybrook. But I digress. Both North Carolina and TCU will be playing transfer quarterbacks. The Tar Heels QB is Billy Edwards who transferred to Chapel Hill from Wisconsin. TCU has Jaden Craig who transferred to Fort Worth from, of all places, Harvard. Craig put up some impressive numbers for the Crimson last year. North Carolina, of course, is under second-year coach Bill Belichick, who may or may not be at UNC next year. He’s under the gun. Overall, TCU returns a much more experienced team than the Tar Heels. Belichick is afraid of Frogs – TCU 27, North Carolina 20.
REST OF THE BEST: Memphis at UNLV – (AC vs. MWC) – 10 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Memphis comes in under first year coach Charles Huff. UNLV is under former Mississippi State and Florida coach Dan Mullen. This is Mullen’s second season at UNLV. Both teams are considered challengers for their conference championships – Memphis from the American Conference and UNLV from the Mountain West. UNLV has former Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold. Arnold transferred in from Auburn during the offseason. UNLV also has one of the best running backs in the country – Jaiden Thomas. UNLV returns a lot of experience. Memphis is basically a new team. The Tigers fold – UNLV 30, Memphis 24.
Hawaii at Stanford – (MWC vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Stanford will be out for revenge. Last year, in Honolulu, Hawaii beat the Trees on a game-ending field goal. Stanford is under first-year coach Tavita Pritchard. He is a former quarterback for the Trees. Hawaii comes in with a talented quarterback – Micah Alejado. He’s a quick one. But other than Alejado, Hawaii doesn’t return much experience. Stanford, on the other hand, returns an experienced team. Stanford quarterback Dave Warren is an offseason transfer from Michigan. The Trees are sprouting – Stanford 28, Hawaii 23.
Elsewhere Around Florida
#16 Southern Illinois at West Florida – (MWC vs. UAC) – 7 pm ET, Thursday….
New Mexico State at Florida State – (C-USA vs. ACC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, CWN….
Albany State at Florida A&M – (SIAC vs. SWAC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Stetson at #3 South Dakota State – (Pioneer vs. Missouri Valley) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….
Quotes of the Week
“I don’t know how people realistically think Oklahoma is going to finish in the Top-10,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“Georgia is the new Alabama,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“If there is something nefarious going on, you know that Lane Kiffin is nearby,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
“LSU is a rogue school. They have no rules,” ESPN’s Paul Finebaum.
The Teams – 2026 (Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40)
If you have been reading College Football Week in the past then you know that I compile my Consensus Top 40 teams at the beginning of every season. It’s a composite of all the legitimate preseason polls. This year, I gathered the results of 19 preseason polls, including the AP Poll, the Coaches Poll and 17 others – CBS Sports, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, Athlon, Lindy’s, Phil Steele, New York Times, College Football News and FOX Sports, among others.
After combining the results of these polls, the No. 1 team in the country at preseason in 2026 is, drum roll please, (1) Ohio State. The Buckeyes were No. 1 in 12 of the 19 polls. The 2nd and 3rd spots are taken up by (2) Oregon and (3) Notre Dame. Oregon was No. 1 in three of the polls and Notre Dame was No. 1 in two of the polls.
The remainder of the Top 5 consists of (4) Georgia and (5) Texas. Neither the Bulldogs nor the Longhorns were No. 1 in any of the polls.
The 6th-place team in my Consensus Top 40 Poll is (6) Indiana. Interestingly, the Hoosiers were No. 1 in two of the preseason polls but failed to finish higher than No. 6 overall. Completing the Top 10 are (7) Miami, (8) Oklahoma, (9)Texas A&M and (10) Ole Miss. Miami is the highest-ranked ACC team.
The second 10 begins with (11) Texas Tech, followed by (12) LSU, (13) USC, (14) Alabama and (15) Michigan. They are followed by (16) BYU, (17) Penn State, (18) Washington, (19) Tennessee and (20) SMU. Texas Tech is the highest-ranked Big 12 team.
Rounding out this year’s Top 25 are (21) Utah, (22) Iowa, (23) Louisville, (24) Clemson and (25) Houston. So, the Top 25 has eight SEC teams and eight Big Ten teams. There are four teams from the ACC and four from the Big 12. The Top 25 has one Independent – Notre Dame.
The rest of the Top 40 starts with (26) Florida, (27) Missouri, (28) South Carolina, (29) Arizona and (30) Auburn. That’s four more SEC teams.
Ten teams to go. Following Auburn, is (31) TCU, (32) Illinois, (33) Boise State, (34) Virginia Tech and (35) Vanderbilt. Boise State is the highest-ranked Group of Six team.
This year’s Consensus Top 40 concludes with (36) Virginia, (37) Nebraska, (38) Pitt, (39) Georgia Tech and (40) Kansas State. The Top 40 consists of 13 teams from the SEC and 10 teams from the Big Ten. There are eight ACC teams and seven Big 12 teams. Finally, the Top 40 has one Power Four Independent (Notre Dame) and one team from the Pac-12 (Boise State). Boise State is the only Group of Six team in the Top 40.
Just missing the Consensus Top 40 are (41) Minnesota, (42) Arizona State and (43) Oklahoma State.
Five Group of Six conferences failed to place a team in the Top 40. The highest-ranked team from each of those conferences are (53) Navy of the American Conference, (60) UNLV from the Mountain West Conference, (71) James Madison of the Sun Belt Conference, (83) Western Michigan from the Mid-American Conference and (85) Liberty of Conference USA. There are 138 FBS teams.
The next CFW – Week 0 Results – will be posted Monday morning, August 31.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
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