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The appetizer of the college football season that is Week 0 will get started with five games on the slate Saturday, August 28th.
The most intriguing game of the day will be the college football season opener when the Nebraska Cornhuskers head on the road to visit the Illinois Fighting Illini with storylines all over the place. Bret Bielema will make his return to the Big Ten with Illinois, while Scott Frost will look for his first successful season at Nebraska, which is currently under investigation by the NCAA. I will be making a five-hour road trip to see this one in person if it’s any indication of how interesting this matchup is (or just an indication of my college football addiction).
The clear No. 2 option is going to be the UCLA Bruins hosting the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors. UCLA has a huge non-conference matchup next weekend against the LSU Tigers, so we’ll see if they can get off to a good start as heavy favorites in their opener.
Half of the teams in the other three games did not take a snap during the 2020 college football season, but San Jose State is the most noteworthy among the rest and should be a contender for the Mountain West, and Fresno State could be a bowl team in 2021.
All times are ET. Sportsbook odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Saturday, August 28 schedule
Nebraska vs. Illinois
Kickoff time: 1 p.m.
TV channel: FOX
Live stream: FOX.com/live, Bally Sports app
Odds: Nebraska -260, Illinois +210
UConn vs. Fresno State
Kickoff time: 2 p.m.
TV channel: CBS Sports Network
Live stream: CBS Sports Network
Odds: Fresno State -4000, UConn +1700
Hawai’i vs. UCLA
Kickoff time: 3:30 p.m.
TV channel: ESPN
Live stream: Watch ESPN
Odds: UCLA -900, Hawai’i +600
UTEP vs. New Mexico State
Kickoff time: 9:30 p.m.
TV channel: Bally Sports AZ
Live stream: FloFootball
Odds: UTEP -400, New Mexico State +300
Southern Utah vs. San Jose State
Kickoff time: 10 p.m.
TV channel: CBS Sports Network
Live stream: CBS Sports Network
Odds: San Jose State -2500, Southern Utah +1200