My Two Cents: Football is Back, So Here's 5 Best Week 0 Things To Watch

College football is back, and even though the Week 0 menu is pretty small, there's still a lot to watch that matters on this first Saturday of college football. Here's my five things to pay attention to on the first Saturday of the fall.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — We made it! The 2022 college football season has arrived, with the weird and kind of silly Week 0 schedule to kickoff off another fall of football on this lovely Saturday. There are a dozen or so games today, spanning the globe, and the full slate starts next week.

It's like Christmas morning in a lot of college towns, where football it king and Saturday signals the start of the best time of year. That's not always the case at Indiana, of course, where basketball rules, but there's still plenty of excitement around Indiana football, especially after the great 2019 and 2020 seasons. Last year was a detour, plain and simple, and I do think there's plenty to look forward to for the Hoosiers in 2022.

Indiana's season starts on Friday night, with a national TV game on FOX Sports 1 against Big Ten rival Illinois. We're just six sleeps away from that, but since Illinois is playing one of these games in Week 0, it's a good day to do some homework and preparation on Bret Bielema's Fighting Illini.

Here are the best five things to watch today. Enjoy it. You know I will.

1. Northwestern and Nebraska in Ireland

• WHO: Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-9 last year, 1-8 in the Big Ten) vs. Northwestern Wildcats (also 3-9, 1-8).
• WHEN/WHERE: 12:30 p.m. ET, Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland
• TV: FOX
• LATEST LINE: Nebraska is an 12.5-point favorite as of Saturday morning, according to the Fanduel website and the over/under is 51.5. It's 12.5 and 52 on the SISportsBook.com website.
• THE SKINNY: I just love this idea of playing a game in Ireland to start the season. Both teams have been having a blast over there all week and Saturday's game will tell us a lot about the status of these two programs. Both really struggled a year ago. Northwestern had massive quarterback issues, which they hoped they've fixed, and the Wildcats faithful still firmly believes in coach Pat Fitzgerald. That's not the case in Lincoln, where Scott Frost has the hottest seat of any coach in the Big Ten. They have to get to a bowl game this year for him to stick around. There's a lot of talk that Nebraska might be ready to turn the corner. We'll see. Prove it before I believe it.
• INDIANA TIE: The Hoosiers play at Nebraska on Saturday, Oct. 1, which will be here before we know it. So start paying attention to the Huskers right away, starting on Saturday.

2. Wyoming at Illinois

• WHO: Wyoming Cowboys (7-6 last year, 2-6 in the Big Ten) vs. Illinois Fighting Illini (5-7, 4-5 in the Big Ten).
• WHEN/WHERE: 4 p.m. ET, Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. 
• TV: Big Ten Network
• LATEST LINE: Illinois is an 13.5-point favorite as of Saturday morning, according to the Fanduel website and the over/under is 43.5. It's 14 and 42.5 on the SISportsBook.com website.
• THE SKINNY: This is must-watch TV because the Hoosiers and Illinois square off in just six days in Bloomington. There are two ways of looking at Illinois getting a jump on things here. Sure, they get a game under their belt, but injuries might be a factor, as will preparation. The Illini have chosen to go with Tommy DeVito at QB. He's a Syracuse transfer, and it will be interest to see how he plays. These are the only three Big Ten teams playing in Week 0.
• INDIANA TIE: The Hoosiers and Illini play Friday night in Bloomington, the season opener for Indiana. 

3. Austin Peay at Western Kentucky

• WHO: Austin Peay (6-5 last year, 4-2 in the Ohio Valley Conference) vs. Western Kentucky Hilltoppers (9-5, 7-1 in Conference-USA).
• WHEN/WHERE: Noon ET, Houchin Industries-J.T. Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky. 
• TV: CBS Sports Network
• LATEST LINE:  Western Kentucky is an 31.5-point favorite as of Saturday morning, according to the Fanduel website and the over/under is 69.5. There is no line on the SISportsBook.com website.
• THE SKINNY: Western Kentucky has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, and they should roll over Austin Peay. It should also be wildly entertaining from an offensive standpoint. The Hilltoppers are breaking in a new quarterback, but should still be a stern test for all defensive coordinators out there.
• INDIANA TIE: The Hoosiers played at Western Kentucky a year ago, winning 33-31 for one of their two wins on the season. The two teams meet again this year, squaring off in Bloomington on Sept. 17. This is the first game of the day on Saturday, so a little homework would be a good idea.

4. Vanderbilt at Hawaii

• WHO: Vanderbilt Commodores (2-10 last year, 0-8 in the SEC) vs. Hawaii Rainbow Warriors (6-7, 3-5 in the Mountain West).
• WHEN/WHERE: 10:30  p.m. ET, Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill.
• TV: CBS Sports Network
• LATEST LINE: Vanderbilt is a 9.5-point favorite as of Saturday morning, according to the Fanduel website and the over/under is 54.5. It's the same numbers on the SISportsBook.com website.
• THE SKINNY: This is the final game of the day, and the most ardent of college football fans know what it's like to stay up late for a Hawaii game, especially when there's a few dollars on the line. Vandy was the worst team in the SEC last year and they are the only SEC team playing on Saturday. The Commodores are hoping to be better this year, so it will be interesting to see what they show in the opener.
• INDIANA TIE: None really, but it's fun for the night owls.

5. Howard at Alabama State

• WHO: Howard Bison (3-8 last year, 1-4 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) vs. Alabama State Hornets (5-6, 3-5 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference).
• WHEN/WHERE: 7 p.m. ET, Center Park Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.
• TV: ESPN
• LATEST LINE: This game is a Pick-'em on the Fanduel website and the over/under is 53.5. There is no line on the SISportsBook.com website.
• THE SKINNY: Trying to provide more coverage to the HBCU's (historically black colleges), ESPN is putting a MEAC-SWAC showdown on in primetime in Week 0. There's been a lot of buzz about the growth of HBCU football the past few years, and this is a great way to accentuate that in Week 0. Howard will look good, with new threads and cleats from Jordan Brand, in the first year of a 20-year partnership, their first of anything like this. Don't miss the halftime show, either.
• INDIANA TIE: None really. But it's primetime on Saturday night, so it'll be on.