College Football Week 0 Picks: Opening Weekend Taster For 2022 Season

And here... we.... go.

© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

This Saturday, there'll be college football on your TV screen. A long and wild offseason finally heeds to game action and it's time to pick some games. While Week 0 is a just a taster for the full 2022 college football season, there's plenty of exciting matchups to pay attention to.

Buckle up for a wild ride Saturday.

Nebraska vs. Northwestern

Who decided that this game should be played in Dublin, Ireland? Nebraska and Northwestern both finished 3-9 last season although with different temperatures around the program.

The Huskers are rebuilding with one of the nation's top transfer classes, headlined by Texas transfer QB Casey Thompson and TCU star pass rusher Ochaun Mathis. While Nebraska is large and by far the more talented team, and despite their 56-7 road victory last season, there's no real confidence around them heading into this one.

Maligned and unproven coaching staff, a tendency to blow close games, a brand-new roster, and taking this game overseas throws a wrench and a half in the plans of Nebraska backers. While I'm still taking the Huskers to win, I wouldn't at all be surprised to see this one end much closer than it probably should.

The pick: Nebraska

UConn at Utah State

No need to over-think this game. Utah State returns one of the best QBs in the Mountain West, Logan Bonner, and virtually the entire coaching staff. The Aggies managed 10 wins and capped their season with an upset of Oregon State in their bowl game.

On the other side, UConn seems to be in a perpetual cycle of disappointment. This year, they're lined for just 2.5 wins (with a lean under that number). One of thier top receivers, Cameron Ross, is out for the season, although this team finished 129th in scoring a season ago (15.9 points per game).

There's a reason the odds favor Utah State by over four full touchdowns.

The pick: Utah State

Wyoming at Illinois

While Illinois might be a frisky team in the Big Ten West this coming season, this isn't the game they're going to put everyone on notice with. Last year, it was Penn State that the Illini nipped and there's likely more where that came from.

Wyoming returns some of the least production in the country, losing star receiver Isaiah Neyor and bowl game breakout QB Levi Williams to the transfer portal. With just five starters coming back from a 7-6 record (but 2-6 in conference play), there's not a lot to love about Wyoming.

That said, a sleepy Memorial Stadium on Saturday and a Cowboys defense that shouldn't be a pushover might muck this game up and get Illinois into a slap fight. Expect a ton of work for back Chase Brown, who eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark last year.

The pick: Illinois

Charlotte at Florida Atlantic

FAU is projected by multiple sources to be a pretty good football team this year. Charlotte has some pieces, namely QB Chris Reynolds, that'll be fun to watch, but their upside is overall capped.

The 49ers are a run-heavy team with a stable of backs and a solid offensive line, something they'll likely lean into against FAU in this one. The Owls struggled against the run last season, but only four starters are back from that unit.

It's the offense, led by once-Miami star N'Kosi Perry, that deserves a good look here. They struggled to generate quality possessions last season (100th in points per drive), but when they did, they were 17th in finishing said drives.

The pick: Florida Atlantic

North Texas at UTEP

This Conference-USA matchup brings one of just 21 teams to return their starting QB, head coach, and both coordinators to the table: North Texas. The Mean Green finished their year strong in 2021, winning their final five regular season games before losing in a bowl.

UTEP, on the other hand, sputtered to a 1-5 record after coming out of the gate 6-1. The offense was a real sore spot in 2021, where the Miners finished 109th in rushing explosiveness. A majority of that offense returns, sans star WR Jacob Cowing.

The strength of UTEP comes on their defensive line, which projects to be one of the best in the conference. QB and OL continuity and a strong defensive line goes a long way in college football.

The pick: UTEP

Nevada at New Mexico State

Since the metric was tracked in 2011, no team has returned less roster production than this Nevada team. To make matters worse, their entire coaching staff bolted for Colorado State. Stepping in for departed superstar QB Carson Strong is 6' 9" Nate Cox, a player who severely underwhelmed in Nevada's bowl game.

Luckily for the Wolfpack, they open up against New Mexico State, who ranks dead last in FPI and SP+ power rankings. New Mexico State hasn't won more than three games since 2017, although their schedule and returning production this season point toward them taking a small step forward.

While Nevada is still the better team here, keep your eye on New Mexico State to close the gap and keep this game much closer than it ought to be.

The pick: Nevada

Vanderbilt at Hawaii

Speaking of teams returning nobody, Hawaii ranks third ever on lowest returning production. Their circumstances are different, however, after the previous coaching staff was reported to have "killed [their] love and passion for football."

It was so bad that former-head coach Todd Graham's own son transferred out of the program.

Hawaii starts over from scratch and– while they handle this game at home– it's against an SEC team. Vanderbilt is the butt of college football jokes, but they play on a different level than Hawaii at this point in time.

While there's no major x-factor for the Commodores, an overall size and speed advantage will propel them to a win here.

The pick: Vanderbilt

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