USA TODAY International Edition
Five programs badly need Week 1 win
Depending on the current state of your favorite college football program, the long- term implications of your team’s Week 1 result will vary widely.
Some national title contenders are playing what amount to tuneup games on opening day, though thankfully there aren’t as many of those as last season. This season several highly ranked teams are challenging themselves, giving fans the most compelling opening- week slate of games in recent memory. But those teams are not our focus here, as they’ll have ample time to recover from a loss or build on a thrilling win regardless of how opening week plays out.
Nor are we concerning ourselves with the up- and- coming programs that will be trying to stir the pot with an early upset. The results for teams such as, say, Appalachian State in its trip to Tennessee or Southern Mississippi traveling to take on Kentucky won’t make or break the 2016 campaign.
Our attention today is on those programs in the direst of straits for whom an opening- day setback would mean nothing less than a long and likely fruitless autumn ahead. Again, we’re not talking about those that will be heavy underdogs such as relative Football Bowl Subdivision newcomer Charlotte at Louisville or midamerican Conference castoff Massachusetts at Florida. No, these are the FBS squads that will be expected to win this week — and most certainly need to do so. Here are the top five teams that absolutely have to deliver in Week 1: KANSAS You’ll be forgiven if you can’t remember the last time the Jayhawks won a football game. It was Nov. 8, 2014, when they downed Iowa State 34- 14. They enter the season on a 15- game losing streak, including last year’s tough 0- 12 debut campaign for coach David Beaty. The streak should come to an end as KU hosts Rhode Island on Saturday, but then again the Jayhawks were toppled by their Football Championship Series visitor from South Dakota State to kick off 2015. CENTRAL FLORIDA UCF had the dubious honor of being the only other winless FBS team a year ago. The Knights look to surpass that victory total and get the Scott Frost era off to a bet- ter start as they host South Carolina State. EASTERN MICHIGAN The Eagles did manage a victory at Wyoming last season. If they want a realistic shot at improving on that 1- 11 mark, they need to handle Mississippi Valley State on Friday. PURDUE The Boilermakers came close — agonizingly close on a couple of occasions — but were able to secure only one Big Ten win last season. They need to continue to show progress, and it has to start with a decisive victory against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. MARYLAND A 3- 9 record with a 1- 7 Big Ten mark spelled the end of Randy Edsall’s tenure in College Park. Former Michigan defensive coordinator D. J. Durkin takes over, and his debut helming the Terrapins program should be a convincing win against Howard.