Guess who’s back? Back again. Football’s back.

My weekends until February are now fully booked. Let’s boogie.

Top 25 Matchups

Rankings are from AP Poll, All Game Times EST

Saturday 8/23:

12:00-3:00PM

• #22 Iowa State vs #17 Kansas State (Dublin, Ireland), ESPN

Most Interesting Matchups

Iowa State vs Kansas State: It’s not often that two teams from landlocked states go across the pond for a matchup, but the affectionately nicknamed “Farmaggedon” rivalry takes on an Irish flair this season. On paper, both teams are near the top of the Big 12, so don’t be surprised if the result of this game has playoff ramifications come late November (or if both of these teams are 6-4 at that point).

Fresno State @ Kansas: Look I know I’m scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel here, but there aren’t that many games to choose from this week. At the very least (per Vegas) this game should be fairly close and a good litmus test for Kansas before the aforementioned Big 12 craziness.

Stanford @ Hawaii: Late(ish) night football from the Aloha State? Sign me up! One of the advantages of week zero is nationally televised games featuring teams that don’t usually get that treatment, and it’s always night to see a team like the Rainbow Warriors get the spotlight. Stanford still doesn’t belong in the ACC but I’ll take what I can get.

FCS Game of the Week

North Carolina Central vs Southern , 8/23, 7:30PM, ABC

The HBCU schedule kicks off with the MEAC/SWAC Challenge Kickoff game in Atlanta, as the Jaguars and Eagles face off for the first time since 2006. In an otherwise sparse week of football, do yourself a favor and tune into this one, conveniently nationally televised on Saturday night. The two leagues represented here have a long, storied history and per tradition the bands may be the best part of the whole game.

Selected Pick ATS

• Iowa State vs Kansas State (-3.5)
• Fresno State (+12) @ Kansas
• Stanford @ Hawaii(-2.5)