Here Are Your Week 1 College Football Predictions For BYU, Utah, USU
Sep 2, 2021, 3:01 AM
BYU head coach Kalani Sitake, Utah coach Kyle Whittingham, and first-year USU head coach Blake Anderson. (Photos courtesy of BYU, Deseret News, Utah State)
(Photos courtesy of BYU, Deseret News, Utah State)
SALT LAKE CITY – College football picks are back for a full slate of games this week. All of the local programs in Utah are in action, starting tonight with Utah hosting Weber State.
Last week, I was a perfect 5-0 in my straight-up picks. But that wasn’t too impressive when you consider how weak most of those matchups were. Week 1 poses some intriguing college football games to pick.
Year to Date record: 5-0 (100%)
College Football Picks – Week 1
For a reminder, each Thursday here on KSL Sports, I’ll roll out my game predictions for all local teams, plus some of the key national matchups. Let’s get after it and dive into week one.
Weber State at No. 24 Utah
Thursday, 5:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Utah might have more depth in 2021 than their 2019 team that entered the final week of the regular season with a shot at the College Football Playoff. All eyes will be on Baylor transfer Charlie Brewer at quarterback and how he leads this Utah offense.
Utah QB Charlie Brewer on his reaction when he found out he was named the starter. #GoUtes
🎥: @andymunoz48 pic.twitter.com/BfT2ldj36J
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 31, 2021
Look for Brewer to play well and Utah’s offense to keep things vanilla with an “in-state rivalry” the following week.
The Pick: Utah (45-10)
Southern Utah at No. 25 Arizona State
Thursday, 8:30 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Game number two is already on deck for the Thunderbirds, and it doesn’t get any easier. After giving up 394 yards of passing to San Jose State QB Nick Starkel, Demario Warren’s Thunderbirds will look to contain one of the top QBs in the Pac-12 in Jayden Daniels.
Cheer, cheer for A-S-U 🔱 pic.twitter.com/ZqwIOQzDr4
— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) September 2, 2021
Arizona State is under an NCAA investigation that has caused three assistant coaches to go on administrative leave. But if there was ever a Sun Devil team that could navigate a season with a dark cloud hanging over them, it’s this one.
The Pick: Arizona State (56-17)
BYU vs. Arizona (Vegas Kickoff Classic)
Saturday, 8:30 p.m. on ESPN
Jaren Hall is the successor to Zach Wilson at quarterback. How will he fare? He has talented skill players to make his life easier in running back Tyler Allgeier and wide receiver Gunner Romney. BYU’s starting offensive is physical and will go up against an Arizona defense that will blitz with Don Brown as the defensive coordinator.
Will it be a sea of royal blue at Allegiant Stadium when #BYU and Arizona take the field on Saturday night?#BYUFootball #GoCougs https://t.co/BaeZoHR1Ow
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) August 31, 2021
Arizona has an improved defense, especially in the secondary; they’ll need to keep it a low-scoring game if they want to have a chance to spring the upset. It won’t happen as BYU kicks off 2021 with a solid win in Sin City.
The Pick: BYU (34-20)
Utah State at Washington State
Saturday, 9 p.m. on Pac-12 Network
Both teams have yet to announce who they will start at QB in this game. For Utah State, the start of the Blake Anderson era begins with either Arkansas State transfer Logan Bonner or Andrew Peasley. Meanwhile, Washington State’s Nick Rolovich is mulling over Jayden de Laura or Tennessee transfer Jarrett Guarantano.
🄶🄰🄼🄴 🄳🄰🅈 🅃🄷🅁🄴🄰🄳🅂
WEEK 1️⃣#BeatWSU | #AggiesAllTheWay pic.twitter.com/fCvWeQxCM4
— USU Football (@USUFootball) September 2, 2021
One thing that is for sure is Washington State running back Max Borghi. Borghi returned for another season and is due for another big year. He will be the workhorse for the Cougs over an Aggies squad that is clearly in rebuild mode from the ground up.
The Pick: Washington State (28-14)
No. 19 Penn State at No. 12 Wisconsin
10 a.m. on FOX
locked in 🔒 pic.twitter.com/ESlxOjKUVM
— Penn State Football (@PennStateFball) September 1, 2021
I love the Big Ten scheduling philosophy putting big league games on the schedule in week one. I’m going with Penn State here. QB Sean Clifford has more talent at the skill positions than the Badgers. Look for them to make the explosive plays that put them over the top.
The Pick: Penn State
No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 14 Miami (Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game)
Miami feels like a legit contender to Clemson in the ACC this year. But they still feel light years away from contending with this revamped Alabama squad that keeps the dynasty rolling with Bryce Young at QB.
𝑪𝒍𝒂𝒔𝒔𝒊𝒄 𝑹𝒐𝒂𝒅 𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒔 🐘 🏈@AlabamaFTBL x #CFAKickoff pic.twitter.com/n6fuYWBlaz
— Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl (@CFAPeachBowl) August 30, 2021
The Crimson Tide will roll to another blowout neutral-site win in week one.
The Pick: Alabama
No. 5 Georgia vs. No. 3 Clemson (Duke’s Mayo Classic)
This has the potential to be the game of the year in college football this season, and we’re seeing it in week one. What a matchup.
All smiles because it's game week 😁🏈#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/v0yGwg28pd
— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 1, 2021
Georgia is down some key personnel in wide receiver George Pickens, but the Bulldogs defense will make life tough for Clemson QB D.J. Uiagalelei. The Dawgs pull off the historic Top 5 clash.
Upset Pick of the Week: Nevada over Cal
Nevada is one of my favorites to secure the Group of Five New Year’s Six bowl bid this year. They get off to a great start in 2021 with a win over the Cal Bears.
All eyes on Saturday ⏳ #BattleBorn // #NevadaGrit pic.twitter.com/LaFcMQX8Xh
— Nevada Football (@NevadaFootball) August 31, 2021
Mitch Harper is a BYU Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Cougar Tracks Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and Cougar Sports Saturday (Saturday from 12-3 pm) on KSL Newsradio. Follow him on Twitter: @Mitch_Harper.
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