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SALT LAKE CITY — A long-awaited college football season is among us. With that, so is the KSL.com Sports College Football Pick'em.
This year starts out with Utah taking on Southern Utah in a Thursday night game, so get your picks in before then.
No. 12 Utah (0-0) vs. Southern Utah (0-0)
Thursday, Aug. 29, 7 p.m. MDT — Rice Eccles Stadium (ESPN+)
The third-ever meeting between the Utes and Thunderbirds is set to kick off the new football season. Utah came out victorious in both meetings, with the most recent being in 2022 where Utah won 73-7.
Why Utah will win:
It is hard to imagine a scenario where Utah does not walk away with this game handily. Cam Rising is back and expected to be the lead man under center at the start of the game. Incoming transfer Dorian Singer is expected to make a splash in the wide receiver room, as well as Syracuse transfer Damien Alford.
Utah should take care of the Thunderbirds without much of a fight and get Rising out of the game as soon as possible to maintain his health and get experience for four-star freshman Isaac Wilson.
Why Southern Utah will win:
It's college football and anything can happen. It is unsure who will be under center for the Thunderbirds — whether it's Missouri State transfer Jordan Pachot or Jackson Berry. But the Thunderbirds are coming off four straight wins to end the 2023 season, where the team lost four of their five games by a total of 10 points.
Line: N/A
Over/Under: N/A
Utah State (0-0) vs. Robert Morris (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 31, 6 p.m. MDT — Maverik Stadium (KMYU)
Utah State has had an eventful offseason. With the recent firing of head coach Blake Anderson, it is unknown what the Aggies are capable of and whether the team can block out the noise. It is the first-ever meeting between the Colonials and Aggies, and is Utah State's 152nd game versus an FCS opponent.
Why Utah State will win:
Similar to the Utes, Utah State should be able to take care of Robert Morris without much of a battle. Iowa transfer Spencer Petras is expected be the lead man under new head coach Nate Drellilng's offense, which includes one of the best wide receivers in the country, Jalen Royals, at his disposal.
The Aggies also have one of the best defensive backs in the state in Ike Larsen who has become the hometown hero for the Aggies.
The Aggies have an strong running back room with junior Robert Briggs Jr. and senior back Rahsul Faison. A loaded air raid offense should give the Aggies enough to take care of the Colonials.
Why Robert Morris will win:
Utah State has had an underwhelming home performance the last two seasons. With recent losses to Weber State and James Madison, the Aggies have a history of poor performance in front of the Aggie faithful.
Sophomore wideout Noah Robinson had an good 2023 year with 850 yards on 69 receptions. His speed and ability on the outside could give the Aggie defensive backs trouble.
Line: N/A
Over/Under: N/A
BYU (0-0) vs. Southern Illinois (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 31, 6 p.m. MDT — Lavell Edwards Stadium (ESPN+)
There is no better word to describe this BYU team other than "or," which was listed 19 times in its official depth chart release on Monday, including at quarterback. The battle has been going on between USF transfer Gerry Bohanan, who sat out last year due to a shoulder injury, and last year's backup Jake Retzlaff.
Why BYU will win:
The Cougars have a loaded offense no matter who is at quarterback. LJ Martin is expected to be ready to go in Week 1, despite rumors he had a lingering injury and would miss the first few weeks of the season.
The wide receiver room is one of the deepest it's ever been with Chase Roberts, Kody Epps, Keelan Marion and Darius Lassiter. BYU should be able to handle Southern Illinois without much worry as the Cougars are undefeated all-time against FCS opponents, with an 18-0 record.
The Cougars have enough talent to win games, but who starts at quarterback remains the biggest question of the offseason for BYU.
Why Southern Illinois will win:
The lack of certainty for BYU could be used against them, and the Salukis could strike without BYU noticing.
BYU is coming off of five straight losses, which resulted in a 5-7 season; the Salukis come into the FCS rankings at No. 12. The Salukis said they will also not be announcing a starting quarterback to keep the Cougars guessing, but it is between Hunter Simmons and DJ Williams for the opening position.
BYU struggled to score the ball in its opening game against Sam Houston State last year but won 14-0. A strong defensive effort could push the Salukis over BYU in the first game of the year.
Line: BYU -14.5
Over/Under: N/A
No. 19 Miami (0-0) vs. Florida
Saturday, Aug. 31, 1:30 p.m. MDT — Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (ABC)
The Hurricanes come into the year with high hopes of winning a newly revamped ACC championship backed by Washington State transfer Cam Ward. But the Billy Napier-led Florida Gators stand in their way for Game 1.
Why Miami will win:
The Hurricanes were victims to a tough schedule last season that saw them face No. 4 Florida State, No. 12 Louisville, No. 12 North Carolina, and No. 23 Texas A&M. Inconsistent QB play from now-Wisconsin quarterback Tyler Van Dyke hurt the Hurricanes in many ways, too.
This year, that is not the case. Ward comes into Miami after the best Division-I season of his career. Throwing for 3,735 yards and 25 touchdowns for Washington State last year, Ward is looking to take the leap in preparing for the NFL draft.
Oregon State transfer Damien Martinez will be the lead rusher for Miami. Martinez ran for 1,185 yards and nine touchdowns for the Beavers last year and is bolstering a much-needed Miami run game.
Why Florida will win:
Winning at The Swamp is tough, especially in opening games, where Florida holds a 33-game win streak.
The humidity — though Miami is used to it — the noise and overall game culture could be difficult for the Hurricanes to overcome. Miami played in just five road games last year and earned victories in two — Temple and Boston College.
Graham Mertz will appear in his sixth season of college football after having the best year of his career for the Gators in 2023, throwing for 2,903 yards and 20 touchdowns to just three picks. Despite losing Trevor Etienne to Georgia, the Gators return lead running back Montrell Johnson who ran for 817 yards and five touchdowns last year.
Line: Miami -2.5
Over/Under: 53.5
No. 7 Notre Dame (0-0) vs. No. 20 Texas A&M (0-0)
Saturday, Aug. 31, 5:30 p.m. MDT — Kyle Field (ABC)
Two teams who are unknown every season kick off the 2024 year in what will be the location of ESPN's College GameDay. The Irish are coming off a 10-3 season, backed by former QB Sam Hartman.
Why Notre Dame will win:
Notre Dame landed one of the best transfer quarterbacks available in Duke's Riley Leonard, who threw for 1,102 yards in seven appearances for the Blue Devils last year before suffering a season-ending injury against Louisville. While his stats don't scream Heisman contender, Leonard is a solid quarterback who can beat teams on the ground and through the air.
The Irish also have several veteran pieces, like Jeremiyah Love who was second on the team in rushing last year, and Clemson transfer Beaux Collins at the wideout position, as well as one of the better offensive lines in the country.
Why Texas A&M will win:
The Aggies have had a top-15 recruiting class, according to 247Sports for the last six years. Surely it needs to pay off, right? Quarterback Connor Weigman looked like the next big thing last year before he suffered a broken foot in the fourth game of the season. Up to that point, the sophomore had thrown for 979 yards and eight touchdowns in four weeks of play.
The Aggies return most of its receiving corps, outside of Ainias Smith who was drafted by the Eagles in April, which gives Weigman many different options in the RPO offense. It also helps that the Aggies play in one of the best home-crowd venues in college sports, "Home of the 12th Man."
Line: Texas A&M -3
Over/Under: 46.5
