Football is BACK

 The time has finally come to get your favorite snacks, invite your favorite people, and get in front of the TV! The official start of college football is upon us and I could not be more excited. Of course I can not watch every single game so there are a few that I will be paying special attention too.
The first games are tonight (THURSDAY Sept. 3) and here are a few games I'll be paying attention too and some reasons why.

• Oklahoma State @ Central Michigan (ESPNU @ 6pm CT)

I do not expect this game to be very close at all. The Cowboys will handle Central Michigan fairly easy and I don't expect much drama. With that being said, it is always interesting to see what the state schools look like out of the gate. I am interested in how returning starting Sophomore quarterback Mason Rudolph looks in his first season opener as the Cowboy's leader.
There has been a lot of optimism about the defense coming out of fall camp this year with Mike Gundy saying this is the fastest defense he has had during his coaching career at OSU. So I will be watching the defense pretty intently.
In the end I expect OSU to win their road opener 48-20.

• Michigan @ Utah (Fox Sports 1 @ 7:30pm CT) 

I am extremely excited for this game for many reasons. Our first look at new Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh. He's had success everywhere he has been. First, at Stanford where he took the Cardinal too new heights in the PAC-12. Then in the NFL with the 49ers he was able to take them to a super bowl and a couple conference championship games. Now back at his alma-mater Michigan, people are thinking he will bring them back to the dominance they used to demonstrate on the field.
On the other side, Utah has some Oklahoma ties on the team. Former OU quarterback and South Moore Alum Kendal Thompson is battling for the starting quarterback position. Coming off an ACL injury and right behind senior QB Travis Wilson it is going to be interesting to see if both of them get some snaps. Also, the passing game was a struggle last year so whoever can throw the ball better is likely to be the guy going forward.
I like Utah in this game because they are at home and that defense of theirs is one of the best in the country. 30-24 Utah.

• TCU @ Minnesota (ESPN @ 8pm CT)

Another Big 12 team opening up on a Thursday night, I love it. This game features two teams riding a pretty big wave of momentum from the previous year.
TCU is the number two ranked team in the country returning their starting quarterback and heisman candidate Trevon Boykin. They will have a chip on their shoulder after being left out of the college football playoff last year and look to win the big-12 outright for the first time in history.
Minnesota finished last season pretty strong and have been some people's pick to win their division in the BIG-10. Which would be huge for a program like Minnesota moving forward. In the end I like TCU to come out on top 38-21 and avoid a huge upset on the road.

With Saturday being the big day for college football I will have plenty more intriguing games to write about before then!

-Ryan Fields