The Mountaineers have lost their past three openers, but with star running back Jahiem White (7.7 per carry last season) healthy, WVU has a good chance to pull an upset.
New Penn State offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki must fix QB Drew Allar (59.9% completion percentage in 2023), who struggled in losses last season to Michigan and Ohio State.
Expect the Nittany Lions to struggle on offense early, giving West Virginia an opening.
Virginia Tech at Vanderbilt (+13.5)
In the preseason, media picked Virginia Tech to finish sixth in the 17-team ACC. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt, the punching bag of the SEC, quietly had a solid offseason, luring the 39th-best recruiting class, per On3.com.
The Commodores will probably have a new QB in New Mexico State transfer Diego Pavia, a dual-threat weapon who threw for 2,963 yards and rushed for 923 more last season. He is expected to be the starter, per The Tennessean.
“When you look at the young man (Pavia) and the quarterbacks they have on their roster, I have a tremendous amount of respect for them,” Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Chris Marve said, per On3.com.
Vanderbilt played Georgia fairly close last season before falling at home to the powerhouse Bulldogs 37-20. Tech isn’t in Georgia’s league. Expect the Commodores to at the very least cover the spread.
Hawaii (+14) at UCLA
Hawaii, which opened its season with a 35-14 win over Delaware State, takes on a UCLA team with a new, first-time head coach in DeShaun Foster and many new players. Foster expects to have jitters.
“I’m sure I’ll have them Friday night, the night before, or it might even happen as I’m running out before kickoff,” he told Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times. If he does, what about his team?
A defense that returns only two starters looks like the Achilles’ heel for the Bruins, who finished 8-5 last season under Chip Kelly, now Ohio State offensive coordinator.
UCLA drew more than 10,000 fans for its spring game, perhaps an indication of stronger interest from its fan base. But the Rose Bowl probably won’t be over half-full for a game against an unheralded opponent. This has upset written all over it.
Wyoming (+7) at Arizona State
In its first game in the Big 12, Arizona State welcomes Wyoming to Tempe, where the Wildcats finished 2-6 last season. In 2023, the 3-9 Sun Devils failed to score more than 23 points in five of their last six games.
In going 9-4 in 2023, the Cowboys played fairly well against Big 12 foes Texas (a 31-10 loss) and Texas Tech (35-33 win).
The key to an upset could be Wyoming’s running game, which should be better behind a much improved offensive line.
