College Football Kicks Off On CBS Sports Network With Five Week 1 Matchups
(CBS Local)- The 2021 college football season got a brief opening Week 0 last weekend, but the full 130 Division I teams are now set to kick-off this weekend and CBS Sports has five matchups ready to welcome fans back to football Saturdays.
The action kicks off on Friday night when Duke makes the trip down to Charlotte to take on the 49ers in prime-time on Friday night. The Blue Devils have a new signal caller in Gunnar Holmberg who has attempted just 25 passes in his college career. On the other side, Will Healy's 49ers have the experienced senior Chris Reynolds, a 2021 Maxwell Award watch list player, back calling the shots. Both teams are looking to shake off two win campaigns in 2020.
Saturday's action begins at 12 p.m. when UConn returns home to host Holy Cross. The Huskies first outing of the 2021 season didn't go overly well getting handed a 45-0 loss by Fresno State. Randy Edsall's group will hope to rebound against a Holy Cross team that finished ranked 25 in the AFCA coaches poll this spring.
Then the action shifts to Annapolis where Ken Niumatalolo's Navy Midshipmen host Conference USA favorite Marshall at Navy Marine Corps Stadium. The game marks the first for the Thundering Herd under the leadership of new head coach Charles Huff who was hired away from Alabama's staff this offseason. The Herd do return quarterback Grant Wells but have some big shoes to fill at running back with the departure of Brenden Knox. The Midshipmen meanwhile are hoping to bounce back from just the third below .500 season of Niumatalolo's tenure.
The evening kicks off in Athens Ohio with the Ohio Bobcats hosting the Syracuse Orange. The Bobcats have a new head coach debuting as well with Tim Albin taking the reins following the retirement of Frank Solich. Ohio was seen as a favorite to win the MAC entering this season. They'll host a Syracuse team desperately looking to put last season's 1-10 campaign behind them.
And the day wraps up with a late night kick-off out west as the Washington State Cougars host the New Mexico State Aggies. Like UConn, the Aggies first foray onto the field this season didn't go well, falling 30-3 to UTEP last week. They now face a Wazzu squad that is hoping to show improvement in Year 2 under coach Nick Rolovich.
Here is the full schedule for the weekend on CBS Sports Network.
Duke @ Charlotte- Friday, September 3rd, 7 p.m. ET
Holy Cross @ UConn- Saturday, September 4th 12 p.m. ET
Marshall @ Navy- Saturday, September 4th 3:30 p.m. ET
Syracuse @ Ohio- Saturday, September 4th 7:00 p.m. ET
New Mexico State @ Washington State- Saturday, September 4th 10:30 p.m. ET
