Last week Go Joe Bruin previewed the early PAC-12 Football match ups when Stanford and Oregon State opened their season with Rice and Colorado State respectively. This week we preview the full slate of games starting this Thursday.
College football is finally in full swing folks! We had a smattering of games last week but starting this Thursday there will be a plethora of PAC-12 Football to keep up on. We here at Go Joe Bruin believe in not only bringing you some of the best UCLA Football coverage out there but want to keep you informed about the rest of the conference.
Stanford and Oregon State gave us just a little taste of the upcoming college football season but after reading the previews below you’ll be ready to fully wet your college football whistle.
Related Story: UCLA Football: The GJB 2017 season preview
North Dakota at Utah, Thursday 4:30 p.m., (PAC-12 Network)
The Utes open their season with the North Dakota Fighting Hawks. While the Hawks might be from the FCS level, the Utes better be ready to play. This North Dakota team returns nearly everyone from a roster last year that went undefeated in Big Sky play. That conference boast some of the best talent in FCS. The Utes lost a ton through graduation and the NFL draft and have named Tyler Huntley as their new QB heading into 2017. He better be wary though because the Hawks have one of the best DBs in the FCS in Cole Reyes.
New Mexico State at Arizona State, Thursday 7:30 p.m., (PAC-12 Network)
The Arizona State Sun Devils might be one of the worst teams in the PAC-12 Football this year. In fact they might be so bad that the New Mexico State Aggies are going to push them. No disrespect to the Aggies but in the last four years they are 10-38. This year they should be better and have a very strong QB/RB combination. They’ve also addressed some of their defensive issues. ASU on the other hand could be an offensive mess unless they lean on the running game. Blake Barnett comes in as a transfer from Alabama but the big time QB has plenty of questions to answer. PAC-12 Football is a strong conference but the talent seems top heavy.
#8 Washington Huskies at Rutgers Scarlett Knights, Fri., 5p.m., (FS1)
This game should be an tune up for the Huskies. Head coach Chris Petersen, in only his second year, is already one of the better PAC-12 Football coaches. The Scarlett Knights on the other hand didn’t win a single game in the Big Ten last year. Taking on a strong Huskies team might not be the best chance for a season opening win but will go a long way in seeing some of the young pieces Rutgers has on the roster. Washington needs to replace about 90% of their defensive secondary but won’t be pushed here by Rutgers.