By Stephen Vilardo, SuperWest Sports
Sports
2026 Week One Selected Big Ten College Football Previews
We got a good taste of college football in Week Zero, but this week the season kicks off in full.
The best conference in the nation gets things started on Thursday with a trio of games at Rutgers, Minnesota, and Illinois.
Among them are three from the West.
Oregon and USC certainly have teams capable of winning the whole thing, while Washington has a team that could crash the Playoff party.
The fourth West Coast Big Ten team, UCLA, might just be one of the most improved in the league.
Each week, I preview the games of the four West Coast schools plus two other games that intrigue me to get to our six.
This week, those two are Notre Dame at Wisconsin and Toledo at Michigan State.
The Irish look to be one of the best in the nation, and I think the Badgers could be much improved. The return of Pat Fitzgerald makes the Michigan State game worth watching, and with Petros Papadakis on the call, it almost seems like a West Coast game.
Here are my previews of the six games in broadcast order.
Friday, September 4
5:00 PM PT, FS1
(Noah Reed and Petros Papadakis)
Line: Michigan State -10
Over/Under: 46.5
The Pat Fitzgerald era in East Lansing gets underway as the Spartans play host to Toledo.
The Rockets could be one of the better teams in the MAC this season, while the Spartans will have a steep learning curve.
One advantage Michigan State has is Alessio Milivojevic at quarterback. The redshirt sophomore should be better than he was a season ago when he threw for 10 scores while completing 64.2% of his passes in nine games.
If Milivojevic develops as expected, it will help MSU down the line, but at this moment the Spartans probably only have a handful of wins on the schedule, and they can’t afford to let this one slip away.
Winner: Michigan State
ATS: Toledo
O/U: Under
Friday, September 4
6:00 PM PT, FOX
(Connor Onion, Robert Griffin III and Alexa Landestoy)
Line: USC -21.5
Over/Under: 51.5
USC looked super for three quarters of the opener, then the fourth quarter got a little bit ugly.
Thankfully for the Trojans, the game was out of hand, and the San Jose State scores at the end against the backups really just made it look a lot closer than the game was.
Still, you would like to see a team with Playoff aspirations keep the pedal to the medal, even with backups entering the game.
The SC offense had no trouble moving the ball against SJSU as they racked up 505 total yards and the passing game looked like a well-oiled machine.
That passing attack is particularly pleasing, given the number of new pass catchers that Jayden Maiava is working with this season.
The youth certainly delivered for the Trojans as the freshmen quartet of WR Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, TE Mark Bowman, WR Trent Mosely, and WR Tron Baker accounted for 214 of the 341 receiving yards.
Moving the ball will be much more difficult this week against a Fresno State unit that was stingy last season and looks to be equally as difficult to move the ball on in 2026.
The Fresno State defensive front will provide more pressure, and the secondary will force more than six incompletions.
Matt Entz has named Jayden Mandal the starter for the Bulldogs, and the similarities to his SC counterpart begin and end with the first name. Mandal has only attempted nine passes in his injury-riddled collegiate career.
Better defense or not, this USC offense is going to be one of the best in the nation this season, and they will put up a ton of points. The Bulldogs will score some also, but the Trojans pull away with a comfortable win.
Winner: USC
ATS: USC
O/U: Over
Saturday September 5
12:30 PM PT, CBS
(Brad Nessler, Charles Davis and Jenny Dell)
Line: Oregon -24.5
Over/Under: 51.5
We have a Pac-12 vs. Big Ten showdown in Eugene, one of three for the two conferences in Week One.
Boise State is a better team this season than they were last season, and the Broncos are hardly a program that will be fazed by traveling to the No. 2 team in the nation.
Maddux Madsen is healthy and should be able to make some plays.
The Broncos should also be able to create some pressure on Dante Moore with their edge rushers, especially in the form of Jayden Virgin-Morgan.
The past two seasons, the Ducks have rarely struggled, but when they have, it was in games where they failed to keep the pocket clean. Getting pressure on Moore is the first step to pulling off the huge upset.
This Oregon offense will be deep enough to move the football, but the real edge for the Ducks will come on the defensive side of the ball.
The UO secondary is among the best in the nation, and they will make it very tough for the Broncos to move the ball through the air.
Last season, Fernando Mendoza was the only QB to complete more than 60% of his passes against the Ducks, and the unit should be even better this season.
And I have not even mentioned the front four yet. A’Mauri Washington and Bear Alexander will be difficult for the Broncos to run the ball against. And when Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti pin their ears back and meet the QB—look out.
As good as BSU may end up being this season, they could be in for a long afternoon on Saturday.
Winner: Oregon
ATS: Oregon
O/U: Over
Saturday September 5
7:30 PM PT, ESPN
(Tom Hart, Roddy Jones, and Quint Kessenich)
Line: UCLA -2
Over/Under: 53.5
The instate rivalry is renewed in the opener for Cal and UCLA.
The Bruins return 67% of their offensive production from last season, the ninth most in the nation. But is that a good thing?
Jokes aside, the UCLA offense should be pretty good this season, and the addition of Wayne Knight in the backfield gives UCLA a do-everything weapon they lacked in 2025.
UCLA also has Nico Iamaleava back directing the offense, and the QB is healthy and ready to go. But for UCLA to take the next step and show significant improvement, they need their QB to be a lot better than he was in 2025. I think he will be.
Cal has significantly upgraded their roster in 2026, and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele should have a lot more weapons at his disposal. Adam Mohammed will give the Bears a weapon out of the backfield.
I think this game will be close, and the two-point spread for the visitors would indicate Vegas also sees a tight one in Berkeley.
I think the Bob Chesney era gets off on the right foot with a big road victory in an exciting game between a pair of teams that both should be much improved over last year’s versions.
Winner: UCLA
ATS: UCLA
O/U: Under
Sunday September 6
1:00 PM PT, NBC
(Paul Burmeister, Yogi Roth and Zora Stephenson)
Line: Washington -23.5
Over/Under: 50.5
Obviously, with conference realignment, we lose certain traditions, but for me, there is something special about opening the season with your archrival.
For 100+ years, this game was played in November or late October, and for the third season in a row it will be a September game. But never before has it been played this early.
The Apple Cup coming in Week One of the season is a pretty cool way to kick things off.
The Huskies enter this one as big favorites and for good reason. UW is poised for a breakout season while the Cougars will be looking to make waves in the new Pac-12.
I think if the Cougs just stay afloat in the league, they will be in good shape.
So, this season opener for the rivals could very well mirror the season to come for each school.
For Washington, the offense will run through Demond Williams Jr., and despite the rocky offseason, the product on the field is unquestioned.
Williams is coming off a season in which he threw for over 3000 yards and 25 touchdowns while completing 69.5% of his passes and adding another 611 yards and six TDs on the ground.
He is a playmaker and will be an issue for the Cougars on Sunday.
WSU will turn to Caden Pinnick at QB. The last time he faced Washington he was playing for UC-Davis and completed eight of his 16 passes for just 15 yards in a 70-10 loss.
This week the numbers and the score should be better, but it will still be a big win for the Huskies.
With apologies to my SuperWest Sports colleague and Wazzu alum Nick Bartlett, UW rolls in the Apple Cup.
Winner: Washington
ATS: Washington
O/U: Under
Sunday September 6
4:30 PM PT, NBC
(Dan Hicks, Jason Garrett, and Caroline Pineda)
Line: Notre Dame -20.5
Over/Under: 47.5
Notre Dame seems to be the trendy pick to win the national championship.
While I may not be quite that high on Marcus Freeman’s unit, I think they will be a very good football team and certainly should make some noise in the Playoff this season.
I think Wisconsin, along with UCLA, might be the most improved teams in the Big Ten. This is certainly a make-or-break season for Luke Fickell, and being much improved this season would go a long way towards making the season rather than breaking it.
Last season was a struggle for Wisconsin, but as bad as the offense was, the defense kept them in some contests. This season the defense should again be good, but I think QB Colton Joseph could be a difference-maker.
The Badgers will need to keep him healthy, however, and that has been an issue the last two seasons.
Despite the Badgers’ expected improvement this season, Notre Dame is just too tough. If the line was 22 points, I might take Wisconsin with the points, but 20.5 seems like an Irish cover.
Winner: Notre Dame
ATS: Notre Dame
O/U: Under
Straight-Up Staff Picks for Selected Games
writes about various topics for SuperWest sports, including stats and records, college sports, and motorsports. He also founded and runs the Sports and Entertainment Research Center (SERC).
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