FIU (0-0) at UCF (0-0)
Thursday, August 31
6:00 p.m. ET
Orlando, Florida (BrightHouse Stadium)
All-Time Series: UCF leads 3-2
Last Meeting: UCF 53, at FIU 14 (Sept. 24, 2016)
FAST FACTS
**The Butch Davis era at FIU begins with a nationally-televised game three hours up the road at UCF.
**The Panthers opened the season in 2015 at UCF, defeating the Knights, 15-14, as now senior QB Alex McGough threw for 260 yards and a TD, while fellow senior RB Alex Gardner rushed for 75 yards and a score.
**FIU returns nine starters on defense, including a pair of senior linebackers that registered more than 100 tackles last season: Treyvon Williams (109) and Anthony Wint (108).
CHARLOTTE (0-0) at EASTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Friday, September 1
6:30 p.m. ET
Ypsilanti, Michigan (Rynearson Stadium)
All-Time Series: EMU leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Eastern Michigan 37, at Charlotte 19 (Sept. 17, 2016)
FAST FACTS
**Charlotte begins its fifth season of football and third at the FBS level at Eastern Michigan, a squad that returns 17 starters from its first bowl team since 1987 (a 24-20 loser to Old Dominion in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.
**The 49ers defense will look to continue its opportunistic ways in 2017. Last year, Charlotte forced a turnover in 11 of 12 games, finishing the year with a +8 turnover margin (second in C-USA) and led C-USA through the regular-season with 16 interceptions.
**Junior QB Hasaan Klugh finished his first year with the 49ers connecting on 120-of-224 passes for 1,356 yards (123.3 per game) and 10 TDs with only three interceptions, while ranking third on the team with 426 yards rushing.
NAVY (0-0) at FLORIDA ATLANTIC (0-0)
Friday, September 1
8:00 p.m. ET
Boca Raton, Florida (FAU Stadium)
All-Time Series: Navy leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at Navy 24, Florida Atlantic 17 (Nov. 13, 2012)
FAST FACTS
**The Lane Kiffin era begins at FAU with a nationally-televised Friday night contest against a Navy team that spent most of last season in the national rankings but returns just 10 of 26 starters from 2016.
** Running back Devin "Motor" Singletary was the first freshman Owl in the program's 16-year history to break the 1,000-yard plateau last season, including 257 yards against Rice and 235 at Middle Tennessee. His 12 touchdowns during his rookie season left him just one shy of the program's all-time single-season rushing TD record.
**Junior LB Azeez Al-Shaair returns for his third season after leading the Owls the last two in total tackles. Al-Shaair, who had 113 tackles in 2016 and 94 in 2015, leads a defensive unit that welcomes back eight starters.
ALABAMA A&M (0-0) at UAB (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
2:30 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Alabama (Legion Field)
All-Time Series: UAB leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at UAB 41, Alabama A&M 14 (Sept. 13, 2014)
FAST FACTS
**The return of UAB Football happens when the Blazers host Alabama A&M in the program’s first football game since a 45-24 victory at Southern Miss on Nov. 29, 2014.
**Head coach Bill Clark, who led the Blazers to a four-game win improvement in his first season at UAB in 2014, joins 14 players that remain a part of the program from the last Blazer football team.
**The makeup of the 2017 Blazers roster features 16 redshirt seniors, 43 redshirt juniors, 5 juniors, 19 redshirt sophomores, 29 redshirt freshmen and 10 true freshmen.
UTEP (0-0) at OKLAHOMA (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
2:30 p.m. CT
Norman, Oklahoma (Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium)
All-Time Series: Oklahoma leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Oklahoma 24, at UTEP 7 (Sept. 1, 2012)
FAST FACTS
**Senior OG Will Hernandez became the first Miner offensive lineman to earn All-American honors last season. He has started every game in his UTEP career and was also named Pro Football Focus Protector of the Year among all FBS linemen. Hernandez is an AP preseason All-American selection this year.
**Senior LB Alvin Jones returns to lead the Miners defense. Despite missing two games due to injury last season, he earned All-Conference USA second team honors after leading team in tackles 93 (44 solo). Jones ranked fourth in C-USA in tackles per game (9.3), while adding 6.0 tackles for loss (28 yards), 2.5 sacks (22 yards) and a pass breakup.
**The last meeting between the schools came in the 2012 season opener for both schools, when No. 4 Oklahoma became the highest-ranked opponent to ever play UTEP at the Sun Bowl.
KENTUCKY (0-0) at SOUTHERN MISS (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
3 p.m. CT
Hattiesburg, Mississippi (M.M. Roberts Stadium)
All-Time Series: Kentucky leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Southern Miss 44, at Kentucky 35 (Sept. 3, 2016)
FAST FACTS
**Southern Miss will open the season against Kentucky for the second straight season. In Lexington last season, the Golden Eagles scored 34 unanswered points to win at Kentucky, 44-35. Southern Miss held a 295-56 yardage advantage in the second half, while outscoring UK, 27-0. It was just the third time in school history that the Golden Eagles had won after trailing by 21 points.
**Senior RB Ito Smith went over the 100-yard mark a league-high eight times last season (16 in his career) and finished ranked fourth in the conference averaging 112.2 yards per game. He scored 19 touchdowns (17 rushing) on the season and is just the fourth Golden Eagle to rush for more than 1,000 yards in multiple seasons.
**Senior WR Allenzae Staggers topped the team with 63 catches, 1,165 yards, 18.5 yards per catch and seven touchdowns in 2016. He owns two of the five all-time 200-yard receiving games in Southern Miss history, including a performance vs. Rice where he caught six passes for a program-record 292 yards and three TDs.
ALBANY (0-0) at OLD DOMINION (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
6 p.m. ET
Norfolk, Virginia (Foreman Field)
All-Time Series: Old Dominion leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at Old Dominion 66, Albany 10 (Sept. 28, 2013)
FAST FACTS
**Old Dominion begins its ninth football season owning a 6-2 record in season openers.
**The Monarchs have won 10 straight games against FCS opponents, dating back to their final game at that level, a 49-35 loss to Georgia Southern in the second round of the 2012 FCS playoffs.
**Senior RB Ray Lawry posted seven 100-yard games last season and broke his own school record with 1,255 rushing yards. He ran for 11 touchdowns and became the school’s all-time TD leader with 40.
Thursday, August 31
6:00 p.m. ET
Orlando, Florida (BrightHouse Stadium)
All-Time Series: UCF leads 3-2
Last Meeting: UCF 53, at FIU 14 (Sept. 24, 2016)
FAST FACTS
**The Butch Davis era at FIU begins with a nationally-televised game three hours up the road at UCF.
**The Panthers opened the season in 2015 at UCF, defeating the Knights, 15-14, as now senior QB Alex McGough threw for 260 yards and a TD, while fellow senior RB Alex Gardner rushed for 75 yards and a score.
**FIU returns nine starters on defense, including a pair of senior linebackers that registered more than 100 tackles last season: Treyvon Williams (109) and Anthony Wint (108).
CHARLOTTE (0-0) at EASTERN MICHIGAN (0-0)
Friday, September 1
6:30 p.m. ET
Ypsilanti, Michigan (Rynearson Stadium)
All-Time Series: EMU leads 1-0
Last Meeting: Eastern Michigan 37, at Charlotte 19 (Sept. 17, 2016)
FAST FACTS
**Charlotte begins its fifth season of football and third at the FBS level at Eastern Michigan, a squad that returns 17 starters from its first bowl team since 1987 (a 24-20 loser to Old Dominion in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.
**The 49ers defense will look to continue its opportunistic ways in 2017. Last year, Charlotte forced a turnover in 11 of 12 games, finishing the year with a +8 turnover margin (second in C-USA) and led C-USA through the regular-season with 16 interceptions.
**Junior QB Hasaan Klugh finished his first year with the 49ers connecting on 120-of-224 passes for 1,356 yards (123.3 per game) and 10 TDs with only three interceptions, while ranking third on the team with 426 yards rushing.
NAVY (0-0) at FLORIDA ATLANTIC (0-0)
Friday, September 1
8:00 p.m. ET
Boca Raton, Florida (FAU Stadium)
All-Time Series: Navy leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at Navy 24, Florida Atlantic 17 (Nov. 13, 2012)
FAST FACTS
**The Lane Kiffin era begins at FAU with a nationally-televised Friday night contest against a Navy team that spent most of last season in the national rankings but returns just 10 of 26 starters from 2016.
** Running back Devin "Motor" Singletary was the first freshman Owl in the program's 16-year history to break the 1,000-yard plateau last season, including 257 yards against Rice and 235 at Middle Tennessee. His 12 touchdowns during his rookie season left him just one shy of the program's all-time single-season rushing TD record.
**Junior LB Azeez Al-Shaair returns for his third season after leading the Owls the last two in total tackles. Al-Shaair, who had 113 tackles in 2016 and 94 in 2015, leads a defensive unit that welcomes back eight starters.
ALABAMA A&M (0-0) at UAB (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
2:30 p.m. CT
Birmingham, Alabama (Legion Field)
All-Time Series: UAB leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at UAB 41, Alabama A&M 14 (Sept. 13, 2014)
FAST FACTS
**The return of UAB Football happens when the Blazers host Alabama A&M in the program’s first football game since a 45-24 victory at Southern Miss on Nov. 29, 2014.
**Head coach Bill Clark, who led the Blazers to a four-game win improvement in his first season at UAB in 2014, joins 14 players that remain a part of the program from the last Blazer football team.
**The makeup of the 2017 Blazers roster features 16 redshirt seniors, 43 redshirt juniors, 5 juniors, 19 redshirt sophomores, 29 redshirt freshmen and 10 true freshmen.
UTEP (0-0) at OKLAHOMA (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
2:30 p.m. CT
Norman, Oklahoma (Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium)
All-Time Series: Oklahoma leads 3-0
Last Meeting: Oklahoma 24, at UTEP 7 (Sept. 1, 2012)
FAST FACTS
**Senior OG Will Hernandez became the first Miner offensive lineman to earn All-American honors last season. He has started every game in his UTEP career and was also named Pro Football Focus Protector of the Year among all FBS linemen. Hernandez is an AP preseason All-American selection this year.
**Senior LB Alvin Jones returns to lead the Miners defense. Despite missing two games due to injury last season, he earned All-Conference USA second team honors after leading team in tackles 93 (44 solo). Jones ranked fourth in C-USA in tackles per game (9.3), while adding 6.0 tackles for loss (28 yards), 2.5 sacks (22 yards) and a pass breakup.
**The last meeting between the schools came in the 2012 season opener for both schools, when No. 4 Oklahoma became the highest-ranked opponent to ever play UTEP at the Sun Bowl.
KENTUCKY (0-0) at SOUTHERN MISS (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
3 p.m. CT
Hattiesburg, Mississippi (M.M. Roberts Stadium)
All-Time Series: Kentucky leads 2-1
Last Meeting: Southern Miss 44, at Kentucky 35 (Sept. 3, 2016)
FAST FACTS
**Southern Miss will open the season against Kentucky for the second straight season. In Lexington last season, the Golden Eagles scored 34 unanswered points to win at Kentucky, 44-35. Southern Miss held a 295-56 yardage advantage in the second half, while outscoring UK, 27-0. It was just the third time in school history that the Golden Eagles had won after trailing by 21 points.
**Senior RB Ito Smith went over the 100-yard mark a league-high eight times last season (16 in his career) and finished ranked fourth in the conference averaging 112.2 yards per game. He scored 19 touchdowns (17 rushing) on the season and is just the fourth Golden Eagle to rush for more than 1,000 yards in multiple seasons.
**Senior WR Allenzae Staggers topped the team with 63 catches, 1,165 yards, 18.5 yards per catch and seven touchdowns in 2016. He owns two of the five all-time 200-yard receiving games in Southern Miss history, including a performance vs. Rice where he caught six passes for a program-record 292 yards and three TDs.
ALBANY (0-0) at OLD DOMINION (0-0)
Saturday, September 2
6 p.m. ET
Norfolk, Virginia (Foreman Field)
All-Time Series: Old Dominion leads 1-0
Last Meeting: at Old Dominion 66, Albany 10 (Sept. 28, 2013)
FAST FACTS
**Old Dominion begins its ninth football season owning a 6-2 record in season openers.
**The Monarchs have won 10 straight games against FCS opponents, dating back to their final game at that level, a 49-35 loss to Georgia Southern in the second round of the 2012 FCS playoffs.
**Senior RB Ray Lawry posted seven 100-yard games last season and broke his own school record with 1,255 rushing yards. He ran for 11 touchdowns and became the school’s all-time TD leader with 40.
