Start vs. Sit: Players to Start, Players to Bench for Week 1

Here we go! We got a taste of college football action last weekend, though it meant watching UCLA trounce Hawaii or Illinois and Nebraska duking it out in a quest to finish with, like, five wins. This is the first true weekend of college football, though it does start effectively Thursday (no disrespect to UAB and Jacksonville State, who are playing Wednesday). For each conference, I have one player I think should be starting, and one I think should be on your bench this week. I'm excited. Hopefully you're excited. Let's get to it!

AAC

START

Tanner Mordecai, QB, SMU vs. Abilene Christian

At the beginning of the season, we often find FBS teams squaring off with FCS squads. This tends to yield quite a bit of offensive output. SMU's offense has been potent the last few years, and that could continue against Abilene Christian. That depends on the quarterback, though, and that brings me to Mordecai. He's new to the Mustangs, as he transferred from Oklahoma, where he didn't play much. Still, he had the talent to get recruited to the Sooners and play a bit, and also to win the SMU job over vaunted recruit Preston Stone. I think he'll be looking to show off in his first start.

SIT

Cameron Carroll, RB, Tulane vs. Oklahoma

For starters, while Tulane is still listed as the home team, that is no longer truly the case. Hurricane Ida has moved this game from Louisiana to Oklahoma, making the Green Wave a home team in their opponents' stadium. Now, Oklahoma wasn't necessarily a great defense last season, but they finished 40th in yards allowed per game playing in the Big 12. When it comes to talent, they clearly outshine basically every opponent an AAC team is playing. That doesn't bode well for Carroll, even if he scored 12 rushing touchdowns in 12 games last season. It was only on 122 carries, though, a ratio that's hard to sustain.

ACC

START

Jaquarii Roberson, WR, Wake Forest vs. Old Dominion

Roberson was used lightly in his first two seasons with the Demon Deacons but enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2020. In only nine games he caught 62 passes for 926 yards and eight touchdowns. That was with all the chaos of last year. Imagine what he can do with a full offseason of getting to work with Sam Hartman. Speaking of 2020 – which is never fun but is unavoidable – Old Dominion sat the season out. There could be a lot of rust on a team that wasn't really good before that.

SIT

D'Eriq King, QB, Miami vs. Alabama

I'm really glad that King has recovered from his leg injury in order to start the season opener for the Hurricanes. I bet he will have a really good year. That won't be the case here, though. Alabama is the quintessential team that reloads every offseason. The Crimson Tide is coming off yet another title and when was the last time they didn't have one of the 20 best defenses in the country? For multiple reasons, I expect this to be a difficult opening outing for King.

Big 12

START

Trestan Ebner, RB, Baylor at Texas State

Baylor's offense struggled last year in Dave Aranda's first season, but there were mitigating circumstances, of course. After a few years with the Bears, Ebner is expected to be on top of the depth chart this year. He only had 50 carries in 2020, but he also had 26 catches for 299 yards and three touchdowns. Given that Texas State finished 115th in rushing yards allowed and 112th in passing yards allowed, Ebner's ability to help in both areas could pay off.

SIT

Joshua Moore, WR, Texas vs. Louisiana

The Steve Sarkisian Era begins in earnest this week. Also, the Hudson Card Era, as he won the starting job. Although, Casey Thompson is also supposed to play, and that doesn't necessarily sound encouraging. Could that hinder Moore's upside? Louisiana also should not be overlooked. The Ragin' Cajuns are one of the best Group of Five teams, beat Iowa State in 2020, and finished 30th in yards allowed per game.

Big Ten

START

David Bell, WR, Purdue vs. Oregon State

This was the toughest conference to find a "start" for. The Big Ten is opening with some brutal matchups and a few conference games. Only Nebraska is playing an FCS team and, I mean, it's Nebraska. I'll pass. Bell caught 86 passes for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019 and even last year he managed 53 catches for 625 yards and eight scores. He's the clear top weapon in this offense. Oregon State had a middling defense last year, allowing 33.3 points per contest. It's a long trek from Oregon to Indiana as well.

SIT

Noah Cain, Penn State at Wisconsin

Cain is healthy and has a new offensive coordinator. He's also running into a brick wall this week. The Badgers allowed a mere 96.1 rushing yards per contest in 2021, which was third in the FBS.

Conference USA

START

Jyaire Shorter, WR, North Texas vs. Northwestern State

Last year Shorter missed most of the year with an injury while Jaelon Darden ate up targets and receptions. Darden's college career is over, though, and that means a lot of targets are up for grabs. Shorter should be in line for the bulk of those now that he's healthy. Facing an FCS team to start the season also helps.

SIT

N'Kosi Perry, QB, FAU at Florida

Perry transferred in from Miami – where he was the legitimate starter at times – and just won the starting job with his new school. It could work out, but it won't against Florida. Generally speaking, if a team from Conference USA is visiting a team from the SEC, it doesn't go well. We'll need to wait to judge Perry's potential with the Owls.

MAC

START

Isaiah Winstead, WR, Toledo vs. Norfolk State

Winstead is actually a former Norfolk State player in 2018, but he joined the Rockets prior to the 2020 campaign. It was a bit of a lost year, naturally, but he still caught 25 passes for 429 yards and three touchdowns in six games. This is another matchup with an FBS team in Week 1, and a chance for Winstead to show up his old team.

SIT

Dustin Crum, QB, Kent State at Texas A&M

If you are a college football diehard, you've probably heard of Crum. He's one of the best Group of Five quarterbacks, and definitely the top signal-caller in the MAC. With all due respect to Krum, though, visiting Texas A&M is probably too daunting a task for him. The Aggies allowed only 21.7 yards per game in 2020 playing an SEC schedule. Crum could be decent in this matchup, but that's his ceiling.

Mountain West

START

Greg Bell, RB, San Diego State vs. New Mexico State

I liked Bell heading into 2020 after he transferred from Nebraska, and I think it was a successful campaign under the circumstances. He rushed for 637 yards and six touchdowns in seven games and added a receiving touchdown as well. The Aztecs are a ground-and-pound-plus-defense squad, and Bell could be the proverbial bell cow in this offense. New Mexico State sat out the 2020 season, but opened the 2021 season losing 30-3 to UTEP to the surprise of nobody.

SIT

Ronnie Rivers, RB, Fresno State at Oregon

Rivers and Fresno State got to open the season by trouncing UConn as expected. While he only rushed the ball 13 times (for 58 yards), he added 66 yards and a touchdown through the air. That was a home game with the Huskies, though. This game is on the road against the Ducks. Oregon allowed 169.5 rushing yards per game in 2020, which was solid. There will be other weeks to start Rivers. There's no need this week.

Pac-12

START

Jarek Broussard, RB, Colorado vs. Northern Colorado

The Pac-12 had the weirdest journey of any FBS conference in 2020. You may have forgotten, but Broussard looked like a bit of a burgeoning star at times last year. In the end, he finished with 156 carries for 895 yards and five touchdowns in six games. An FBS opponent to start the year could get Broussard on the fast track once again.

SIT

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, UCLA vs. LSU ($):

The Bruins smashed Hawaii in Week 0 by a score of 44-10, but if you didn't delve into the box score you might not realize DTR was mostly an afterthought. He only went 10-for-20 for 130 yards and a touchdown and only rushed three times for 16 yards. While he's been much better than that in the past, it's not a good start to the season. LSU did struggle defensively in 2020, but they revamped the coaching staff and are still LSU. The Tigers aren't going to put out a mediocre defense all that often.

SEC

START

Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn vs. Akron

We arrive at everybody's favorite conference and pay a visit to The Plains where there is a new coach in town in Bryan Harsin. However, Harsin will still have Bigsby, who as a freshman rushed for 834 yards on 138 carries in 10 games. I'm not expecting a sophomore slump from Tank. Akron was awful last season, allowing a whopping 41.3 points per game. Not only could Bigsby have a big game, but the shifty Shaun Shivers could put up some nice numbers as well.

SIT

JT Daniels, QB, Georgia at Clemson

I'm super excited for Georgia versus Clemson because I am not a lunatic. It's two top-five teams with playoff hopes! I am also completely avoiding this game for fantasy purposes. These are two excellent defenses that don't tend to allow much to their opponents. Daniels looked really good in 2020 once he got healthy, but I can't see him putting up gaudy numbers against the Tigers.

Sun Belt

START

Layne Hatcher, QB, Arkansas State vs. Central Arkansas

Hatcher split time with Logan Bonner in 2020, which kind of surprised me. Why? Because Hatcher was really good. He threw for 2,058 yards, 19 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. This year, the job is entirely his. Hatcher's got the potential to really put up some big numbers, especially if he keeps securing the ball so well. Facing Central Arkansas is as good a place to start as any.

SIT

Chris Smith, RB, Louisiana at Texas

While the Longhorns' defense has not lived up to expectations on multiple occasions in recent years, I still have to go this route. Looking at the other matchups, there aren't really much in the way of "sit" choices. The Sun Belt has a lot of easy matchups in Week 1. Louisiana doesn't have an easy matchup, though, and Smith could be kept in check as a result.