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College football Week 1 schedule and predictions

By Nicholas Ian Allen

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Head Coach Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide team take the field during the 2016 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 31: Head Coach Nick Saban and the Alabama Crimson Tide team take the field during the 2016 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at the Georgia Dome on December 31, 2016 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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AUSTIN, TX – APRIL 15: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
AUSTIN, TX – APRIL 15: Head coach Tom Herman of the Texas Longhorns (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images) /

Maryland Terrapins at No. 23 Texas Longhorns

Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 2, 12:00 p.m., FS1

A new era of Texas football kicks off Saturday as head coach Tom Herman and the heavily favored Longhorns host Maryland. One of these two teams played in a bowl game last season, and it wasn’t Texas.

Maryland at Texas: Three Things to Watch

1. Texas Head Coach Tom Herman

The story of the season in Austin is new head coach Tom Herman, who joined the Longhorns after two seasons at Houston. Herman led the Cougars to the AAC title and a New Year’s Six bowl game in 2016, and picked up a perfect 6-0 record against teams ranked in the AP Top 25.

Herman inherits a good situation at Texas with arguably the most talented roster in the Big 12, 10 returning starters on defense, one of the best offensive linemen in the country at left tackle Connor Williams, an explosive receiving corps and an experienced sophomore quarterback. However, he also inherits lofty expectations for a program that has had three straight losing seasons and hasn’t won 10 games in a season since 2009.

2. Maryland Running Back Ty Johnson

He’s not a household name, but Maryland running back Ty Johnson was one of the most explosive ball carriers in the country last season. Johnson averaged 9.1 yards per carry for the Terrapins in 2016, gaining 1,004 rushing yards and scoring six touchdowns on just 110 attempts. Lorenzo Harrison, who averaged 7.2 yards per carry on 88 touches, isn’t bad, either.

3. Texas QB Shane Buechele

He’s not the official starter (for some reason), but it would be a shock if Shane Buechele isn’t behind center for the Longhorns on the first offensive drive of the season Saturday.

Buechele started all 12 games as a true freshman and completed 60.4 percent of his passes for 2,958 yards and 21 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. He made plenty of freshman mistakes in 2016, but Buechele gives the Longhorns the best chance of starting the season 1-0.

Prediction:

Texas is the more talented team, and beginning the Herman era at home is also an advantage for the Longhorns. Expectations are pretty low at Maryland despite head coach D.J. Durkin leading the Terps to a bowl game in his first season on the sidelines, but Maryland returns two playmaking running backs, its top receiver and its top three tacklers from last season. Expect a close contest early, but for the Longhorns to pick up win No. 1.

Texas 31, Maryland 21

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