College football's bowl season is still a few months away, but it's never too early to take a look at what the matchups might look like. With only one week of results in the books, it's hard to make long-term projections about teams. A team like Houston was expected to win Conference USA's West Division in the preseason but stumbled in the opener against Texas State. For now, the Cougars remain in our projections but that could change after Week 2.

Week 1 of the college football season is in the books and plenty of coaches are feeling the pressure to win. Kentucky showed some progress in the season opener against Louisville, but Joker Phillips passes Boston College's Frank Spaziani as the No. 1 coach on the hot seat. Some new names have joined the top 20, including Houston's Tony Levine and Colorado's Jon Embree. 

Week 1 of the college football season features several interesting matchups, storylines and new faces stepping into playing time. Athlon gets you ready for the opening Saturday of action with an in-depth look at Week 1.

Top Storylines to Watch for Week 1

College football kicks of this weekend with a full slate of games. Here's a look at 10 of the top games on the Week 1 schedule.

10 Biggest Games of Week 1

Week 1 of the college football season officially kicks off on Thursday night, headlined by a SEC showdown between South Carolina and Vanderbilt, while BYU and Washington State close out the night with a shootout in Provo. The favorites can't win every game each week, so it's no surprise one of the most popular discussion points every Saturday is upset picks. Each week on AthlonSports.com, the editors will give an upset pick for the upcoming week of action.

The 2012 college football season kicks off on Thursday night, and it's time to rank the top 50 players for the upcoming year. USC's Matt Barkley made a surprising decision to return to USC for his senior season and should be the nation's No. 1 player. Barkley isn't the only quarterback in the top 10, as West Virginia's Geno Smith checks in at No. 5. The SEC owns the most players in the top 10 (four), including No. 2 overall Barrett Jones. 

College Football's Top 50 Players for 2012

The 2012 college football season kicks off on Thursday night and the next 14 weeks are crucial to the job status of several coaches around the nation. Boston College's Frank Spaziani tops Athlon's post-fall practice hot seat rankings, while Kentucky's Joker Phillips checks in at No. 2. 

College Football's Top 20 Coaches on the Hot Seat: Post Fall-Practice Edition

It's not easy getting college football coaches to honestly comment on another coach, player or team. Most coaches don't want to give opposing teams billboard material, which is why there is a lot of coach speak during the year. In order to get an accurate assessment of teams heading into 2012, Athlon asked coaches around each conference to talk anonymously about their opponents.

With Week 1 just around the corner, college football’s fall quarterback battles are winding down. On Thursday, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly officially made the decision most expected he would make all offseason: Everett Golson will be the No.

Notre Dame's Manti Te'o was expected to be a first-round pick in the 2012 NFL Draft but made a surprising decision to return back to South Bend for one more year. Te'o is one of college football's top players and should lead a tough Notre Dame rush defense. Not far behind Te'o is Georgia's Jarvis Jones. The USC transfer was an impact player for the Bulldogs last season, recording 13.5 sacks and 19.5 tackles for a loss. After Jones, some of the top returning linebackers include Stanford's Shayne Skov and Penn State's Gerald Hodges.