There were plenty of smiles in Bright House Networks Stadium last week for the debut of UCF football under Scott Frost.
The Knights may not have been firing on all cylinders coming out of the gate, but still cruised past FCS member South Carolina State 38-0, helping to officially close the book on the terrible winless season that was 2015.
The celebration didn't last long because staring down the barrel this week is a trip to the Big House to take on No. 5 Michigan.
At the time the game was scheduled, the Wolverines were embroiled in a run of mediocrity under former coach Brady Hoke: 8-5 in 2012, 7-6 in 2013 and 5-7 in 2014. Meanwhile, UCF was in the midst of their most successful run in school history with a pair conference championships and Fiesta Bowl victory in that same span.
UCF agreed to a one-and-done deal for $1.5 million because hey, that's a lot of money, but also because it was viewed as a decent opportunity for a signature victory.
But in 2015, the trajectories quickly changed course. Michigan, who dumped Hoke after 2014, finished 10-3 in the first season under Jim Harbaugh, a former Michigan quarterback who as a head coach helped build Stanford into a power before moving on to the San Francisco 49ers. And UCF went 0-12 in what became the final season under George O'Leary.
Not exactly the sort of game Frost would have preferred in week two, but those are the cards being dealt.
"If you asked me if I'd rather play Michigan or some other team in Michigan that might not be ranked in the top 10 in the country, I might not give you an honest answer on that," Frost said earlier this week. "Listen, this game is on the schedule. I don't want our kids afraid to play anybody. I think our guys are excited to go up there and look that challenge in the face and take swings at them. We're a young team in certain places and some of these kids are going to have to grow up fast. We're throwing them into the fire a little bit here. I want our guys to be confident. Regardless of the score at the end of the game, we're going to come out of this game a better team."
Here's a look at every game involving the American and UCF's upcoming non-conference opponents. Picks made are head-to-head and not factoring in the spread.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 9
Maryland (1-0) at FIU (0-1)
7:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
The Buzz: It has to be a rare occurrence when your next two non-conference opponents play each other the week before, but that's exactly what's happening in Miami on Friday. Maryland, who UCF hosts on Sept. 17, plays FIU, who UCF will visit on Sept. 24. If UCF's team hotel in Ann Arbor gets CBS Sports Network, I'm sure quite a few Knights will be tuning in to see how the game unfolds.
Like UCF, Maryland has a first-year head coach in former Michigan defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin and they easily handled their opening FCS opponent with a 52-13 win against Howard. That was the largest margin of victory for a Maryland coaching debut since Paul "Bear" Bryant and the 1945 Terps trounced Guilford 60-6. Who knew the Bear coached at Maryland?!
Maryland's offense is led by senior quarterback Perry Hills, who completed 14-of-19 passes for 126 yards against Howard. In all, Maryland accounted for 519 yards of offense, 315 of which were on the ground. Six different players scored a touchdown in that game, including a punt block for a score.
Fun fact: Maryland's punter is Australian Wade Lees, a 28-year-old former Australian Rules Football star.
Interestingly, Maryland has played FIU the same amount of times that UCF has - four. The difference is the Terps are 4-0 in the all-time series.
FIU opened the season at home with a loss to another Big Ten team, Indiana, by the score of 34-13. While the score appears lopsided on the IU end, FIU actually had a 13-12 lead going into the fourth quarter before the Hoosiers scored 22 unanswered points in the final stanza.
The Panthers' offense was tilted heavily to the pass with 268 of their 331 yards of total offense coming through the air. Freshman wide receiver Stantley Thomas recorded three receptions for 91 yards in his debut.
The Line: Maryland by 10
The Pick: Maryland
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 10
UCF (1-0) at No. 5 Michigan (1-0)
12 noon, ABC
The Buzz: Sure, Michigan is highly ranked and UCF is coming off a winless season, but the Knights are actually riding a two-game winning streak against top 10 teams. In 2013, UCF defeated both No. 6 Louisville on the road and No. 5 Baylor in the Fiesta Bowl.
While it will take some time before we have an idea of how good this team can be under Scott Frost, we do know they should quickly obliterate the offensive marks from 2015. In the 38-0 opening win against South Carolina State, UCF scored more points (38) and logged more yards (462) than they did in any other game last season. They also scored two rushing touchdowns - halfway towards the entire 2015 total of four.
UCF quarterback Justin Holman completed 50 percent of his passes - 14-of-28 - for 193 yards and two touchdowns. Jawon Hamilton was the leading rusher with 52 yards.
Michigan meanwhile rolled over Hawaii 63-3 with a whopping 306 yards of rushing. Wilton Speight won the Wolverines' QB job over Houston transfer John O'Korn, whom UCF went 2-0 against in 2013 and 2014. In fact, UCF's domination of O'Korn in the 2014 game led to the rise of Greg Ward and started the tide that led to O'Korn transferring at the conclusion of the season.
The Line: Michigan by 35.5.
The Pick: Michigan
Cincinnati (1-0) at Purdue (1-0)
12 noon , Big Ten Network
The Buzz: The return game of a series that began in 2013, a 42-7 Cincinnati win that was Tommy Tuberville's first game as Bearcats' coach. Cincinnati looked sluggish in their season opener against UT-Martin, trailing 7-6 at halftime, but woke up in the second half to win 27-7. QB Hayden Moore, who won the starting job over Gunner Kiel, rebounded to complete 21 of 34 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Tion Green was just shy of the century mark with 97 yards rushing.
Purdue, a 2-10 team in 2015, took care of FCS Eastern Kentucky 45-24 in week one, thanks in part to 512 yards of total offense.
The Line: Cincinnati by 6
The Pick: Cincinnati
NC State (1-0) at East Carolina (1-0)
12 noon, ESPNU
The Buzz: The instate rivalry continues with the 29th all-time meeting. NC State holds a 16-12 series advantage, but ECU has won the last two meetings, the last of which occurred in 2013.
Like UCF, the Pirates have a new coach in former Duke offensive coordinator Scottie Montgomery and they rolled to a 52-7 win against FCS Western Carolina in week one, accumulating 688 yards of total offense. QB Philip Nelson, a Minnesota transfer, was 28-of-32 for 398 yards and five touchdowns. WR Zay Jones had 10 catches for 180 yards.
NC State also had a big first week win against an FCS opponent: 48-14 over William & Mary. And yes, they put up big offensive numbers too with 521 yards of offense. RB Matt Dayes, who back in the day was a top UCF recruiting target, rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns.
The Line: NC State by 5
The Pick: NC State
Lamar (0-1) at No. 6 Houston (1-0)
12 noon, ASN/ESPN3
The Buzz: Houston became the national media's darling with a 33-23 opening win against No. 3 Oklahoma at NRG Stadium, home of the NFL's Houston Texans. Already the favorite to repeat as American champions, now the talk is whether the Cougars can run the table and land a coveted spot in the College Football Playoff. The win was Houston's fifth straight against a ranked and also back-to-back top 10 wins (the previous one being against Florida State in the Peach Bowl). QB Greg Ward did his thing, but the turning point of the game came when star CB Brandon Wilson returned a missed OU field goal 100 yards for a touchdown. At that point, Houston never looked back.
Lamar lost their opening game 38-14 to Coastal Carolina. RB Kade Harrington, the runner-up in 2015 for FCS Player of the Year, rushed for 207 yards on 28 attempts.
The Line: No line
The Pick: Houston
Stony Brook (1-0) at Temple (0-1)
1 p.m., ESPN3
The Buzz: First ever meeting between the two schools. It will be Temple's first game against an FCS team since 2014. Temple, thought to be a contender in the AAC East, floundered in their opener, a 28-13 loss to Army. QB Phillip Walker, who seems like he's played at Temple forever, became the school's all-time passing leader during the game with 7,542 yards.
Stony Brook is riding high after beating the North Dakota Fighting Sioux 13-9 - a team ranked No. 19 in the FCS poll. The deciding points came off a blocked punt returned for touchdown. Stony Brook safety Jaheem Woods was named the FCS Player of the Week with 11 tackles, two sacks and four tackles for loss.
The Line: No line
The Pick: Temple
UConn (1-0) at Navy (1-0)
3:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network
The Buzz: The first AAC matchup of the season. Navy won last year's matchup in East Hartford, 28-18. The post-Keenan Reynolds era got off to a shaky start as starting QB Tago Smith tore his ACL in the opening 52-16 win against FCS Fordham. QB Will Worth is now elevated to the No. 1 role. FB Chris High had 176 rushing yards in the win as Navy compiled 427 total rushing yards in the contest.
In week one, UConn needed a fourth quarter comeback that culminated in a last-second field goal to beat FCS Maine 24-21. QB Bryant Shirreffs completed 16 of 23 passes for 162 yards and led the team in rushing with 95 yards.
The Line: Navy by 4
The Pick: UConn
SMU (1-0) at No. 23 Baylor (1-0)
3:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1
The Buzz: Longtime rivals in the former Southwest Conference, the two schools will meet for the 82nd time. Baylor has had the upper hand of late though, winning the last 12 games in the series including last year 56-21. For the first time since 2009, SMU begins a season with a 1-0 record after beating North Texas 34-21. They put up big offensive numbers - 572 yards in all with five plays of 45 yards or more. CB Horace Richardson had two interceptions in the game while DE Justin Lawler had 3.5 sacks.
Baylor, in an awkward season following the summer firing of Art Briles, smashed FCS Northwestern State 55-7. They were dominating on defense too, limiting Northwestern State to just 78 total yards. Former Wake Forest coach Jim Grobe is the Bears' "acting coach."
The Line: Baylor by 32
The Pick: Baylor
Tulsa (1-0) at No. 4 Ohio State (1-0)
3:30 p.m., ABC
The Buzz: Another AAC team playing a top-five Big Ten opponent. Tulsa got one in the win column last week with a 45-10 decision against San Jose State, putting up 512 yards of total offense. WR Keevan Lucas had six catches for 112 yards. Two of their touchdowns came on defense with a fumble recovery and interception return.
Ohio State, the favorite to win the Big Ten, obliterated Bowling Green 77-10. QB J.T. Barrett was the Big Ten Player of the Week with 349 passing yards and a total of seven touchdowns.
The Line: Ohio State by 28.5
The Pick: Ohio State
Northern Illinois (0-1) at USF (1-0)
7 p.m., CBS Sports Network
The Buzz: A rematch of the 2010 International Bowl played in Toronto, Canada, which USF won 27-3. A severe weather delay pushed back the start of Northern Illinois' season opener at Wyoming. It was a wild one too - Wyoming won 40-34 in triple overtime in a game that didn't end until 4:34 a.m. EST. QB Drew Hare was 24-of-39 for 329 yards and three touchdowns. Northern Illinois has made a bowl in each of the last eight seasons.
USF, the preseason favorite to win the AAC East, cruised to a 56-20 victory against FCS Towson in the first week. RB Marlon Mack though is questionable after suffering a concussion in that game. QB Quinton Flowers was 8-of-18 for 178 yards and two TDs against Towson, while rushing for 46 yards and two more scores. LB Nigel Harri had six tackles, a sack and 49-yard interception return.
The Line: USF by 15
The Pick: USF
Southern (0-1) at Tulane (0-1)
7 p.m., ESPN3
The Buzz: Tulane takes on an instate member of FCS. Southern played another FBS team last Saturday, a 38-21 loss to Louisiana-Monroe. RB Lenard Tiley rushed 161 yards in that game.
In an awesome game if you love defense, Tulane fell to Wake Forest 7-3. The Green Wave had 280 yards of total offense to Wake's 175 and had 10 more minutes of possession, but couldn't turn drives into points. QB Glen Cuiellette was also Tulane's leading rusher.
Tulane also has a new coach this season, Willie Fritz, who came from Georgia Southern.
The Line: No line
The Pick: Tulane
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