Matt Bishop — Welcome to another season of MSU football. Instead of a challenging game against California, the Spartans open the 2009 campaign with … Montana State. Expect nothing to be resolved in terms of the quarterback situation; both Kirk Cousins and Keith Nichol should have the opportunity to look good here. Getting the running game going is going to be the most important part of this game and it will be critical for the defense to gain confidence heading into next week’s game with high-flying Central Michigan. MSU will not take this game lightly and will cruise following a close first quarter.

MSU 49, Montana State 10

Chris Vannini — Expectations are running high for the Spartans and the new offense should shine. Both quarterbacks are expected to play and most likely won’t disappoint. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the score get out of hand and see freshman Andrew Maxwell take some snaps. The running game will be interesting. Yes, the Bobcats are an FCS school but they had one of the best run defenses in the FCS last year and the Spartans are throwing out three running backs who have never taken a handoff in a game. With the rest of the team, I will be excited to see how the team depth has improved and how the backups will play, specifically with regard to the freshmen. Freshman tight end Dion Sims has been hyped as a freakish athlete and I can’t wait to see him on the field.

MSU 45, Montana State 3

Joey Nowak — I called my bookie in Vegas and told him to just put all my savings and college loans on MSU to win outright. Here’s hoping everything clicks for the Spartans — the MSU I’m actually choosing — and coach Dantonio has the opportunity to see all his cards on the table. With a quarterback race that came down to the wire and three sets of young legs sure to get a boatload of carries against a stingy run defense, this game is as important for the Spartans to get a feel for their depth chart as it is in taking the first step toward Pasadena.

MSU 39, MSU 6

Joseph Terry — The buzz in Big Sky country isn’t huge about this game and understandably so. The Bobcats are undergoing a similar quarterback battle to the Spartans and have half of their starting defensive backfield out with injuries for the game. Despite plenty of tries to get my Bobcat colleagues to go out on a limb and take their alma mater in the matchup, all of them are backing out and conceding to the bigger, better MSU. I agree. This is a money game for the Bobcats, though they won’t treat it like one. The Spartans should run away with this game.

MSU 42, Montana State 14

Michigan vs. Western Michigan

3:30 p.m., ABC

MB — I’m sure this is going to be a real barnburner. The Broncos certainly have the talent to get the job done in The Big House and I see them pulling off the “upset” here. The biggest question about this game is this: Will Rich Rodriguez cry at the post-game press conference?

Western Michigan 28, Michigan 17

CV — There are a lot of questions surrounding Michigan coming into the season, both on the field and off it. Obviously the biggest on-field question is the quarterback position, which was atrocious for the Wolverines last season. Freshman Tate Forcier and Denard Robinson both have been hyped as quarterbacks who fit head coach Rich Rodriguez’s offense. If all goes as planned, the Wolverines should win fairly easily, but if things go wrong, I expect a snowball effect that could lead to another upset in The Big House.

Michigan 24, Western Michigan 17

JN — What I want to know is what the Michigan Skunks have to do to get pulled from the 3:30 ABC slot. Former players could come forward and say Osama Bin Laden was a regular for pre-game pep talks and the defamed program would still be reaping Brent Musberger’s glorious praise. In all seriousness, this is a game the Broncos have had circled for months. They’re a team that’s on the upswing and should come out with a bit more of a spark than the Wolverines. If this were a November game, I might give the new U-M offense the benefit of the doubt, but this early it could be dangerous for the lowly ‘U’.

Western Michigan 31, Michigan 24

JT — This game got a whole lot more interesting with the sideshow surrounding the Wolverines’ practice habits. Add in another true freshman quarterback who needs to learn Michigan’s system, no discernible leader on either side of the ball and a coach who plans to give three quarterbacks significant starting time in the game and this game has “upset” written all over it. Remember, this team lost to Toledo last year and the Rockets finished at the bottom of the Mid-American Conference, the Broncos are expected to challenge for the MAC title this season. I still think U-M has too much talent to lose this game, but I won’t be surprised if I’m wrong.

U-M 21, Western Michigan 17

No. 5 Alabama vs. No. 7 Virginia Tech

8 p.m., ABC

MB — This is week one’s premier game and it should be a good one. Virginia Tech is still reeling from losing last year’s Orange Bowl MVP Darren Evans to a torn ACL in August. Expectations are high for Nick Saban and Alabama this season following a 12-2 season, but the Tide starting 12-0 only to lose both the SEC Championship Game and the Sugar Bowl. I’m sure Saban isn’t happy and will rally his team to a 1-0 start this season.

Alabama 31, Virginia Tech 24

CV — Last season, Alabama head coach Nick Saban repeated that his team was young and that they hadn’t reached their potential yet. That’s scary. They have to replace a quarterback but sophomore running back Mark Ingram is a budding superstar. Tyrod Taylor finally will control the reins for the Virginia Tech offense and his athletic ability reminds Hokie fans of the Vick brothers. But Tech doesn’t have a solid starting running back. Alabama was in this situation a year ago and rolled over Clemson. They are also hungry to regain their reputation after an embarrassing finish last season.

Alabama 31, Virginia Tech 17

JN — I love — LOVE — Beamer ball and can’t wait to see the long-time pride of the ACC being tested by one of the SEC’s top teams. Both of these teams will certainly be in the conversation for BCS games at the end of the season and the coaches are probably thrilled with the shot to open with a win against a top 10 team and also to be able to take the whole season to recover in the polls, should they lose. The difference is that Bama’s tough schedule will give them a chance to recoup a loss by season’s end. Tech’s ACC schedule will not be taken so seriously. This makes it more of a must-win for the Hokies.

Alabama 34, Virginia Tech 24

JT — This should be the marquee game of Week 1. The lasting image of Alabama is that they were absolutely dominated in the Sugar Bowl by Utah. Virginia Tech, last season’s Atlantic Coast Conference champion, is trying to stay atop a conference that at the moment is a half step below the Mountain West in competition. However, these are still top-tier programs and both will challenge to return to a BCS bowl game this year. The Hokies seem to be the stronger team and Alabama has to replace too much on offense to be a factor this early in the season. Virginia Tech should roll in this game but Alabama’s defense will keep the game close.

Virginia Tech 28, Alabama 21

No. 13 Georgia vs. No. 9 Oklahoma State

MB — Part of me has a hard time seeing either of these teams doing anything big this season. Both the SEC and Big 12 are so loaded that it’s difficult for any team to break through. However, that doesn’t mean this game doesn’t mean anything, as it will get one of these teams off to an extremely good start. Georgia has lost some talent from its Capital One Bowl-winning team, but Oklahoma State is a team that can get up and down the field in a hurry and I can’t see Georgia being able to compete with that at this point in time.

Oklahoma State 38, Georgia 17

CV — Oklahoma State is everyone’s pick to shake up the BCS this year and it’s easy to see why. Their offense is scary good but their defense still needs to stop somebody for them to contend for the Big 12 South title. Even though the Cowboys are playing a top-15 team, Georgia needs to replace high-profile stars at quarterback and running back, which could help the Cowboys. Oklahoma State had a string of incidents lately regarding players getting in trouble, which could derail the biggest season in school history. Still, I expect the Cowboys to put as many points up in real life as I put up with them in EA Sports NCAA Football 2010.

Oklahoma State 49, Georgia 21

JN — If Oklahoma State is finally going to get over the hump and become a legitimate Big 12 contender and BCS bowl team, this opener will go a long way to indicate how close they are to that status. The Cowboys should be riding a lot of the wave of success that carried them last year while the Bulldogs are in rebuilding mode. Losing Matthew Stafford to the Lions — who would probably be ranked lower than both these teams in the latest AP college football poll — will be the first hole for Georgia to address.

Oklahoma State 38, Georgia 29

JT — This will be a coming-out game for Oklahoma State. The Cowboys may be the less publicized team in their state, but with arguably the best quarterback-wide receiver tandem in the Big 12, Oklahoma State will be tough to handle this season. Georgia lost superstars Matthew Stafford and Knowshon Moreno to the NFL, but the Bulldogs are a team that constantly replenishes talent and should be able to make up for its loss. Regardless of how good Georgia can be, Oklahoma State will be the surprise team this year and could challenge Oklahoma and Texas for the conference title.

Oklahoma State 42, Georgia 28