Friday college football: Colorado State tops archrival, Michigan State in action

Syracuse hasn’t been able to put away Villanova in the early going of their season-opening matchup against the FCS squad, and it won’t get any easier: Their starting quarterback, Terrel Hunt, opted to throw a punch at a Wildcat player, earning him an ejection and forcing the Orange to go with unproven freshman Austin Wilson.

Here’s the punch, which came with Syracuse up 10-7 in the second quarter:

Things aren’t going so great for new head coach Dino Babers and the Bowling Green Falcons in their season opener. Frustrations rose in the middle of the second quarter, culminating when defensive back Darrell Hunter punched WKU tight end Tyler Higbee directly in the helmet. He also did so directly next to a referee, getting himself ejected in the process.

Western Kentucky is also breaking in a new head coach -- Jeff Brohm -- and his debut is going much more smoothly.

Get caught up on Thursday’s major-conference opening night and ready for a night of games that might make up in quantity what it lacks in quality.

Vanquish The Foe and The UConn Blog: Team sites trade Q&As

Houston is attempting to improve on last season’s 8-4 regular season record. The Cougars finished their campaign with losses in four of their final five games, including a 17-point defeat at the hands of Vanderbilt in the BBVA Compass Bowl. Even with the late-season collapse, the season was a considerable step up for second-year coach Tony Levine. The Cougars dominated Texas opposition in 2013, defeating three opponents from the Lone Star State (including UTSA) by a combined score of 124-54.

UTSA, now in its third season as an FBS program and fourth season overall, earned bowl-level respect with five straight wins to close the season. While the Roadrunners did not qualify for a bowl due to their recent move into FBS, the late-season surge sets the stage for a potential Conference USA West division title run in 2014.

The Bob Diaco era begins at Connecticut on Friday, as the Huskies host BYU. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET, with television coverage on ESPN and streaming broadcast available through WatchESPN.

Connecticut jettisoned former coach Paul Pasqualoni midway through the 2013 campaign and hired the former Notre Dame defensive coordinator Diaco as his replacement in December. Friday’s game will be Diaco’s first as a head coach at any level. He won the 2012 Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant coach.

The Buffaloes hold a 62-21-1 edge all-time over their in-state rivals, but the recent history of the game is nowhere near as lopsided. The Rams have won six of their last 15 meetings with Colorado, including a five-point victory in 2012. Last year, Colorado left Denver with a 14-point victory.

Colorado kicks off its second season under coach Mike MacIntyre, having gone 4-8 in his inaugural campaign. Former Alabama assistant Jim McElwain is starting his third year as head coach in Fort Collins, having taken the Rams to a win in the New Mexico Bowl last season.