College football set to kick off this weekend; Big 12 has some big-time quarterbacks to watch this season

This is an article version of the CBS Sports HQ AM Newsletter, the ultimate guide to every day in sports. You can sign up to get it in your inbox every weekday morning here.

🏈 Good morning to everyone, but especially to …

COLLEGE FOOTBALL FANS

We’re sooooooo back. College football begins this weekend with four Week 0 games, highlighted by No. 10 Florida State taking on Georgia Tech in Dublin. Here’s our preview.

All eyes will go to Seminoles quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, now on his third team in three years after starting his career at Clemson and taking a one-year rendezvous at Oregon State. Dennis Dodd talked with the well-traveled fifth-year signal caller in an absolute must-read.

Will he start his Seminole career 1-0? We have expert picks and Chip Patterson’s best bet right here. And when Uiagalelei’s not on the field, be sure to keep an eye out for one of Bryant McFadden’s 20 underrated NFL prospects.

• McFadden: “Darrell Jackson, DL, Florida State — Darrell might be the most physically imposing defensive tackle in college football. At 6-foot-5 and 330 pounds, he has defensive back quickness and plays with violent hands. He could be the next great FSU defensive tackle. Darrell’s game reminds me of Albert Haynesworth.”

After that, we’ll have a fun one for you on CBS Sports Network: SMU at Nevada. The Mustangs are making their debut as an ACC program while the Wolf Pack introduce head coach Jeff Choate. Will Backus likes SMU, big time.

• Backus: “SMU is a dark horse to compete for the ACC, and the Mustangs will certainly want to make an impression in their first game of the year. … Choate has quite the rebuild ahead of him. This could be looked at as Year 0 for the Wolf Pack. Rhett Lashlee, meanwhile, enters his third year as SMU’s coach and returns a lot of production off of 2023’s 11-win team. This should be a nice tune-up game for SMU before it gets into the meat of its 2024 slate. Pick: SMU -25.5“

👍 Honorable mentions

⚾ And not such a good morning for …

SCOTT SERVAIS AND THE SEATTLE MARINERS

Well, that escalated quickly … as the Mariners de-escalated. Seattle fired manager Scott Servais and hitting coach/director of hitting strategy Jarret DeHart amid the team’s slide from AL West leader to barely in the playoff picture. Former catcher Dan Wilson will take over.

• Seattle was a season-best 13 games over .500, and the AL West leader by 10 games on June 18. Since then, they are 20-33 — only the historically awful White Sox are worse — to retreat to 64-64 this season, 5.5 games behind the Astros in the division and 7.5 games behind the Royals and Twins for the final AL Wild Card spot.
• Over that span, the pitching has remained very good, but the bats have flatlined. Seattle ranks last in batting average, 29th in strikeout percentage and 27th in runs per game. They have scored three or fewer runs in 30 of their 53 games.
• “We believe that we need a new voice in the clubhouse,” Mariners GM Jerry Dipoto said in a statement.

Seravis, 57, went 680-642 (.514 winning percentage) in nine years with Seattle, ending its 21-year playoff drought in 2022. It had been the longest such streak among major North American professional team sports.

Only Lou Piniella has more managerial wins in franchise history.

👎 Not so honorable mentions

🏈 Big 12 expert picks: Who takes helm with Texas, Oklahoma gone?

Come on down, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and Arizona State! You’re part of the 16-team Big 12, and one of you, according to our expert picks, is already the favorite. The Utes top the predicted order of finish on five of eight ballots, including Shehan Jeyarajah’s.

• Jeyarajah: “When quarterback Cameron Rising is fully healthy, the Utes are 19-4 over the past three seasons with two conference championships. Utah also added four proven pass-catchers via the transfer portal to team up with tight end Brant Kuithe and receiver Money Parks. The defense is stacked as usual, headlined by defensive tackle Junior Tafuna. If some things break right, this could be the best overall team of the Kyle Whittingham era.”

But for all the new names, there’s plenty of optimism in the old ones, especially in the Sunflower State. Both Kansas and Kansas State got votes for most underrated team, and Richard Johnson is in on the Jayhawks.

• Johnson: “Give me all the Jayhawks stock I can buy to make a pretty serious run at a Big 12 championship behind Jalon Daniels at quarterback; he just has to stay healthy. If he can, this Lance Leipold team will do what just about every Leipold team has done before it: win.”

Of course, we can’t talk Big 12 without talking about Deion Sanders‘ Colorado. Thanks in part to his son, Shedeur, the conference has a ton of quarterback talent. I want you to get to know another conference newcomer, though: Arizona‘s Noah Fiifita. He’s one of five players in Tier I of our Big 12 quarterback tiers.

The Big 12 rounds out our Power Four expert picks, but we have Group of Five picks coming today, and Emory Hunt’s Group of Five Power Rankings to tide you over until then.

🏈 Creed Humphrey, A.J. Terrell become highest-paid players at their positions

If you’re really good at your craft, the money will find you. Chiefs center Creed Humphrey and Falcons cornerback A.J. Terrell were the latest to find out as both signed massive contracts.

Humphrey, who has not missed his game in his NFL career, signed a four-year, $72-million extension that includes $50 million guaranteed. At $18 million per year, the contract blows away Frank Ragnow‘s $13.5 million per year with the Lions, the previous high for a center. Humphrey, 25, has made two Pro Bowls, been named a second-team All-Pro once and has won two Super Bowls.

Terrell, 25, received a four-year, $81-million deal, with $65.8 million guaranteed. The $20.25 million is higher than all but one cornerback, the Packers‘ Jaire Alexander. Terrell, who shares a star-studded defensive backfield alongside Jessie Bates III and Justin Simmons, was a second-team All-Pro in 2021.

📺 What we’re watching this weekend

Friday

🏈 Jaguars at Falcons, 7 p.m. on NFL Network
⚾ Astros at Orioles or Diamondbacks at Red Sox, 7:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 49ers at Raiders, 10 p.m. on NFL Network
⚾ Rays at Dodgers or Giants at Mariners, 10:10 p.m. on MLB Network

Saturday

🏈 No. 10 Florida State vs. Georgia Tech, noon on ESPN
🏈 Steelers at Lions, 1 p.m. on NFL Network
⚾ Rockies at Yankees, 2:05 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Chargers at Cowboys, 4 p.m. on NFL Network
⚾ Cardinals at Twins, 7:10 p.m. on MLB Network
🏈 Giants at Jets, 7:30 p.m. on NFL Network
🏈 SMU at Nevada, 8 p.m. on CBS Sports Network
🏀 Fever at Lynx, 8 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Browns at Seahawks, 10 p.m. on NFL Network

Sunday

🏀 Aces at Sky, noon on CBS
🏈 Titans at Saints, 2 p.m. on NFL Network
🏀 Sparks at Wings, 4 p.m. on NBA TV
🏈 Cardinals at Broncos, 4:30 p.m. on CBS
⚾ Astros at Orioles, 7 p.m. on ESPN
🏈 Patriots at Commanders, 8 p.m. on NBC