College Football 2011: 7 Teams on Upset Alert in Week 1

With the 2011 NCAA football season now less then 100 days away from kicking off, fans will start to get more excited about the upcoming season as each day passes.

The one thing that helps separate college football from the pros is the fact that a Week 1 upset can end a team's title run before it ever gets a chance to begin.

While most teams intentionally schedule an easier game in Week 1 to help start their season off on the right foot, here are seven teams that will face a bigger test than they may have intended.

TCU

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PASADENA, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Andy Dalton #14 and linebacker Tank Carder #43 of the TCU Horned Frogs celebrate with the Rose Bowl Championship Trophy after defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 21-19 in the 97th Rose Bowl game on January 1, 2011 in Pa

Coming off their Rose Bowl victory, TCU will head on the road and take on Baylor in Week 1 of the 2011 season.

While TCU will bring a strong defense on the road, this will be their first look at life without quarterback Andy Dalton.

On the other side of the ball, Baylor is an up-and-coming team in the Big 12, and quarterback Robert Griffin will be ready to air out the ball.

While TCU will be favored, the fact they will be on the road, starting a new quarterback and going up against Griffin, have them on upset alert.

Miami

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MIAMI, FL - OCTOBER 9: Jacory Harris #12 of the Miami Hurricanes hrows the ball against the Florida State Seminoles on October 9, 2010 at Sun Life Stadium in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Joel Auerbach/Getty Images)

Year in and year out, Miami fans expect the best out of their team, and this year will be no different. While senior Jacory Harris returns for his final year at Miami, his starting position is not locked up.

Miami suffered from inconsistencies in 2010 and did not play disciplined football.

In Week 1, Miami will hit the road to play Maryland, and this game could quickly set the tone for a rough season for the Hurricanes.

With new head coach Randy Edsall in his first year, Maryland returns the majority of its two-deep roster and will lean on the arm of Danny O'Brien.

Boise State

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LAS VEGAS, NV - DECEMBER 22: Quarterback Kellen Moore #11 of the Boise State Broncos warms up before playing against the Utah Utes in the MAACO Bowl Las Vegas at Sam Boyd Stadium December 22, 2010 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Boise State Won 26-3. (Photo by Et

While a Week 1 loss to Georgia would not look that bad, it would immediately end Boise State's idea of heading to the BCS title game.

Boise State enters the year with the understanding that any loss will eliminate them from contention, and they need to be ready to go in Week 1 as they head down to Georgia.

Despite being on the road, the expectation in this game is that Kellen Moore and the Broncos should be able to win.

Even after losing some solid talent on both sides of the ball, Georgia has Aaron Murray returning for his second season as starter and will give the Boise defense all it can handle.

Michigan

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JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Denard Robinson #16 of the Michigan Wolverines rushes against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the Gator Bowl at EverBank Field on January 1, 2011 in Jacksonville, Florida (Photo by Rick Dole/Getty Images)

While Michigan will be opening up the Brady Hoke era in Week 1 of the 2011 season, they have struggled in the opening week of the season over the past five years.

In 2011, Michigan will start the year at home as Western Michigan comes into the Big House to start the season.

Behind quarterback Denard Robinson, Michigan will be a big favorite in this game, but the Michigan defense proved that almost anyone could score on them in 2010.

If Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder can get the offense going and the defense can manage to slow down Robinson, Hoke could get off to a rough start in Ann Arbor.

Washington

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EUGENE, OR - NOVEMBER 6: Linebackers Spencer Paysinger #35 and Clay Matthews #55 of the Oregon Ducks tackle running back Chris Polk #1 of the Washington Huskies in the first quarter of the game at Autzen Stadium on November 6, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon. The

Out of the Big Sky conference, Eastern Washington will head on the road to take on Washington in the opening week of the 2011 season.

Washington will open the season without Jake Locker for the first time in four years and will put their hopes into the hands of Chris Polk at running back and Keith Price at quarterback.

While playing at home, Washington will have to be ready to go from the opening kick.

In the end, Washington should win this game with ease, but the Big Sky champs will make it rough on them early. If Price cannot get the passing game going, this game could get interesting.

Virginia Tech

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: Hokie Bird, mascot of the Virginia Tech Hokies looks on against the Stanford Cardinal during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miami, Florida. Stanford won 40-12. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Gett

This is the perfect storm of a team prone to being upset by teams they have no business losing to against a team that has found ways to keep games competitive against Division I schools.

In 2007, Appalachian State opened their season by defeating Michigan on the road in Ann Arbor. From there, they have continued to compete against big schools, including LSU, Florida and East Carolina.

This year, they go up against Virginia Tech, the same VT that fell victim to an upset in Week 2 last year, when they lost to James Madison at home.

If this game is close early on, the memories of last year could start to creep into the minds of the Hokies.

Cal

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BERKELEY, CA - NOVEMBER 13: Brock Mansion #10 of the California Golden Bears in action against the Oregon Ducks at California Memorial Stadium on November 13, 2010 in Berkeley, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

Last year, Cal head coach Jeff Tedford suffered his first losing season since arriving at Cal. Along with this loss, Tedford is now on the hot seat.

In Week 1, the Golden Bears welcome Fresno State in for the season opener.

The focus in this year's offseason for Fresno has been taking this program to the next level. They have consistently been around the eight-win mark, and they are looking to improve on that in 2011.

What better way to strive towards that goal then with a win to open the year at Cal.