Chris Murray

RGJ

The 2014 Wolf Pack football season opens in 50 days when Nevada plays FCS foe Southern Utah at Mackay Stadium on Aug. 30. Here are 50 things I'm looking forward to this college football season, including national and local story lines.

The College Football Playoff: It's about time they settled things on the field like every other sport.

The Iron Bowl: No rivalry in sports is as testy as Auburn and Alabama. These games deliver gems.

Cody Fajardo's senior season: Can he go out on top like Colin Kaepernick did as a senior in 2010?

Jameis Winston's encore: Can he repeat the success of 2013? And can he stay out of trouble?

Army vs. Navy: With sports becoming more and more about money, this is college football at its best.

Chris Petersen at UW: After leaving Boise State, can Petersen make Washington nationally relevant?

Boise State's new era: Broncos fans are enthused with Bryan Harsin, but can he meet the lofty standards?

Brock Hekking's hair: Nevada's defensive end made the mullet stylish in 2013. What's on tap in 2014?

The uniforms: Some team is going to wear a ridiculous uniform (the smart money is on Maryland).

Michigan State at Oregon: Many play it safe in nonleague. Not these teams, which meet Sept. 6.

Steve Spurrier: The South Carolina coach is a rabble-rouser. Who's cage will he rattle this year?

Nate Sudfeld: The Indiana QB (and brother of ex-Pack TE Zach Sudfeld) is in line for a huge season.

Hasaan Henderson: At 6-foot-5, he'll become Nevada's most exciting receiver since Rishard Matthews.

Bahamas Bowl: I'm usually against more bowl games, but I'm OK with this one, which debuts in 2014.

Heisman Trophy race: I'll just come out and ruin it: Oregon's Marcus Mariota is going to win.

Charlie Strong in Texas: Strong wowed at Louisville. He must awaken the sleeping giant that is Texas.

Lane Kiffin in Alabama: He failed at USC, so will be succeed as Alabama's new offensive coordinator?

Scott Boone's system: Nevada's new defensive coordinator will blitz more than his predecessors.

Chuckie Keeton: A torn ACL ended his 2013 season, but the Utah State QB will be healthy and lethal in 2014.

Texas A&M after Johnny Football: Can Kevin Sumlin keep the Aggies rolling without Johnny Manziel?

FCS title race: With ex-coach Craig Bohl in Wyoming, can North Dakota State win a fourth straight title?

Pac-12 title race: Oregon and UCLA are the favorites, but don't count out Stanford, USC or Arizona State.

Nevada-SDSU: The past two games between these teams have gone to OT. Let's make it three in a row.

Leonard Fournette: LSU's 6-2, 225-pound true freshman running back is going to be a star.

Lee Corso on College GameDay: It's worth watching just to see what mascot head Corso wears.

Muschamp's swan song? Can Florida's Will Muschamp (22-16 at Florida) make it through the season?

Wazzu in Reno: Washington State will become just the fifth Pac-12 team to play at Mackay Stadium.

Life after Carr: How will Fresno State coach Tim DeRuyter fare with Derek Carr off to the NFL?

The selection committee: Good luck sorting out the one-loss teams while picking a four-team playoff.

Bobby Petrino back at Louisville: Hopefully, he leaves the motorcycle in the garage this time around.

Myles Jack: You have to love UCLA's two-way player, who had 75 tackles and seven TDs as a freshman.

New Mexico Bowl: The past two New Mexico Bowls, including Nevada-Arizona in 2012, have been epic.

Ian Seau: With more weight behind his quick first step, the Wolf Pack DE could get double-digit sacks.

Can Duke double dip? Will Duke follow its ACC Coastal Division title with another 10-plus win season?

A Miami (Ohio) or Georgia St. win: Both teams were 0-12 last year. We'd like to see at least one win.

MWC title game: The likely matchup is Boise State-Fresno State, but both divisions are wide open.

Pack vs. option: Air Force's triple option has befuddled the Pack (90 points, 1,053 yards in two games).

Art Briles' arcade game: The Baylor coach knows offense. His teams have averaged 47.4 ppg since '11.

Stanford's defense: Football is all about offense, but it's great to see a physical defense like Stanford's.

Luke Arciniega: The Spanish Springs grad could win a starting linebacker job at Syracuse.

Week 1: Oklahoma St.-Florida St.; LSU- Wisconsin; Texas A&M-South Carolina; Clemson-Georgia.

D'Andre Fuller's debut: The Wolf Pack redshirt freshman receiver is fast. Really, really fast.

SEC vs. Country: The battle between the SEC homers and the other power conferences is entertaining.

Dotting the "I" at Ohio State: The Buckeyes' band dotting the "I" at halftime is a great tradition.

Wilson vs. Wilson: Nevada LS Tyler Wilson will go against dad, Ken, an assistant at Washington State.

The new Kyle Field: Texas A&M's home got a $450 million facelift, making it the SEC's largest stadium.

Bowl names: Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl; Duck Commander Independence Bowl; TaxSlayer Bowl; Famous Idaho Potato Bowl; R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. Nothing says football like Royal Purple.

Tucker Melcher on the field: The Galena High grad and Pack receiver beat a potentially deadly brain infection and could return to Nevada in 2014. We'd like to see the walk-on hit the field a least once.

Odd ankle streak: Nevada has broken the ankle of a quarterback three straight years. Will it continue?

The Fremont Cannon game: Last, but not least, the Nevada-UNLV Battle for the Fremont Cannon on Nov. 29. The Wolf Pack will look to win back the Fremont Cannon in Las Vegas for the first time since 1978, when Nevada running back Frank Hawkins carried the cannon back home on the plane in 1978.

Columnist Chris Murray provides insight on Northern Nevada sports. Contact him at cmurray@rgj.com or follow him on Twitter @MurrayRGJ.