Not only does college football begin this week, but the scheduling Gods won't make us wait for Saturday as Thursday opens up a good platter of contests to start the season.

Within the GNAC, three teams suit up Thursday with another three hitting the gridiron Saturday.

Without further ado, let's look at what we've got on tap.

Humboldt State (9-1 in 2011) vs. Colorado Mesa (4-7 in 2011)
6 p.m., Thursday, Redwood Bowl

When you're the big dog on campus, there's a lot to prove. Coaches will tell their teams to not focus on what's being said, but they will talk about meeting and exceeding expectations a team places on itself. The expectation here is the GNAC preseason favorite will handle the conference and Colorado Mesa.
"We're the defending (GNAC) champs and there's no sneaking up on anyone anymore," HSU head coach Rob Smith said in this week's game notes.

As much is to be expected, that's pretty much all there is at the beginning of the year. Like every other Division II team in the nation, Humboldt has only played against itself this August and also must face a team that went through a complete coaching change during the offseason as CMU's Russ Martin left Nebraska-Kearney to take over the helm in Grand Junction, Colo.
"It's a situation in which we have to study the coach and gather information on what he's done at other places he's been," Smith said in HSU's game notes. "There isn't a lot more we can do beyond study our opponent so we're going to focus more on ourselves."

CMU was nearly 50/50 when it came to the run versus the pass, but opponents threw for more than 300 yards per game against the Mavericks last year. Again, Martin and crew in Grand Junction bring a new philosophy, but that's still a glaring statistic.

For Humboldt, what's glaring for them is personnel. Obviously, you rebuild a bit when you lose your No. 1 quarterback and running back to graduation in Mike Proulx and Lyndon Rowells. However, the Lumberjacks have eight starters from last year as the No. 1's for Thursday.

Under Smith's guidance, Humboldt has done nothing but improve. Starting at 2-8 in 2008, the 'Jacks went 5-5 in 2009, 8-3 in 2010, before last year's 9-1 GNAC title campaign. Beyond a playoff spot in 2012, it's hard to improve much on last year's record, but the Lumberjacks are playing at home against a Maverick team picked to finish fifth in the 10-team Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. This one goes Humboldt State's way, 27-10.

Azusa Pacific (9-3 NAIA Independent in 2011) at UC-Davis (4-7 FCS in 2011)
6 p.m., Thursday, Aggie Stadium

What a welcome to Division II for Azusa Pacific. Not only does the APU Cougars have to travel, but it's to a FCS-level opponent in UC-Davis.

Let's lay it out on the table now: UCD brings back its No. 1 quarterback, No. 1 running back and top three receivers from last season's offense. Defensively, the Aggies also return four of its top six tacklers as well.

Azusa has 13 starters returning (six offensive, five defensive and two special teams), which will be certainly nice to rely on, however, lose quarterback John van den Raadt who rushed for 1,200 yards and passed for another 1,875. That's difficult to overcome. You want more difficulty? Try getting through the APU offensive line as four starters who average 303 pounds will protect and pave the way for yardage. One mammoth who is getting professional attention is that of Luke Marquardt who stands 6-foot-9 and weighs 322 pounds.

But again, Azusa Pacific is playing against a Big Sky opponent in UC-Davis. Some might point to the fact that Humboldt State knocked off the UCD Aggies in Davis last year, of course last year's HSU team looks very different than what APU is starting. That's not to say the Cougars can't compete, it's just that they're not there yet. UC-Davis, 45-20.

Simon Fraser (3-7 in 2011) at Pacific (1-8 Division III in 2011)
7 p.m., Thursday, Lincoln Park Stadium

This is a rematch from last year's 36-28 win for Simon Fraser. Both teams are still in their infancy at the current level. Over the offseason, SFU was welcomed as the first Canadian member to the NCAA, while Pacific begins its third year as a Division III school after reviving it's program.

While Pacific has four starters returning on each side of the ball, Simon Fraser brings back six true performers on both sides. Running back Bo Palmer was a double threat with 1219 yards on the ground to go along with another 28 receptions. Simon Fraser returns three from the defensive secondary and another two linebackers, so the Clan certainly have experience on their side when going up against the seemingly overmatched Boxers.

Hopefully this acts as a finale of this renewed series as on paper Pacific looks to be significantly overmatched despite being able to play SFU at home for the second straight year. While The Clan aren't threats for the GNAC crown today, they have more size and firepower against the smaller Boxer team. SFU opens up at 1-0 with a 34-18 victory.

Jon Guddat covers the GNAC for D2football.com. Contact Jon at [email protected].