Florida-Utah, Matt Rhule's debut and more to watch Thursday night

The first week of Thursday night college football kicks off with 11 games, highlighted by an SEC-Pac-12 showdown between Florida and Associated Press preseason No. 14 Utah.

Here's a look at what's most worth paying attention to as Week 1 of the regular season kicks into gear.

BAD MOON 'RISING' IN UTAH? Reigning Pac-12 champion Utah has a potential major concern at quarterback heading into a revenge game against Florida. Quarterback Cameron Rising (ACL) is in doubt for the opener, with head coach Kyle Whittingham saying he would wait minutes until kickoff before announcing his decision. (h/t KSL.com)

"We're truly unsettled, he said. "There's really no deception ... It's just we'll see how things progress."

Last season, Rising went toe-to-toe with former Florida QB Anthony Richardson, the No. 4 overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, in a thrilling 29-26 Gators win. 

Luckily for the Utes, Florida has its own problems at quarterback. Four-star recruit Jaden Rashada decommitted from Florida and eventually landed at Arizona State. Florida will start Wisconsin transfer Graham Mertz, instead. If Rising plays, Utah should be able to handle Florida. If he's unable to go, the Gators might be able to pull off another upset. Florida at Utah, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN) 

MATT RHULE'S NEBRASKA DEBUT Rhule is back where he belongs after an ill-fated excursion to the NFL. The former Baylor head coach rebuilt that program after Art Briles' tenure ended in disgrace and his next task is to revive a program that was once college football royalty.

Nebraska was a powerhouse in the 1990s but has fallen on hard times in recent years. Can Rhule do what prodigal son Scott Frost couldn't? Rhule brought in former Georgia Tech quarterback Jeff Sims, who will start the Cornhuskers' Big Ten opener against the Golden Gophers. Nebraska at Minnesota, 8 p.m. ET (Fox)

TRENT DILFER KICKS OFF A NEW ERA AT UAB Less than a decade ago in Dec. 2014, UAB shuttered its football program, only to return in time for 2017. This offseason, the Blazers jumped to the American Athletic Conference and hired former Super Bowl winner Trent Dilfer as their head coach.

Dilfer, a former 13-year NFL pro, began his post-playing career in broadcasting before moving to coaching. He worked closely with Tua Tagovailoa ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft and previously coached Lipscomb Academy, a Nashville-area high school football powerhouse, for four seasons, going 43-10 and winning the TSSAA Division II-AA BlueCross Bowl in 2022. North Carolina AT at UAB, 8 p.m. ET (ESPN+)

KENNY DILLINGHAM'S RAW DEAL Arizona State administrators imposed a bowl ban for the 2023 season on Aug. 27, days before the Sun Devils kick off their season under first-year head coach Dillingham. 

"Devastating," was how a source described the team's reaction to ESPN. Violations stem from former coaches under ex-head coach Herm Edwards breaking rules during the COVID-19 recruiting dead period. ESPN's Pete Thamel noted the NCAA's decision not to issue a bowl ban to Tennessee after its own investigation, instead levying an $8M fine. 

"That decision prompted speculation that bowl bans may be an antiquated tool for punishment," Thamel wrote. 

Essentially, it seems as though ASU officials issued the bowl ban as a way to offset a potential NCAA financial penalty. If that's the case, this year's Sun Devils squad will be the ones that suffer the most, certainly not Edwards, who will have plenty of time to explain the ramifications of Arizona State's bowl ban on TV at ESPN.

Oh, the Sun Devils also play a football game on Thursday, an expected easy win over FCS Southern Utah. Southern Utah at Arizona State, 10 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Networks)