Big East Football Schedule, Week 1: UConn Vs. UMass Open 2012 College Football Season

The 2012 college football season officially begins Thursday, as a handful of non-conference contests are on the schedule. One of the games includes a Big East Conference program, Connecticut Huskies, hosting the UMass Minutemen (7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2).

All but one Big East school is in action this coming week, as the Cincinnati Bearcats are the only team with a bye in Week 1. The rest of the contests are listed below with game times, TV listings and betting odds:

UMass Minutemen (0-0) at Connecticut Huskies (0-0)

Date: Thursday, Aug. 30
Game Time: 7:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
Odds: N/A
What You Need To Know: This is the first meeting between the two schools as Football Bowl Subdivision members. All-time, these two programs have met 71 times and UMass holds a slim 36-33-2 advantage in the series.

Villanova Wildcats (0-0) at Temple Owls (0-0)

Date: Friday, Aug. 31
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
Odds: N/A
What You Need To Know: This will be the Owls first game as a member of the Big East since leaving the conference in 2005. Temple was asked to rejoin the league as a football-only member during the offseason. The Wildcats are a member of the conference in every sport but football.

Northwestern Wildcats (0-0) at Syracuse Orange (0-0)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 1
Game Time: 12 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Odds: Northwestern (-2)
What You Need To Know: This will be the 10th meeting between the two schools, and the Orange are 3-1 in the last four contests. The Wildcats are 0-3 at the Carrier Dome.

Youngstown State Penguins (0-0) at Pittsburgh Panthers (0-0)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 1
Game Time: 6 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
Odds: N/A
What You Need To Know: This will be the first game for new Pitt head coach Paul Chryst, who served as the offensive coordinator at Wisconsin last season. Youngstown State enter the 2012 season ranked No. 13 in the Sports Networks Football Championship Subdivision poll.

Cattanooga Mocs (0-0) at USF Bulls (0-0)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 1
Game Time: 7 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN3
Odds: N/A
What You Need To Know: This is the first ever contest between the two schools. Chattanooga went 5-6 overall and 3-5 in the FCS' Southern Conference.

Rutgers Scarlet Knights (0-0) at Tulane Green Wave (0-0)

Date: Saturday, Sept. 1
Game Time: 8 p.m. ET
TV: CBS Sports Network
Odds: Rutgers (-20)
What You Need To Know: There was doubt that this game would be played as Hurricane Isaac has been pounding the New Orleans area for the past few days. But things will go off as planned.

Kentucky Wildcats (0-0) at Louisville Cardinals (0-0)

Date: Sunday, Sept. 2
Game Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN
Odds: Louisville (-14)
What You Need To Know: This will be the 24th meeting between the two Kentucky rivals that will be competing for the Governors Cup. The Wildcats own a 14-10 record against the Cardinals, who earned a 24-17 victory last season.

For more on Big East football, visit the SB Nation blog Big East Coast Bias.