UAB returns to the world of college football this season, three years after it unwisely shuttered the program.

Somehow, Bill Clark, the program's head coach, stayed around as the administration and school debated on whether to bring the team back. In that fateful 2014 season, Clark, who came from Jacksonville State, led the Blazers to bowl eligibility.

Then? The Big Haircut.

As the school spent $40 million to resurrect football, these are the reasons the 49-year-old Clark stayed.

CBS Sports: Why did you stick around after the program was dropped in 2014?

Bill Clark: "I am an Alabama guy. I fell in love with these people. These players were so down when I got here. Our first meeting in '14, I can't hardly even get eye contact. Every day, they were like, 'Oh, you're doing what you said you were going to do?'  We came out in new uniforms, they started crying. The business guys started to get involved: 'We'll do this if you stay.' I said, 'I'll stay if you do this right.'"

CBS Sports: Did you have calls from friends who knew of jobs elsewhere?

Clark: "I wasn't ready. There were a couple that intrigued me. It wasn't meant to be. That's when I said, 'Maybe I'm supposed to be here.' I had not had time to get over the death."

CBS Sports: What's the future for schools in the Group of Five given the disparity between them and the Power Five?

Clark: "Three out of four years, [Conference USA] has had the best bowl record. … This is a competitive, well-coached conference. We've got to be more creative. I'm an old high-school coach. We've sold cookie dough and fund raised so I think there is a place for us."

The wandering Owls

Rice can't catch a break. The football team relocated to TCU this week after it returned from Sydney while it waits out the Hurricane Harvey damage in Houston. Athletic director Joe Karlgaard recounted his teams' prior two trips overseas.

  • The team charter broke down in Honolulu on Christmas Day 2014 with the Owls trying to get out after the Hawaii Bowl. Eventually, Fresno State's charter flew over to fetch the Owls.
  • In late 2016, the baseball team went to Cuba for a foreign trip. Shortly after their first game, Fidel Castro died. The country went into mourning. The remaining baseball portion of the trip was cancelled. Karlgaard said the team couldn't rearrange flights and had to stay the week.

Best chances for a Week 1 upset

Not saying these are going to happen, but would you be surprised if any of this went down this week?

Florida State over Alabama: Bama opened as a 5.5-point favorite, but the line had moved to seven Monday. Isn't that way too much for an FSU team with this much talent?

Temple over Notre Dame: What's ND doing being a 19-point favorite? The defense was terrible last year, and Matt Ruhle left enough talent with the AAC champs when he bolted for Baylor.

Tulsa over Oklahoma State: They're rivals. The over/under is 74. Why not in what promises to be a shootout? Philip Montgomery's Art Briles-influenced offensive scheme is now cemented with the Golden Hurricane.

Wyoming over Iowa: Kirk Ferentz has been hearing about it all offseason. Wyoming's Josh Allen is the real deal. Hawkeyes are 2-3 in their past five home games. One of the losses was to FCS power North Dakota State.

Colorado State over Colorado: The Rams have the advantage of what's under their belt -- a feel-good, stadium-opening rout of Oregon State. Don't teams make their biggest improvement from first to second game?