Week 1 of the college football season, long known for its glorified, noncompetitive exhibition games, was like a sonic boom. Here’s what we learned from opening week.
Notre Dame is a contender
First, we learned that Notre Dame is no accident. The Irish have an elite defense and only needed to convert a few key third-down plays to take down Ohio State. They may have lost, 21-10, but they performed very well. The difference with Ohio State is their defensive coordinator Jim Knowles, who came over from Oklahoma State.
While others put teams in the top 25 polls after a loss, I thought the Irish were the best team outside of the top three and belong to No. 4. No. 1 Alabama, No. 2 Georgia and No. No. 3 Ohio State are still the gold standard.
RI Soccer:URI football opens season with dominant performance in NY; Bryant falls in overtime in Miami
FSU quarterback Jordan Travis is a player to watch
We also learned that Florida State may have found its quarterback in Jordan Travis, who showed an ability to escape pressure and make positive plays.
The Seminoles tried everything in their power to give the game away, first by fumbled at LSU’s 1-yard line with 80 seconds remaining, and then saw LSU drive 99 yards for a touchdown on the final play. They breathed a sigh of relief when the extra point was blocked and walked away with a 24-23 victory. It was an inauspicious debut for LSU coach Brian Kelly. They showed determination by coming back in the final 4:07 with two touchdowns, but there was visible frustration on the faces of the Tigers players before the comeback. The inference is that Kelly better win or his players will riot.
College football drama is second to none
We learned why college football is the most popular sport with the most unlikely endings. Adding to the LSU-FSU fiasco, North Carolina returned an onside kick to go up, 62-54, against Appalachian State only to see the Mountaineers score a touchdown in 31 seconds but missed a game-tying two-point conversion.
App State scored 40 points in the fourth quarter but still lost. East Carolina missed a game-tying extra point with three minutes left against NC State only to win the ball back and miss a last-second field goal to lose, 21-20. You can’t make this up.
Clemson could make a quarterback trade from DJ Uiagalelei to Cade Klubnik
We learned that No. 4 Clemson, while beating Georgia Tech, 41-10, still doesn’t have the chemistry in quarterback DJ Uiagalelei. Here he says that if he doesn’t improve much soon, trainer Dabo Swinney will bench his top stringer and play five-star freshman stallion Cade Klubnik.
Remember that Swinney benched his first stringman Kelly Bryant five years ago in favor of a guy named Trevor Lawrence and we know how that ended. Clemson won the national championship and Bryant was transferred. Swinney plays to win national championships and if the second stringer gives them the best chance, he’s not afraid to bench the starter. Remember, you didn’t just hear it here first, you only heard it here, period!
In case you missed it, Swinney restructured his contract by signing a new 10-year, $115 million deal.
Don’t sleep with Stetson Bennett
We learned that Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (25 for 31,368 yards) can be special when he manhandled Oregon in a 49-3 win over the Ducks. He confirmed that Oregon and its new head coach aren’t ready for prime time.
Plus:Ken Schreiber discusses the state of college football as the season progresses
CFP expansion devalues regular season
Oh, the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams with a unanimous vote last Friday. What does this mean? First, the six highest ranked conference champions will automatically qualify with the next six highest ranked teams. That’s a positive for the PAC 12, ACC and Big 12 because everyone should be one of those six. It’s also great for the Group of Five leagues, which will have at least one spot guaranteed. The next six should be monopolized by the SEC, the Big 10 and, of course, Notre Dame. The clear and unavoidable negative is that it will decrease the value of the regular season. You will now see teams with two or even three losses qualify for the CFP. The biggest factor in getting it passed is trying to implement it starting in 2024 so these games can be televised and the rich can get richer.
In the countryside
No. 24 Tennessee at No. 17 Pitt (+6.5): Both teams are coming off wins, the Volunteers destroying the Ball State Cardinals, 59-10. Did you know that Ball State is named for the five Ball brothers who founded the institution in Muncie, Indiana, in 1918? His most famous student? David Letterman. Unfortunately, they have a terrible football team, so we can’t say much about the Vols. Pitt was fortunate to defeat West Virginia in the backyard fight, 38-31. This game will come down to which quarterback plays better, Tennessee’s Hendon Hooker or Pitt’s Kedon Slovis. Both are transfers, Hooker from Virginia Teach and Slovis from USC. I’m picking the Panthers to make a play at the end to win it.
No. 20 Kentucky at No. 12 Florida (-5.5): Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson is special. Kentucky has aspirations to win the SEC East, but before they even think about Georgia, this is a make or break game. The Wildcats must not turn the ball over and contain Richardson. Trainer Mark Stoops is trying to get the Wildcat program recognized nationally. A win will put him there. Unfortunately, the game is in Gainesville and, as Kentucky’s basketball coach said a few weeks ago, “Kentucky is a college basketball.” While this angered Stoops, he’s right. Alligators roll!
No. 1 Alabama (-21) at Texas: We already know about ‘Bama QB Bryce Young. He is too far ahead of the others. Texas isn’t ranked, but these are two of the biggest names in college football. He’s in Austin and the Longhorns may have found a quarterback in Quinn Ewers. The Tide is a three-touchdown favorite. Nick Saban vs. Steve Sarkisian, another former assistant turned head coach. Here he says that ‘Bama is too talented and smart to lose. But the real difference is in his discipline. While Young is outstanding, the best player on the field is linebacker Will Anderson, who will disrupt Longhorn’s offense and is a true Heisman candidate. He changes the channel at halftime. Rolling tide!