Week one delivered what college football is all about, from the ten points scored in the Iowa game to the 124 points scored between App State and UNC, we got to see all kinds of crazy.
Everyone that thought Georgia would not be as good as last year's team, myself included, was quickly proven wrong in their utter demolition of Oregon. Ohio State’s offense was not as explosive against Notre Dame as we expected, but I also think this Notre Dame defense is incredibly strong. After Cincinnati’s loss, a chance to be the best group of 5 team emerges. Michigan showed us that it’s not a sure fire thing we’ll be seeing Ohio State in Indy representing the Big Ten East. And will Florida be the second best team in the SEC East, not Kentucky?
Everything we think we know about the teams could completely change once the weekend is over, which is why we watch this sport.
I don’t understand how the AP voters can justify putting Alabama over Georgia when Georgia is not only the reigning National Champions, but actually played a ranked power 5 opponent in the first week.
My Playoff Predictions:
Georgia
Alabama
Ohio State
USC
*still very unsure about fourth team
Potential Heisman Candidates:
CJ Stroud QB Ohio State
Bryce Young QB Alabama
Will Anderson Edge Alabama
Anthony Richardson QB Florida
Caleb Williams QB USC
My Predictions for this Week:
Last Week: 5/9
Mizzou at Kansas State: I think this game will determine if Mizzou goes bowling this season or not. If the Tigers can get this huge road win they can build so much momentum off of it. The big question mark is if Missouri’s rushing defense will be able to stop Kansas State running back Deuce Vaughn. Vaughn has the ability to run all over Mizzou’s weak defensive line. I think Brady Cook and Luther Burden can keep this one close, but not enough to be able to overcome the Wildcats.
South Carolina at (16)Arkansas: USC quarterback and Oklahoma transfer Spencer Rattler was not very impressive last weekend as Carolina played a much closer game than expected with Georgia State. Arkansas opened with a true test as they took down the Bearcats. They did suffer some injuries to the defense, which really changed how easily UC could get the ball down field. Arkansas will need to make sure they’re not getting exploited by the deep ball, but I think they should win pretty handedly.
(20)Kentucky at (12) Florida: The Billy Napier era at Florida started on a high note last weekend with the Gators' dramatic game sealing interception in the end zone to clinch their win over Utah. QB Anthony Richardson emerged as a Heisman dark horse after his impressive performance. Kentucky, meanwhile, received lots of hype going into the season, but failed to live up to it in their lack-luster win against Miami (Ohio). Kentucky was without two of their starters due to undisclosed suspensions, and it is still unsure if those players will be available for the Florida game. I think Anthony Richardson is a better quarterback than Will Levis and the Gators will win another huge game at home.
(1)Alabama at Texas: In a game with two of the most recognizable brands in the sport, I’m still doubtful it will actually be a good game. While Texas should be better this season with Quinn Ewers, he is still a freshman and has to face the big, strong Alabama defensive line. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young already has plenty of experience playing in big time games in front of rowdy road atmospheres. Nick Saban has lost two games in the past year to former assistants, and his anger about this doesn’t fare well for the Longhorns, led by a former Saban assistant. I think Alabama will really pull away in the second half.
(24)Tennessee at (17)Pitt: Pitt is coming off a huge win in the Backyard Brawl while Tennessee blew out Ball State. In this meeting last season, the Panthers upset the Vols at Neyland in a close game. Pitt is a different team this year without Kenny Pickett, and will be relying more on the run game. Tennessee is supposed to be super explosive with Hendon Hooker which could be a problem for the Pitt defense. I think that the Tennessee offense will score too many points for Pitt to keep up with them.
App State at (6)Texas A&M: After App State’s heartbreaking loss last weekend, there is a chance they could have a hangover effect and lay an egg here. However, I think they are actually going to pull off the upset. Texas A&M’s offense wasn’t very explosive and we know App State can put up lots of points so I’m picking a big upset.
Washington State at (19)Wisconsin: Going into the season, I thought Washington State would continue the momentum they built last season under interim coach Jake Dickert, who is now the head coach. However, the Cougars struggled to put up that many points against Idaho, which makes me think they will really struggle against Wisconsin’s defense. I am interested in seeing if quarterback Graham Mertz looks any better in his junior season. If he continues to struggle it will be a close game, but either way I am going with the Badgers.
(25)Houston at Texas Tech: Houston played in a three-overtime thriller with UTSA last weekend and emerged as a candidate to be the top group of five schools. Texas Tech will be without their starting quarterback, but their backup has had game experience before. Texas Tech’s new offensive coordinator is Zach Kittley, who was the Western Kentucky coordinator who had his team putting up the best offensive numbers in the country. The Houston defense should be able to shut down the Red Raiders a little bit, but I think it will still be a relatively high scoring game. I believe Texas Tech will win and Joey McGuire will get his first big win.
Hawaii at (4)Michigan: My pick here is obviously going to be the Wolverines, but what I’m interested in is the quarterback situation. Harbough said he will make a decision over the starter after this game, but as long as JJ McCarthy doesn’t play horribly, it seems like he’s going to be the starter.
(9)Baylor at (21)BYU: Despite being a matchup between two ranked teams, this game has gotten very little attention. BYU went across the country last weekend and put up 50 on USF and Baylor scored 69 in their game against Albany, so this should be a fun one. Baylor has a better defense than BYU, but I think the environment in Provo at night will give the edge to the Cougars in a close game.
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