Week 1 - Sunday Storylines

Freeman's fighters, a Bulldog beatdown and Miami makes a statement.

Instant Replay

What did we just watch?

Freeman’s Fighters - Look, I don’t make the rules. Maybe that assclown Ted Cruz should stop showing up and supporting Texas teams. How about that?

Despite a sluggish offensive showing as a whole, Notre Dame did what it doesn’t usually do, by winning on a national stage 23-13 on the road against Texas A&M.

In a battle of trench warfare, Notre Dame reigned supreme despite starting five offensive linemen with six total starts entering the night.

In the first half, Texas A&M controlled the line of scrimmage but failed to capitalize. In the second half, Notre Dame flipped the script, managing to chip away for a few spare big plays.

The turning point in the game was the big third-quarter TD run by Notre Dame running back Jeremiah Love. That play swung the momentum and gave the offensive line a level of belief it needed to finish the job in the fourth quarter.

Notre Dame aside, Conner Weigman had a tough night. He failed to establish any flow and couldn’t get the A&M pass game established downfield. Maybe he’ll be fine, but tonight he had a really hard time. Credit the Irish defense.

Shoutout to the Nellis clan! Going to enemy territory and escaping feeling good is no small feat. Good for y’all!

Bulldog beatdown - Hype be damned, Georgia took an absolute meat-cleaver to Clemson. No if, ands, or buts about it.

Georgia OC Mike Bobo called a ton of swing passes and high-percentage throws in the first half, and the Bulldogs were limited to a small first-half lead.

But in traditional fashion, Bobo used that first-half game plan to set up his second-half playcalling, leading to a couple of statement drives using primarily swing routes and screen passes. UGA quarterback Carson Beck was rarely tested but certainly looked the part.

On the other hand, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik just was not it. Clemson mustered a measly 188 yards on the day, which is just simply not good enough.

In May, I detailed how this game against Georgia would go. Perhaps Dabo Swinney should read this newsletter and better prepare his team.

I’m out on Clemson and Dabo Swinney on a national stage, henceforth.

Miami makes a statement - Rarely do you find a victory so demoralizing, so defeating, so much of an outright ass-kicking as we saw between Miami and Florida on Saturday. The Hurricanes waltzed into The Swamp, kicked a ton of ass, took a ton of names and left the Gators licking their wounds by a scoreline of 41-17.

Simply put: I can’t remember a more impactful Miami QB than Cam Ward.

Ward was a wizard on Saturday, using his legs to extend plays and keep things moving. When he wasn’t scrambling, he was extending plays and finding wide receivers down the field. Again, I don’t remember a Miami offense this competent since….ever?

The turning point in the game for Miami came at the end of the second half. In a situation that looked like a field goal at best, Ward orchestrated a masterful 8-play, 75-yard drive to put the Hurricanes up 24-10.

Hurricanes aside, this game felt like a must-win for Florida. I have no idea how Florida or head coach Billy Napier will survive this upcoming slate. God speed.

Allar is alright- No need to mince words, Penn State made mince meat out of West Virginia on Saturday.

Behind the arm of quarterback Drew Allar (under the tutelage of OC Andy Kotelnicki) the Nittany Lions lit up the Mountaineers 34-12 and made a big statement in the process.

Is WVU the best team Penn State will face this year? No.

Is this still a good win? Yes.

PSU fans, enjoy this. Your offense looks competent and your defense looked as great as ever. Playoff bound? Time will tell.

Ashton Jeanty For Heisman - Standin’ on business is Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty’s middle name.

In what was the G5 game of the week, Jeanty stole the show. He ate up the Georgia Southern defense, finishing with a jaw-dropping stat line of 20 carries, 267 yards and 6 touchdowns en route to a 56-45 BSU victory! A six-pack of touchdowns!

This game was awesome. If you like offense, you got it. Georgia Southern largely kept pace and it made for an incredible neutral game. Godspeed to both of these teams moving forward.

Powered by Pavia - Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia embodies everything holy about college football.

A small, shit-stirrer of a quarterback who doesn’t take noise from anyone, he’s the type of guy you’d run through a wall for.

Speaking of walls…Vanderbilt faced off against a much-hyped Virginia Tech on Saturday and the Commodores showed up in a big way.

Vandy raced out to a big 17-0 lead, but VT quarterback Kyron Drones got the Hokies back in the game. Then came the Power of Pavia.

Pavia took it upon himself to rally the troops and grind out a dirty, grimy OT touchdown to take the lead. Then the defense got the stop and all was right with the world. The Commodores held on for an emphatic 34-27 victory, a big one for head coach Clark Lea and company.

Travis Hunter’s heroics - Despite some odd late-game clock management and a less-than-convincing defensive performance, a Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders-led Colorado did just enough to outlast NDSU for a 31-26 seasoning opening victory.

There’s no need to mince words, CU dual-threat star Travis Hunter stole the show. Hunter was a lockdown corner on defense and a game-breaking, bail-out-the-Buffs playmaker on offense. He finished the game with seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns, including a ludicrous catch-of-the-year contender that saved Colorado from potential disaster.

CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders was also fantastic. In 2023, Sanders held the ball too long and appeared to be a bit too indecisive. For most of the night on Thursday, he was sharp, accurate and commanded the offense en route to 445 yards and 4 TDs.

However, the defense and offensive line did not look overly improved from what we saw in 2023. Keep an eye on this moving forward. Respect to NDSU for trying to do the most Midwest thing possible by crock-potting its way to victory with a nearly 37-minute TOP and steady run game.

This win probably doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme for CU. Let’s see how the Buffaloes look in Lincoln next week.

Gophers go belly up - In what felt like a must-win for both teams, North Carolina outlasted Minnesota to open the season with a 19-17 victory on the road.

Gross. Meandering. Sluggish. All fair ways to describe this game.

Credit to UNC for winning a P5 road game despite losing its starting quarterback to a nasty leg injury in the second half.

Despite being down its star running back, this result feels like a bad sign for Minnesota.

Comin’ up Coastal - No further questions at this time. Coastal Carolina beat the absolute brakes off Jacksonville State. Just a really, really bad showing from Rich Rod and the fellas.

Real deal Railoa - OK, look, Dylan Railoa looked the part in his first game against UTEP. What does this mean going forward? Time will tell.

Enjoy the big win, Huskers. You earned it.

Questions remain - Uhhh, y’all OK?

Oregon, Texas Tech and Michigan all struggled to pull away against sub-par opponents. Let’s keep an eye on this space moving forward.

Cowboy Up - Good for Oklahoma State. Y’all spent the last two months with everyone predicting that South Dakota State would upset you, only to beat the Jackrabbits 44-20. Great job! No need to extend the narrative.

Iowa still sucks - Iowa, you can’t gaslight me! Your offense is still bad, despite pulling away late against Illinois State!

Dinky high school field be damned! Northwestern won a damn football game!

Miami-OH put up an admiral effort but the first game at the small, high school ass field was only going to finish one way.

Good for Northwestern for winning a game it should win. The Cats will likely need all the wins it can get.

The Brent Musburger Gambling Guide

Let’s review my locks of the week.

Overall: -2 units

LSU vs. USC OVER 63.5 -

+50.5 Akron vs. Ohio State - +1 unit

+8.5 Penn State vs. West Virginia - +1 unit

Miami OH vs. Northwestern UNDER 42.5 - +1 unit

-7 James Madison vs. Charlotte - +1 unit

What I’m Reading This Season

SID Sports - Don’t forget to subscribe to Griffin Olah’s SID Sports newsletter. As a former Divison I sports information director, Olah has a great grasp of the sport and I really enjoy his work.

This week, he did a deep dive on where things stand with the Connor Stalions-Michigan sign-stealing scandal and what might come next for Big Blue.

He also previewed the Southeastern Conference and examined the possibility of an SEC-heavy playoff field.

2201 Kimball Ave | Cameron Morgan - 2201 Kimball Ave is essential reading for all followers of Kansas State football. As a lifelong K-State fan and former player, Cameron brings a unique and thoughtful approach to the analysis of the Wildcats' football team. His newsletters are rational and insightful and I genuinely learn something new with every newsletter.

Split Zone Duo | Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson and Steven Godfrey - SZD is essential reading and following for CFB ball knowers. Godfrey, Richard and Alex are the Holy Trinity for college football analysis and insight. Each member brings a unique flavor to the conversation, which makes for insightful and downright hilarious banter about the sport we all love. If I had someone ask me where to start for smarter college football coverage, this SZD is where I'd send them.