1-Georgia: It took a minute for the offense to get going, but Kirby Smart’s bunch hammered Clemson in the second half of a 34-3 win. True freshman RB Nate Frazier, who had 83 rushing yards and one touchdown on 11 carries, looked like a beast.
2-Texas: Sark’s squad raced out to a 31-0 halftime lead and coasted to a 52-0 win over Colorado St. Quinn Ewers threw for 260 yards and three TDs.
3-Alabama: The Crimson Tide’s first game without Nick Saban on the sidelines since 2006 worked out perfectly. In Kalen DeBoer’s debut, Jalen Milroe completed 7-of-9 throws for 200 yards and three TDs without an interception. He also had 79 rushing yards and a pair of TDs on 10 attempts to lead his team to a 63-0 win over Western Kentucky.
4-Ohio St.: The Buckeyes were sloppy in the first half, but they pulled away in the final 30 minutes of a 52-6 win over Akron. Ryan Day’s team is behind UGA, Texas and Alabama because those three teams have better QBs.
5-Ole Miss: In a 76-0 win over Furman, Jaxson Dart completed 22-of-27 passes for 418 yards and five TDs without a pick. Dart also had a rushing score. Tre Harris had eight catches for 179 yards and two TDs, and ‘Juice’ Wells had a pair of receptions for 70 yards and one TD in his Rebels’ debut.
6-Penn St.: A lot of sharp bettors were on West Virginia, but James Franklin’s team went into Morgantown and dealt out a 34-12 assbeating to easily cover the 7.5-point spread.
7-Oregon: The Ducks’ performance was a head scratcher. They led Idaho by only three points with six minutes remaining. Dan Lanning’s bunch won a 24-14 decision, but this team better clean things up quickly.
8-Utah: Cam Rising and Brant Kuithe looked fantastic in their first game action since 2022. Rising connected on 10-of-15 passes for 254 yards and five TDs without an interception, while Kuithe had four catches for 69 yards and three TDs. The Utes host Baylor in Week 2.
9-Missouri: Eli Drinkwitz’s squad blasted Murray St. 51-0. Brady Cook ran for a TD and had a TD pass to Luther Burden. The new RBs – Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll – both had rushing TDs. The Tigers’ home games in Week 3 and Week 4 vs. Boston College and Vanderbilt might be more challenging than expected, though.
10-Miami: Cam Ward torched the Gators for 385 passing yards and three TDs, as the ‘Canes dealt out a 41-17 pimpslap at The Swamp.
11-Notre Dame: Very solid road win in College Station for the Fighting Irish. Marcus Freeman’s recruiting appears to have upgraded the speed on this roster. Notre Dame’s home game vs. FSU now looks like a layup, but its trip to Atlanta to face Ga. Tech and its trip to The Coliseum to take on USC in the regular-season finale look tougher.
12-Tennessee: We’ll find out more about the Vols when they face NC St. in Charlotte on Saturday, but the first two starts of the Nico Era have been nothing short of spectacular.
13-Oklahoma: Jackson Arnold threw four TD passes without a pick in OU’s 51-3 home win over Temple.
14-Oklahoma St.: In a 44-20 win over South Dakota St., one of the top FCS programs in the country, Alan Bowman threw for 267 yards and three TDs without an interception.
15-USC: The Trojans’ defense looks a lot better under new DC D’Anton Lynn, while the offense looks fine with Miller Moss (27/36, 378 yards & 1 TD) under center.
16-Iowa: The Hawkeyes outscored Illinois St. 34-0 in the second half of a 40-0 win. QB Cade McNamara threw for 251 yards and three TDs without an interception.
17-LSU: The Tigers have now lost five consecutive season openers, but Garrett Nussmeier played well at QB.
18-Michigan: The Wolverines are a work in progress offensively, but they’ll still win a bunch of games thanks to their defense.
19-Clemson: Like I said all summer, Dabo looks like a fool for not using the portal after getting outclassed by Georgia. Indeed, here we are.
20-Kansas St.: Dylan Edwards, a transfer RB from Colorado, was such a quality get from the portal during the late window. He turned nine touches into 72 all-purpose yards and two TDs.
21-Arizona: As expected, Arizona scored a ton of points and gave up plenty in its 61-39 win over New Mexico. Look for lots of games like that from the Wildcats in 2024.
22-Texas A&M: Conner Weigman threw as many interceptions vs. Notre Dame (two) as he had in his first eight career starts.
23-Louisville: The Cardinals clobbered Austin Peay 62-0 in its opener. New QB Tyler Shough threw for 232 yards and four TDs without an interception, while true freshman RB Isaac Brown had 123 rushing yards and one TD on only five attempts.
24-NC St.: The Wolfpack were in a one-possession game with Western Carolina in the fourth quarter, but they pulled away to capture a 38-21 win.
25-Kansas: Devin Neal ran for 112 yards and two TDs on just eight attempts in KU’s 48-3 win over Lindenwood. Most important, star QB Jalon Daniels got out of the game healthy.
26-Iowa St.: The Cyclones have lost seven of their last eight games against Iowa, going 2-5-1 against the spread. They’re 2.5-point road underdogs Saturday against the Hawkeyes.
27-Auburn: Hugh Freeze and Co. had better be ready for Cal star RB Jaydn Ott.
28-Kentucky: The Wildcats are 10-point home favorites for Saturday’s SEC opener at home vs. South Carolina.
29-Ga. Tech: The Yellow Jackets didn’t fall victim to the letdown spot in a 35-12 win over Ga. St. as a 20.5-point home favorite. They play Saturday at Syracuse.
30-Boston College: The Bill O’Brien Era couldn’t have been scripted much better than Monday’s 28-13 win at FSU.
31-Central Florida: We’ll know more about UCF when it plays at TCU in Week 3.
32-Nebraska: At long last, the Cornhuskers have found a QB in Dylan Raiola. Matt Rhule’s bunch will be in revenge mode Saturday at home vs. Colorado.
33-Wisconsin: Alabama comes to Camp Randall in Week 3.
34-Florida: Maybe Miami is real nasty? Whatever the case, it’s an absolute Shit Show in Gainesville. The school president is out with an interim in his place. AD Scott Stricklin and HC Billy Napier have been on borrowed time for way too long. Nobody elite is taking the UF job until a quality AD has been hired, and Stricklin probably can’t be fired until a new president is hired. The scary thing is that this might not be rock bottom yet.
Side Note #1: I called this nonsense the day Napier was hired.
Side Note #2: Not on this specific tweet, but I sent the same youtube link to Stricklin in another tweet.
34-FSU: Speaking of issues, Mike Norvell’s teams have now started 0-2 in three of his five seasons with the Seminoles, who could be in trouble in Week 3 when Memphis comes to Tallahassee.
Side Note #3: That’s not a typo on UF and FSU both being #34. They deserve to be tied.
36-SMU: The Mustangs host BYU on Friday night.
37-Tulane: Jon Sumrall was an outstanding hire.
38-TCU: From Week 3 to Week 5, the Horned Frogs play at home vs. UCF, at SMU and at Kansas.
39-Memphis: The Tigers should cruise past Troy before taking on the ‘Noles.
40-Washington: If the Gators can’t get Lane Kiffin, Jedd Fisch will be their #2 choice.