ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 03: Georgia Bulldogs running back Kenny McIntosh (6) runs for a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter of the Chick-Fil-A Kickoff Game against the Oregon Ducks on September 4, 2022 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Week 1 Takeaways
Last year we saw a non-power team make the CFP, and Georgia dominated Alabama in the National Championship game. Now, we head into a season that sees new coaches all over the place and players also vis the transfer portal. So headed into week one, we needed answers to many questions, and yesterday we had some preliminary answers to those questions. If you want to bet on college football season, we have the top
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1. The Georgia Bulldogs are the best team until somebody beats them
Rumours about Georgia’s death have been exaggerated. The Bulldogs defeated Oregon despite losing an amazing 15 players to the NFL Draft. Georgia was the second college football team to score a touchdown against an AP Top 25 team. The career-best 368 passing yards by Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV was matched only by 15 different defenders who had multiple tackles. The Bulldogs’ war machine is still fully operational. The Bulldogs have turned into an Alabama or Clemson where they reload instead of rebuild.
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I think Luke Fickell is an excellent recruiter but sometimes you wonder what he is thinking. The Bearcats should have beaten the Arkansas Razorbacks, but they came up short, and many questions need to be asked in Cincy. The number one question to me is why Evan Prater is not the starting quarterback. Ben Bryant is a good quarterback, and that’s fine, but in my opinion, Prater is the man if the Bearcats are to be a national contender. The number two question is why the Bearcats did nothing to fix their kicking issues. You trot out the a transfer from Delaware who failed just like last year’s kicker? Three missed field goals in a close game are almost impossible to overcome. How can so many helmets get knocked off during a game? Yesterday it happened a lot, and at some point, maybe the coach needs to get on somebody’s ass for this happening! Make a big play and then go sit out for a play because you were too selfish to buckle your helmet on, it was sickening to watch all day long.
3) Ohio State underwhelms
Three teams had high expectations of winning the national championship heading into Week 1. They were Alabama, Ohio State and Georgia. The Bulldogs won one of the most remarkable victories against a ranked opponent in recent history. Alabama also played a flawless football game against Utah State.
Then there was Ohio State. They needed a few miraculous plays from quarterback C.J Stroud to score any points against Notre Dame. The Buckeyes had the most difficult team to face, but they looked mortal after the injury to star wideout Jaxon Smith-Njigba. For much of the night, Notre Dame’s defense dominated the game.
Coach Jim Knowles’s defense looked good, but Notre Dame is not an offensive juggernaut, so questions are still out there about the Buckeye’s defense.
After week one, no doubt exists that the Buckeyes are not in the same league as Georgia and Alabama.
4) The Pac-12 is in trouble
The thought coming into the season was the Pac-12 was a three-team race between Utah, Oregon and USC. Those thoughts have changed after just one game. Oregon looked terrible as the Georgia Bulldogs manhandled them. USC won easily, as they should have, but in reality, we have no idea how good they really are yet. Utah was the killer, as the Utes looked loaded and looked like a CFP contender; that all changed in the swamp on Saturday as Cameron Rising’s attempt to win the game fell into enemy hands, giving the Gators the minor upset win. Utah is still a talented team, but CFP hopes are on life-support since only USC has a shot to be a legit contender. The Utes need to win out and hope USC can go undefeated because then the Utes could get back in it by beating USC.
5. The Backyard Brawl returns, and it was awesome
The banks of the Ohio River was the perfect setting to start Week 1 as the Backyard Brawl arose from the ashes following an 11-year absence. No. 17 Pitt’s victory over West Virginia was the ideal table-setter for college football in its full 2022 debut.
The game at Acrisure Stadium saw more than 70,000 people attend – Heinz Field in our hearts, but it was the largest crowd ever seen in Pittsburgh history. And that’s quite a city. The sidelines were graced by legendary players such as Tony Dorsett from Pitt and Adam “Pacman” Jones of West Virginia. As bitter enemies of country and city, separated by only 75 miles, converged, the stadium ran out of beer. Check out our top
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The game also ended with Pitt’s M.J. Devonshire grabbing a ball from West Virginia’s Bryce Ford–Wheaton and returning it 56 yards to score a pick-six. It was both a moment of joy for the winners and a time of horror for the losers.
6. Billy Napier has the Gators poised to bite
New Head Coach Billy Napier started his Gator tenure with an upset win over a top ten team in the Utah Utes. Most people will agree that Napier will bring the Gators back to prominence, but it looks like it could already be happening. I thought it would take a year or two to see a big improvement with the gators, but I believe I already saw it yesterday.
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7. Arizona’s Jacob Cowing is the most underrated player in the country
Cowing was perhaps the most overlooked offensive player in the nation last year, with 1,354 yards receiving. He also carried a moribund UTEP program to qualify for bowl eligibility. Cowing seems ready to repeat the feat one year later. In his debut game as a Wildcat, Cowing, a native of Maricopa, Arizona, caught eight passes for 152 yards and three touchdowns to win 38-20 over San Diego State. Arizona’s first win on the road since October 5, 2019, against Colorado.
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