Top Ten College Football: Week One Takeaways

1. The Georgia Bulldogs look like the best team in the Nation

After an exciting defensive first half against Clemson, Carson Beck and his receiving corps took control in the third quarter, driving two 75-yard touchdown drives for Georgia to pull ahead before throwing to London Humphreys a 40-yard pass that effectively sealed their victory with a 34-3 win. Georgia showed their supreme talent by dominating physically against Clemson. The Bulldogs have a great offence and an even greater defence; barring injuries, the Dawgs look like the team to beat. Keep up to date with all of the college football news.

Clemson Tigers vs. Georgia Bulldogs | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football

2. Penn State looks like a playoff team

Penn State has long been one of the key advocates of an expanded CFP, given that they would have benefitted the most over the past decade from an expanded bracket. James Franklin and company are under immense pressure this season to make the CFP, especially now that divisions have been abolished in Big Ten football. If Penn State’s offense can replicate what West Virginia experienced on Saturday, then this could be another happy autumn season in Happy Valley: Drew Allar was impressively confident yet aggressive during his debut performance under Andy Kotelnicki’s offensive coordinator, throwing for 216 yards, three touchdowns while throwing zero interceptions!

Penn State vs. West Virginia Review | PFF Grade Release Show

3. Colorado is NOT a contender, and Coach Prime is NOT a good head coach

Colorado barely squeaked by North Dakota State last Thursday night, and yes, NDSU is a great team for the level of football they play in, but Colorado looked like a .500 division one football team at best. Coach Prime threw a deep ball on ist and ten with less than a minute and a half left in the game. That incomplete pass led to NDSU getting the ball back and coming up four yards short of winning the game. Travis Hunter is maybe the most electrifying player in college football, and Sanders’s son is a great college quarterback, and they still struggled to beat NDSU. The Cornhuskers are waiting in the bushes for Coach Prime’s team, and they had better be ready.

Colorado vs North Dakota State | College Football Week 1 | 2024 College Football Highlights

4. Notre Dame looks headed to the College Football playoffs

Notre Dame just won the most challenging test on their schedule: a 23-13 win at Texas A&M’s Kyle Field in Austin. No other environment will compare, and none of Notre Dame’s remaining opponents should be seen as favorites against them – especially after Florida State lost to Georgia Tech in Week 0. They still face USC for closure, but thanks to the 12-team College Football Playoff system, there’s more wiggle room for everyone; with Notre Dame having already taken care of one ranked opponent by winning big on the road, this team should have an advantage with a softer schedule, even one upset loss and they will probably get in. If they want to make noise in the playoff, the offense will have to play better.

Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Texas A&M Aggies | Full Game Highlights | ESPN College Football

5. Iowa has an offense?

Astounded? Me too! Iowa shocked Illinois State by dominating them 40-0 and amassing 492 yards of offense – its most offensive yardage in five years in one game! Iowa wide receivers scored three touchdown passes during the second half, equalling their total for all of last season! The new offensive coordinator, Tim Lester, and quarterback, Cade McNamara, must feel fantastic following such an impressive show!

Illinois State at Iowa | Highlights | Big Ten Football | Aug. 31, 2024

6. Billy Napier will be fired

No. 19 Miami arrived at The Swamp with transfer quarterback Cam Ward looking every part an ACC title contender, throwing for 385 yards and three touchdowns as it dismantled Florida 41-17.

Miami’s impressive win showed why they appear to be leading an otherwise disappointing ACC conference, yet this game said more about Florida than anything else.

Billy Napier’s tenure has been nothing short of dismal. The Gators posted an underwhelming 6-7 record during his inaugural year.

Napier succeeded Dan Mullen, who guided Florida to consecutive New Year’s Six bowl games during his first three seasons. However, he was fired at the first sign of trouble in 2021 due to uneven recruiting, athletic department politics, and an underwhelming on-field product. Napier will be fired before the season is over.

Gators EMBARRASSED in the Swamp- TIME for CHANGE? | Miami Hurricanes | Billy Napier

7. Dabo Swinney needs to get with the times

Clemson lost four Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) games for the first time since 2010–Dabo Swinney’s second full season as head coach.

If you thought that was enough to convince Swinney to embrace the transfer portal, think again. Instead, Swinney doubled down on his program’s culture and doing things his way while other college football programs embraced transfer portals as another method for roster building.

Swinney’s refusal to adapt to college football’s current landscape has caused his program to fall from grace rapidly. Since Trevor Lawrence’s junior season in 2020, they haven’t qualified for the College Football Playoff and now seem more susceptible than ever to losing multiple conference games annually than they once were at dominating ACC competition.

Saturday’s 34-3 loss against top-ranked Georgia would have come as a shock five years ago, yet now it has become routine when the Tigers compete against elite competition – an issue.

Love is…simple direct deposit

8. Oregon and Michigan struggle

No. 3 Oregon was a 44-point favorite against the Idaho Vandals of FCS, while No. 9 Michigan had three scores as an advantage against Fresno State; both teams prevailed.

Michigan was expected to experience significant roster and coaching staff turnover following last season’s national championship. Yet, their quarterback situation remains in disarray, with former walk-on Davis Warren earning the starting nod over former four-star recruit Alex Orji, which perhaps speaks more to how much trust Michigan staffers had in Orji’s abilities than anything else.

Warren completed 15 of 25 passing attempts for just 118 yards with one touchdown and an interception, but that still managed to earn Michigan a 30-10 win against Fresno State on Saturday night. It likely won’t cut it when Michigan hosts the Texas Longhorns at home next Saturday!

Oregon was unable to pull away from Idaho in their 24-14 win due to plenty of mistakes on both teams’ parts, such as missed field goals, fumbling near the red zone edge, and two failed fourth-down conversion attempts despite outgaining Idaho by nearly 300 yards.

Michigan’s issues can be directly tied to its lackluster quarterback play, while Oregon simply couldn’t stop moving backwards against an inferior opponent. Yet more is expected in the near future.

#9 Michigan vs Fresno State | Full Game Highlights | 2024 College Football Highlights

9. Cam Ward gives the Canes a shot at the playoffs

Cam Ward plays with a casual breeziness. It’s not that he’s nonchalant. It’s that nothing bothers him.

He played like that at Incarnate Word. He’s playing like that in front of nearly 90,000 Ben Hill Griffin Stadium fans.

It made all the difference.

Miami, a program no stranger to baffling decisions and unexpected implosions, almost casually dissected Florida in a 41-17 win. Ward finished his debut 26-of-35 passing with 385 yards and three touchdowns.

Even an early, perhaps ill-advised interception did little to slow Ward’s momentum. Miami got the ball back up 7-3. Five drives later, the Hurricanes led 38-10.

This is why Miami so desperately (and perhaps recklessly) pursued Ward in the transfer portal. A healthy Ward wins the ACC for the Canes.

Cam Ward | Postgame Press Conference | 8.31.24

10. Raiola leads the Cornhuskers

Five-star recruit Dylan Raiola debuted for Nebraska, completing 19 of 28 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-7 win over UTEP.

It’s a sterling debut for Raiola, the No. 11 overall recruit according to ESPN in this year’s class, who connected with Isaiah Neyor six times for 121 yards and a touchdown in the game, and it’s reason for optimism the Huskers may finally have a proper offensive foundation after nearly a decade lost in the wilderness.

The win marked Nebraska’s first victorious opener since 2019, and it offers significant hope to the fan base that the curse may be lifted by simply reburying the bones Bo Pelini dug up from that sacred ancient burial ground.

Still, this was only UTEP, and Nebraska led by 23 at the half, so we can’t be sure, but all signs are trending up at Nebraska.

Dylan Raiola’s Nebraska Debut Was INSANE!