Labor Day weekend brought upon five consecutive days of college football to kick fall into full swing. After months of hype and speculation, we finally got to see ball meet foot as teams across the nation kicked off a new season.
Some teams made an immediate splash, while others left the opening weekend with more questions than answers. Few teams entered 2023 with expectations as high as Florida State, and they opened with a huge test against LSU in Orlando.
It’s safe to say that FSU lived up to their billing after pulling away in the fourth quarter to send a message to the rest of the sport that the ‘Noles are back. Mike Norvell’s squad was opportunistic situationally, and a big day from Jordan Travis and Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman powered them to a blowout victory.
As for the Tigers, they now have little, if any room for error the rest of the way. LSU still controls its own destiny, but the SEC West appears to be stacked top to bottom. There are glaring holes at both running back and in the secondary that will need to see noticeable improvement if the Bayou Bengals are gonna get to Atlanta for the second year in a row.
Week 1 was a tough week for not just the Tigers from Baton Rouge, but the Tigers from Clemson, SC. Clemson laid an egg in a standalone matchup against Duke after squandering several red zone opportunities. The Tigers suffered their worst loss to the Blue Devils since 1936, and the fears of continued regression have been realized.
Garrett Riley was brought in to replicate the offensive production he oversaw at TCU; the only issue is that Clemson duplicated the Horned Frogs’ National Championship production in their opener Monday night.
It’s only the first week, and Clemson still has a path to the Playoff. However, the Riley/Cade Klubnik tandem appears to remain a work in progress.
The Tigers’ drop off from national prominence can partially be attributed to a refusal to adapt to the modern game. Dabo Swinney and his program are notoriously against the transfer portal and willingly refrain from using it to improve their roster.
This approach contrasts Mike Norvell’s approach, as FSU was one of the biggest players in the portal this offseason. The battle for the ACC is gonna reflect an ideological divide in how to run a major program in the year 2023.
We don’t even have to wait for their Week 4 matchup to see which approach is working and which is not. The big question is where does Clemson go from here?
Many have speculated when Nick Saban will decide to hang up the headset. However, more should be asking if Dabo may be looking to exit the sport sooner rather than later. The sport has changed rapidly over the past couple of years and many are unhappy with the direction of the sport either publicly or privately.
Swinney has established himself amongst the most legendary coaches in this game and has been well compensated in doing so. If Dabo doesn’t want to adapt to the changing landscape of college football, he may be looking to exit the sport in the near future.
One coach that has taken full advantage of the loosened transfer portal rules is none other than Deion Sanders. Coach Prime had the daunting task of turning around a 1-11 program that was in shambles, and he did so by overhauling literally the entire roster.
No one knew what to expect when Colorado finally kicked off on Saturday, but they left no doubt that they are the most improved team in America after winning a 45-42 thriller against TCU.
Shedeur Sanders set the program’s single game passing record in his first start for the Buffs, and Travis Hunter played 144 snaps and went for 119 receiving yards along with a clutch red zone interception.
Primetime’s quick turnaround is causing ripple effects outside of just Boulder. I saw at least six different fanbases call for their coach’s job this weekend, and all of them wanted Deion to come in as the replacement. Now, I’m not suggesting that half the programs in the country are gonna fire their coach and make a push for Sanders, but he is certainly putting extra pressure on his peers.
In the past, you had to recruit a few strong classes and wait for them to develop into great players. Now with the portal, you can overhaul a roster and bring in guys that are ready to contribute the day they arrive on campus.
If Coach Prime can instantly make Colorado of all programs viable, fans and boosters elsewhere will wonder why their guy can’t get the job done in his first year.
Whether it’s fair or unfair, coaches are expected to turn things around quicker than ever before.
Texas is a program that is hoping to finally get back on track after over a decade of woeful underachieving. On paper, the Longhorns have one of the most complete rosters in the nation. However, it hasn’t been tested yet.
That will change this Saturday night when they travel to Bryant-Denny Stadium in a rematch against Alabama. Last year, the ‘Horns came within a field goal of conquering the Crimson Tide.
After being knocked out of last year’s game with injury, QB Quinn Ewers is back for a second go around, and Texas has a prime opportunity to silence any doubters.
After having a three-man battle for the starting QB position, Nick Saban appears to have found his next signal caller. Jalen Milroe went off in the opener against Middle Tennessee, accounting for five scores on the evening. While it was against inferior competition, if Milroe can sustain that production, the Tide will be right in the thick of it come January.
Alabama is looking to squash the nation that they’ve fallen off (which I always thought was dumb), while Texas is looking to show that they can hang with anyone in the SEC, which they will become members of in 2024.
Chris’s College Football Top 25 Rankings
1.Georgia Bulldogs(1-0) W vs UT Martin 48-7, last week-1
2.Michigan Wolverines(1-0) W vs East Carolina 30-3, last week-2
3.Ohio State Buckeyes(1-0) W vs Indiana 23-3, last week-3
4.Alabama Crimson Tide(1-0) W vs Middle Tennessee 56-7, last week-4
5.Florida State Seminoles(1-0) W vs LSU 45-24, last week-7
6.Penn State Nittany Lions(1-0) W vs West Virginia 38-15, last week-6
7.USC Trojans(2-0) W vs San Jose State 56-28, W vs Nevada 66-14, last week-8
8.Texas Longhorns(1-0) W vs Rice 37-10, last week-9
9.Tennessee Volunteers(1-0) W vs Virginia 49-13, last week-11
10.Washington Huskies(1-0) W vs Boise State 56-19, last week-12
11.Oregon Ducks(1-0) W vs Portland State 81-7, last week-13
12.Notre Dame Fighting Irish(2-0) W vs Navy 42-3, W vs Tennessee State 56-3, last week-14
13.LSU Tigers(0-1) L vs Florida State 45-24, last week-5
14.Utah Utes(1-0) W vs Florida 24-11, last week-17
15.Kansas State Wildcats(1-0) W vs SEMO 45-0, last week-15
16.Oregon State Beavers(1-0) W vs San Jose State 42-17, last week-16
17.Texas A&M Aggies(1-0) W vs New Mexico 52-10, last week-18
18.Oklahoma Sooners(1-0) W vs Arkansas State 73-0, last week-20
19.North Carolina Tar Heels(1-0) W vs South Carolina 31-17, last week-unranked
20.Duke Blue Devils(1-0) W vs Clemson 28-7, last week-unranked
21.Clemson Tigers(0-1) L vs Duke 28-7, last week-10
22.Kentucky Wildcats(1-0) W vs Ball State 44-14, last week-19
23.Wisconsin Badgers(1-0) W vs Buffalo 38-17, last week-22
24.Ole Miss Rebels(1-0) W vs Mercer 73-7, last week-23
25.Tulane Green Wave(1-0) W vs South Alabama 37-17, last week-25
Dropped out of rankings – Texas Tech, TCU