The whirlwind that is the five-day opening weekend of the 2024 college football season has come and gone and there’s a lot to digest.
Some contenders looked the part, while others seemed shook by the moment. Some players made a case for some early Heisman love and others…did not.
It was a wild weekend.
Now it’s time for some wild takes!
What was that, Oregon?
Oregon on Tuesday dropped from 3 to 6 in the Coach’s Poll and it’s justified.
The Ducks in their 24-14 Aug. 31 win over Idaho were very sloppy. It looked like an offense working in a new quarterback, and the defense almost blew enough assignments to cost Oregon the game.
New quarterback Dillon Gabriel, on his third team in three years, had to carry the Ducks like he did Oklahoma last year. Gabriel in what should have been a walkover went 41-49 for 380 yards and two touchdowns. Nearly 50 throws in a buy-game. Oregon averaged less than 3 yards a carry on 37 rush attempts.
I like Oregon a lot. I’m picking the Ducks to meet Ohio State in the national title game. I don’t know if the Ducks are going to prove me right, though. They should be able to clean things up, but after watching teams like USC and Penn State, I have reason to question Oregon’s place in the Big Ten pecking order.
Notre Dame is a lock for the No. 5 seed
Notre Dame in its opener won a true road game in a very, VERY hostile environment.
The crowd in College Station for ND/Texas A & M was rowdy to say the least. The fans were treated to a battle between two defensive teams and one team that had just enough offense to win.
The Irish defense is really good. Texas A & M’s offense could be good, but we didn’t get that Saturday night. The win for ND over a ranked Aggies squad is big. It’ll show as a win over a ranked team no matter how A & M fares the rest of the way. The Irish now don’t face a ranked team until they go to USC at the end of the season. FSU is on the schedule, but will likely have 4-5 losses by the time it meets ND on Nov. 9.
Notre Dame should go no worse than 11-1 now. The USC game on Nov. 30 will loom large now that the Trojans look to have a real defense. Notre Dame, though, is a lock for the 5 seed in the playoff. The Irish can’t finish higher than No. 5, no matter where they’re ranked. The schedule coupled with a lofty preseason ranking should have ND sitting pretty come December.
Clemson is done as a “power”
A select few programs enter each season with a “championship or bust” motto. Fanbases from Alabama and Ohio State consider a season a disappointment if it doesn’t end with confetti raining down on the team.
For nearly a decade, Clemson was in that group. Not anymore.
Georgia is great. Georgia shouldn’t be 28 points better than Clemson, and the Tigers SHOULD BE better than the team that put up 6 points in a big spot on Aug. 31.
There is a group of teams and fan bases that are good with 8 or 9 wins, or the occasional jump to 10. I am an alum of one of those programs. That’s where Clemson looks to be headed. A 9-win floor is nothing to laugh at in the new landscape, but after Clemson’s run the last half of the last decade, I can see why some fans are delusional.
After hitting on two generational talents at quarterback in Deshaun Watson and Trevor Lawrence, Clemson has been saddled with DJ Uiagalelei and Cade Klubnik. Both have looked overmatched for most of their careers after coming into college as high-touted prospects. Clemson still has top-level talent across the board, but when your QB situation is as bad as its been the last three years, you go from a title contender to hoping for a trip to the Outback Bowl.
Clemson over the last handful of years has lost two great coordinators in Brent Venables and Tony Elliott. Dabo Swinney can still recruit, but has he just been a better cheerleader than Xs and Os guy all along?
Early Heisman ballot
1. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss QB
2. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB
3. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona WR
4. Travis Hunter, Colorado DB/WR
Ranking the best of the Week 2 slate
1. Texas at Michigan
2. Tennessee vs. NC State
3. Colorado at Nebraska
4. Boise State at Oregon
5. Iowa State at Iowa
6. Arkansas at Oklahoma State
7. Kansas State at Tulane
8. Baylor at Utah
9. Kansas at Illinois
10. Texas Tech at Washington State
