A new college football season is upon us! This means crisp fall nights, flashy plays, loud atmospheres, emotional wins, and crushing defeats. Each week this season, I will highlight a few key matchups from the previous week and preview the upcoming week. Hang on to your hats, helmets, and chairs because college football is always a roller coaster.
Key Matchups Week 1:
1. #11 Oregon vs #3 Georgia – Mercedes Benz Stadium
This game has a lot of storylines. The Georgia Bulldogs are coming fresh off their National Championship last year, where their defense dominated their way through most of the season. Georgia has had much recent success on the recruiting trails the last few seasons and it paid off greatly. If Jordan Davis, Nose Tackle from last year’s team’s early success in the NFL preseason is an indicator, that defense was “it”. They were aggressive, physical, and dictated to the offenses.
That being said, this is a new year and that Stallworth defense is going to look a bit different. They only return 4 defensive starters from last year, as much of that team was drafted into the NFL this off season. How will they respond? Who will their leaders be? The talent will be there but it takes a second for a defense to gel when there are so many new faces.
Meanwhile, Oregon had a crazy off season. Early last year, they were riding high after a major upset at the Horse Shoe of Ohio State. And then the wheels fell off. They scratched wins out against teams they were much better than and they struggled and lost to teams that were not better than them. The quarterback play was a hugely contested item in the fan base. Receivers were disgruntled from not getting the ball and they had one receiver, Mycah Pittman, quit mid season.
Oregon ran into a Utah team who had much better team chemistry and the cracks that had formed early in the year, broke. Utah completely manhandled Oregon the first game. If that wasn’t bad enough, they had to face each other again in the Pac 12 title game and the Oregon coaching staff, did not make any noticeable scheme changes from the previous game the result was the same.
Morale was low and the rumors started that coach Mario Cristobal was being courted by his alma mater, Miami. Offensive Coordinator Joe Morehead left for another job. Then Cristobal followed suit by confirming his acceptance of the Miami job. It suddenly made sense as to why there were no major changes to the game plan for the second game against Utah, as it is now apparent that a lot of the staff was not focused on the game.
Enter Dan Lanning stage left. Dan Lanning was co-defensive coordinator of the Georgia Bulldogs and he was the selection to right the ship as Oregon’s new head coach. Unlucky for Lanning was the timing. Recruiting was hitting a signing day very quickly after he took over and he had to do damage control to try to bring back previous recruits and build new ones quickly.
Now Oregon is in much better shape on paper. They bring back experience on the offensive line, multiple talented backs, and a lot of speed at receiver. The question is the quarterback position. Lanning brought over Bo Nix, the former Auburn quarterback to compete with young Ty Thompson. If one of these players can establish themselves early in the season, it will go a long way in showing the identity of the program for the season.
Wrapping up, you have Dan Lanning, coaching against the team he just left, with a new quarterback, against a championship team who is trying to retool quickly. The Oregon offense versus the Georgia defense is going to be a blast to watch. Lanning knows the Georgia players and what they want to do. It will be a chess match.
On the other side, Georgia’s quarterback in the championship game, Stetson Bennet, is returning for his 2022 season. Stetson is more of a game manager type of quarterback but it worked for them. Their run game was physical and it allowed him to play within himself. To his credit however, when they needed him to make a play downfield, he did. I do not see him being a world beater NFL prospect but he definitely has made himself a legend at the college level. This experience will be helpful for them in a big game. They also have a solid returning group of receivers to help.
This game has a betting line heavily favoring Georgia. That makes total sense. Georgia just won the title and Oregon has a lot of question marks. However, Oregon still has a lot of talent. This will be a huge measuring stick right out of the gate for Lanning.
2. #5 Norte Dame @ #2 Ohio State
These two schools are always well represented in media pre-season hype. Both have long traditions and are historical college football powerhouses. Whoever wins this game, puts themselves in the inside track for the College Football Playoffs, week 1.
Norte Dame has had a solid couple of years, ending last year at 11-2. However, they will enter this year with a new quarterback, sophomore, Tyler Buchner. And if it’s one thing Norte Dame knows how to produce, it’s tight ends. Watch out for 6’4 Michael Mayer. He has the size and is a huge target down the field. Norte Dame runs more of a traditional power run offense and has the offensive line to do it.
Ohio State on the other hand, has made it’s money lately being more flashy. Quarterback CJ Stroud is headed to a future top 5 pick status, as long as he continues to develop. He has the arm and leadership. He is a quarterback that can move your offense in a hurry. When the running game is consistent, their offense is very explosive. They have lost talent in the receiving core who graduated to the NFL. Can they replace it? As long as they have Jaxon Smith-Njigba, they will be just fine.
Ohio State’s more major flaw last year was the defense. At times they were porous and out of position. They improved a bit later in the year but Norte Dame’s physical offense will challenge them.
If Norte Dame wins, it will be because they control the line of scrimmage and the clock. If Ohio State wins, it’s track meet.
3. #7 Utah @ Florida
Utah is feeling themselves going into this season and they should be. They have always had strong and physical defensive lines since Kyle Wittingham took over. Playing at Rice-Eccles stadium in Salt Lake City has always been a tough place to play. However, last season, the program took a corner they haven’t done in a while.
The Utes season started off with terrible heartbreak. They lost not one but two players in short span. A loss of any teammate is hard on a team but two is even worse. The beginning of the season started off a little choppy as well. They struggled a little early in the season.
Cue Cameron Rising on a white horse. This guy was straight from central casting for this team. He is gritty, confident, moves well, and fearless. He fits the personality of the program to a tee. Ever since he took over last year, the team rolled and tapped into a swagger.
Expectations are now large for this program. How do they handle it? Whittingham usually has his team ready for big games and they start right off the bat in Florida. A win here, sets the tone for the entire season.
Florida on the other hand is desperately wanting to get back into SEC contention. They have been hovering around good but not great for a minute. They have had awesome upsets in big games, only to lose games they should win. They will have a new quarterback as last year’s Emory Jones is gone. Anthony Richardson looks to step in. Richardson is very athletic and comes in with some hype. Can he convert that into a win?
I will leave you with this awesome video to start the season.