The days were long, but the months were short. Finally, college football has returned full tilt. The opening week of the season is a particularly special moment on the calendar: the intersection of offseason optimism and reality. Talking season is over, and the games are here to help us decipher what was legitimate and what wasn’t during the past several months.
That leads us to the other special part of Week 1: sweeping declarations.
“Clemson is cooked!”
“The SEC is overrated! A 1-3 showing in its four marquee, nonconference games? It really does mean more.”
“Oregon went down to the wire against Idaho — the Ducks are in TROUBLE this year.”
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You get the point.
There was plenty to overreact to and even things that probably aren’t being discussed enough relative to their impact on the 2024 season. Some early conclusions will hold weight into October and November, while others will feel like distant memories. But all we have is right now, so let’s have some fun with the narratives at play in the first full week of the season.
Carson Beck (15) and the Georgia Bulldogs routed Clemson to open the 2024 season. (Mike Zarrilli / Getty Images)
Underreaction: Georgia’s dominance in preparation games
Slow starts among big favorites were common around the sport during Week 0 and Week 1. Florida State’s upset loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Oregon’s sluggish performance, Virginia Tech’s loss to Vanderbilt as a near 20-point favorite. The list goes on. The opener sets the tone for the season after a full summer to prepare. What program is almost immune to Week 1 letdowns? Georgia.
The Dawgs earned the most impressive win of the early season with a 31-point victory over No. 14 Clemson. It’s Georgia’s 40th consecutive regular-season win, which is impressive on its own. But another stat points to the team’s sharp execution when given extended time to prepare: Since 2021, Georgia is 11-0 in games when it has more than seven days to prepare, and eight of those wins have been by 22 points or more.
GO DEEPER
Georgia smothers Clemson: Has anything changed for either program?
Why’s that significant? The next game in which Georgia will have more than a week: Sept. 28 at Alabama with both teams coming off a bye week.
Overreaction: The perceived state of Michigan’s offense
After a three-year run of smooth quarterback play, Michigan fans found themselves in a sobering place on Saturday: unsure of this year’s offense after a 30-10 win over Fresno State, which featured just 269 yards of total offense. The Texas game looming on Saturday only adds to the anguish, but it’s not time to punt on the unit … yet.
It’s worth noting that it was almost a completely new unit from what Michigan relied on the past three seasons: Two new quarterbacks, five new starters on the offensive line, the need to replace its two leading receivers and leading rusher Blake Corum. Regardless of the perceived talent disparity between teams, continuity propelled Michigan to a championship a year ago. This year’s group needs time to build that.
GO DEEPER
Michigan’s quarterback questions persist with Texas looming
There is a concern regarding the quarterback competition and the potential result of banking on internal options versus a transfer portal option. The biggest wild card is Alex Orji and whether the assumed starter for much of the offseason can carve out a bigger role as the season ensues. Michigan’s offense ended Saturday’s game with momentum: a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to extend its lead to 23-10 on its final possession.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint, especially in the new 12-team College Football Playoff era. Give it some time.
Underreaction: What Notre Dame’s offense did against Texas A&M
On paper, what Notre Dame’s offense did against Texas A&M wasn’t eye-popping: 23 points, 246 yards and 18 first downs. But that’s why it’s imperative to watch football, not read football. It was the debut of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, who served as LSU’s offensive coordinator last season, and he entered Kyle Field with a clear plan. Amid all of Notre Dame’s perceived challenges, the effectiveness of the offense deserves more attention.
With a line that had just six combined starts and injuries to boot, the Irish’s average time from snap to pass was 2.18 seconds, according to TruMedia, the shortest time at Notre Dame since the stat was introduced in 2019. Quarterback Riley Leonard, in his first game with the program, was only sacked once. Notre Dame dinked and dunked, kept A&M’s defensive front at bay and ran the ball when it needed to in the fourth quarter to get the win.
GO DEEPER
Notre Dame made early Playoff statement at Texas A&M: What we learned about Irish, Aggies
At some point, the Irish will need to connect on vertical pass shots and show they have the perimeter players to win at a high level, but it appears they have a coordinator who is keenly aware of the personnel and knows how to adjust and formulate winning strategies. Notre Dame’s offensive ceiling is to be determined, but it was good enough to win as a road underdog in the opener. The rest of the schedule isn’t daunting, and the offense will only get more experienced.
Overreaction: Heisman moments, odds and anything in between
Marquee players made statements in Week 1. From Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s dynamic connection to Tetairoa McMillan’s 300-yard receiving day for Arizona to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty scoring six touchdowns, star debuts did not disappoint.
GO DEEPER
Shedeur Sanders’, Travis Hunter’s star power lifts Colorado in Deion’s Year 2 debut: Takeaways
Some believe teams shouldn’t be ranked before a certain point in the season. In that same vein, Heisman talk shouldn’t be allowed until at least a month of football has been played. Yes, we know some contenders, including several we just mentioned, and there are more: Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II. But a lot can happen between now and Weeks 7, 8, 9 and beyond, and team success will factor into any conversations.
GO DEEPER
Ashton Jeanty stakes claim to 2025 NFL Draft’s RB1 slot with 6-TD performance
Sanders and Hunter are phenomenal, but will Colorado have enough wins to propel either or both to New York? The same can be said for McMillan, and Jeanty probably needs Boise State in Playoff contention to garner serious attention. Milroe and Beck don’t face off in Tuscaloosa for three weeks, but that game has both Playoff and Heisman implications. There’s also likely an under-the-radar player who will emerge later in the season.
Underreaction: Did Penn State have the second most impressive win?
There are a few contenders for this distinction, but the Nittany Lions get the nod for going on the road against a rival with a lot of offseason buzz and dominating the game even amid a lengthy delay. The weather, mixed with several other marquee games during the noon ET window, somewhat overshadowed what Penn State showed in its debut. Speaking of offensive coordinators, Penn State’s new man Andy Kotelnicki had a strong first game. Quarterback Drew Allar looked comfortable and hit for some explosive plays, while the defense held a Mountaineers offense with a returning quarterback to 246 yards.
GO DEEPER
Penn State takeaways: What did new-look offense reveal in win at West Virginia?
Overall, there’s not enough attention on what Penn State did, partly because of the attention on what other Big Ten teams didn’t do, like Oregon and Michigan. There are a lot of expectations in Happy Valley, and Week 1 was a resounding success. If other Big Ten programs continue to struggle, those expectations will continue to increase.
One properly-rated reaction: Billy Napier’s hot seat
Week 1 in the Swamp was essentially the “Hot Seat Bowl,” with Florida and Miami needing the win to validate offseason progress. Florida lost in a fashion that can send a fan base into a dark place: apathy.
GO DEEPER
Billy Napier beware: Florida has not historically been patient in rebuilds
“The Swamp is emptying,” Mark Long of the Associated Press wrote. “They’ve checked out on the game and on Billy Napier.”
It’s technically not over for Napier, who took a jab at Florida fans during his Monday news conference, citing that his team needs to focus on improving and not on what “some guy in his basement in rural Central Florida is saying on social media,” but it certainly feels like things are trending in a direction. Florida’s schedule has been much discussed, and now Napier needs to find a way to pull off some upsets to preserve his job status.
The goodwill built through offseason optimism evaporated in one Saturday afternoon. It was a moment for Florida to show it was on the right trajectory, and it did the opposite. The fan base is disappointed and uneasy about what’s to come. The Gators can turn it around, but the hot-seat conversations feel justified.
(Top photo of Kirby Smart: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5740721/2024/09/03/college-football-week-1-reaction/
