There may not have been a ton of compelling matchups going into the first slate of the regular season, but man did the opening weekend of games deliver some delicious storylines as we roll into September. Deion Sanders and Colorado stock going up, Dabo Swinney and Clemson stock going down. Now we turn the page to week two where two future conference opponents square off looking to announce themselves to the country, the biggest surprise of last week can say they are here to stay, and other College Football Playoff hopefuls go on the road. Let’s dive in.
MUST WATCH GAMES
12:00 PM: Nebraska Cornhuskers @ #22 Colorado Buffaloes (-2.5) – FOX
The Buffs are the talk of the sport after going to the home of last year’s national championship runner-up as TWENTY point underdogs and winning outright with what looked to me like more ease than anybody thought. Deion Sanders had his team ready and looked more physical and fast than TCU in a 45-42 win.
Shadeur Sanders looks legit at the quarterback position, and Travis Hunter made an early case for Heisman consideration by introducing America to College Football’s Shohei Ohtani. I did not truly grasp how much turnaround this roster has churned through after last year’s 1-11 campaign. You can’t compare last season to this group because it’s just not the same players.
Now you return home to the most anticipated Colorado home game in decades to meet a Huskers team that shot itself in the foot multiple times in throwing away a conference win at Minnesota last Thursday. This is a hungry Nebraska team that will be looking to right that wrong and derail the out-of-control Colorado hype train.
I see the Buffs winning here to set up another massive showdown on September 23rd with Oregon.
3:30 PM: #23 Texas A&M Aggies @ Miami Hurricanes (+4.5) – ABC
Remember how much hype this game had last season? The Aggies were coming off of pulling in the highest-rated recruiting class the world had ever seen while the Canes were ready to bring back the glory days of the U with new head coach Mario Cristobal.
One year later, the narratives around both teams have drastically changed. Texas A&M had to bring in Bobby Petrino as offensive coordinator in an attempt to get ahead of problems stemming from Jimbo Fisher’s playcalling. Miami had an abysmal offensive year on its way to its worst season in 15 years.
On Saturday both teams are coming off of wins against mediocre competition and will need this game to feel like they are back on the right track. I think the Aggies have the quarterback and talent edge here, but with the home-field advantage and getting 4.5 points over a key number of 3 I’m on the Canes.
7:00 PM: #11 Texas Longhorns @ #3 Alabama Crimson Tide (-7) – ABC
Out of my most anticipated games of the entire season, this one slots in second right behind Michigan/Ohio State. One year after Texas (rightfully in my opinion) could say it was on its way to a win in Austin before an injury at quarterback to Quinn Ewers and a controversial non-call safety late in the game, the ‘Horns and the Tide meet again in T-Town on Saturday night.
The Longhorns had a problem-free win over Rice in Week 1, keeping Ewers healthy behind an offensive line that completely dominated the trenches and not giving away too much. If there is a year to make the playoff for Texas, this is it and they might not even need this game to do it. But head coach Steve Sarkisian should go into this game thinking his team has the edge at the skill positions on offense.
As most SEC games (as this matchup will soon be), it will come down to the battle on the line of scrimmage. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe looked very impressive against Middle Tennessee State, but there wasn’t anyone in all of Murfreesboro, Tennessee that was going to breath on him in the pocket that day. Texas has the dudes on defense to make the new starter sweat and Alabama will have more trouble running the ball on UT than it did last week.
I was ready to talk myself into it, but Nick Saban is 25-2 against his former assistants. They get Texas at home, and the Tide are ready to silence all the doubters saying this is a ‘down’ year on the way. Even though I hate doing this type of pick, Alabama wins but can’t cover.
BACKGROUND NOISE
12:00 PM: #10 Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ NC State Wolfpack (+7) – ABC
- The Irish have cruised to easy wins over Navy and Tennessee State to start the Sam Hartman era. This game starts a stretch of games over the next month where Notre Dame’s season will be defined as another snoozer of a 9 win season or legitimate playoff contender and undefeated team. NC State got past UConn in Week 1 with former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong and can put Notre Dame on upset alert with the Irish’s first road test.
3:30 PM: #20 Ole Miss Rebels @ #24 Tulane Green Wave (+7) – ESPN2
- Not every week do you get an SEC team going on the road to a Group of 5 opponent, yet here we are with a sneaky game of the week in New Orleans. Tulane knocked off USC in the Cotton Bowl last year, and both coordinators jumped ship to Power 5 jobs but get QB Michael Pratt back. The Rebs and Lane Kiffin will always be able to put points up with the best of them with Jaxon Dart and Quinshon Judkins pacing the offense. However, I like Tulane’s chances to keep up and I’m on the Green Wave to upset the Rebels this week. I will definitely not regret this next week.
7:00 PM: #13 Oregon Ducks @ Texas Tech Red Raiders (+6.5) – FOX
- If it weren’t for Clemson’s implosion in Durham on Monday night, Texas Tech might have been able to lay claim to the biggest loser of the week after falling to Wyoming in double overtime. The Red Raiders and Joey McGuire’s group of freak athletes couldn’t hang with the Cowboys and now could be in serious trouble with Bo Nix and the Ducks coming to town. Oregon is my favorite pick of the week.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL SICKO GAME OF THE WEEK
Iowa Hawkeyes @ Iowa State Cyclones (+4) – 3:30/FOX
- Brian Ferentz needs his Iowa offense to score 325 points this season to keep his job. If you are ever down about your job, at least it isn’t squarely dependent on the play of 18-22 year old football players.
THE ‘BE CAREFUL YOU’RE PLAYING APP STATE’ UPSET ALERT GAME OF THE WEEK
Appalachian State Mountaineers @ #17 North Carolina Tar Heels (-18) – 5:15/ACC Network
- Another edition of ‘Remember when they played last year?’ North Carolina would be wise to not look past the Mountaineers as App State always scares the crap out of Power 5 teams it plays. Give me the points.
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