Week 0 was an appetizer for the main course which is week 1. Now I could be misremembering, but this slate of games for week 1 feels like it’s lacking compared to years past. Regardless, it’s still college football, and I’m still going to consume as much as I can. Here are the 5 best games in week 1.
Louisville vs Ole Miss (-6.5)
This game is being played at a neutral site in Nashville. I absolutely despise neutral site games, but that’s a rant for a different day. Ole Miss is coming off a magical season that was an absolute rollercoaster. Louisville is coming off a season that was good, but fell short of expectations.
Louisville is a team that you expect to have a great offense, but I think it’s the defense that could lead them this year. They’ve got a great defensive line, the LBs I think are underrated, and the secondary should be good enough. Offensively there are questions around QB and o-line. Lincoln Kienholz comes in from Ohio State. He’s a great athlete, but his throwing ability is still an unknown. Even with the questions on offense, you have to give Jeff Brohm the benefit of the doubt that he figures it out.
Ole Miss returns Trinidad Chambliss at QB which is huge. The big question is can he repeat last years magic without Lane Kiffin/Charlie Weis Jr., with questions at OT, and a receiver room that is taking a step back. Defensively Ole Miss could be very good. They could very easily be a top 5 defense in the SEC.
Ole Miss are the favorites going into this one. Louisville can pull off the upset if their defense is legit. If the OTs for Ole Miss are a concern, then Louisville’s edge rushers are going to feast. If that happens, it’s going to be a long day for Trinidad and that offense.
My pick: Louisville in an upset.
Clemson @ LSU (-10.5)
Dabo Swinney was considered one of the greatest coaches in college football not that long ago. The last few years have a been a different story. Dabo has refused to adapt to the new era of college football, and Clemson is not nearly as dominant as they once were. Dabo desperately needs to have a good season.
Lane Kiffin takes over at LSU and very quickly became a villain. He has been known as the portal king, and that has not changed with him taking over LSU. A ton of guys brought in through the portal. This offense has been completely rebuilt, which is probably a good thing. LSU’s offense was an issue last season.
Last season we saw these 2 open up the season, and it was a close, ugly game. After that game, everyone thought it was a hard fought battle between 2 very good teams. It was the opposite. It was a battle between 2 very mediocre teams. This season I feel like I know who LSU is going to be, a very good offense with a good defense. Clemson is a different story. While I think their defense should be good, I have questions at QB and o-line. I am not confident in either position group at all.
Clemson can win this game if their offensive line is good. If they are good, it makes me feel much more confident about the rest of the offense. A rising tide lifts all boats. Clemson has very good receivers, and decent RBs. But if the offensive line is no good, the run game won’t get off the ground, which means they are one dimensional. I don’t trust Christopher Vizzina to pick apart LSU’s defense.
My pick: LSU in a runaway.
Baylor vs Auburn (-7.5)
Another neutral site game, my favorite. Auburn is debuting a new coach and a new offense. After the failed Hugh Freeze experiment, they moved onto another offensive minded head coach in Alex Golesh. I do really like this hire for Auburn and I’m on high on them for the future. Baylor is in a different position. Dave Aranda probably should’ve been fired last year, and was saved because of a scandal that led to the AD stepping down. With a new AD is place and money to spend, Dave Aranda is on borrowed time.
The first thing Alex Golesh did when he was hired was to retain DJ Durkin at DC. Some people thought it was a weird move, but I loved it. The issue for Auburn last year was not the defense, so retaining him and a good chunk of young talent on that defense was huge. The offense may not be one of the best offenses in the country or the SEC, but I am confident enough that they will be significantly better than what we saw under Freeze.
Baylor was kind of the opposite of Auburn. The offense wasn’t the issue, it was the defense. Dave Aranda was quoted this off-season saying that his defensive line is top 5 in the Big 12. They better hope that’s true, because I’m not sold that their secondary is going to be good. Offensively they went out and got DJ Lagway at QB. That’s either a great pickup, or a terrible pickup depending on who you ask. He will be the key to Baylor’s success or failure on offense.
Baylor can win this game if their d-line is as good as Aranda thinks. Auburn’s offense is going to sling the ball around. I think Baylor’s secondary is suspect, which means they need this d-line to be good. If they are not, Auburn moved the ball at will. If they are, Baylor has a shot.
My pick: Auburn in a close one.
UCLA @ Cal (+2.5)
This could be the game of the weekend. This could be a great QB battle. Say what you want about Nico Iamaleava, he’s still a good QB. Both of these teams have a ton of optimism surrounding them as they are debuting new coaches. The future is very bright for both programs.
Cal spent their off-season surrounding Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele with as much talent as possible. They upgraded at WR, TE, RB, and offensive line. This Cal offense should be very good. The defense has some questions with their depth. If healthy, this defense should be very good.
UCLA was a dumpster fire on both sides of the ball last season. Offensively they should be much improved, but the success of this offense rests on that o-line. They’ve got a deep RB room and talented WRs, but that o-line is a question. Defensively I feel confident in the secondary, but less confident with the d-line. They may struggle against teams that have a good run game.
The key for both teams in this game is the defense. Both offenses should be good, so if either defense can step up, they have a shot. Cal is a team that is going to sling the ball around, if UCLA’s secondary is in fact the strength of the defense, they have a shot. If Cal’s starting defense is as good as they can be, and they stay healthy, they have a shot.
My pick: Cal in a higher scoring game.
Wisconsin vs Notre Dame (-20.5)
The battle between 2 former coworkers. For those who don’t know, Marcus Freeman was the DC for Cincinnati while Luke Fickell was the HC. Both teams are coming off disappointing seasons for different reasons. Notre Dame had a great season, but just missed out of the College Football Playoff. Wisconsin however just had a bad season all around. They missed out on a bowl game for a second straight season, after going on a streak of like 20+ years of reaching a bowl. Both teams head into this season with something to prove.
Wisconsin had a very difficult schedule last season that just beat them down. This year that schedule looks to be much more manageable, but I’m not convinced that their roster is that much improved. Defensively they look good on paper, and I’m not too concerned. Offensively I’m very concerned. The right side of their o-line has not been healthy, the WRs don’t scare you, and there’s a lot of unknown with Colton Joseph at QB.
Notre Dame just missed out on the playoff last year and have spent the last 9 months with a chip on their shoulder. Their mantra this season is to leave no doubt. I fully expect them to do just that. They are my pick to win it all this season. The defense is elite and they are deep. I have no concerns on that side of the ball. On offense they lose their top 2 RBs from last season. That’s not a concern for me. Their o-line is good enough, that even above average RBs should still have a great season. My one “concern” is the WRs. They have the talent, but have been injured, or haven’t played enough. This team is loaded at every position and should fly through this schedule which looks to be very easy.
Wisconsin can win this game if Colton Joseph is the real deal. The success of Wisconsin not only in the game, but for the season rest on the success of Colton Joesph. You could even make the argument that he could be the reason Luke Fickell is fired, or retained for another year. I’m not sold on Colton Joseph, but I’ve been wrong about QBs before.
My pick: Notre Dame in a blowout.
Every season week 1 is loaded with cupcake games, with a few big matchups sprinkled in. It really does feel like this year is lighter on the sprinkles than normal, but that doesn’t make it any less exciting. These five games should all be excellent, and should get us pumped up for the rest of the season. Which of these 5 games are you most excited for? Or is there another game I did not mention that you’re pumped about?
