Is it Next Saturday Yet?
Hey gang! Shawn here. The first week of College Football is in the books, and OH BABY am I glad it’s back. We saw Heisman hopefuls show why they’re Heisman hopefuls, we saw blowouts, we saw comebacks, we saw upsets. And it was GLORIOUS! It was so glorious that the last game of the holiday weekend resulted in a double overtime thriller. (OH! And I went 5-7 on my picks for the week. I feel pretty good about that). Before we ride into the second week, during which there will only be three days of football (one really, since the bulk of games will be played on Saturday), here’s our College Football Week One Wrap-Up.
(Cover Photo courtesy of Getty Images)
There Is No Preseason in College Football
If you watched any of the games this weekend, you probably heard that phrase multiple times. And with good reason. We saw a lot of good teams struggle in the first half of Week One. Ohio State was down one at half. The Badgers were tied with Utah State at 10. Alabama led by 3 over Florida State. USC and Western Michigan were tied at 14. Washington led Rutgers by 3. Louisville trailed Purdue by 4. UCLA was famously down by 28 at half. For most of us, watching the first half of some of these games was a struggle. But everything eventually got straightened out and we were treated to a great weekend of football. The cobwebs should be cleaned up by Week Two.
No One Wins (or Loses) the Heisman in Week 1
(Saquon Barkley had two touchdowns in a 52-0 victory over Akron. Photo Courtesy of Antonella Crescimbeni, The Daily Collegian)
Sam Darnold and Josh Allen struggled in week one. Saquon Barkley made his case for the best player in College Football, as did Lamar Jackson. Josh Rosen led one of the greatest comebacks I’ve ever seen. Baker Mayfield and Mason Rudolph made their own cases as well. But, again, it was also the first week of the season. There’s a lot of football left, (no shit Sherlock), so expect Darnold and Allen to right the ship and re-establish their position as two of the premier quarterbacks in college football. This is going to be a fun Heisman race this year.
The Michigan Defense Is Quite Good
(With Those Hands, The Over Was Reached. Photo Courtesy of Kirthmon F. Dozier, Detroit Free Press)
The Wolverines lost eight defensive players to the NFL in the offseason. EIGHT. How do you follow that up? Come out and limit the Florida Gators to 192 total yards and get a sack-fumble late in the game that helped many across the country hit the over in Week One (one of those previous statements actually mattered. You decide). The Wolverines will need that defense to hold form as they head into a very tough schedule which will see them face off against Penn State in Happy Valley mid-season, and then the Badgers in Madison and Ohio State in back to back games to finish out the season.
Florida State’s Panic Button Is in the Room
(Get Well Soon Deondre! Photo Courtesy of ABC)
Losing to Alabama was never going to be a damning factor for the Seminoles. The reality of the situation was that the loser of the game would very well be playing at the end of the season. That was until the fourth quarter in Atlanta. With just under six minutes left in the game, Deondre Francois was sacked from behind while rolling out to his right. While he was physically grasping at his knee after the play, Seminole Nation knew they were grasping at their National Title hopes. It was announced Monday that Francois will require surgery and will miss the remainder of the 2017 season. Their fate will be placed partly in the hands of freshman quarterback James Blackman. This will very well be an uphill battle. The word insurmountable comes to mind. My thoughts go out to Francois and hopefully he will come back even stronger next year.
BONUS TAKEAWAY – T-Swift and CFB Are a Match Made From My Wildest Dreams
(Legen-dary! Photo Courtesy of Youtube.com)
If you were watching any of the FSU/Bama promos leading up to the game, you were lucky enough to hear two of her first singles off her new album “Reputation”. Everyone knew about “Look What You Made Me Do”. And then as the nation turned into Saturday night Primetime College Football on ABC, our ears got to experience a song that had me immediately googling all combinations of the phrase “New Taylor Swift ABC Primetime Football”. “…Ready for It” is my song to beat off this album so far. Yes, I know there are only two out so far. But this song is a legitimate BANG. ER. As much as I’m excited for more College Football, having a chance to hear these songs every time ABC and ESPN promote a College Football game, is definitely up there. I’m definitely #ReadyForIt.
So there it is. I’m finally coming down from Week One. My heart and soul are ready for Week Two. Keep your eyes open for my Week Two Preview. Love you all. Stay beautiful College Football. See you next weekend.