What We Learned From CFB’s Week 1: Georgia Sets the Tone, Billy Napier’s Seat Gets Hot
The days were long, but the months were short. Finally, college football is back in full force. The opening week of the season is a special moment in the calendar: the intersection of offseason optimism and reality. The talk is over, and the games are here to help us decipher what was legitimate and what wasn’t in the past few months.
Which brings us to the other interesting part of Week 1: far-reaching statements.
“Clemson is done!”
“The SEC is overrated! A 1-3 mark in the top four non-conference games? That really means more.”
“Oregon went all the way against Idaho — the Ducks are in TROUBLE this year.”
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You get the idea.
There was plenty to overreact to, and even things that probably aren’t discussed enough relative to their impact on the 2024 season. Some early conclusions will carry weight well into October and November, while others will feel like distant memories. But all we have is now, so let’s have some fun with the stories playing out in the first full week of the season.
Carson Beck (15) and the Georgia Bulldogs defeated Clemson to open the 2024 season. (Mike Zarrilli/Getty Images)
Underreaction: Georgia dominates in pre-season matches
Slow starts among heavy favorites were common in the sport during Week 0 and Week 1. Florida State’s surprising loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Oregon’s sluggish performance, Virginia Tech’s loss to Vanderbilt as a nearly 20-point favorite. The list goes on. The opener sets the tone for the season after a full summer of preparation. Which program is nearly immune to Week 1 disappointment? Georgia.
The Dawgs notched their most impressive early-season win with a 31-point victory over No. 14 Clemson. It was Georgia’s 40th straight regular-season victory, which is impressive in itself. But another statistic points to the team’s sharp execution when given more time to prepare: Since 2021, Georgia is 11-0 in games where it has had more than seven days to prepare, and eight of those wins have come by 22 points or more.
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Why does it matter? The next game Georgia has more than a week to play: 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 about this year’s offense after a 30-10 win over Fresno State, which allowed just 269 yards of total offense. With the Texas game looming on Saturday only adding to the anxiety, it’s not time to bet on the unit … yet.
It’s worth noting that it was almost an entirely new unit from what Michigan has 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 perceived talent disparities between teams, consistency propelled Michigan to a championship last year. This year’s group will need time to build on that.
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There are concerns about the quarterback competition and the potential outcome of banking on internal options versus a transfer portal option. The biggest wild card is Alex Orji and whether the presumed starter for much of the offseason can take on a larger role as the season progresses. Michigan’s offense finished Saturday’s game with momentum, a seven-play, 75-yard touchdown drive to extend its lead to 23-10 on the final possession.
It’s a marathon, not a sprint, especially in the new era of the 12-team College Football Playoff. Give it 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 exactly dazzling: 23 points, 246 yards and 18 first downs. But that’s why it’s necessary to watch football, not read it. 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 Notre Dame’s perceived challenges, the effectiveness of its offense deserves more attention.
With a line that had just six combined starts and injuries to boot, the Irish’s average snap-to-pass time was 2.18 seconds, according to TruMedia, the shortest time at Notre Dame since the metric was introduced in 2019. Quarterback Riley Leonard, in his first game with the program, was sacked just once. Notre Dame dinked and dunked, holding A&M’s defensive front at bay and running the ball when necessary in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
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At some point, the Irish will have to make vertical passing shots and show they have the perimeter players to win at a high level, but it appears they have a coordinator who is very aware of personnel and knows how to adjust and formulate winning strategies. Notre Dame’s offensive ceiling has yet to be determined, but it was good enough to win as an underdog in the opener. The rest of the schedule is not daunting and the offense will only continue to gain experience.
Overreaction: Heisman moments, chances and everything in between
Key players made their presence felt in Week 1. From the dynamic connection between Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter to Tetairoa McMillan’s 300-yard receiving day for Arizona to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty throwing for six touchdowns, the star debuts did not disappoint.
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Some argue that teams shouldn’t be ranked until a certain point in the season. In the same vein, Heisman talk shouldn’t be allowed until at least a month of football has been played. Yes, we know a few contenders, including some we just mentioned, and there are others: 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 all the conversations.
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Sanders and Hunter are phenomenal, but can Colorado win enough to bring one or both of them to New York? Same goes for McMillan, and Jeanty will likely need Boise State in the playoff picture to get any serious attention. Milroe and Beck don’t face each other for three weeks in Tuscaloosa, 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 award, but the Nittany Lions are favored because they hit the road against a rival with a lot of offseason buzz and dominated the game, even amid a lengthy delay. The weather, mixed with several other high-profile 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 several explosive plays, while the defense held a Mountaineers offense featuring a returning quarterback to 246 yards.
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In general, there’s not enough attention paid to what Penn State did, partly because of the attention paid to what other Big Ten teams didn’t do, like Oregon and Michigan. There’s a lot of expectation in Happy Valley, and Week 1 was a resounding success. If other Big Ten programs continue to struggle, those expectations will continue to grow.
A Rightly Judged Response: Billy Napier’s Hot Seat
Week 1 in the Swamp was essentially the “Hot Seat Bowl,” with Florida and Miami needing a win to validate their offseason progress. Florida lost in a way that can leave a fan base in a dark place: apathy.
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“The swamp is draining,” Mark Long of the Associated Press wrote“They watched the game and Billy Napier.”
Technically, it’s not over yet for Napier, who took a swipe at Florida fans during his press conference on Monday, citing that his team needs to focus on improvement and not what “someone in their basement in rural Central Florida is saying on social media,” but it certainly feels like things are moving in a certain direction. There’s been a lot of talk about Florida’s schedule and now Napier needs to find a way to pull off some surprises to maintain his job status.
The goodwill built up by midseason optimism evaporated on a Saturday afternoon. It was a moment for Florida to show it was on the right track, but it did the opposite. Fans are disappointed and anxious about what lies ahead. The Gators can turn things around, but the talk on the hot seat feels justified.
(Top photo of Kirby Smart: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
