College Football is back. Week 0 is complete and now we look ahead to week 1. Every week I will post an article recapping the previous week and looking ahead to the future week!
Week 0 Headline
Scott Frost's seat is as hot as it gets
We all knew Nebraska Head Coach Scott Frost was on the hot seat, but after their disappointing loss to Northwestern, I am not sure if he will make it back to Lincoln. Up 27-17 in the 3rd quarter, Frost had some of the worst play calls I have ever seen. Nebraska opted to go for an onside kick but did not convert. Northwestern capitalized on the short field and made it 27-24. After a 3 and out by Nebraska, Northwestern scored again and never looked back. A game changing play just cost Frost his job.
Top play from week 0
Week 0 was uneventful...except for this!
Week 1 Headlines
Michigan lays out plan for the QB battle
Michigan announced that Cade McNamara and J.J McCarthy will each start 1 game for the Wolverines and by week 3 they will have their starter for the remainder of the year. Cade will get the start against Colorado State and J.J will get the start against Hawaii. Cade was the starter in 2021 and helped Michigan to a Big Ten Championship and a spot in the College Football Playoff. J.J got significant playing time in 2021 and has been locked in during the QB battle all summer long.
Dan Lanning's first game with Oregon is against his old team
The defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs are looking to defend their title and will do it week 1 against Oregon. Head Coach Dan Lanning's first game with Oregon will be against his old team in Georgia. He will look to Auburn transfer Bo Nix to help lead his offense. Georgia will once again return Stetson Bennett at QB. Georgia lost a lot of talent on defense from 2021 and their defensive coordinator. Bo Nix is a dark horse for the Heisman trophy. He gets a chance week 1 to make an impact against a team who needs to find a new identity on defense. Oregon is my pick to win the Pac-12 and make the playoffs in 2022. They do with a week 1 statement victory. I am going with the Ducks!
Arkansas or Cincy?
Fresh off of making history as the first school from the Group of 5 to make the CFB Playoffs, Cincy will open the season against #19 Arkansas. Luke Fickell will have a new QB to run his offense. Desmond Ridder left for the NFL and now he will have to replace the best QB in program history. He has not yet named the week 1 starter. They have a tough match-up as they go against an Arkansas team who look to make noise in the SEC. They return a solid group of returners from 2021. Sam Pittman capitalized on the transfer portal and is quietly making a good team that can compete in the SEC. This week 1 match-up is a solid test for both teams week 1.
Game of the year? Notre Dame vs Ohio State
Notre Dame will be led by new coach Marcus Freeman in 2022. Freeman is a defense minded coach and will return one of the best defenses in 2022. Not only that he focused on defense in the transfer portal during this past cycle. Ohio State's CJ Stroud could have won the Heisman last year. He gets a chance week 1 to have a Heisman moment. Ohio State has a trio of players who are all arguably the best at their position. CJ Stroud at QB, Trayvon Henderson at RB and Jaxon Smith-Njiba at WR. This is a big test for both teams. Ohio State has the edge on offense over Notre Dame's defense. Ohio State has too many playmakers. Notre Dame needs to find their identity on offense, which will help a weak Ohio State defense. It will be a close game, but Ohio State takes the week 1 game against Notre Dame.
Pitt on upset alert
The Backyard Brawl is back. West Virginia will travel to Pitt to take on the Panthers on Thursday night. WVU is led by former Georgia QB JT Daniels and he will be coached by new OC Graham Harrell who was hired after he left USC. In Harrell's first game, he will coach against new Pitt QB and former USC Trojan Kedon Slovis who was named Pitt's starting QB. I like WVU's offense in this game. It is a rivalry game which can go either way. JT Daniels is still a top 10 QB in CFB. He gets to be coached by one of the best offensive minds in the country. Look for WVU to get the upset victory week 1.
All season long, I will provide update articles. Throughout the season I will give you headlines, predictions, and breakdowns. I look forward to interacting with you all and discussing the best sport in America.
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