WEEK 1 COLLEGE FOOTBALL PREVIEW + PLAYS

GAMES TO WATCH

Auburn @ Baylor

FRI 8:00PM EST / FOX

Auburn -2.5 / Total: 58.5

It feels like this is the game no one is talking about! It’s not a ranked matchup but we’re getting a hopeful SEC team trying to turn things around in year 3 of Hugh Freeze against who some would call a BIG12 favorite to win the conference. See more about this game with my pick below!

Georgia Tech @ Colorado

FRI 8:00PM EST / ESPN

Georgia Tech -4.5 / Total: 51.5

This Georgia Tech team is going to be the ACC sleeper no one saw coming. Coach Brent Key has been building a culture there and they haven't been afraid to go toe to toe with giants! Things are looking a lot different in Colorado this year and we're all curious to see how they fare without Hunter or Shedeur. See more about this game with my pick below!

#1 Texas @ #3 Ohio State

SAT 12:00PM EST / FOX

Ohio State -1.5 / Total: 47.5

This one doesn't need much previewing! It's a semi-final rematch with two new QBs at the helm. Arch Manning takes a trip to Columbus to face off against Julian Sayin. While all the talk has been these two QBs and offense let's not forget about the defense. Texas returns AA Collin Simmons and Anthony Hill. Two disruptors that can foil any offensive scheme. While the Buckeyes return arguably the best defender in the country in Caleb Downs! This game might not be pretty but this is what college football is all about.

#8 Alabama @ Florida State

SAT 3:30PM EST / ABC

Alabama -14 / Total: 49.5

This is a big year for Alabama. Even though it's impossible to replace Saban, Tide fans have extremely high standards for his successor. DeBoer is reunited with OC Ryan Grubbs and has shifted the offense to rely less on the QBs legs. They'll be heading into hostile territory against what is again labeled a "portal revamped" Florida State team after last years BAD season. Fool me twice, shame on me... (see more about this game with my pick below!)

#9 LSU @ #4 Clemson

SAT 7:30PM EST / ABC

Clemson -3.5 / Total: 57.5

LSU openers have been quite a story especially over the past few years. This LSU team has high hopes for changing things with the return of Garrett Nussmeier at QB. LSU has always had a talented roster but they just haven't been able to get it quite right. Will this be the year under veteran QB leadership? Clemson is also looking to return to it's glory days following the same pattern our previous two national championship teams had... experience. This is a veteran Clemson roster ready to stake their claim in the post season again. This shapes up to be an intra-conference banger. See more about this game with my pick below!

Virginia Tech vs #13 South Carolina (Atlanta, GA)

SUN 3:00PM EST / ESPN

South Carolina -7.5 / Total: 52.5

This is purely a game to watch because of LaNorris Sellers. He has been garnishing Heisman hype and is getting a stand alone Sunday game against the ACC. Kyrone Drones and VA Tech will have something to say about that. Last year everyone including myself was high on Tech because of returning experience. They fell short of expectation but flashed just enough to keep many people hooked. Those who stuck around the Hokie hype train believe that last year they were just year too early. Will they take advantage of a neutral site and stump an SEC opponent early?

#6 Notre Dame @ #10 Miami

SUN 7:30PM EST / ABC

Notre Dame -2.5 / Total: 49.5

Catholics vs Convicts?! Well not quite the same energy but still a top 10 matchup on Week 1! A lot of the talk in this game has been again between QBs Carr and Beck. Beck is an established starter who's had ups and downs and Carr hasn't played yet. But let's not forget the Irish offense goes through RB Jeremiyah Love and that big OL. Miami has a good OL as well but will they have the DL to force a passing game? Beck will have some talent with him on that offense as well, enough to score on the Irish defense. Who do you got in this one?

TCU @ North Carolina

MON 8:00PM EST / ESPN

TCU -3.5 / Total: 56.5

Bill Belichick. That’s really it. UNC hasn’t been relevant outside of having some NFL talent here and there. Everyone is curious to see how Bill adjusts to the college game. With UNC’s schedule, people are expecting a lot from the Tar Heels this season. Starting off with a BIG12 opponent is a good way to set the tone for the season. Meanwhile TCU and Sonny Dikes look to compete for the BIG12 with Josh Hoover at QB. TCU was in the national championship just a few years ago and has changed dramatically since. Although they did finish 9-4 last year it wasn’t enough. They feel they have one of the best QBs in conference and will be looking to prove it Monday.

WEEK 1 PLAYS

GEORGIA TECH -4.5

This is a good ol’ fashion clash of styles. Colorado plays finesse football and recently has relied heavily on their QB and WRs to make big plays. They live off explosive scoring plays and often don’t require a ton of time of possession. However, Shedeur, Travis Hunter and quite a few others are no longer apart of this Buffs offense. I don’t have the confidence in Kaidon Salter and a brand new WR room to be successful against a gritty experienced Tech defense. On the other side, GTech returns one of the better RBs in the country in Haynes and a gamer at QB in King.

Brent Key has significantly changed the culture at Georgia Tech and is improving every time they step on the field. Last year they excelled against ranked teams like Miami and took UGA to 8 OT’s. Majority of that team is returning and looking to stamp their mark on the ACC, I don’t see Colorado getting in the way of that.

BAYLOR ML

BAYLOR +2.5

BAYLOR/AUBURN OVER 58.5

Straight up I don’t have any confidence in Auburn. Yes they’re an SEC team so they have a talented roster but I have 0 belief in Jackson Arnold or Hugh Freeze. According to many sources there’s still a “battle” for the QB1 role with Ashton Daniels and Deuce Knight waiting for an Arnold slip up. With this much inconsistency at QB I can’t see them strolling into Waco and having an easy time. Baylor returns one of the best QB’s in the BIG12 in Sawyer Robertson and soph 1K rusher in Washington. Baylor was 5-1 ATS at home LY and ripped off a 6 game winning streak to end the regular season.

They head into this HOME game with a lot less question marks than Auburn and a much better QB give me the Bears +2.5 and the MoneyLine. We’re going to triple dip here. If Baylor’s going to win or cover it won’t be a low scoring game. While Dave Aranda is a good defensive coach, Auburn still has plenty of SEC talent. I see Baylor winning this one by finding the end zone just enough times. Not to mention 7 of the last 8 Baylor home openers have gone OVER and all 4 of Auburn’s last openers have gone OVER. Book it.

ALABAMA -14

I’m not going to dive into this one or give some deep analytics. I think it’s pretty simple. DeBoer has brought the pieces he wanted over to this staff and is stamping his culture in Tuscaloosa. With addition of OC Ryan Grubbs this Crimson Tide offense is going to look to very different. Ty Simpson will be the starter and he’s a pass first QB who is athletic. The Bama defense is loaded and FSU QB Castellanos has been giving them bulletin board material all season. I don’t think Florida State is going to just bounce back from that abysmal season a year ago and I like Bama to contend for the SEC title this year. This is just going to be an ol’ fashioned beat down to kick things off for Alabama.

LSU/CLEM UNDER 57.5

This is really a vibes pick more than anything. I like LSU to compete for the Natty this year but I’m not sure how they’re going to fare in this game. Week 1 games are typically a nightmare for LSU and haven’t gotten better since the arrival of Brian Kelly. Clemson is a hostile environment to play in and while all the talk is about Cade Klubnik, their defense is what scares teams the most. DL Peter Woods and TJ Parker are widely regarded to be two of the top 10 players in the country this year! They’ll be facing off against a newly put together LSU OL that graduated 1st RD Draft Pick Will Campbell. While I do have high hopes for LSU I believe it will take some time for their offense to gel but this is not the place. On the flip side LSU has improved on defense and is looking for Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins to be leaders of the defense. Like I said earlier this game gives me vibes of that Georgia Clemson opener from ‘21 where the only TD was a pick six. I don’t think it will be 10-3 again but I’m not expecting a shootout.

UTAH -5.5

UCLA is just not a good football team. Deshaun Foster is working on things over there and they didn’t show any quit last year but it won’t be enough. Utah has been gambling with the health of Cam Rising over the past few years and that saga has finally ended. Now they add Devon Dampier at QB who was an electric playmaker at New Mexico. They also return the entire OL including the best RT in the country in Spencer Fano. With a new OC, QB and a few WRs this Utah offense will be much more productive. The Utah defense has never been a worry and they continue to be the strength of the program. Yes UCLA has Nico but their OL is questionable, their WRs are questionable and their DL isn’t very good. Utah rights the ship and beats up UCLA bad here to start the season.