What we discovered from CFB’s Week 1: Georgia units the tone and Billy Napier’s seat will get sizzling

The times have been lengthy, however the months have been quick. Lastly, faculty soccer has returned full tilt. The opening week of the season is a very particular second on the calendar: the intersection of offseason optimism and actuality. Speaking season is over, and the video games are right here to assist us decipher what was professional and what wasn’t in the course of the previous a number of months.

That leads us to the opposite particular a part of Week 1: sweeping declarations.

“Clemson is cooked!”

“The SEC is overrated! A 1-3 displaying in its 4 marquee, nonconference video games? It actually does imply extra.”

“Oregon went all the way down to the wire towards Idaho — the Geese are in TROUBLE this yr.”

You get the purpose.

There was loads to overreact to and even issues that most likely aren’t being mentioned sufficient relative to their affect on the 2024 season. Some early conclusions will maintain weight into October and November, whereas others will really feel like distant reminiscences. However all we have now is true now, so let’s have some enjoyable with the narratives at play within the first full week of the season.

Underreaction: Georgia’s dominance in preparation video games

Gradual begins amongst large favorites have been widespread across the sport throughout Week 0 and Week 1. Florida State’s upset loss to Georgia Tech in Dublin, Oregon’s sluggish efficiency, Virginia Tech’s loss to Vanderbilt as a close to 20-point favourite. The record goes on. The opener units the tone for the season after a full summer time to arrange. What program is nearly proof against Week 1 letdowns? Georgia.

The Dawgs earned essentially the most spectacular win of the early season with a 31-point victory over No. 14 Clemson. It’s Georgia’s fortieth consecutive regular-season win, which is spectacular by itself. However one other stat factors to the group’s sharp execution when given prolonged time to arrange: Since 2021, Georgia is 11-0 in video games when it has greater than seven days to arrange, and eight of these wins have been by 22 factors or extra.

Why’s that important? The subsequent sport through which Georgia may have greater than per week: Sept. 28 at Alabama with each groups coming off a bye week.

Overreaction: The perceived state of Michigan’s offense

After a three-year run of easy quarterback play, Michigan followers discovered themselves in a sobering place on Saturday: not sure of this yr’s offense after a 30-10 win over Fresno State, which featured simply 269 yards of whole offense. The Texas sport looming on Saturday solely provides to the anguish, but it surely’s not time to punt on the unit … but.

It’s value noting that it was nearly a totally new unit from what Michigan relied on the previous three seasons: Two new quarterbacks, 5 new starters on the offensive line, the necessity to change its two main receivers and main rusher Blake Corum. Whatever the perceived expertise disparity between groups, continuity propelled Michigan to a championship a yr in the past. This yr’s group wants time to construct that.

There’s a concern concerning the quarterback competitors and the potential results of banking on inner choices versus a switch portal possibility. The most important wild card is Alex Orji and whether or not the assumed starter for a lot of the offseason can carve out an even bigger function because the season ensues. Michigan’s offense ended Saturday’s sport with momentum: a seven-play, 75-yard landing drive to increase its result in 23-10 on its ultimate possession.

It’s a marathon, not a dash, particularly within the new 12-team School Soccer Playoff period. Give it a while.

Underreaction: What Notre Dame’s offense did towards Texas A&M

On paper, what Notre Dame’s offense did towards Texas A&M wasn’t eye-popping: 23 factors, 246 yards and 18 first downs. However that’s why it’s crucial to observe soccer, not learn soccer. It was the debut of offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock, who served as LSU’s offensive coordinator final season, and he entered Kyle Area with a transparent plan. Amid all of Notre Dame’s perceived challenges, the effectiveness of the offense deserves extra consideration.

With a line that had simply six mixed begins and accidents besides, the Irish’s common time from snap to go was 2.18 seconds, in accordance with TruMedia, the shortest time at Notre Dame for the reason that stat was launched in 2019. Quarterback Riley Leonard, in his first sport with this system, was solely sacked as soon as. Notre Dame dinked and dunked, stored A&M’s defensive entrance at bay and ran the ball when it wanted to within the fourth quarter to get the win.

Sooner or later, the Irish might want to join on vertical go pictures and present they’ve the perimeter gamers to win at a excessive degree, but it surely seems they’ve a coordinator who’s keenly conscious of the personnel and is aware of easy methods to alter and formulate profitable methods. Notre Dame’s offensive ceiling is to be decided, but it surely was ok to win as a street underdog within the opener. The remainder of the schedule isn’t daunting, and the offense will solely get extra skilled.

Overreaction: Heisman moments, odds and something in between

Marquee gamers made statements in Week 1. From Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter’s dynamic connection to Tetairoa McMillan’s 300-yard receiving day for Arizona to Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty scoring six touchdowns, star debuts didn’t disappoint.

Some imagine groups shouldn’t be ranked earlier than a sure level within the season. In that very same vein, Heisman discuss shouldn’t be allowed till at the least a month of soccer has been performed. Sure, we all know some contenders, together with a number of we simply talked about, and there are extra: Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II. However so much can occur between now and Weeks 7, 8, 9 and past, and group success will issue into any conversations.

Sanders and Hunter are phenomenal, however will Colorado have sufficient wins to propel both or each to New York? The identical might be stated for McMillan, and Jeanty most likely wants Boise State in Playoff rivalry to garner critical consideration. Milroe and Beck don’t face off in Tuscaloosa for 3 weeks, however that sport has each Playoff and Heisman implications. There’s additionally possible an under-the-radar participant who will emerge later within the season.

Underreaction: Did Penn State have the second most spectacular win?

There are a number of contenders for this distinction, however the Nittany Lions get the nod for happening the street towards a rival with loads of offseason buzz and dominating the sport even amid a prolonged delay. The climate, blended with a number of different marquee video games in the course of the midday ET window, considerably overshadowed what Penn State confirmed in its debut. Talking of offensive coordinators, Penn State’s new man Andy Kotelnicki had a robust first sport. Quarterback Drew Allar appeared snug and hit for some explosive performs, whereas the protection held a Mountaineers offense with a returning quarterback to 246 yards.

General, there’s not sufficient consideration on what Penn State did, partly due to the eye on what different Massive Ten groups didn’t do, like Oregon and Michigan. There are loads of expectations in Joyful Valley, and Week 1 was a powerful success. If different Massive Ten packages proceed to wrestle, these expectations will proceed to extend.

One properly-rated response: Billy Napier’s sizzling seat

Week 1 within the Swamp was primarily the “Sizzling Seat Bowl,” with Florida and Miami needing the win to validate offseason progress. Florida misplaced in a vogue that may ship a fan base right into a darkish place: apathy.

“The Swamp is emptying,” Mark Lengthy of the Related Press wrote. “They’ve checked out on the sport and on Billy Napier.”

It’s technically not over for Napier, who took a jab at Florida followers throughout his Monday information convention, citing that his group must deal with bettering and never on what “some man in his basement in rural Central Florida is saying on social media,” but it surely actually seems like issues are trending in a course. Florida’s schedule has been a lot mentioned, and now Napier must discover a method to pull off some upsets to protect his job standing.

The goodwill constructed by means of offseason optimism evaporated in a single Saturday afternoon. It was a second for Florida to indicate it was on the precise trajectory, and it did the other. The fan base is disenchanted and uneasy about what’s to return. The Gators can flip it round, however the hot-seat conversations really feel justified.

(High photograph of Kirby Sensible: Todd Kirkland / Getty Photographs)