Week 1 of the CFB season got underway on Saturday and these are my observations from Saturday September 1st.
- Lane Kiffin and FAU got slammed by Oklahoma. I wasn’t expecting the Owls to win but I was expecting them to score some points. A 63-14 drubbing in Norman was embarrassing considering the Sooners didn’t have one player make the BIG12 preseason 1st team all defensive unit.
- The Buckeyes dropping 77-points on the Beavers should be of no surprise to anyone. They are going to play like their hair is on fire in the absence of Urban Meyer and will continue to do the same upon his return in week four.
- It didn’t take long for Trevor Lawrence to make his first appearance with Clemson. Lawrence finished 9/15, 137-yards and 3-touchdowns. Kelly Bryant went 10/16, 127-yards and 1-touchdown in Clemsons 48-7 victory over Furman. Lawrence will become the starter at some point this season. I firmly believe that.
- I have NO idea what I was thinking when I predicted Texas to win the BIG12. None. The Longhorns have now lost back-to-back games to Maryland. In football. Not basketball. Football. Has Texas won a game since Mack Brown and Colt McCoy left? Asking for a friend..
- Auburn got a hard fought win, finally snapping their losing streak inside of the gorgeous monstrosity in Atlanta. I do not believe Washington has been eliminated from the CFB Playoff and I don’t believe that the PAC12 has been shut out. If the Huskies run the table they still have a shot.
- After Penn State and James Franklin needed OT to defeat Appalachian State, the memo should be very clear to all Power-5 programs: DON’T SCHEDULE APP STATE!
- Jeremy Pruitt and Vols fans should be very happy with the 1st 30-minutes of today’s game against West Virginia. They held a high octane offense to 13-points. The second half? Eh, now you see the road ahead of Pruitt and Vols Nation. But there are some good things to takeaway from today’s game in Charlotte. Jarrett Guarantano showed accuracy and toughness despite not having hardly any time (19/25, 172-yards and 1-TD). Tim Jordan showed he can carry the load in the absence of the injured Ty Chandler and Marquez Callaway should have a very strong season. Reasons for optimism in Knoxville. Trust the Pruitt Process.
- Memo to Louisville: Don’t run your mouth and stick to hoops. Just imagine how good the Tide will be in 2019 when Tua, Najee, Henry, Jerry and Devonta are all juniors? Scary.
- Jim Harbaugh. America’s most overrated coach. The seat should start getting even more toasty if “Harbs” racks up another 3-loss season.
Gambling Picks ATS: 6-3 at the time of this being posted.1
- Bama -24 (W)
- Auburn -1 (W)
- Vandy -3 (W)
- Under 48 Mich/ND (W)
- Northwestern +2 (W)
- Over 66 FAU/OU (W)
- Vols +10 (L)
- Wisc -35.5 (L)
- FAU +21 (L)
- Arizona -11 (Pending in progress)
- Miami -3 (Sunday)
- VaTech +7.5 (Monday)
SEC Week 1 Power Rankings (As of Saturday- LSU plays tomorrow)
- Alabama
- Georgia
- Auburn
- Mississippi State
- Florida
- South Carolina
- Ole Miss
- Missouri
- Texas A&M
- Vandy
- Tennessee
- Kentucky
- Arkansas
CFB Playoff Top-4: (Remains unchanged)
- Bama
- Clemson
- Georgia
- Ohio State
Heisman 5:
- Tua (12/16, 227, 2-0 & 1 rush td)
- Will Grier (25/34, 429, 5-0)
- Jonathan Taylor (18-145-2)
