Welcome to a new era in college football: 12 teams will be in the playoffs, the Pac-12 has become the Pac-2, Stanford and UC are somehow in the Atlantic Coast Conference, while UCLA and USC are in the Big Ten.
Let's take a look at everything that happened in Week 1 of the 2024 college football season.
Big Deal: The story of a Florida aristocrat
Week 1 saw many of the top teams (except for Georgia Death Machine and Texas) looking very sleepy. Ohio State University They won 52-6, but had to overcome a slow start. Oregon was swept by Idaho, and the other top teams faced opponents that weren't good enough to show what they could be this season. But it was the Warriors who really made their presence felt early in the CFB season. Miami Hurricanes.
Coming into the season after spending big on the transfer portal, Miami went straight to Gainesville and blew the Gators away. In a close 41-17 victory, the Hurricanes dominated both lines of scrimmage and pushed the Gators offensively. There was nothing Miami couldn't do, and transfer QB Cam Ward finished the game with 147 yards rushing and 385 yards passing. Ward had about seven years to throw the ball in the pocket. After years of trial and error, Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal finally had an offensive line that could dominate in the ACC. Miami was big, big and fast up front and devoured the winless Gators from the moment the game began.
With Miami in this situation, it's fair to ask if this will be the year they win the ACC. Looking around the conference, many of the top teams have had early stumbles and major flaws. Florida I was defeated and couldn't get out of my own way. Georgia Institute of Technology They couldn't stop the run at the risk of their lives. Clemson is going through a midlife crisis and wants a team that embodies coach Dabo Swinney's image, but it's time to ask if that image is outdated. The Tigers were swamped by Georgia and simply looked like a less athletic team on the field. It's a steep decline for the Tigers that bears no resemblance to the budding dynasty we saw five years ago.
Trending predictions for the ACC championship (including mine) Virginia Tech Lost (Checks notes) Vanderbilt gave up (Checks his notes again, narrows his eyes) Vandy's new quarterback Diego Pavia looked like the second coming of Johnny Football against the Hokies, racking up 294 yards of total offense. Tech may not be ready for the spotlight just yet, but this opens the door for Charlotte to compete against Clemson and Notre Dame Miami is looking to not only take the ACC but also the 12-team playoff picture this season, and with a QB like Ward who can throw any pass (when he's calm) and some strength up front on both sides of the line, Cristobal and the Hurricanes might have something on their hands in Coral Gables.
Okay, let's flip this riverside. Florida…we need to talk. Head coach Billy Napier got a vote of confidence after being hired in 2021 and preached patience to Gator fans, but at some point they need to show proof of concept. Florida was once again crushed by a team that should be in their league and came up winless on Saturday. The most frustrating thing about the Gators is they can't stop blaming themselves. Foul play on two stupid pass rough plays, having to consume a timeout to line up properly for the kickoff…from a TV timeout, a broken cover. These are the hallmarks of a poorly coached team and the Gators have had these issues since the moment Napier stepped on campus. Florida ran for 5 yards per carry on Saturday, but it didn't matter because the game was out of hand. 71 of the 139 yards came on one play. Even if you didn't expect Florida to win, this is a brutal way to open the season, but hey, it can't get any worse, right?
Wow.
What stood out to me was: The kids are okay
What are they feeding the kids these days, and why is it just not getting to me? Several promising freshmen quickly made their college football debuts with a flourish, setting the stage for at least three years of exciting games.
University of Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola was the first true freshman to start at quarterback for the Huskers since 2018, and the highly-touted prospect did not disappoint, throwing for 238 yards and two touchdowns on his way to being named Big Ten Freshman of the Week. What stood out most about Raiola was his composure in the pocket. Yes, it was UTEP, but for a freshman, he looked very calm in the back. His natural arm talent also stood out, as this ball fell out of the sky and into the hands of Isaiah Neyo for a touchdown.
Raiola is a very talented young man and I am excited to see him play against tougher competition where the speed of the game will be much faster.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes' best receiver might be a freshman. Top recruit Jeremiah Smith caught two touchdowns and was a physical force at Ohio State. big Smith is a freshman receiver. He's 6'3″ and weighs 215 pounds. I hate to make NFL comparisons, but physically he's a lot like Julio Jones. He's a big, strong, fast athlete who can verticalize the field and make difficult moves look easy. Watch how quickly this corner gains ground in off coverage and scores a touchdown. It might not be long before Smith is in the conversation as the best receiver in the country.
I don't think people realize how special Jeremiah Smith is. He was the No. 1 player in the country. He's a true freshman wide receiver starting at Ohio State.
And he caught two touchdowns in the first half of the first game. pic.twitter.com/MmqS2okjoU
— John Helmkamp (@JonHelmkamp) August 31, 2024
Auburn's Cam Coleman and Alabama's Ryan Williams also stood out to me. The freshman receivers are a dynamic group, and all of them have the potential to be game-breakers.
NFL Draft Spotlight: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State University
Six rushing touchdowns is a pretty solid season for most guys. There's more to build on, but the name is certainly known. Add in 267 rushing yards and this guy might as well have been a reserve who made the most of his opportunity with a goal-line run.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty One game. On 20 carriesJeanty has been my RB1 this year and solidified his spot at the top on Sunday. His 13.4 yards per carry is a once in a lifetime performance for a running back. Let's take a look at Jeanty's play and how he might fare in the NFL.
Jeanty is a tackle-breaking machine. His small build at 5'9″ and 215 lbs., combined with his low center of gravity, makes him very difficult to take to the ground. He excels at a variety of jump cuts, but his most powerful move is putting a stiff arm on a poor DB. Against Georgia Southern, Jeanty forced a total of nine missed and broken tackles, forcing a whole load of turf into the confused DB's facemask. His creativity when it comes to breaking tackles is ridiculous.
An arm tackle alone is not enough to take down Jantji, he has great quick thinking and reaction ability, this split zone is swept to the front side, Jantji cuts back easily and the And1 mixtape begins.
Jeanty hasn't had a chance to show off his receiving prowess, but he's a very good receiver. I'd like to see him improve his ball possession (he lost four fumbles in 2023) and his vision in shotgun run situations, but if you want a player who can turn every play into a big one, look no further.
Jeanty is a workhorse (pun intended) from Boise State and is the best running back in the 2025 draft class. Will this lead to more running backs being selected in the first round? I'm not sure, but I'd like to have a guy like Jeanty in my backfield who can run.
Last Call: One-handed catch
I mean, what on earth is this all about?
How will I explain this to my future children?
Catching a ball with one hand is pretty normal these days. Everyone can do it in the morning, right away, which was once believed to be magic. And back to my question, what's in kids' food these days? Where can I get it? Because I want to be able to do that too. If I knew I could catch a pass with just one hand, I would try to catch everything with one hand. If my girlfriend throws me something, I'll catch it with one hand. If someone drops something in the store, I don't need two hands. We've gotten to the point where it's normal to see things like that. I think that's a great development in football.
