Jett’s Flyover: Week One College Football Preview
Three top 10 matchups this week; Other impactful games that can set the tone for the season
Week one has finally arrived!
I now have a real excuse to be obsessed with college football instead of looking like a freak for doing deep research in June.
The exciting thing about week one is the unexpected outcomes that we get and the answers to some of the questions we have. We do not know what each team will be because of turnover in the transfer portal, leading to less team chemistry carried over from the previous season.
We can mostly see the talent each team has and guess what will happen.
No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State
The question everybody has in this game is how well will the quarterbacks play?
This will be the first time the Longhorns are Arch Manning’s team and he is already the Heisman preseason frontrunner. It is tough to start your season against one of the most athletic defenses in the country. It is a great place where Manning can make a splash and solidify his name in Heisman conversations the rest of the season.
The Buckeyes named class of 2024 five-star QB Julian Sayin as the starter. He has the talent, but will it translate to the next level?
Sayin played in garbage time last year, so this will be his first time at the college level playing top competition.
He will have to go against one of the best defenses in the country, including two preseason All-Americans in linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. and safety Michael Taaffe.
Both quarterbacks will have talent around them as well to rely on throughout the game.
Arch has wide receivers Ryan Wingo and Stanford transfer Emmett Mosley V, running backs CJ Baxter and Quintrevion Wisner and Cal transfer tight end Jack Endries.
Sayin has one of the most exciting players in Jeremiah Smith and WRs Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss. They also grabbed one of the best TEs out of the portal in Purdue, transfer Max Klare.
As usual, these are two of the most talented teams in the country. It almost reminds me of the Spider-man meme with Texas and Ohio State pointing at each other.
Prediction: Texas 21, Ohio State 17
No. 9 LSU at No. 4 Clemson
This is the best quarterback duel of the weekend.
Cade Klubnik against Garrett Nussmeier.
So, who has the edge?
Clemson brings back a lot of veterans who have good team chemistry on both sides of the ball. In recent years, they have relied on their defense to win games and their offense just did enough to get by. The Tigers’ receiving core showed some life in Austin during the playoff game against Texas, but they lacked consistency to push the ball downfield and balance with the run game during the game to keep up with the Longhorns.
A lot of the Clemson hype is coming from their front seven on defense, with TJ Parker and Peter Woods on the line and Sammy Brown at linebacker. The Tigers also added Tom Allen as their defensive coordinator.
Clemson’s offense has shown flashes but are inconsistent and inexperienced at running back.
This will be a great challenge for Clemson week one.
LSU is talented with returning players and filled in the gaps they needed to. Fifth-year senior quarterback Garrett Nussmeier will have a plethora of receivers to throw to. They also added Patrick Payton to a front seven that was already stacked with linebackers Whit Weeks and Harold Perkins Jr.
LSU is winless under Brian Kelly in season openers. Can they flip the narrative around?
Prediction: LSU 34, Clemson 28
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami
Notre Dame and Miami both face questions at quarterback.
Carson Beck transferred from Georgia after Tommy John surgery from a torn UCL he sustained during the Southeatern Conference title game.
Before that, he threw 12 interceptions last year, which tied for the third most in FBS.
He now has the restart he needed. What will he do with it?
Beck’s targets are tight ends, Elija Lofton and Tulane transfer Alex Bauman and wide receivers Ray Ray Joseph and LSU transfer CJ Daniels. For depth, head coach Mario Cristobal is hoping for Joshisa Trader and Ny Carr to get more catches this year and Mark Fletcher Jr. will be the star back after splitting carries with Damien Martinez.
On the defensive side, teams will have to deal with Rueben Bain Jr. and Ahmad Moten Sr.
The Hurricanes always have talent; the question is, can they produce?
The Fighting Irish are starting highly-touted quarterback CJ Carr. Carr is the grandson of legendary Michigan head coach Lloyd Carr.
ESPN 300 ranked Carr 36th in the class of 2024. All we can really base him on is high school so far.
A lot of talent from last year returns for Notre Dame, including running backs Jeremiyah Love, Jadarian Price and Aneyas Williams. The receiving core was questionable at times, but another year down for juniors Jordan Faison and Jaden Greathouse will help in their development.
How good will CJ Carr be, and will he be able to throw the ball more for Notre Dame and rely less on the run?
Prediction: Notre Dame 24, Miami 14
No. 8 Alabama at Florida State
Boston College transfer quarterback Tommy Castellanos has been talking a lot of smack for someone who has not played an in-game snap with his new team.
The Seminoles face a lot of turnover after a 3-9 season in 2024.
Gus Malzahn left his head coach position at Central Florida to become the offensive coordinator and Squirrel White transferred from Tennessee and Duce Robinson transferred from USC in the offseason to be the top options for Castellanos.
Alabama also faces former Crimson Tide running back Roydell Williams, who will be the focal point of the Seminoles’ run game.
The Seminoles hit the transfer portal heavy after a disappointing 3-9 season. Will they drastically improve this year and can Florida State back up Castellanos’s trash talk?
I believe that Alabama is a quarterback away from Kalen DeBoer’s plan.
He gets Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard back from last year and Ryan Grubb back from the NFL. Once Jam Miller returns from injury, quarterback Ty Sampson will have someone to balance off the pass game with.
All DeBoer and the Crimson Tide need is a quarterback who can deliver the ball.
Prediction: Alabama 27, Florida State 24
Syracuse vs. No. 24 Tennessee
The first of the two Aflac Kickoff Games in Atlanta kicks off Saturday.
The biggest thing to watch out for is to see if quarterback Joey Aguilar can move up to the Power 4 level and perform. At Appalachian State, Aguilar threw 14 interceptions, the most in college football last year.
The Volunteers do not have the amount of talent they normally have on offense and will rely on their defense to win games.
The Orange, on the other hand, is a program on the rise. Fran Brown has brought a lot of momentum to Syracuse.
The Orangemen will start Notre Dame transfer quarterback Steve Angeli against Tennessee. Running back Will Nixon returns from a Lisfranc injury that made him miss the last ten games.
They also return receivers Justus Ross-Simmons and Umari Hatcher while adding Texas transfer Johntay Cook II.
Upset alert!
Prediction: Syracuse 31, Tennessee 24
Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina
The second Aflac Kickoff Game starts the slate Sunday.
South Carolina brings back one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the country with LaNorris Sellers. He will need some help around him to break through the playoff bubble.
The Gamecocks are hoping for a consistent season from Nyck Harbor and that Oscar Adaway III can improve from last year at running back. Adaway III, a grad student, backed up Rocket Sanders last year and averaged 3.8 yards per carry. Nyck Harbor was a highly-touted recruit who has shown flashes, but needs to be more consistent.
Their opponent, Virginia Tech, returns a lot of their key players on offense from last year, including quarterback Kyron Drones.
He will be throwing to wide receivers Tucker Holloway and Wake Forest transfer Donavan Greene, as well as tight ends Benji Gosnell and Harrison Saint Germain.
The Hokies were projected to have a breakout season last year before injuries derailed those goals. Maybe this can be their bounce-back year.
The Gamecocks exceeded expectations last year and are hoping to improve upon their 2024 campaign and make the playoffs this year.
Right now, South Carolina is in a much better place to start the season.
Predictions: South Carolina 34, Virginia Tech 14
