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A look back at the last week of College Football.
3 Hits and an Option Pitch
Hit #1: Same old song with Frost. Just a different Tune.
If there was ever a must-win game to start the season against a Big Ten opponent, Scott Frost, and Nebraska need to get it done. Unfortunately, this sentiment held true in 2021 against Illinois, and history repeated itself against Northwestern to start the 2022 college football season in a 31-28 loss. Even a trip across the pond in Dublin…Change the vibes up a little bit… Didn’t help. Following halftime, Nebraska scored two touchdowns to take an 11-point lead and seize control of the game. However, a coaching decision failed the Cornhuskers again after an unsuccessful onside kick. Northwestern drove the short field and scored. Forced a Nebraska 3 and out. If Scott Frost is the yin, Pat Fitzgerlad is the yang. Northwestern dominated the TRENCHES, took a 31-28 lead, and that was all she wrote. In true Scott Frost fashion, he “led” Nebraska to another one-possession loss. In one-score games at Nebraska, Frost is 5-21, and his overall record stands at 15-30.
The Athletics Department gave Frost one last chance but also protected themselves when his buyout drops close to 50% to $7.5 million on October 1. Nebraska renews its rivalry against Big 12 favorite Oklahoma on Saturday, September 17, and Indiana University in a Big Ten cross-divisional game on October 1. With this Week 0 loss, all eyes turn to Sunday, October 2.
Hit #2: Vanderbilt looked organized and fun
Vanderbilt may be the hardest Power 5 job in the entire country. The expectations may be low, but we are still talking about 18-22-year-old players who want to win. The Commodores won’t be favored in any conference game this year however the ability to compete has vastly improved. Coach Clark Lea, in his first season, made a bold move to make this team at the very least more unpredictable for opponents in choosing to start new QB Mike Wright, a dual-threat quarterback, over returning QB starter Ken Seals. The payoff was evident in Wright totaling 309 total yards with 146 coming on the ground with four total touchdowns. Vanderbilt has Elon next, and then they host Wake Forest Week 3. A 3-0 start in Nashville is on the table, and that in itself would be considered a success for this program under new leadership.
Hit #3: Brett Bielema has Illinois poised to make a bowl game.
Brett Bielema will always feature a team that needs to run the ball for success. If Illinois is going to make a bowl, Chase Brown is going to have to be the Illini’s best player on Offense. Brown returns as a 1,000-yard rusher last year and finished with 151 yards and two touchdowns in a dominating opening win over Wyoming. 6 wins is doable, and it will be on the back of Coach Bielema relying on Brown to be its workhorse. The Big Ten West has only won one Big Ten Championship in the last ten years. They need better teams to compete against Wisconsin. Illinois has work to do, but Brown allows them to be closer than they’ve been before.
Option Pitch:
Hawaii is the worst Division 1 team that I can remember seeing. I remember Timmy Chang, the new head coach, and the Air Raid system. This Hawaii team is far from that. We will be the other team to cover in every non-conference game and feel very good about it. It’s going to take some time, and for our betting purposes, we will give them all the time they need.
4 Top 25 Games I can’t wait for this week
Thursday, September 1:
West Virginia @ #17 Pittsburgh: Backyard Brawl time. JT Daniels, in his first action as a Mountaineer, will be a test against the defending ACC Champs. Narduzzi needs to replace their best players on Offense, but they have a solid foundation on both sides of the ball.
Friday, September 2
Western Michigan @ #15 Michigan State: Life without KW3 on a Friday night in East Lansing will be fun. Coach Tucker is the real deal, and I hope he continues to be that as it’s good for the Big Ten, and that means one day closer to being a coach in the SEC!
Saturday, September 3
#11 Oregon @ #3 Georgia Chik-fil-A Kickoff game: Bo Nix is headed West, and his first game under center is against the defending National Champs, Georgia Bulldogs. New Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning knows the Georgia Bulldogs as well as anyone. The early line was +17, and the Bulldogs had 15 players go to the NFL. I like the Ducks to cover +17.5, but Georgia begins their undefeated campaign.
#5 Notre Dame @ Ohio State: Ohio State has the best offense in the country. They have the Heisman favorite and potential #1 pick in the draft in C.J. Stroud. Marcus Freeman, in his first regular-season games as a Head Coach against his alma mater, will keep them competitive. Notre Dame will put up a fight, and they will take some positives away, but Ohio State is scoring 40+ points. I don’t see ND getting to 30, but 17.5 is a lot. We will take ND to cover, but most of all, this will be a fun game at night at The Shoe to bring back CFB season in a big way.
As a co-founder of Multiplicity Media, it's an honor to be able to showcase some of the best talent creating sports and entertainment content. I am the host of Chaos and Conversation, Kicking' It With The Brothas, and Mike of All Trades.
