Michigan’s defense is going to be a problem, FSU loses Deondre Francois for the season

Week 1 of the 2017 college football season is in the books and these are a few things that stuck out from each conference as the campaign got underway

This past weekend saw the first full slate of college football games take place for the 2017 season, and as tends to be the case when we get a look at everyone to start the new year, there were some things to take in and process from all the conferences around the country.

With that, let’s get right into it and have a look at some things from each conference that stood out to yours truly as the 2017 college football season truly began with Week 1 action, starting off with the Group of 5.

Group of 5: You better stop these slow starts, South Florida

There’s no question that coming into the season one of the most talked about teams from the Group of 5 was the South Florida Bulls. And how could you not talk about and thoroughly pay attention to this team? They were returning a wealth of talent led by one of the most exciting players in the nation in quarterback Quinton Flowers. And of course, with the departure of Willie Taggart, they’re now being led by a very likable, respectable coach in Charlie Strong, who most would love to see nothing more than for him to succeed and stick it to his former employer the University of Texas. The table was set for Strong and this team to exceed all expectations and ultimately grasp themselves a trip to a New Year’s Six Bowl as the Group of 5 representative.

Well, the first two weeks of this team have given fans anything but firm confidence they can attain that goal by the end of the season.

Mainly with this group, through two games, the problem has been slow starts. Starting off slow before hitting the gas in the first game of the season against San Jose State was somewhat understandable, but what took place against Stony Brook — STONY BROOK — on Saturday was quite concerning.

Stony Brook actually led 10-7 going into the half before South Florida pulled away in the second half for the second week in a row, but this should have never been the case to begin with in Week 1. This powerful South Florida offense as its structured should be more consistently explosive than it is, which is magnified by the fact that Flowers and Co. very well should have put more than 31 points on Stony Brook Saturday.

Coach Strong and the Bulls are 2-0 on the season, yes, but if they keep digging early holes for themselves it won’t be long before they can’t navigate their way out and will be looking at a bowl trip in mid-December rather than early January.