College football Week 1 overreactions: Can anyone beat Alabama? Is Ed Orgeron on the hot seat?

Week 1 college football overreactions and takeaways. Can anyone beat Alabama? Is Ed Orgeron on the hot seat? Return of the best college football traditions.

Breaking news: Alabama is really good at football.

The reigning national champions didn’t look like a team that had to replace six first round draft picks, including the Heisman winner, Doak Walker winner, Davey O’Brien winner and the Outland winner. Not to mention, Alabama had a totally revamped coaching staff, but the one constant being Nick Saban ensures the Crimson Tide are going to be nearly impossible to beat.

Most teams would take a step back after losing so much talent and with so much coaching turnover but most teams aren’t Alabama. They don’t rebuild, they reload. As much as that is a cliche, it’s also 100 percent true.

Losing DeVonta Smith, Najee Harris, Mac Jones, Jaylen Waddle and Alex Leatherwood, among others didn’t seem to matter much with the Crimson Tide ripping through No. 14 Miami like they were Bishop Sycamore.

Second-year quarterback Bryce Young had the best debut for any quarterback in program history. Young, the former five-star recruit who many thought would start over Jones last year as a freshman, set a record for most touchdowns (4) and passing yards (344) in the 44-13 win

He came to Tuscaloosa with expectations higher than the Bryant-Denny Stadium upper deck and after one start, those expectations may have been as conservative as the state’s politicians. The former Mater Dei High School star looks like he’ll continue the legacy of Jones, Tua Tagovailoa, Jalen Hurts and A.J. McCarron and deliver at least one national championship to Alabama.

College football overreactions: Does anyone want Bama?

This game didn’t need to happen for Alabama to be a title favorite, but based on everything else that happened around the sport, there’s no one that’s beating this team this year, barring injuries.

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

What about Georgia? They just beat No. 3 Clemson and sacked D.J. Uiagalelei seven times en route to the 10-3 win.

Georgia’s defense was suffocating and the Clemson offensive line is going to have a rough week when they watch the film. There was no time for Uiagalalei to throw and there was no room for the Clemson running backs to run. Georgia having a great defense isn’t anything new. What has that great defense gotten them? It’s got them a loss to Alabama in the National Championship Game and not much else outside of beating up on an SEC East division that’s not challenging outside of Florida.

Until Georgia shows they can open up the offense and challenge defenses like Alabama can, they aren’t going to be a serious threat to Alabama’s crown. The Georgia offense scored three points against Clemson with the lone touchdown coming on an interception return. Georgia was without some skill position players so they should be better as the season goes on and they get healthier, but at the same time, how often do teams get healthier as the season goes on?

Beating Clemson was the biggest regular-season win of Kirby Smart’s career and they got a measly field goal.

Alabama is supposed to be scared of that team? Meanwhile, Alabama may have the best defense Saban has had in Tuscaloosa with nine-10 starters that are going to be on the first and second-team All-SEC squads at the end of the year.

Georgia thinks they want Bama, but they don’t want Bama.

Download the WynnBET app now

Does Ohio State or Oklahoma want Bama?

Ohio State and Oklahoma may both make the College Football Playoff but they both have flaws. The Buckeyes defense still has a lot of glaring holes and doesn’t look like last year’s issues have been corrected. There is some young talent on the defensive line that may earn playing time later in the year, but this unit is a year away from being potentially elite. The normally dominant secondary has been absent. After what happened to Alabama last year, the same thing would happen if they met again this winter. C.J. Stroud had some ups and downs in his first start vs. Minnesota and the run game showed some big-play potential but they aren’t going to be able to match Alabama score-for-score.

Spencer Rattler is so maddening to watch. He makes throws that make you need to pick your jaw up off the floor and then he makes throws that make you pull your hair out. When is he going to put it all together and reduce those mistakes from his game? Is he destined to be Jameis Winston or Jay Cutler and make two head-scratching throws for every ‘wow’ throw? There’s already a faction of Oklahoma fans that were clamoring for freshman Caleb Williams to replace during the five-point win against Tulane. The Oklahoma defense is much better than it was in recent years, but nowhere near the level of Alabama’s and we’ve seen this offense crumble against SEC defenses.

Ohio State and Oklahoma can dominate the Big Ten and Big 12, respectively, but they don’t want the smoke from Bama.

What about Texas A&M or even Clemson?

No chance.

It’s not an overreaction to say Alabama is going to repeat as national champions and it’s not an overreaction to say Georgia is their biggest threat. But threat may mean Alabama beats that team by 24.

College football overreactions: Ed Orgeron is on the hot seat at LSU

If there’s one thing that’s for sure in college football (outside of Alabama being in the playoff every year) it’s that universities aren’t afraid to throw piles of money to buy out coaches.

Even during a pandemic, Texas and Auburn paid Tom Herman and Gus Malzahn more than $40 million combined to not coach their teams. So would LSU give Ed Orgeron his $20 million buyout to sever ties with the coach who brought them a national title only two years ago?

After losing to UCLA in the opener, Orgeron is 5-6 since beating Clemson for the national title in 2019. With every week, it’s becoming more and more obvious that Joe Burrow, Joe Brady and roughly 30 future NFL players were responsible for that championship and Coach O was just along for the ride.

His voice that sounds like he gargles with rocks and cajun accent made him a media darling and a favorite among LSU football fans, but he’s looking like Gene Chizik who was carried by a generational transfer quarterback and brilliant offensive coordinator. There are fans ready to pull the plug on Orgeron right now, but they aren’t cutting the check to buy him out. After LSU kept Les Miles for a few years past his welcome, would LSU learn their lesson and cut bait if LSU wins less than eight games? That’s going to be one of the biggest questions the rest of the season.

The next question is who can LSU get if they do fire Orgeron.

What about Jimbo Fisher? He just signed an extension at Texas A&M where he is already paid like he’s delivered national championships to College Station. He’s probably pretty comfortable there without the pressure cooker that would come at LSU. Not to say there’s no pressure at Texas A&M, but it’s world’s different in Baton Rouge.

What if Urban Meyer flames out in the NFL and wants to leave Trevor Lawrence and the Jacksonville Jaguars after one year?

Dream on.

Meyer may flame out and come to regret taking the Jaguars job, but he’ll at least give it two years, and if it doesn’t work out, he’ll take a year off to go back to FOX and work on TV to reset. He may never coach in college again regardless of what happens in Jacksonville.

Matt Campbell? James Franklin? Mario Cristobal?

Doubtful that any of them move the needle enough to buy out Orgeron and then pay them a contract to hit the reset button. Outside of Georgia firing Mark Richt and hiring Kirby Smart, universities that fire the really good coach with the hopes of becoming elite rarely work out.

LSU has a leadership problem and perhaps a culture problem under Orgeron but without a clear upgrade, they may have to endure being the SEC version of Michigan for the next few years.

The return of the best college football traditions

This isn’t an overreaction. The highlight of the weekend was the return of so many great college football traditions.

Part of the appeal of college football are all the different traditions, rivalries and community aspect that separates it from the NFL. After the 2020 season saw fans removed from stadiums and tailgating banned outside the stadium, it was a welcome sight to see sold-out stadiums and festive tailgates around the nation. There are safeguards in place at some — not all — stadiums requiring a negative COVID test and/or proof of vaccine. Many students are already vaccinated, so these games being superspreader events isn’t at the forefront of my mind. There have been basketball, baseball and soccer games. There have been concerts, festivals and all sorts of gatherings for months so I’m not going to cry foul at college football games. What I am going to do is celebrate the return of some of my favorite college football traditions.

The Iowa Wave at Kinnick Stadium

One of the newest traditions is easily one of the best. Fans waving to the Iowa Children’s Hospital after the first quarter gives me goosebumps every Iowa home game. I hope to be a part of it in the near future. It’s also a reminder for those who refuse to get a vaccine or wear a mask, it’s these immuno-compromised kids that you’re jeopardizing because of your “personal choice” so think about that the next time you see this.

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1434252570822942722

Jump Around at Wisconsin

When the third quarter ends and the House of Pain comes on at Camp Randall, prepare to Jump Around. The sea of red and white that jump up, jump up and get down is an adrenaline hit to the bloodstream that you can’t replicate without drugs.

https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1434252570822942722

Enter Sandman at Virginia Tech

Blacksburg used to be one of the toughest places to play, especially at night, and especially at Thursday night. That reputation has changed a bit since the heyday of the Frank Beamer era but fans got a reminder on Friday night when Virginia Tech hosted No. 10 North Carolina. When “Enter Sandman” came on for the Hokies entrance, it was at that moment that the Tar Heels stood no chance of leaving with a win. Seismographs lit up when the Metallica song began playing so it’s no wonder Mack Brown’s team wilted.

College football rankings: Top 10 after Week 1

1. Alabama
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Oklahoma
5. Clemson
6. Texas A&M
7. Iowa State
8. Notre Dame
9. Cincinnati
10. Iowa

Best college football games for Week 2

Week 1 had a lot of glamorous matchups but the same can’t be said for Week 2. Coming up with five must-see games of the week got pretty rough after the top two. Oregon at Ohio State is definitely the best matchup of the week, but if Kayvon Thibodeaux can’t go for the Ducks, it loses some luster. College GameDay will be in Ames for the Cy-Hawk rivalry game between Iowa and Iowa State, which should be competitive.

Get in on the action with the WynnBET app

Beyond that, it gets thin. Utah at BYU for the latest Holy War bears watching but is there enough national appeal? Washington at Michigan would be a great game in the 90s but it’ll be a battle of unranked teams. Washington just lost to Montana.  Yikes. Michigan looked great against Western Michigan, but it was against Western Michigan. I can’t put Stanford at USC in the top five because the Cardinal looked ugly in the 24-7 loss to Kansas State in the opener. David Shaw may be considering a move to the NFL more than he ever has during his time on the Farm. Rounding out the five best games of Week 2 is Texas A&M at Colorado. Am I smelling upset? Stay tuned for my picks later this week to find out.

1. Oregon at Ohio State
2. Iowa at Iowa State (College GameDay)
3. Utah at BYU
4. Washington at Michigan
5. Texas A&M at Colorado

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.