5 Things Learned From College Football Week 1

College football week 1 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 1.

Related: 5 Things to watch in college football week 1

1. Kalen DeBoer’s Seat is Warm

Alabama was favored by 14 points over Florida State in week 1. The Seminoles won two games last year, but once again reloaded in the portal, but preseason expectations weren’t high for such a storied program. Alabama won nine games last year and there was hope that getting offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and a quarterback that fit his system could improve on that.

Florida State shocked the college football world by defeating Alabama, 31-17, and controlled most of the game. They outrushed Alabama 236 to 87, showing they were the more physical team. As a result of the loss, Kalen DeBoer’s seat is starting to get warm. He has lost to four teams as double-digit favorites at Alabama. DeBoer will need to get things on the right track or his seat will start to be scorching hot.

2. Arch Manning Hype Train has Slowed

One of the biggest season-opening games in the history of the sport happened on Saturday, as no. 1 Texas traveled to no. 3 Ohio State to take on the Buckeyes. These two teams met in the CFP semifinals last season, with the Buckeyes emerging victorious before going on to win a national championship. The Buckeyes were able to win the game 14-7 in a game that sets them up well for the 2025 season.

Before the season started, Arch Manning was the Heisman favorite. He was expected to lead Texas to big wins this season, and still can, but he struggled in this game. His mechanics were off and his accuracy was too as a result. He missed open receivers, but also didn’t have many open receivers to throw to in the game. Manning can still recover, but the hype surrounding him this season was halted in Columbus against the Buckeyes.

3. Garrett Nussmeier has an Insane Knowledge of the Game

Another one of the big matchups of the opening weekend was LSU going to Clemson in another battle of top 10 teams. Both teams returned a lot of talent from last year’s teams and LSU specifically improved in the portal. Clemson was a slight home favorite in the game. LSU was able to come away with a 17-10 win in the game.

Both defenses played well, with a lot of credit going to defensive coordinators Blake Baker and Tom Allen, but LSU’s offense was a little better than Clemson’s. One of the more impressive things in the game was Garrett Nussmeier’s knowledge of the game. There were several plays when he used his eyes to manipulate coverages and others where his pre-snap recognition helped him change the play and adjust protections to set his team up for success. He only passed for 230 yards and one touchdown, but played much better than the stats indicated.

4.  Notre Dame Has to Protect and Run the Football

Notre Dame was favored on the road against Miami, but lost the season-opener, 27-24. Miami and quarterback Carson Beck deserve their credit for getting a massive home win. Now, the pressure shifts for Notre Dame. They aren’t in a conference, so they can’t take one of the five spots reserved for a conference champion and their schedule isn’t the toughest, so each game will matter from here on out.

The game was lost in large part due to turnovers. Notre Dame turned over the ball in their own territory twice, which set up Miami to win the field position battle and score more. The Fighting Irish tried to come back, but it was too little, too late. They also only gave Heisman-potential Jeremiyah Love 10 carries in the game. The team averaged 3.5 yards per carry, with Jadarian Price providing some good carries. They will be able to pass more this season, but the keys to Notre Dame’s success are to control the line of scrimmage, run the ball and protect it. 

5. Bill Belichick has a lot of Work to do

There was a lot of fanfare when UNC hired Bill Belichick as their next head coach. Since then there has been headlines surrounding Belichick and his girlfriend Jordon. A lot of transfers entered the program, but there was hope that he could help the team compete given his great success at the NFL. 

Unfortunately, coaching in college is different than coaching in the NFL. Belichick and the Tar Heels lost big time to TCU in week 1, with not many positives to take away from the game. The schedule is easy for UNC, but thing look bleak. He has a lot of work to do to get this team competitive and if he plans on being at North Carolina past this season, to recruit and bring in better players. Give TCU credit for playing well, but UNC needs improvement and fast. 

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