College football is back! Week Zero was a pleasant little taste, but we got a full slate of games this week. There are so many intriguing storylines, expectations, and player moves to fill this season with nothing but goodness.
The back-to-back National Champs, Georgia, lead the Preseason Rankings, with Michigan, Ohio State, Alabama, and LSU rounding out the Top 5. If you need to get caught up on all the Conference Realignment, check out my article detailing everything here. Follow along as we guide you through all the storylines, player profiles, and game previews you need this college football season.
Week 1 Devy League Primer
Favorite Storylines
This is the swan song for college football as we know it
This will be the last year for many teams playing in the conferences we have known them to be in for a long time. The biggest of those teams is arguably Oklahoma and Texas, who are leaving the Big 12 next year to join the SEC. When that happens, the SEC will eliminate its divisions and have a single 16-team conference.
The other big teams leaving are UCLA and USC, as they leave the Pac-12 for the Big Ten next season. These two teams will add a couple of monster programs to a conference with some monsters in Michigan and Ohio State. It will be tough for any other conference to overtake the SEC and Big Ten next year, but it will be fun to watch.
Along with UCLA and USC leaving, Oregon and Washington have also agreed to leave the Pac-12 and join the Big Ten. Plus, Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah are leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 12. And news recently broke that Stanford and Cal will be heading to the ACC along with SMU.
This will leave only Oregon State and Washington State as the remaining teams in the Pac-12. Rumor has it the ACC or Mountain West may pick off some teams, but it looks like this could be our final year seeing the Pac-12 conference exist.
In addition to Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, and Utah joining the Big 12 next year, BYU Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF are new members of the Big 12 this season. I know we technically have five Power 5 conferences this season, but it looks increasingly like it will be the Power 4 in college football next year.
Heisman Race
USC QB Caleb Williams is the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, and if you believe the rumors, the Arizona Cardinals are currently tanking for him. Right now, the junior is a +475 to win the 2023 Heisman Trophy after throwing for 4,537 yards, 42 TDs, and only 5 INTs last season. But it’s a good year to be a QB because the next eight favorites are all QBs.
LSU QB Jayden Daniels is a +1000 favorite to win entering his second season playing under Brian Kelly. He had a great 2022 with 2,913 passing yards, 885 rushing yards, and 28 total TDs. The third favorite to win the 2023 Heisman is Texas QB Quinn Ewers. More than likely, this is Ewers’ last season at Texas, as redshirt freshman Arch Manning is waiting in the wings. Ewers only played ten games last season due to injury but still looked the part, throwing for 2,177 yards and 15 TDs.
The next set of favorites are as follows: FSU QB Jordan Travis (+1200), Washington QB Michael Penix, Jr. and Clemson QB Cade Klubnik (+1400), Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman, Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy, and Oregon QB Bo Nix (+1600). It will be fun to watch how these QBs start the season. Check back in a few weeks when we update the odds and see if any other position players can join!
Player Spotlights
Quarterback
Drake Maye (RS SO – UNC) 6-4, 230
Drake Maye is coming off a fantastic season in which he was named the ACC Player of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Offensive Rookie of the Year. He’s the second person in history to win all four awards in the same year since Jameis Winston did it for Florida State ten years ago.
Last season, Maye started all 14 games and threw for 4,321 passing yards, 698 rushing yards, and 45 total TDs. He is currently projected to be the second QB off the board in next year’s NFL Draft behind Caleb Williams, and he enters this year with high expectations for the Tar Heel squad that lost a 1,000-yard receiver to the NFL in Josh Downs.
Last year, Maye was the leading rusher on the team after a committee in the backfield rotated through. This season, he gets graduate senior British Brooks back, who missed all last season due to an injury in the spring. Brooks averaged 9.5 yards/carry in 2021, which should help Maye. South Carolina gave up almost 200 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game last season, so there is an opportunity for Maye to light it up. This is a neutral site game being played in Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, so neither team has a true home-field advantage. We will see if Maye can overcome his defense, which gave up almost 30 points per game last season.
Running Back
Jonathon Brooks (RS SO – Texas) 6-0, 207
If you are Steve Sarkisian and looking at the talent that just left the running back room for the NFL, you might be concerned. Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson combined for 2,134 rushing yards and 23 rushing TDs. The next closest rusher on the team was Jonathon Brooks, with 197 rushing yards. This year, it is Brooks’ turn to lead the Longhorn backfield. With some big shoes to fill, the former 4-star prospect will get an opportunity to make a name for himself. He has never had more than 30 carries in a season, but with Quinn Ewers hopefully having control from the QB position, maybe the passing game can open up the rush. Luckily, they open at home against a Rice team that gave up 166 yards per game on the ground last season. This would be a perfect coming-out party to show Texas hasn’t lost its proverbial step after their last RB went eighth overall in the NFL Draft.
Wide Receiver
Marvin Harrison Jr. (RS SO – OSU) 6-4, 205
It’s hard for some children of former NFL players to make a name for themselves. Marvin Harrison Jr. does not have that problem. Last year, he had the sixth most receiving yards and fourth most receiving TDs in the nation. Harrison Jr. is part of a potent offense at Ohio State with national championship aspirations.
Last season, Harrison Jr. was a First-Team All-American and the Big Ten Wide Receiver of the Year. OSU has a loaded WR room this season with Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Julian Fleming. But the significant change will be how Harrison Jr. can adapt to new QB Kyle McCord after former QB C.J. Stroud went 2nd overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. Even though OSU opens on the road in Indiana, the Hoosiers gave up the 12th-most passing yards in the nation last season. This should be a soft opener for Harrison Jr. and the Buckeyes as they kick off their 2023 campaign.
Tight End
Brady Hunt (RS SO – Ball State) 6-6, 245
If you have not heard of Brady Hunt, then I think you will discover the name this season. He had the 12th most receiving yards and fifth most touchdowns of any TE in the nation last season. All but three of those 11 tight ends ahead of him either graduated or are about to play on Sundays. In his previous six games in 2022, Hunt averaged five catches and over nine yards per reception. He plays over 86% of the snaps, and half of his yardage is YAC. He can play both in the slot and on the line and is effective as a blocker and receiver. He was named All-MAC last season and was added to the 2023 Watch List for the Mackey Award for the Best TE in college football. The Cardinals open on the road vs. a Kentucky team with the seventh best-passing defense in the nation last season, allowing 170 yards per game. This would be a great opportunity against an SEC school for Hunt to show he has what it takes.
Games Of The Week
#5 LSU (-2.5) at #8 Florida State
Last season in Week One, LSU played FSU and lost 24-23 after FSU blocked an extra point attempt that would have sent the game to overtime. This season, they open again against each other, but instead of in New Orleans, the game is being played in Orlando. Both teams will have their QBs who started last season’s competition, with senior Jordan Travis calling the plays for FSU and senior Jayden Daniels for LSU. Both threw for more than 200 yards and two scores in the game last season. They are also two of the favorites in the running for the 2023 Heisman Trophy Award.
Each team hopes for a conference championship and a College Football Playoff berth. The Seminoles are undefeated while playing in Orlando (10-0-2), and LSU has won 12 straight games when it rushes for 200 yards. But the Tigers will be without RB John Emery, who is currently away from the team. That could be a determining factor, but FSU did give up 156 rushing yards per game last season, so it might not entirely fall on the arm and legs of LSU QB Jayden Daniels. The stakes are high, as the winner will have a massive resume builder while the other will likely need to go perfect the rest of the way to get into the CFP.
Colorado at #17 TCU (-20.5)
Okay, I’ll buy into the Deion Sanders hype for at least one week. The first five weeks for the Buffs are rough for a new coach and program that has been completely turned over. They start on the road at TCU, then play in two rivalry games vs. Nebraska and Colorado State, before squaring off against Oregon and USC. Yikes. Coach Prime has had plenty of publicity this offseason, and the Colorado fan base seems to be buying into it. They need to after the team went 1-11 last season and ranked dead last in the nation with an average scoring margin of -29.1.
Conversely, TCU is coming off a 12-1 regular season, a College Football Playoff win against Michigan, and an appearance in the 2022 National Championship game. Even though they got throttled by Georgia, you can see these are two teams at the opposite ends of the college football world. TCU does lose 4-year starting QB and Heisman finalist Max Duggan and a 1,000-yard receiver in Quentin Johnson. Both graduated to the NFL this season, leaving an unproven offense behind. Junior QB Chandler Morris started over Max Duggan in the first game last season, a win vs. Colorado, but then went out with an MCL sprain, and by the time he came back, Max Duggan was doing his thing. TCU also got former Oregon State QB Chance Nolan via the transfer portal, so it’s anyone’s guess to who will see the most significant playing time.
Regardless, TCU opens as a 20-point favorite, so if Coach Prime is going to make a statement, it will have to be a big one. It would give his team and fan base a jolt moving forward. We are all hoping for a good game, but the experience that TCU brings will probably be too much for a team that was essentially assembled through the transfer portal. TCU should roll.
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