Week 1 for college football is officially in the books and a few things stood out above all else.
First and foremost, Alabama and Georgia are at a level the rest of the country is chasing. Georgia dominated Oregon in a very lopsided game from start to finish.Georgia’s QB Stetson Bennett threw for 368 yards and 2 touchdowns.
As for Alabama, their victory of Utah State looked like a practice game. The players walked in for multiple touchdowns and eased to a win. Granted, Utah State isn’t Oregon, but it still looked like a very controlled game by Alabama.
With that being said, here is our Power-4 rankings.
4. Michigan
The Wolverines played a complete game with two quarterbacks again. I guess having two quarterbacks doesn’t technically mean none. Head coach Jim Harbaugh had the Wolverines prepped and ready to make another run at the Big Ten title.
Against Colorado State the Wolverines rushed for a total of 234 yards and 4 touchdowns. QB Cade McNamara completed only 50% of his passes and just 1 touchdown. I don’t believe that will be enough to lockdown the starting job.
Compared to the rest of college football, Michigan played like the #4 team in the country versus an inferior opponent.
3. Ohio State
The Buckeyes took care of business against Notre Dame on Saturday, but it wasn’t as easy as we thought it would be. The long defensive chest match took the game into the 4th quarter before the Buckeyes pulled away.
The key to the win on Saturday was Ohio States depth at key positions. The Fighting Irish could not compete with the 2 physical running backs the Buckeyes had.
Running backs Treveyon Henderson and Miyan Williams combined for 175 yards and 1 touchdown on the ground on 29 carries. Deep inside the second half you could see the running game started to open up.
The Buckeyes were able to stay balance with QB CJ Stroud playing very efficient on the day. Stroud threw for 223 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Nonetheless, the one question mark we had about Ohio State was their defense. The win against Notre Dame supports the argument that the defense is better. However, the jury may still be out on that as the season moves along.
2. Georgia
The Dogs like previously stated will be a force this year again. The defending national champions lost a lot of players from last years team and still looked great.
Additionally, QB Stetson Bennett looks more confident than he did all of last year. The rising senior has something to prove this year. That chip on his shoulder mentality might lead him to another national title but also a trip to New York for the Heisman Trophy.
As for the defense, the Dogs held the Ducks to under 400 yards of offense. They forced Bo Nix to throw 2 interceptions in a very onside game. We will get a better picture of this Georgia football team week 3 against South Carolina.
1. Alabama
The Tide looked good as always. The defense was swarming on the field and the offense looked efficient to say the least.
Bryce Young, Will Anderson, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Dallas Turner are the reasons why I have them still ranked at #1. I believe that the talent that departed last season wasn’t greater than what returned.
Hence, the reason for the confidence that Alabama will run the table this year. QB Bryce Young showed great pocket awareness all game. It as if we’re watching a pro play with kids.
Furthermore, the Tide will have a great test next week against Texas. The Longhorns are in year 3 of the Steve Sarkisian era. The former Alabama assistant will have his hands full as his team faces off with the national title favorites.
Although crazier things have happened in college football, I do not believe that the Longhorns will be able to shut them down in the slightest.