FROM THE PRESS BOX with JOE HALE | So unpredictable, it was predictable: looking back at college football’s 2024 opening weekend
How’d you like the college football weekend, which ended with the Labor Day game between 10th-ranked already once beaten Florida State and Boston College?
Errrrrr … chop-chop!!
The oddsmakers didn’t seem too concerned that the Seminoles were 16.5 point-favorites over BC after losing their season-opener 24-21 a week ago in Dublin, Ireland, to Longview’s Haynes King and Georgia Tech.
With the 12-team CFP beginning this season, Florida State’s still very much in it – at least for now.
The weekend, the one we’ve been waiting for about seven months now, started with Thursday’s matchup between North Carolina visiting Minnesota and prevailing 19-17.
Friday, yes Friday of Friday Night’s Lights of high school football around Texas, where we live and our children play the best high school football in the whole-wide world, college football offered a doubleheader in Temple vs. Oklahoma followed by TCU at Stanford. The Sooners should have covered the betting line and did with a 48-point beat down of the Owls, and the Big XII’s Horned Frogs opened with a competitive 34-27 triumph over the Cardinal.
Then television took us to ESPN’s “College GameDay” early Saturday morning in College Station, home of Texas A&M prior to the Aggies’ home opener later that evening against No. 7 Notre Dame. The 20th-ranked Aggies were showing off their new coach Mike Elko, who smart Ags believed was the guy they sorely needed after a tumultuous Jimbo Fisher era. Well, Riley Leonard, the Irish quarterback, threw for 158 yards, showing the 12th Man and all the other swaying fans at Kyle Field, being so loud for Ol’ Sarge wasn’t quite loud enough as the 7th-ranked Gold Domers prevailed, 23-13.
Opening the season at No. 4 in the AP poll, Texas answered the challenge of what I figured would be a more competitive Colorado State, blanking the Rams 52-0. “QB1” Quinn Ewers passed for 260 yards in two-plus quarters, leading up to this week’s showdown with Michigan at The Big House in Ann Arbor on Saturday morning. Yeah, my Longhorns blanked the Rams. QB2 Arch Manning, the most famous backup QB of all time, the nephew of Peyton and Eli Manning and the son of Cooper, not only played but passed for his first collegiate touchdown and ran for his first as well in the final 18 minutes of the game.
The U – Miami – behind a stellar 385-yard passing performance by quarterback Cam Ward, washed in-state rival Florida of the SEC, 41-17, leaving Billy Napier’s job security as head football coach of the Gators rather questionable at best.
Top-ranked Georgia beat up on Dabo Swinney and Clemson, 34-3; Will Howard and No. 2 Ohio State bludgeoned Akron, 52-6; No. 3 Oregon, with its new QB Dillon Gabriel, a transfer from OU, passed for 380 yards as the Ducks knocked off Idaho 24-14.
Then, to no surprise, fifth-ranked Alabama shut out Western Kentucky 63-0 to kick off the Kalen DeBoer era, and No. 6 Ole Miss blanked Furman, 76-0.
No. 8 Penn State spilled West Virginia 34-12 after a lengthy weather delay, while defending national champion 9th-ranked Michigan toppled Fresno State 30-10 in the debut of Sherrone Moore as its head coach.
Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Pittsburg, App State, Nebraska, SMU and Baylor were among other winners as were Sam Houston against Rice, and Stephen F. Austin, which scored 77, no kidding.
Texas Tech squeaked past FCS opponent Abilene Christian, 52-51, in overtime; North Texas dispatched South Alabama; and UNLV messed up the coaching debut of Willie Fritz at the University of Houston, 27-7.
Then, on Sunday night in a standalone game, No. 23 Southern Cal upset 13th-ranked LSU 27-20. This seems to be a recurring event: Brian Kelly losing another opener at LSU, followed by Labor Day evening’s Boston College upset of Florida State 28-13, which Yahoo referred to as an abject disaster.
Maybe it’s time for LSU’s BK to just eat a Snickers.
What about Mike Norvell and FSU? Could you even imagine now two-for-two, having been on the backend of upsets in both ACC games this season? A shock, definitely unexpected. Do you hear the rumors concerning Deion Sanders in 2025? If you don’t, you will.
I can’t say much, though, since I didn’t do well on my picks this week. I can take solace knowing it’s early in a long season. And, it’s little consolation at this point my collegiate picks were better than my high school choices. Oh, my.
If that tells you anything, if you see me, don’t remind me of either. Ugggggggggggh.
Joe Hale has been a sportswriter longer than we’ve had mud. He hangs out with Kilgore football every Friday night. And you can read him exclusively at ETBlitz.com.