Last season, Texas fell 13 yards short of meeting Michigan in the national title game. If the Longhorns make it to the doorstep of their dream again, it is unlikely the champs will be waiting for them.
In Week 1, the No. 4 Longhorns superseded sky-high expectations, annihilating a respectable Colorado State team, 52-0, while No. 10 Michigan validated every concern about life without Jim Harbaugh and J.J. McCarthy, pulling out an underwhelming win over Fresno State.
In the upcoming top-10 battle in Ann Arbor, Michigan’s biggest problem is that Texas brings the two best quarterbacks. Quinn Ewers will be among the top players selected in the next draft. Arch Manning could eventually go No. 1 overall.
Michigan’s Davis Warren is a former walk-on. He threw for 118 yards, one touchdown and one interception in his first start while leading the Wolverines to their fewest yards (89) in a first half since 2016 and a stretch of eight straight possessions without a touchdown.
Money has poured in on Texas since Sunday, moving the line from -4.5 to -7.5. Michigan is a home underdog for the first time in three years, when it upset Ohio State. It’s hard to envision a similar Michigan surprise, hence, the 84 percent of public bettors backing the Longhorns.
But hope exists if you look anywhere but under center.
The Wolverines will be supported by more than 100,000 fans at The Big House, where they have won 23 straight games. Their running game remains strong. Their defense is still elite. And their roster is filled with national champions, fueled by countless skeptics.
MICHIGAN (+7.5) might ultimately be overmatched, but it won’t go down without a fight.
The Cougars have taken a step back since Zach Wilson’s glory days, but junior Jake Retzlaff — who threw for 348 yards and three touchdowns in a Week 1 blowout of Southern Illinois — could light up a suspect Mustangs secondary.
A team that annually falls a step or two short of the finish line may finally have the answer. New offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki brought the best out of quarterback Drew Allar in an impressive, 34-12 win at West Virginia, where Penn State produced nearly as many touchdowns of at least 40 yards (two) as it did all of last season (three).
My flier in the Big 12 (+850) has flown under the radar despite winning double-digit games in two of the past three years and returning much of the core that led the Cowboys to last year’s conference title game. With Texas and Oklahoma out of the picture, the Cowboys are a playoff contender.
No team in the nation made a bigger statement than the Irish, who earned a tough win in front of 107,315 fans at Texas A&M. Next comes the hangover.
The Utes should cruise, following the return of Cam Rising, but it’s too hard to justify laying so many points against a team that’s too hard to define after bringing in several key transfers and revamping its coaching staff.
The apocalypse may be upon us. The Hawkeyes scored 40 points in their season opener — their most since 2021 — with wide receivers accounting for three touchdowns, matching the team’s position total all of last season.
May the Jaxson Dart Heisman buzz begin.
Jalen Milroe will make it feel like Nick Saban is still on the sideline. In a 63-0 win over Western Kentucky, Alabama’s quarterback recorded five total touchdowns while throwing for 200 yards on 7-of-9 passing.
I’m far more interested to see how Kyle McCord fares for Syracuse against Georgia Tech, following a 354-yard, four-touchdown effort in his first game since transferring from Ohio State.
The Vols will be an offensive juggernaut, with Josh Heupel making a significant upgrade at quarterback in former five-star recruit Nico Iamaleava. The defense remains unproven, and could be exploited on the road against one of the most accomplished and experienced quarterbacks in the nation, Grayson McCall, plus senior running back Jordan Waters, who has a career average of 5.1 yards per carry.
Take the coach over the promoter.
It’s hard to argue this number is too high, but it’s harder to join a side that’s seen 90 percent of the betting public flock to it.
Don’t put too much stock into Clemson’s 34-3 loss to Georgia. The Bulldogs have made better teams look even worse since becoming the nation’s top program. Three years earlier, Clemson lost a season opener to Georgia, 10-3, the most recent occasion the Tigers failed to score a touchdown. The next week, Clemson prevailed 49-3 en route to double-digit wins. Last year, the Tigers also bounced back from an embarrassing season-opening loss to win by 49 in Week 2.
Last season, the Broncos’ Ashton Jeanty finished 11th in the nation in rushing yards. This year, he could run away with the title. In Week 1, Jeanty led the Mountain West favorite with 267 yards and six touchdowns.
Best bets: Penn State, Northern Illinois, Alabama
This season: 9-6 (2-1)
2014-23 record: 1,272-1,206-30