Welcome to The Top 25, a weekly rundown of the best of college football.
Each week, The Baltimore Sun will break down the top games, players and teams to watch, from the Power Five to the Group of Five. Here’s what to know for Week 1:
5 games to watch
— No. 11 Oregon at No. 3 Georgia (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC): Oregon coach Dan Lanning will see some familiar faces after serving as Georgia’s defensive coordinator during its national title run last season. That institutional knowledge will come in handy against a Bulldogs team that’s still one of the best in the country despite losing five first-round NFL draft picks.
— No. 23 Cincinnati at No. 19 Arkansas (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ESPN): After becoming the first Group of Five team to reach the College Football Playoff, Cincinnati gets a chance to prove it still belongs among the nation’s elite. Slowing down quarterback KJ Jefferson and Arkansas’ rushing attack is a worthy first challenge.
— No. 7 Utah at Florida (Saturday, 7 p.m., ESPN): If Utah is really the trendy playoff pick many experts predict, it needs to prove it in The Swamp. Florida might be a few years away from getting back to the top of the SEC under new coach Billy Napier, but the Gators are talented enough to spring the upset, especially this early in the season.
— No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 2 Ohio State (Saturday, 7:30 p.m., ABC): When you think of “helmet games,” it doesn’t get much better than this. How Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and his talented defense try to limit quarterback C.J. Stroud and Ohio State’s electric passing attack will be fascinating to watch.
— Florida State at LSU (Sunday, 7:30 p.m., ABC): This matchup isn’t quite as exciting as the names suggest, but it’s still a night game in Death Valley between two blue blood programs. Neither fan base takes losing well, which makes it even juicier.
5 players to watch
— Michigan QB Cade McNamara (vs. Colorado State): Coach Jim Harbaugh announced that McNamara will start the season opener and J.J. McCarthy will start next week against Hawaii. It’s a strange decision, but it puts pressure on McNamara to meet high expectations after helping lead the Wolverines to the Big Ten title and a playoff appearance last season.
— NC State QB Devin Leary (vs. East Carolina): There’s a ton of hype around NC State to finally make a push for an ACC title, and Leary is a big reason why. He’s considered a potential first-round draft pick after throwing 35 touchdown passes to just five interceptions last season.
— Washington State QB Cameron Ward (vs. Idaho): After two standout seasons at Incarnate Word in San Antonio, Ward will try his hand at the FBS level. He’s drawn rave reviews for both his skill and personality, raising expectations for a breakout season.
— Syracuse RB Sean Tucker (vs. Louisville): Tucker has become the next in a long line of standout running backs at Syracuse, earning dark horse Heisman Trophy buzz. He finished sixth nationally with 1,496 rushing yards last season.
— Southern California WR Jordan Addison (vs. Rice): The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top wide receiver made waves this offseason when he transferred from ACC champion Pitt to USC to join former Oklahoma star Caleb Williams and coach Lincoln Riley. We’ll see how quickly he can connect with his new quarterback in a new offense.
5 teams on upset alert
— North Carolina (at Appalachian State): The Tar Heels lost their first-ever meeting with their in-state foe in 2019, so we shouldn’t be that surprised if it happens again. That said, a Sun Belt program, albeit a good one, taking out an ACC heavyweight is always a bit stunning.
— No. 24 Houston (at UTSA): UTSA ranks 18th nationally in returning production (74%) after a breakthrough 12-2 season under coach Jeff Traylor, which means Houston should be on its guard or risk falling into the Roadrunners’ trap.
— No. 25 BYU (at South Florida): BYU’s dreams of an undefeated season could be dashed quickly if quarterback Gerry Bohanon, a Baylor transfer, can lead a rejuvenated USF offense under former Clemson play-caller Jeff Scott.
— South Carolina (vs. Georgia State): Coach Shane Beamer has created excitement at South Carolina after an unexpectedly pleasant first season ended with a bowl victory. That could all come crashing down with a loss to Georgia State, which returns 77% of its production from a team that went 8-5 last season.
— California (vs. UC Davis): Cal won four of its last six games after starting 1-5 last year, but things have not gone well for coach Justin Wilcox of late. To make matters worse, the Bears return just 53% of last season’s production and must replace standout quarterback Chase Garbers. UC Davis, one of the top FCS programs, upset Tulsa to open 2021.
5 coaching debuts to watch
— Lincoln Riley, USC (vs. Rice): Riley’s move from Oklahoma was the talk of the offseason, as was all the talent he poached from other schools. How his offense looks with quarterback Caleb Williams and wide receiver Jordan Addison will be worth monitoring, but so is the defense under coordinator Alex Grinch.
— Brent Venables, Oklahoma (vs. UTEP): The longtime Clemson defensive coordinator gets his first chance as a head coach, and it comes at a premier program. The Sooners still have high expectations with Central Florida transfer Dillon Gabriel at quarterback, but it’s the defense that will have everyone’s attention.
— Mario Cristobal, Miami (vs. Bethune-Cookman): After leaving Oregon just when it seemed he was building a national power, there’s pressure on Cristobal to deliver the same results at a program starved for success. How offensive coordinator Josh Gattis melds with quarterback Tyler Van Dyke could determine the Hurricanes’ trajectory.
— Rhett Lashlee, SMU (at North Texas): After serving as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Miami, Lashlee gets his first chance to build a team in his own image. His familiarity with the program, where he spent two seasons calling plays, should make for a smooth transition.
— Clay Helton, Georgia Southern (vs. Morgan State): In one of the strangest transitions in recent memory, the former USC coach will take over a moribund Sun Belt program still searching for consistent FBS success. If he can turn things around, he might have found a long-term home.
5 best performances from Week 0
— Vanderbilt QB Mike Wright: The junior opened his season with a bang, completing 13 of 21 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns and rushing for 163 yards and another two scores, including an 87-yarder, in the Commodores’ 63-10 win over Hawaii.
— Northwestern QB Ryan Hilinski: While Nebraska’s ill-advised onside kick attempt up 11 points gained the most attention, Hilinski’s performance in the Wildcats’ 31-28 comeback win shouldn’t go unnoticed. The South Carolina transfer completed 27 of 38 passes for 314 yards and two touchdowns, routinely making accurate throws to keep the chains moving.
— UNLV QB Doug Brumfield: The 6-foot-5, 225-pound junior left-hander flashed star potential in a blowout 52-21 win over Idaho State, completing 21 of 25 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns.
— Illinois RB Chase Brown: In the first two plays of Illinois’ 38-6 win over Wyoming, Brown ran for 38 yards and caught a 14-yard touchdown pass. That set the tone for his stellar day, which included 151 rushing yards (7.9 per carry) and three total touchdowns.
— UConn RB Nathan Carter: Although he fumbled in a surprisingly close 31-20 loss to Utah State, the sophomore finished with a career-high 190 yards on 20 carries, including 110 in the first quarter to help the Huskies take a stunning 14-0 lead.
