Blaudschun
By Mark Blaudschun
FWAA.com Columnist
College football opened its season (sort of) with an assortment of games in Week 0 (ridiculous), which
included Coach Hoodie (Bill Belichick) opening his second season at North Carolina over a poorly
prepared TCU team.
We'll see how that turns out.
Let's cut to the chase with the most intriguing story lines for Week 1.
1. LIU at Kansas, Arkansas- Pine Bluff at Missouri.
We use these two games for our annual Cupcake U. rant.
Kansas, which should not treat anyone casually, has scheduled Long Island University. I didn't even know
LIU played football. The Jayhawks (5-7 last season) are a 39-point favorite.
Missouri, which is a legitimate Southeastern Conference upper-tier team, is a 55-point favorite over Pine Bluff.
Come on. I know coaches often want to ease into their season. But these two games are nothing more than
controlled scrimmages. Nothing will be gained by either team, other than a victory. And both will be
embarrassed if they don't cover the spread.
And it might haunt a team such as Missouri, which has visions of making the 12-team playoff in its
playbook. I don't think Mizzou will get any style points with a 41-10 victory, and it could haunt the Tigers if the
selection committee is debating their merits and examining their credentials.
I don't expect either team to schedule a Top 20 non-conference team in its opener unless it’s a money
game, e.g., Wisconsin-Notre Dame, Clemson-LSU. At least Missouri is keeping it geographical.
But Kansas taking on LIU? With a 12-team playoff, scheduling Cupcakes in the opener is not a total deal
breaker, but if it moves to 16 or 24, these games will be playoff busters.
2. Clemson at LSU
Intriguing Prime Time matchup.
LSU begins the Lane Kiffin era, while Clemson and its fans get a quick preview on whether or not the Dabo
Swinney era is coming to a close.
Clemson was 7-6 last season, and in the also-ran division of the ACC, after being ranked No.
4 in the country in the preseason.
Swinney has been reluctant to use the transfer portal to restock, and Clemson, after two decades of
double-digit victory equity, is declining rapidly.
LSU wants to head in the other direction and is sparing nothing trying to get the job done after failing to
create a splash when it hired Brian Kelly away from Notre Dame. Now Kiffin is the new sheriff in Baton
Rouge.
Great way to kick off the season for college football fans.
3. Boise State at Oregon
This one intrigues me.
Lots of people are penciling in Oregon as a legitimate Big Ten and national champ contender. The Ducks
are 48-8 in Coach Dan Lenning’s four years in Eugene, which is legitimate. Only Georgia has done better
record-wise over that span.
But zero national championships.
Boise State is a legitimate Group of 6 team, even favored to win the newly reconstructed Pac 12.
The game is in Eugene and Oregon is a four TD favorite. Hmmm.
It could be a rout if Oregon is that good, but with the entire offseason to prepare, I think Boise State could
make it interesting.
4. Notre Dame at Wisconsin (in Green Bay)
Notre Dame is a prime national championship contender, and Wisconsin continues to be an
underachiever under Luke Fickell. Having said that, it is an opening game in which the Irish will have to
wear their shoulder pads in the second half. It is being played at Lambeau Field, which should be
somewhat of an advantage for the Badgers.
It is a crucial start for both teams, with the loser falling into the discard pile fairly quickly.
My instincts tell me that Notre Dame should overwhelm Wisconsin in the second half, but it’ll be worth
watching to see how it turns out.
5. SMU at Florida State
Labor Day night closes with huge implications for both teams.
No coaching seat is hotter than that of FSU's Mike Norvell. The Seminoles had a two-year run (10-3 in 2022 and
13-1 in 2023) in which they strolled through the ACC. The last two years – mediocrity in the form of
back-to-back 5-7 seasons – has sent Norvell's seat into the sizzle stage. To make things worse, ACC
neighbor Miami has re-emerged as a national title contender, something that hasn't happened since the Bobby
Bowden "Wide Right" days.
SMU has been a success story since passing on millions of dollars in revenue sharing just to get in the ACC (Power 4).
This is a key crossroad encounter for teams that seem to be headed in opposite directions.
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