We are officially through Week One in college football. Is it too early to draw concrete conclusions about some players and teams? No! It’s never too early!
Loser: Ryan Silverfield
Well, this sucks. By which I mean, there is no part of me that wants to include the Memphis football coach on a list of things which haven’t gone well so far this season. After all, they’ve played one game! I want Memphis to have a good football season! A rising tide lifts all boats, and regardless of what else is happening in the 901, having people engaged and uplifted by the Tigers is a good thing. After all, it was only a few years ago that ESPN’s College Gameday came to town and set up on Beale Street and everyone had a big party.
Yet doesn’t that seem like a lifetime ago? In many ways, it was a lifetime ago – we’ve been through a global pandemic since then. And since Mike Norvell left for Tallahassee in 2020, Ryan Silverfield has presided over a Memphis football program that has mostly felt a bit directionless. Sure, they went 8-3 in his first season, but then last season the Tigers sputtered to a 6-6 finish, and on Saturday they began the season with a 26-point loss in Starkville, in a game that frankly didn’t even feel that close.
Memphis should beat a bad Navy team this week, and a season-opening loss doesn’t condemn a season, by any means. But, to me, at least, it sure feels like Memphis football has lost the mojo they had a few years ago. And it makes me wonder if Ryan Silverfield is the right guy to help them find it again.
Winner: Todd Monken
Wait, who? Well, people aren’t going to be curious about the name of Georgia’s offensive coordinator for much longer. Last season, while the Dawgs showcased a historic defense and saw defensive coordinator Dan Lanning eventually poached by Oregon, Georgia’s offense mostly seemed like an afterthought. Perhaps that was because QB Stetson Bennett was mostly an afterthought himself, but the Dawgs were still good enough on both sides of the ball to win a natty.
This offseason, UGA lost their top two running backs, as well as their best receiver, who transferred to Alabama, of all places. Even with a wealth of talent at tight end, it sure seemed as if UGA would, at the very least, have some stuff to figure out on the offensive side of things this season.
And then UGA came out for the season opener and scored touchdowns on their first seven consecutive possessions, against a team led by their former defensive coordinator, who presumably knows the UGA offense as well as anyone. My guess was that UGA’s defense would carry them, the way they did last season, and the Dawgs would win in a low-scoring affair.
UGA only ran for 132 yards against Oregon, but they roasted the Ducks through the air. Bennett was 25 for 31 for 368 yards, and UGA scored 49 points. UGA offensive coordinator Todd Monken is going to get his name mentioned for some big-time jobs by the time this season is over.
I know, I know – it’s the first game of the year, and we should pump our brakes and not rush ahead to conclusions. But that’s sort of the point of this column, right? UGA looked like they are actually a better and more complete team than they were a season ago. And that’s kinda scary.
Loser: Notre Dame
I have never really understood Notre Dame. They want to be independent, different from everyone else. Do they really think they’re that special?
Notre Dame has been unaffiliated for as long as I can remember, but with the new College Football Playoff expansion to a dozen teams, I wonder if that’s about to change. As someone pointed out to me recently, the way the CFP is set up will almost punish Notre Dame for being independent. Sure, six at-large teams will qualify, along with the six conference champions. But the four highest-rated conference champs will get first round byes, and if you aren’t in a conference, you can’t be a conference champ. Which means having to fight your way out first rounds, against teams that are presumably coming in hot. (And let’s be honest: Postseason play has never really been a strength of Notre Dame.)
Maybe all of this isn’t enough of a threat to make Notre Dame rethink their stance. But I sure wouldn’t want to have to play my way in, year after year.
(And if you start your season with a loss, it may not matter anyway.)
Winner: SEC
It’s funny to joke about the SEC’s continued dominance, but it wouldn’t be funny if it wasn’t true. Other than LSU’s last-second stumble against Florida State, the SEC went 13-1 on opening weekend, including a couple of big-time wins. And heck, losing to Florida State isn’t a terrible loss – it was the way LSU lost that was so hilarious.
The SEC is still the big dog.
Loser: Scott Frost
I mean, come on. We’ve been talking about this forever.
Winner: JJ McCarthy
Michigan isn’t the only school to head into the season with essentially two starting quarterbacks – an Ole Miss fan told me at church on Sunday that he wished they had a third option to make things even crazier down in Oxford. But Jim Harbaugh’s biblical-inspired plan of giving each quarterback option, the sophomore McCarthy and returning starter Cade McNamara, one start apiece to begin the season seems odd. Especially when McNamara got a start against Colorado State and looked OK, but then McCarthy came in at the end and was brilliant. And now McCarthy gets a start against a terrible Hawaii team, which seems like a sure bet for a chance to shine.
I understand that it’s tough to juggle a situation with multiple players who deserve playing time. And having a transfer portal that makes it easier than ever to switch jobs certainly doesn’t make things any easier for these college coaches. But Harbaugh can and should do better. Pick a guy and go with him. Because right now, it seems like he’s trying to pick McCarthy without actually picking him.