- By RALPHD. RUSSO AP College Football Writer
Perhaps Georgia was underestimated.
The defending national champions came in the season at No. 3 in the country and were not far behind No. 1 Alabama and No. 2 Ohio State.
But after losing 15 players in the NFL’s draft, including nearly half the defense in the first round, it seemed reasonable to bake in a slight regression.
Or not.
Bulldog crushes No. 11 Oregon With astonishing ease, a more dynamic offense and a defense that was as salty as last season’s crew of wrecks.
Stetson Bennett went 368 yards without a play in the fourth quarter. Seven Georgia receivers caught multiple passes, all averaging at least 13 yards per catch.
“We want guys who want to play in this offense,” said coach Kirby Smart. “And if you’re sitting at home watching this offense today, I think you’re saying, I want to play in this offense.”
Offensive coordinator Todd Monken barely had to use the All-America tight end Brock Bowers (two catches for 38 yards) while Georgia was scoring a touchdown on her first seven drives.
The question about Georgia coming into the season was not whether it would again be one of the best teams in the country. it was clear.
Rather, can Georgia really be like Alabama? A regression-proof juggernaut that pumps national-championship-level teams annually.
Georgia tight end Darnell Washington (0), Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, walks from the bottom after a catch in the first half of an NCAA college football game on Saturday, September 3, 2022 in Atlanta.
Looks like this. The last defending national champion to defeat a decisively ranked opponent in his season-opener? Alabama, when it defeated USC 52-6 in 2016.
The assault at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium was also another indictment of the Pac-12.
Oregon may still be one of the best teams in the beleaguered conference. The Ducks, led by former coach Mario Cristobal, have recently had better recruits than other Pac-12 teams. But they are nowhere near what Georgia has built.
One of the reasons Oregon hired Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning was hoping to bring SEC secret sauce to the Pacific Northwest.
Whether this can be done because the Pac-12 has been dropped is an open question. Everything about the Pac-12 seems tentative and difficult these days.
Week 1 of the conference later got worse when league favorites and No. 7 Utah lost a heartbreaker in Florida.
Utes should have no shame in falling short in the swamp. Especially with Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson showing glimpses of superstardom.
“He’s going to get his (NFL payday),” said Utah coach Kyle Whittingham. “He’s 6-4, 230 and runs like a 4.3. He’s a fantastic player.”
Still, it was a huge missed opportunity for Utah against a Florida team that is in Year 1 of rebuilding under Billy Napier.
This is pretty much certain: The talent gap between the top of the Pac-12 and the top of the SEC is vast, more than 2,600 miles separating Eugene, Oregon, and Atlanta.
Escape
13 North Carolina State and rival North Carolina both went on the road in the state for Week 1 and needed some good luck to get back into the Research Triangle with a win over Atlantic Coast Conference rivals.
The Wolfpack season started with a huge anticipation in East Carolina. After failing to keep the Pirates away from an empty red zone trip in the second half, they needed Two missed kicks by the ECU in the last minute for an escape.
Poor, Owen Daffer. The ECU kicker missed a potentially game-tying PAT and a potentially winning field goal from 41 yards.
NC State has a history of breaking the hearts of its fans, but this would have been an all-timer. Instead, they will return to Raleigh with a slow start with Devin Leary’s Heisman candidacy (17 for 33 for 211 yards), but still hope to be a Dark Horse playoff contender.
The Tar Heels buoyed west to face the Appalachian State and played an early candidate for Game of the Year. UNC needs to stop Two lats try to avoid a surprising 40-point fourth quarter by 2-point climbers.
Mack Brown’s team managed to avoid becoming the second ACC to lose at Sun Belt School this weekend.
The Brent Pry era at Virginia Tech got off to a rough start Friday night when the Hokies made a mountain of mistakes (five turnovers and 15 penalties) and lost to brand new Sun Belt member Old Dominion.
Fun belt, indeed.
Playoff Talk
Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey is most cautious in his assessment of whether the college football playoffs can be expanded to 12 teams by the 2024 season.
President overseeing CFP Voted on Friday to implement 12-team plan by 2026 Sankey worked for two years and was first unveiled in June of 2021. Expansion plans stalled last year, much to Sankey’s concern, but the presidents pushed through.
Can commissioners now quickly work out the details and logistical constraints to replace the four-team model with 12 teams by 2024?
Sanki said it would be difficult.
“It’s unfortunate for me that we could have spent the last nine months talking about implementation and we were nine months behind when we were back in January,” he told reporters before the Georgia-Oregon game. ” in Atlanta.
All over the country
Cade McNamara was fine as a starter No. 8 game of a romp on Michigan Colorado State, but JJ McCarthy still made an impact with a nifty touchdown 20-yard TD run. McCarthy, a former five-star recruit in his second year, will start next week against Hawaii. Here the lean McCarthy eventually emerges as QB1. … the seven hard way: Iowa beat South Dakota State 7-3. defeated by, receiving two second-half safaris as the Hawkeyes offense picked up exactly where it left off last year when it finished 121st in the country under coach Kirk Ferentz’s son, Brian Ferentz. … for an appearance at the Rose Bowl Road to UCLA’s Bowling Green 27,143, which was a record low. It’s the kind of fan nostalgia that drives fans of schools that don’t play major media markets or that big brands are crazy. UCLA is headed for the Big Ten Rich, but runs the risk of being left behind by schools like Iowa State or Kansas State. …after four straight losing seasons, there is hope for Arizona after an impressive Road win against San Diego State to start the season. UTEP transfer Jacob Koing caught three TDs from Washington State transfer Jayden de Laura. , No. 23 Cincinnati lost for the first time in regular season 19 in Arkansas since the last game of 2019. … against the opponents of each match after a game-by-play, it seems Lincoln Riley And Oklahoma One is going to be fine without the other. … QB Quinn Ewers made his Texas debut as expected against Louisiana-Monroe, Top-ranked ‘Bama will enter Austin next week’ 55-0 win against Utah State,,
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