Here we go again. It’s finally time. College Football is back, and boy am I excited. Technically, it started like a week ago, with the week zero action. But the first full weekend is this one upcoming. We have an abundance of high profile marquee matchups for this weekend, and I’ve got some bold predictions, along with hot takes.

West Virginia @ #17 Pittsburgh 

Thursday 7pm

Prediction – West Virginia 28 @ Pittsburgh 35

This one is going to be a close one, with West Virginia debuting Georgia transfer JT Daniels and Pittsburgh debuting USC transfer Kedon Slovis. The interesting thing about this version of the backyard brawl is that both Daniels and Slovis originally committed to USC out of high school. Slovis won the starting job there, causing Daniels to transfer to Georgia. Then Slovis lost his starting job to Caleb Williams, so he transferred to Pittsburgh. Daniels got beat out by the Mailman AKA Stetson Bennett III at Georgia, so he transferred again to West Virginia this time. So this, in a way, is going to be a revenge game for Daniels. But in the end, Pittsburgh is just too much for the Mountaineers, and Kedon Slovis gets the best of JT Daniels again.

Update: Final score – West Virginia 31 @ Pittsburgh 38

What a game this was, with a total of seven lead changes. JT Daniels performed better than his stats show, mainly because his receivers had a terrible case of butter fingers. He went 23/40 for 214 yards, two touchdowns, and one very costly interception that was not even remotely his fault. It was 31-31 with three minutes left in the game, when JT threw a dot just above his wide open receivers neck, and it slipped right off his hands into Pittsburgh’s MJ Devonshire’s hands. He took it all the way back for a pick six. That ended up costing the Mountaineers the game. Also, Kedon Slovis had a very solid game through the air, going 16/24 for 308 yards and a touchdown. Most of Pittsburgh’s scoring was done on the ground, but Slovis certainly helped them through the night with a great game through the air.

#11 Oregon @ #3 Georgia

Saturday 3:30pm

Prediction – Oregon 17 @ Georgia 30

These are two very different teams with Georgia fresh off a National Championship and Oregon with a new head coach after an alright year last season. The catch is that Oregon’s new head coach happens to be the defensive coordinator of Georgia’s generational defense last year. Another hot topic surrounding this game is that Bo Nix, whom you might know from Auburn, is the new starting Quarterback for the Ducks. Bo Nix was worse than bad against Georgia in his three meetings against them at Auburn, and I expect that trend to continue. Georgia will chew clock, using long drives that end in points, and Oregon will turn the ball over three times. Georgia’s defense will give up some yards and points, and will definitely take a step back from last year, but they still contain Oregon enough and make enough big plays to help Georgia win comfortably.

 #23 Cincinnati @ #19 Arkansas

Saturday 3:30 pm

Prediction – Cincinnati 20 @ Arkansas 28

One of the most intriguing matchups this weekend, with Cincinnati fresh off an undefeated season and a playoff berth and Arkansas off a great 8-4 season. That included wins over Texas A&M, Texas, and an overtime win over LSU. Cincinnati lost seven starters to the NFL draft, including their quarterback, and Arkansas brings back most of their starters. Cincinnati will regress from last year, and the Hogs get it done on the back of returning quarterback KJ Jefferson.

#5 Notre Dame @ #2 Ohio State

Saturday 7:30 pm

Prediction – Notre Dame 23 @ Ohio State 49

Ohio State returns the best quarterback in America, not named Bryce Young, by a country mile, as well as the best receiver in the country, Jaxon Smith-Najigba. Notre Dame has a new head coach with Marcus Freeman, a new starting quarterback, and one of their best pass catchers, TE Michael Mayer. They also lost quite a bit of their production on defense, including first round draft pick, Safety Kyle Hamilton. I expect Ohio State to absolutely torch Notre Dame’s defense, and the pressure to keep up will just be too much for the Notre Dame O.

#7 Utah @ Florida

Saturday 7:00

Prediction – Utah 29 @ Florida 31

Again, two teams in very different places. Utah just won the PAC-12 and almost beat Ohio State in the best Rose Bowl ever, despite playing running backs at corner. Florida fired Dan Mullen last season, after starting strong and then just collapsing. They brought in Billy Napier who had a 40-12 record as Louisiana’s head coach in the past four seasons. Both teams bring back uber talented quarterbacks, both of which are athletic freaks of nature. Cam Rising is a first round draft pick in 2023, and Anthony Richardson is just an absolute physical specimen. These teams both run the same style offense and are on the same playing field talent wise. Utah are two and a half point favorites, and only because of the game being played in the Swamp, this is my pick for an upset in week one. Anthony Richardson single handedly will carry the Gators to victory.

Florida State @ LSU

Sunday 7:30 pm

Prediction – Florida State 17 @ LSU 27

The debut game for Brian Kelly will be played in the Mercedes Benz Super Dome against Mike Norvell and the Florida State Seminoles. The Noles already have one game under their belt, a 47-7 blowout victory against Duquesne. Not only will it be Brian Kelly’s LSU debut, but also Arizona St transfer quarterback Jayden Daniel’s debut as well as he won the starting job for LSU. This is one of the games I am less confident about, because we really have no idea what LSU is going to look like. We don’t know much about their offensive scheme, and we have no idea what the defense is going to look like. For all we know, they could play a sloppy game with multiple turnovers and lackluster defense and manage to lose by two scores. But I’m more on the side of them being a balanced disciplined team, and not trying to do anything special. Brian Kelly played against the Noles in week one of last year’s season at Notre Dame, so he knows what to expect from them. It’ll be a defensive battle for most of the game, and a big play by LSU in the fourth quarter that will set them up for victory.