It is a brand new season yet, after the first week, it feels awfully similar to last season. Just like last year, for the first month I am only releasing the teams I believe will make the playoffs and they are not in any order. After the first week I really only see four teams that will make that run to the playoffs and they are the exact same teams that made the playoffs last year: Alabama, Oklahoma, Georgia, and Clemson.

Playoff Teams

Alabama

W 51-14 against Louisville

Just watching the first game it definitely feels like Alabama is just as good or better than last season. You cannot really judge a book by it's cover after Week 1 but Alabama looked unbeatable while Louisville looked pedestrian. We would actually see quite a few of these games in the first week.

Next game: at home against Arkansas State

Oklahoma

W 63-14 against Florida Atlantic

I will be honest, after the Spring Game this game actually scared me to an extent. The offense looked listless in that game and it was hard to tell if it was because of an improved defense, the weather (it was very cold and very windy), or just a bad offense. However, I thought Oklahoma would win but much closer than the experts thought. Turns out I was happily wrong as the Oklahoma offense still looked very potent (even without Baker Mayfield in the backfield). But the defense looked amazing. Again (and I'll say this a few times) this was the first week, but with a shockingly anemic UCLA coming to town it looks like another potential blow-out for the Sooners.

Next game: at home against UCLA

Georgia

W 45-0 against Austin Peay

Oklahoma and Alabama were the only two of the four playoff teams to play Division 1 opponents. In the first week I will not hold that against Georgia and Clemson. Georgia looked stellar and ready to defend their SEC crown and make another run for the playoffs. This week they travel to South Carolina for the opening conference game.

Next game: at South Carolina

Clemson

W 48-7 against Furman

Clemson easily took out an over-matched Furman team and now head to Texas A&M for their first real test.

Next game: at Texas A&M

Best of Week 1

Maryland 34, Texas 29

Maryland outlasted Texas for a second year. What made this such a great game (outside of watching the Longhorns getting beat) is just how much turmoil the Maryland team faced in the off-season. First, one of their teammates died after a work-out. Then stories started coming out that the trainers knew that the kid was struggling yet kept pushing him (supposedly at the order of the head coach). The coach was indefinitely suspended. No one gave them much of a chance. Yet they came out fast and went up by 17 then found themselves down 29-24. They took the lead 31-29 and then storms delayed the end of the game before Maryland added a field goal and intercepted a pass to shut the door on Texas. Herman is now under some heat losing the first game of the season two years in a row.

Worst of Week 1

Florida State, Michigan, and Miami all look to be completely over-ranked after being embarrassed after Week 1 losses.

State of Nebraska and Arkansas football

Nebraska had it's opening game under Scott Frost cancelled due to storms so no updates there.

Arkansas won it's first game under Chad Morris. After the 1st Quarter only leading a lower division team 10-0 filled many Hogs fans with dread. Then Arkansas made a change at quarterback and the Arkansas offense finally came together. The big surprise out of the game was just how good the Hogs defense actually looked. Six forced fumbles with 5 recovered. The thing I was most impressed with was form tackling. I had missed it at Arkansas over the last decade.

Most intriguing games of Week 2

Georgia at South Carolina

Second game of the season for both teams and the first conference game for both teams. This could be a high scoring affair that could come down to the end of the game. OR it could end up being a blowout by the Dawgs. Going in it is much more interesting than the game that College Game Day is going to (Clemson at Texas A&M).

USC at Stanford

Another game that would have been better than the Clemson-Texas A&M game but that is how it rolls sometimes. Neither team looked all that good in their opening games but an early conference game is always a good match up. It is not quite PAC12 After Dark but it should be a good evening match-up.