College Football Week 1: Impact Games

Story posted September 2, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Charlie Lebowitz, Josh Moyer, Joey David

Week 1 in college football is upon us.

Here are a look at some of the gamese that could be impactful thinking ahead to the rest of the season.

Oregon @ Georgia

The defending national champion Georgia Bulldogs face off against the Oregon Ducks in a high-stakes Week 1 matchup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.

Despite losing a record of 15 players to the recent NFL Draft, the Bulldogs still retained many key pieces to their roster, including quarterback Stetson Bennett who threw five touchdowns and no interceptions in the semifinal and final games. Bennett, along with senior Kenny McIntosh and former Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award winner Brock Bowers, should lead Georgia to another high-powered offense.

As for the Ducks, new head coach Dan Lanning is very familiar with this Bulldogs team, as he spent the last three seasons as the defensive coordinator.

While Lanning has yet to name a starting quarterback for Saturday's opener, it’s believed that Auburn transfer Bo Nix will get the nod, who also has plenty of experience against Georgia from his time spent in the SEC. With four members of their offensive line projected to be NFL Draft picks, this Ducks offensive front could be the toughest that Georgia faces all season.

In an always competitive SEC conference, Georgia must open its season with a win to stay toe-to-toe with fellow powerhouse Alabama. The same could be said for Oregon, who is projected to be in a three-team race with USC and Utah for the Pac-12 title.

Despite Oregon’s roster having more talent than most, giving them credit for the skill and experience on both sides of the ball, Georgia will prove to be too much for them to steal this game. - Josh Moyer

Notre Dame @ Ohio State

Expectations are high for Ohio State this season, as it's arguably the best college football team in America. With an offense led by Heisman hopeful C.J. Stroud, it’s championship or bust for the Buckeyes. Their path to the College Football Playoff begins Saturday night in Columbus, when the Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to town.

Vegas currently has Ohio State as 17.5 point favorites, with an over/under set at 58.5 points. Although Notre Dame may view this as disrespect, they’re going to need some Irish luck to pull off the upset.

Despite losing massive production at the wide receiver position, Ohio State brings back plenty of talent at the same time. Stroud and running back TreVeyon Henderson make a case for the best quarterback/running back duo in the nation.

New defensive coordinator Jim Knowles should rejuvenate Ohio State’s defense and install new dynamic schemes into the system. In 2021, most of Ohio State’s defensive miscues came from an inability to stop the run. Notre Dame should have a balanced running attack in 2022, but nothing Ohio State won’t be able to handle.

The big storyline of this game seems to be the Notre Dame defense versus the Ohio State offense, it would take a lot for Notre Dame to light up the Ohio State defense.

With a loss, Notre Dame would need to beat Clemson, BYU and USC to even sniff the College Football Playoff. Although it could happen, it’s unlikely. A win would put Notre Dame in the driver's seat with a direct path to a top four ranking.

Expect Ohio State to win by at least 17 points. - Charlie Lebowitz

Utah @ Florida

One of Saturday’s Pac-12 versus SEC matchups takes place in Gainesville, Florida as the Utah Utes visit the Florida Gators.

The matchup serves as a proving ground of expectations for both squads as Florida’s new head coach Billy Napier will be looking to make his mark in his first game.

Utah enters holding playoff expectations on its back and will need to win this match up in order to sustain those lofty goals. The Utes’ need to win became more vital over the offseason after the rapid changes at USC.

Utah returned a majority of its starters from last season while the Gators suffered massive turnover from their roster last year.

The Utes are undeniably the better team on paper heading into this contest, but Florida’s home field environment, which is unlike any seen in the Pac-12, keeps Utah hovering around a 3-point favorite.

Expect Utah to come out on top of this cross-country bout. - Charlie Lebowitz

West Virginia @ Pittsburgh

The annual “Backyard Brawl” will be making its return at 7 p.m. on Thursday, September 1.

Quarterback Kedon Slovis will be making his Pittsburgh debut for the Panthers as the heir to Kenny Pickett. With the loss of Pickett and Jordan Addison, Pitt is wondering whether the magic has left with them, or if they are just getting started with their program resurgence.

On the opposite sideline, quarterback JT Daniels will also be making his West Virginia debut with something to prove. In their 104 matches Pittsburgh has the lead, but West Virginia has been narrowing down the win column in their games since 1970. - Joey David

 

Charlie Lebowitz is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email cpl5424@psu.edu

Josh Moyer is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jzm6453@psu.edu

Joey David is a junior third-year in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email jtd5508@psu.edu

About the Contributors

Josh Moyer's photo

Josh Moyer

Freshman / Broadcast Journalism

Josh Moyer is a freshman from Collegeville, Pennsylvania majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. His intentions are to get into the John Curley Center in order to receive a sports broadcasting certificate. He called multiple high school basketball games at Perkiomen Valley High School during his junior and senior years.

Charlie Lebowitz's photo

Charlie Lebowitz

Sophomore / Broadcast Journalism

Charles “Charlie” Lebowitz is a sophomore from Baltimore, Maryland majoring in broadcast journalism at Penn State. He is a writer and play-by-play announcer for Penn State’s CommRadio. If you’d like to contact him, email him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

Joey David's photo

Joey David

Sophomore / Broadcast Journalism

Joey David is a second-year student from North Caldwell, New Jersey. Joey has media experience in CentreNewsDigest and is looking to continue to add as much experience as possible.