Welcome to the Riley Leonard Bowl. A year ago, Leonard and Mike Elko were a quarterback-coach combination looking to make Duke into a top program in the ACC, and they had the Blue Devils ascending until Leonard went down with injury — against Notre Dame, of all teams.
The Wolverines are still very good, but expecting a national championship again would be unfair with just seven starters back. But that’s where new coach Sherrone Moore wants to be judged, and that means he needs to make a statement here, especially with Texas up next.
When Billy Napier took the job in Gainesville, nobody told him what was coming in 2024. Or if they did, Napier thought that he would have things coming along much faster at Florida, and it wouldn’t really matter.
Oklahoma State shouldn’t lose the game, but the fact that this could be close speaks to just how good South Dakota State has become. The Jackrabbits have won the past two FCS national championships, and they’ve gone 29-1 in their past two seasons.
If the Nittany Lions are going to make a run to both Indianapolis and the playoff, they’ve got to get through West Virginia first. Penn State won’t leave the Keystone State again until Oct. 12, as its next four games are all at home. The Nittany Lions also don’t lose to West Virginia very often, owning a 49-9-2 record against the Mountaineers.
With four starters back on the offensive line, it seems likely that Texas will continue to meet its high standards in 2024. But there is a question as to whether the Horns will care much about this opener. Texas faces Michigan in Week 2, marking the first-ever regular season meeting between the two. And that means the biggest goal for the Longhorns is to get in and get out without losing anyone important.
2023 was a joyride for James Madison from start to finish. But can the Dukes do it again?Â
If they can, they’ll essentially be doing so with a completely new group.
This isn’t even supposed to be possible in the age of the transfer portal. Somehow, Virginia Tech has 21 starters back from a season ago, including all 11 starters on offense.
Whether that’s a good thing, of course, remains to be seen.
I’ll be honest, I have overlooked this game when considering the other major games on UGA’s schedule: at Texas, at Alabama, and at Ole Miss have taken the majority of my attention and concern.