It’s early, but everything we thought we knew about college football is wrong

Three weeks into the season, so much of what we thought we knew about college football is wrong.

Examples:

You can’t win with an overhauled roster

Can you hear Deion Sanders cackling? Coach Prime has done a roster remake in Boulder — The Buffaloes have a jaw-dropping 86 new players — and Colorado is not just 3-0, the 19th-ranked Buffs are the talk of the sport.

Georgia will continue to dominate

The two-time defending champion and top-ranked Bulldogs appear a tad shaky. In its SEC opener last Saturday, Georgia found itself trailing 14-3 at home to South Carolina. Then Gamecocks coach Shane Beamer told CBS sideline reporter Jenny Dell, “We’re kicking their butts.” Kirby Smart’s thank-you note is in the mail. The Dawgs rallied for a 24-14 win.

Nick Saban will just keep on winning at Alabama

A month away from his 72nd birthday, Saban’s Crimson Tide lost at home to Texas, coached by former Saban assistant Steve Sarkisian. That doesn’t happen. Last Saturday, the Tide struggled in a 17-3 win at South Florida, who had lost 41-24 at Western Kentucky two weeks earlier. A Tide tipping point?

Jeff Brohm will need time to rebuild Louisville

Looks like it took Brohm all of one summer to rebuild the Redbirds. Louisville is off to a 3-0 start. Wide receiver Jamari Thrash, a transfer from Georgia State, is the real deal. Quarterback Jack Plummer, a transfer from Purdue via California, is a steady hand who knows Brohm’s system. The Cards could be 5-0 when Notre Dame comes to L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium on Oct. 7.

Tennessee is back to being Tennessee

The Volunteers went 11-2 last season with a win over Alabama, giving giddy Big Orange fans the belief the Vols were officially back. Not so fast my friend. Then Josh Heupel’s team fell flat in a 29-16 loss Saturday at Florida. Quarterback Joe Milton has a rocket arm, but he’s not Hendon Hooker. Not yet, anyway.

Billy Napier won’t make it at Florida

After a 6-7 debut in 2022 and a 24-11 opening-game 2023 loss at Utah in which the Gators looked like something other than well-coached, Napier’s Gainesville future looked cloudy, at best. That was before the Gators swamped Tennessee and returned to the AP Top 25.

Mike Norvell won’t make it at Florida State

After going 8-13 his first two seasons in Tallahassee, Norvell appeared destined to join the list of failed Bobby Bowden successors. Not so fast, my friend. After a 10-3 rebound in 2022, the ‘Noles are 3-0, with an impressive thumping of LSU on their September résumé.

Lane Kiffin has finally matured

Never gonna happen. The Ole Miss coach is back in the news this week for claiming Alabama has demoted defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. That’s news to the Crimson Tide. And Ole Miss visits Tuscaloosa on Saturday.

Caleb Williams will be a repeat Heisman Trophy winner

The Southern Cal quarterback has done nothing to make you think he won’t be a repeat winner. He does have plenty of early competition, however. Washington star quarterback Michael Penix threw for 473 yards against Michigan State last Saturday. Notre Dame quarterback Sam Hartman has been terrific and the Irish are not lacking followers. Oregon’s Bo Nix and Penn State’s Drew Allar are in the early mix. And keep an eye on Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, son of Deion.

NIL and the transfer portal will benefit the rich

Oops. You can actually make the case that rule changes have brought more parity. Colorado is just one example. Look at Oregon State with an ex-Clemson quarterback (DJ Uiagalelei). Or Washington with an ex-Indiana quarterback (Penix). Or Washington State, where Incarnate Word transfer quarterback Cameron Ward is the best player you’ve never heard of.

Paying players will kill college football

Last Saturday’s Colorado-Colorado State game brought in 9.3 million viewers, ESPN’s most-watched late-night game on record and fifth most-watched regular season game on record.

It’s not just the Deion Effect driving up college football ratings. And this weekend promises to be a monster viewing Saturday with Notre Dame-Ohio State, Florida State-Clemson, Colorado-Oregon, UCLA-Utah, Ole Miss-Alabama, Oregon State-Washington State and Iowa-Penn State. Enjoy.

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