2022-23 College Football: Week 0 Review

College football is back, marking one of my favorite times of the year. I prefer college football over the NFL largely because it tends to be a larger spectacle with more teams and more games every week. With the season kicking off this week, I wanted to return for my second season of providing weekly reviews of some of the biggest moments that took place. While the season kicked off on Saturday, the real festivities won't begin until next week, thus explaining why this week is considered Week 0. There were 11 games on the schedule, none involving Top 25 teams. I wanted to provide a review of the week's events, while also trying to play around with the format I want to use for this season and trying to perfect it before next week really gets the season going. I'll say a little bit about each game this week, but that's not going to be how I normally do it. The schedule was small enough this week that it isn't a problem. Here's a look back at Week 0.

Game of the Week- Northwestern 31, Nebraska 28 (Dublin, Ireland)

Coming into this season few coaches are on the hot seat more than Nebraska's Scott Frost. In four seasons with the team, Frost has a 15-29 record and has lost 20 games by one possession. A season opener against Pat Fitzgerald, another coach on the hot seat, and Northwestern felt like the perfect way for the Cornhuskers to gain some momentum in this week's only meeting between Power 5 teams. This wasn't your average neutral site game, however, as the two teams suited up in Dublin. Momentum shifted a few times in the first half. Casey Thompson led a scoring drive to open the season and added a rushing touchdown to take a 14-3 lead. Ryan Hlinski responded with two touchdown passes of his own and the Wildcats led 17-14 at halftime. Nebraska running back took things into his own hands, running for two scores, including a 46-yard sprint to retake the lead, 28-17. This is where the game changed. Frost opted for an onside kick at the weirdest of times and it failed, giving Northwestern the ball down two possessions at the Nebraska 44. 1:16 later and they'd score as the third quarter ended and the lead was down to four. An interception early in the fourth quarter from Thompson set up Evan Hull, who ran for 119 yards, for a 4-yard touchdown to regain the lead for Northwestern with plenty of time left for Nebraska to come back. The Cornhuskers were unable to score, but their defense wasn't allowing anything either. After burning all three timeouts, Nebraska forced a punt with 2:21 left but it was downed at their own 4, needing to go 96 yards to win the game. They were moving the ball well until a down to the middle from Thompson hit his receiver right in the hands and fell into the waiting hands of Xander Mueller. With no way to stop the clock, time would run out on Nebraska as Northwestern completed the upset to open their season. Hlinski threw for 314 yards and while Thompson bested him with 355 yards, it was the two interceptions that would kill them. It adds another one-possession loss to Frost's ledger and turns the heat up just a little bit more. 

The Rest of the Schedule

Western Kentucky 38, Austin Peay 27 (Bowling Green, KY)

The post-Bailey Zappe era began for Western Kentucky and what should've been a major blowout turned into a tighter game than anticipated. Austin Reed played well in his place, throwing for four touchdowns, but this was a one-point game heading into the fourth quarter. If not for two touchdowns early in the fourth, we could've seen a major upset. Western Kentucky was a 32.5-point favorite, one of the largest favorites of the weekend, so this likely isn't the way they saw their first game going. 

UNLV 52, Idaho State, 21 (Las Vegas, NV)

After a fairly close first quarter, UNLV opened the floodgates in the second quarter. Doug Brumfield threw all four of his touchdowns, including a 72-yard pitch and catch to Ricky White, as UNLV scored 35 unanswered points and it was pretty much over from there. The defense held Idaho State to just 241 yards, outgaining them by over 300 yards. It was a by-the-books win in Las Vegas to get an easy victory. 

Utah State 31, UConn 20 (Logan, UT)

In Jim Mora's first game at the helm, things were looking really good for the Huskies. They lead 14-0 after the first quarter despite losing their starting quarterback early and relying on a freshman to get take over. Utah State responded with 24 unanswered points in the second quarter and that score would hold until the fourth quarter. The Huskies kicked two long field goals to bring the game within one point, but a later touchdown from Logan Bonner, his third of the game, put things away and ended the upset bid.

Illinois 38, Wyoming 6 (Champaign, IL)

Almost 200 yards and two touchdowns from Tommy DeVito coupled with 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Chase Brown was more than enough for Illinois to stomp all over Wyoming. Illinois' defense held Wyoming to 30 yards passing and just two field goals in the win. After a bowl win last season, I'm sure this isn't the showing that Wyoming wanted in their opener. At least they ran the ball fairly well. 

Florida State 47, Duquesne 7 (Tallahassee, FL)

It's been a tough stretch for the Seminoles. They haven't finished with a winning record since 2017 and are coming off a disappointing 5-7 last season, including a loss to an FCS team. Fate would be reversed this time around as Florida State did almost all of their work on the group, scoring six touchdowns and running for over 400 yards. Three players finished with over 100 yards each, while the defense allowed just 164 yards in the drumming of Duquesne as they prepare for LSU next week. 

Florida Atlantic 43, Charlotte 13 (Boca Raton, FL)

Conference USA provided the only two conference meetings of the week. The first involved Florida Atlantic dominating Charlotte. N'Kosi Perry began his second season in Boca Raton with a spectacular performance, throwing for 256 yards and a touchdown, while Larry McCammon added 118 yards and another touchdown as the Owls shattered the seven-point spread. It never felt like they allowed Charlotte to get into a rhythm after they scored on their opening drive. 

North Carolina 56, Florida A&M 24 (Chapel Hill, NC)

With Sam Howell leaving for the NFL Draft, it left a spot open at quarterback in Chapel Hill. Drake Maye, brother of former basketball star Luke Maye, won the job and was very good in his first action of the season. Maye threw for 294 yards and five touchdowns and showed a poise about him. Omarion Hampton eclipsed 100 yards and scored twice to help the effort. Carolina's pass defense didn't look as sharp, allowing 279 yards through the air against a Florida A&M team coming off a 10-3 season. 

North Texas 31, UTEP 13 (El Paso, TX)

The other conference meeting from C-USA pitted two teams expected to finish towards the middle of the pack. By most statistics, this was a tight game. UTEP outgained North Texas by just one yard. North Texas had two more first downs and controlled the ball for just under two minutes longer than UTEP. The only place it didn't look even was on the scoreboard. North Texas outscored UTEP 17-0 in the second half to pull away in the end. 

Nevada 23, New Mexico State 12 (Las Cruces, NM)

You know it's going to be a weird game when the first score of the night is on a safety. The turnover battle is always considered to be a major factor in determining a game. In this one, New Mexico State turned the ball over five times, unable to capitalize on some decent ball movement. All five of those turnovers were courtesy of their quarterbacks with Diego Pavia responsible for four. I'm not sure if Nevada won this game or if New Mexico State lost it. 

Vanderbilt 63, Hawai'i 10 (Honolulu, HI)

In a battle of two teams predicted to finish last in the respective divisions in the SEC and Mountain West, this game reiterated that a last-place SEC team could still wax the floor with most other teams. Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright threw 146 yards, ran for another 163, and accounted for four touchdowns which would've been enough to beat Hawai'i alone. 42 of their points came after halftime as the defense shut out the Warriors in the final 30 minutes. 

Week 1 Preview

This past weekend was just a sample of what is to come. The main course begins next week with almost the program in the country getting suited up. The action will start Thursday night with a few Top 25 teams kicking off, continuing into Friday, then exploding on Saturday before we get a game each on Sunday and Monday. Here are ten games I'm looking forward to during Week 1. 

1. #5 Notre Dame at #2 Ohio State (Columbus, OH)

This is easily the biggest game of the week. It's the only one to feature two top-five teams, it'll be our first look at Heisman frontrunner CJ Stroud in his sophomore campaign, plus it'll help decide if Notre Dame will be legitimate under first-year coach Marcus Freeman. 

 

2. #11 Oregon at #3 Georgia (Atlanta, GA)

The other big game of the week features the defending champions beginning their title defense against Oregon in Atlanta. It'll be friendlier confines for Georgia since it's in their backyard, but Oregon is capable of going on the road and stealing one, just ask Ohio State. 

3. #4 Clemson at Georgia Tech (Atlanta, GA)

Despite ten wins last season, something felt off about the Tigers as they failed to win the Atlantic Division. They get their conference schedule started immediately against a Georgia Tech team they barely beat last season in Death Valley. 

4. #23 Cincinnati at #19 Arkansas (Fayetteville, AR)

The Group of 5 battle for a New Year's Six bowl game is always fun and Cincinnati looks to plant itself in the mix. They're coming off a loss in the CFP Semifinals last season and are without a lot of key players as they head into Arkansas for a top-25 matchup. 

5. #13 NC State at East Carolina (Greenville, NC)

Call this one a little bit of home cooking as a North Carolina boy, but this is the first of two all-NC battles. The ACC is wide open this year and the Wolfpack are a popular pick to represent the Atlantic in the ACC Championship. 

6. #7 Utah at Florida (Gainesville, FL)

Florida had a bit of a quarterback problem last season as they played inconsistently to a 6-7 record. With Billy Napier now under control, they open against the defending PAC-12 champions that are ranked in the top ten for their first test. 

7. West Virginia at #17 Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA)

There will likely never be another Kenny Pickett to come through Pittsburgh, but it's time for a new regime to take over. Pittsburgh is another team that is vying for a spot in the ACC Championship as they look to win the Coastal for the second season in a row. 

8. North Carolina at Appalachian State (Boone, NC)

After a dominant win in Week 0 for the Tar Heels, they'll face one of the biggest in-state tests possible. Appalachian State won ten games last season and appeared in the Sun Belt Championship, making them a good first test for Drake Maye. 

9. Florida State at LSU (New Orleans, LA)

Brian Kelly begins his tenure in Baton Rouge with a game against a Florida State team with a win under their belts and something to prove. LSU just endured a lackluster 2021, so a strong start will get Kelly off on the right foot. 

10. #24 Houston at UTSA (San Antonio, TX)

Houston is in a similar boat as Cincinnati as they look to fight for a New Year's Six bowl game. UTSA is the favorite in C-USA and could look to play spoiler while also trying to make a case for themselves moving forward.