By: William Smythe

It’s been a while. College football is back, the Pac-12 (soon to be dissolved) is humming, and the top-25 will surely witness some massive changes following today’s outcomes. In arguably the most sought-after Saturday in years – outside of the College Football Playoff – we have a semblance of an idea of who may compete for the trophy. However, I’m still struggling to process the “cream of the crop” with the unlikely demise of the SEC and the unusual mediocrity of the Big Ten, even after Ohio State’s miraculous win over Notre Dame in South Bend. So, what have we learned thus far?

The state of Washington football is rock-solid

To clear the air, Washington State is still without a long-term home following the breakup of the Pac-12. An unfortunate sequence of events has now led to the no. 21 ranked Cougars enjoying a 4-0 start to the 2023 season, with Incarnate Ward transfer Cam Ward seeking Heisman aspirations in a do-or-die campaign for a seemingly doomed athletic program. It’s a shame that we are witnessing arguably the deepest Pac-12 lineup in recent memory, as six members of the conference found themselves in the most recent AP Top 25 poll. Colorado and UCLA did fall out of the rankings following their losses to Oregon and Utah, respectively, yet there’s still much to be celebrated out West.

The Cougars’ Ward has now passed for 1,390 yards and 13 touchdowns in his team’s first four games, proving to America that the team from Pullman won’t go quietly into that good night. Ward – alongside Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., who currently leads the nation in passing yards – has made considerable headway in the Heisman race and will benefit from the Cougars’ 38-35 upset win over then-no. 14 ranked Oregon State.

I firmly believe that Washington will see themselves into the playoff come January. The Huskies boast arguably the best wide receiving corps in the nation (sorry, Buckeye nation) with Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan and Ja’ Lynn Polk all major assets, and Penix Jr. is playing at a level that surpasses that of his stellar 2020-21 campaign in Bloomington, Indiana. A brutal slate remains – with no. 10 Oregon, no. 5 USC, no. 11 Utah and the aforementioned Cougars all on the schedule – yet this might be the year that second-year coach Kalen DeBoer reaches the College Football Playoff. Yes, Washington’s 24-7 loss to Alabama in 2016 is a bit of a stain, but this season’s parity should bode well for the Huskies.

Alabama should not be overlooked with Saban still at the helm

The Crimson Tide just can’t lose two games at home. With no. 15 Ole Miss coming to town on the heels of a sketchy win over USF in Tampa and a home loss to Texas, Alabama knew that the doubters would be eagerly watching as Lane Kiffin returned to Tuscaloosa. The quarterback situation seems to have been resolved, as junior Jalen Milroe returned as the starter and led the Tide to a 24-10 victory over the Rebels – putting to bed any immediate questions about Saban’s ability to continue his dynasty.

This team faces a juggernaut of a schedule later this season – featuring Tennessee, LSU, and an Arkansas team that brought the Tigers to the brink Saturday – but the best will rise to the top, and Saban knows the power of the SEC slate. I imagine his team will only improve as the year wears on, and we shouldn’t see any more quarterback rumblings after Saban essentially said that he felt obligated to play both Ty Simpson and Tyler Buchner against USF.

This is Milroe’s team now.

The ACC is good again?

Don’t look now, but four teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference are in the top 25: no. 5 Florida State, no. 15 North Carolina, no. 17 Duke and no. 18 Miami. Now, the relative ease of the ACC makes it difficult to stack these teams up with the best of the rest in the SEC, Pac-12, and Big Ten. We saw North Carolina nearly fall to in-state opponent Appalachian State, while Florida State struggled in Chestnut Hill last weekend and escaped with a three-point win over Boston College. Duke hasn’t shown many signs of weakness and trampled a Clemson team that should’ve absolutely defeated the Seminoles at home yesterday.

Miami’s best win so far came against Texas A&M, but they haven’t been a real threat in years. Nonetheless, the voters seem to believe that the nation’s premier basketball conference boasts some strong football programs as well, with Duke’s ascendancy perhaps the most surprising out of the bunch. It was only a matter of time before Florida State returned to the top of the ACC…now, Mike Norvell’s team has come out unscathed after major tests against LSU and Clemson. The dark years of Seminole football may result in a College Football Playoff appearance, the first for Florida State since 2014.

The rest of the ACC is pretty bad. There’s not a whole lot of depth behind the five (except for the surprising 4-0 teams, Louisville and Syracuse), and Virginia, Virginia Tech and Boston College are making their cases for the worst team in the Power Five. The Commonwealth Cup should be a doozy in Charlottesville, as the Cavaliers are currently 0-4 and the Hokies are 1-3, having just suffered an embarrassing seven-point loss to Marshall.

College Football!