Week 1 Predictions – 2024
Last Year: Everyone knows how last year ended for the Buckeyes, losing the last two games of the season. Time will tell if the Michigan result will stand, but the game against Missouri tasted just as sour. The 2024 version of the Buckeyes have been talking a good game, will see if they are playing with the fire in the belly that takes them all the way to the national title game. For our staff predictions, Dave Culver finished on game ahead of Rick DeSutter to take his third B50 Staff Predictions title.
This Week’s Games: Ohio State is about to pay 1.8 million dollars to kick the tires on this year’s version of a national challenger. Akron will lose, it will just be a matter of by how many points. But the game should give Coach Day the chance to play a lot of players and give Will Howard a chance to test out the new offense …. The big game of the week will be Clemson and Georgia. The Dawgs are currently top dogs, can the Tigers knock them off the peak? …. Notre Dame still refuses to join a league, we will see if they change their minds after a few years of the new playoff format. This weekend, their challenge will be the Aggies. …. Penn State and West Virginia face off in Morgantown. Expect record beers sales for this one. …. USC will begin their season in a new conference and open it against LSU. The Trojans and the Tigers will square off in Vegas in the home of the Raiders. Which team will earn the resume building victory?
Buckeye Greats: As in the past, we will continue to include former Buckeye players in our prediction fun and we are thrilled to have Vaughn Broadnax back with us as a regular participant for the tenth straight year.
Here we go with our Week 1 Picks – Good Luck to All – Gregg
Akron @ (2)Ohio State
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): The Buckeyes are favored by 50 points over the Zips. So, while I don’t foresee a margin of that magnitude, I do see the Buckeyes bouncing the Zips 54 -6.
Andy: Akron is not a very good team and this OSU team is loaded. There are some things us fans need to observe, the play of the offensive line, the play of the quarterbacks. It is good that OSU gets a few tune up games before they go on the road to play Oregon. Ohio State is favored by several touchdowns. Ohio State 55 Akron 7
Dave: Ohio State 42 Akron 7
Gregg: This game will be over before it begins. Everyone wants to see Will Howard, everyone wants to see the back-ups play. Everyone wants to see this shut down defense get a shut out. Everyone wants to see the new transfers and how they play in the scarlet and gray. I just want to see Chip Kelley at the helm of the offense, Don’t expect any field goals in this one and very few punts. I want to see the Buckeye team lead the country in total 4th down conversions, go Coach Chip. Ohio State 70 Akron 6
Joe-S-U: Ohio State
John: Three things as a Buckeye fan I want to see this week: 1) an angry, dominating offensive line that both opens up holes is the run game and protects the QB; 2) Will Howard start to develop some in game chemistry with the weapons that he has and 3) Ryan Day realize he needs to develop depth and plays the backups early and often, assuming this game plays out as it should. This is especially true at QB – Howard is not a first year starter, even though this is his first year at OSU. Assuming Ohio State is up big by Q3, get Brown and Sayin some game reps. 50 point spreads are hard to cover, especially in week one, but if this team is everything we’ve been lead to believe it is the Bucks do so. Hope the gang at CBS bring a lot of filler. Ohio State 63 Akron 6
Josh: The Buckeyes will be using this game to test out their new $20million car, and the Zips are getting paid $1.8million to be the test dummies. I do feel bad for the instate opponents as well, because they are D1 players as well, who are looking to be stronger competitors in the MAC, but this game will be very much a name your score game for the Buckeyes. Dont get me wrong, there is excitement because this is the first game of the season, and getting to see Archie dot the “i” as the 8th non-band member to do it ever. will be an incredible experience, but if this game is close, then the Buckeyes are not the team we hoped they would be to start the season, but will have plenty of time to work on it before the October 12 showdown with Oregon. I anticipate the Buckeyes will try and get Will Howard and the starters on offense around 8 series to get a comfortable lead, and then let the second string get their chance to play and earn future playing time. Zips get Zipped. Ohio State 63 – Akron 0
Steven: A good game for Ohio State should include the starters being out by the second half, good looks at Devin Brown and Julian Sayin in the second half, and most importantly, no injuries. Akron should prove little more than a speed bump on the way to next week’s monster (/s) night game against Western Michigan. OSU scores early, often and with extreme prejudice. Bucks 56-10
Final Score: Ohio State 52 Akron 6
(14)Clemson @ (1)Georgia
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): Dabo Swinney could silence a lot of critics with an upset win against Georgia this weekend. However, after witnessing the shenanigans the that the host field pulled on the Buckeyes a couple of years ago, the Tigers don’t have a chance. It will be closer than most predict as Georgia finds homefield favor to beat Clemson 31-24.
Andy: Clemson has not been the same since Ohio State beat the crap out of them in the playoffs in 2020. After losing a lot of his all star coaching staff Dabo and Clemson has struggled a lot. Despite hiring a stud offensive coordinator in Garrett Riley, the Clemson offense was completely flat last year. Georgia is an elite team with the best quarterback in the country and a talent gap. I like Georgia a lot in this one. Georgia 34 Clemson 13
Dave: Georgia 38 Clemson 18
Gregg: Georgia is deep and has the best QB in the country. Clemson is the next victim. The real question might be, will Coach Sweeney still be coaching next season. Georgia 24 Clemson 10
Joe-S-U: Georgia
John: This game looks good on paper. You have two marquee schools meeting in week one, after all. However, Trevor Larwance isn’t waling through that door for the Tigers. Until someone beats the Dawgs, it will be hard to pick against them. Georgia 31 Clemson 10
Josh: The last time Clemson and Georgia met was in Charlotte, NC in 2021, which was a defensive slugfest, and the Bulldogs won that game 10-3 to jump start their National Championship season. The Bulldogs enter the season as the number 1 ranked team in both the Coaches and AP poll, and have Carson Beck returning at quarterback, but they lost their top receiver with tight-end Brock Bowers to the NFL. Kirby Smart likes to be a little aggressive when he can, and I am sure he has his team ready to go prove the ranking after destroying Florida State in the Peach Bowl last year, and being left out of the College Football Playoff when they lost to Alabama in the SEC Championship game and a chance to try to 3-peat as National Champions. Dabo took an interesting strategy this offseason by not bringing in any transfers to a team that went 9-4 in 2023, and finished 20th in the country. Young Dabo Swinney doppleganger Cade Klubnick returns as the starter for the Tigers, and will try to prevent as many turnovers this year that he did last season. Barring the NCAA cracking down on Georgia for its nonexistant punishments for the illegal street racing and misdemeanors from the players, I think the talent is too much for Clemson, who has not been the same since Trevor Lawrence left. Georgia 35 – Clemson 13
Steven: Can Clemson coach Dabo Swinney make it in the new world of college football taking the philosophical high road by ignoring the transfer portal? He may be turning out great men with wonderful leadership skills, but I’d wager that he’s concocted a recipe for disaster from a football standpoint. With or without transfer talent, upending Georgia is a heck of a task, especially coming straight out of the gate. A game like this would have previously been a make or break for a program’s season. Now it is basically a measuring stick for the talking heads. As long as the Tigers show up and don’t get curb-stomped, they shouldn’t fall too far in the polls. No one expects them to win anyway. College football is now the new college basketball. Out-of-conference matchups are for television ratings only. Win your conference and you’re good. With the relative weakness of the ACC, Clemson has a good shot at the ACC title, transfers or no transfers. They still lose handily to the best team in the country. UGA 38-10
Final Score: Georgia 34 Clemson 3
(8)Penn State @ West Virginia
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): Penn State shows they can run the ball again as they throttle the Mountaineers 31-17.
Andy: This game should be fun to watch. I think West Virginia is underrated and Penn State needs to frankly have a really good season. After finally getting their offensive line up to where they want it and bringing in a 5* quarterback in Drew Allar, the Lions need to win a lot of games this season. The big question is can new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki have a good passing attack and can they push the ball down field? If Penn State can get a good passing game this year the Lions could be a surprise team in the Big 10. Penn State 27 West Virginia 17
Dave: Penn State 38 West Virginia 14
Gregg: This could be a wild one. Penn State needs to prove they are not going to drop as a top team in the Big Ten with the new schools coming to the league. West Virginia wants to move up the ladder in the Big 12 with Texas and Oklahoma moving on to the SEC. Should be an entertaining contest, but I don’t think the Mountaineers are strong enough to pull out the victory at home. Penn State 31 West Virginia 28
Joe-S-U: Penn State
John: This is a game that Penn State should win, even with the game in Morgantown. James Franklin, however, is a horrible big game coach so look for this one to be close than it should be. Penn State 27 West Viginia 24
Josh: Morgantown, WV, will be rocking with one of their biggest home games in their history with the 8th ranked Penn State Nittany Lions traveling to try and prove they are a different team, and try to earn a chance to make their first ever playoff. Drew Allar returns as the starter and will have a new offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki to give the offense a new identity. Penn State has one of the better running back tandems in the country with Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton, so I anticipate that James Franklin will try to play the game control game by milking the clock as much as he can in a hostile environment. West Virginia are an 8 point underdog at home, so there will be a lot of emotion on their sideline, and it will be a matter of if they can make enough big plays against a solid defense to keep this game close. I think this one will be tight in the first half, and I think West Virginia will take an early lead, but the Nittany Lions earn the win, but fall short of covering the spread. Penn State 27 – West Virginia 21.
Steven: This may not be the Backyard Brawl, (WVU vs. Pitt), but it’s close. I expect the ‘eers would have rather started out with Pitt, as Penn State is pretty loaded this year. Nittany Lion QB Drew Allar is coming into his Junior season with a new weapon in Ohio State transfer Julian Fleming. Even with what looks to be a talent advantage, Penn State is not an outrageous favorite in this game (-12.3). The Lions may be inclined to play this one a bit closer to the vest. Style points may matter, but not as much as just banking since they will be faced with Wisconsin, Ohio State, and Washington consecutively in late October and early November. Going to Morgantown is no cakewalk, but certainly less of a hostile environment than a Happy Valley white-out. Penn State grinds it out on the ground, and puts game number one in the piggy bank. PSU 28-14
Final Score: Penn State 34 West Virginia 12
(7)Notre Dame @ (20)Texas A&M
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): Notre Dame goes into Texas A&M Saturday only to see record Saturday evening mass attendance after the Aggies upset the Irish 28-24.
Andy: This is probably the best matchup of the weekend. I have questions about Marcus Freeman as a head coach. He is going to be put to the test early again this season when the Irish go to Kyle Field. I think Mike Elko will bring a new sense of toughness to the lines of scrimmage and the defense. I do think this game will be close because Mike Elko’s teams are built in a similar fashion as Notre Dame is which is suffocating the other team with elite defense and slowly grinding first downs on offense. This should be a low scoring game. Texas A&M 20 Notre Dame 16
Dave: Notre Dame 28 Texas A&M 25
Gregg: I realize that Notre Dame is the higher ranked team, but they are going on the road, and breaking in a new QB at least for the Irish. But no one is more familiar with this QB than A&M as that is coming from College Station. GameDay will be on campus, the fans will be pumped and eager for the start of the season, the stadium has been upgraded. I just think it will be too much to ask Coach Freeman to win this one. Also he is only 7-5 against ranked teams since starting as head coach. Their one plus might be that Texas A&M will be bringing in a new coach this year from Duke. As much as I would like to see the SEC take a loss here, I think the Aggies will be victorious. Texas A&M 34 Notre Dame 24
Joe-S-U: Texas A&M
John: It will be interesting to see how the Irish handle this season. As an independent, they aren’t playing for a top four bye in the playoffs. They will also have a harder time making the 12 team field with 2+ losses compared to a 2+ loss Big Ten or SEC team. That makes this a big game for the Irish. A&M is kins of like the box of chocolate in Forrest Gump – you never know what you’re going to get. It won’t surprise me it the Aggies win, but I’m picking the Irish in a mile upset on the road. Notre Dame 24 Texas A&M 21
Josh: Notre Dame will travel to College Station to face Texas A&M in an early season top 20 match up. The good news for Notre Dame is they have a mobile quarterback with Riley Leonard who transfered from Duke this offseason, but the bad news is they will have a lot of young players on offensive line going against a strong defensive front in the Aggies. Texas A&M is actually a 3 point underdog at home, but I think they have a real good chance to get the upset in a defensive battle. Texas A&M 17 – Notre Dame 14
Steven: Notre Dame is an underdog coming into College Station. Try and wrap your head around that. It’s by not a huge number; as of Tuesday the Aggies are only favored by a field goal. So, it’s basically a pick ’em. This one comes down to Notre Dame transfer QB Riley Leonard, who just so happens to have played at Duke last year under new Aggie head coach Mike Elko. Some seem to think this gives Elko some sort of magic insight into how to scheme for his former QB. I’m not sure if I believe in that. In the NFL, teams saw Tom Brady a ton and still lost most of the time. You have to defend the entire team, not just the QB. This will come down to talent and execution, most especially along the lines. I like the Irish in this regard. Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman knows defense and should be able to bottle up the Aggies pretty well. Now can Riley Leonard walk through the door and close the deal? Coach Freeman has been known to be a bit conservative at times on offense, so I expect a lot of run support for Leonard against A&M. If the Irish can establish the run and prevent the big mistake from Leonard, they win the game. I’ll call it close, but the Irish win late by a field goal. ND 27-24
Final Score: Notre Dame 23 Texas A&M 13
(23)USC vs. (13)LSU
Vaughn Broadnax (OSU-RB 1980-83): USC versus LSU should be the marquee game of the weekend. However, USC has not performed as expected under Lincoln Riley. On the other hand, LSU does not have a Heisman caliber quarterback this season. I am going with one of the newest additions to the B1G to win the game. USC 31-24 over LSU.
Andy: This is the all gas and no breaks matchup of the year right here. Both teams had absolute dog crap for defense last year, but managed to have two of the best offenses in the country. New Trojans quarterback Miller Moss had a sensational bowl game throwing for 6 touchdown passes against a tough Louisville team. LSU has a LOT of talent to replace on offense, losing Jayden Daniels, Brian Thomas and Malik Nabers all of whom were drafted this past spring into the NFL. Because of the talent and production that LSU lost I think they’re going to be in the process of figuring things out this early in the season on both offense and defense. USC 31 LSU 24
Dave: LSU 32 USC 28 32
Gregg: These have been two big names in college football for years, but this year they may just be ‘really good’ teams. It should be a great game, especially for week one. USC was not able to win the big games when they did have Calab Williams and now he is gone. At least the fans will have a good time on the strip. Will give the edge to the purple and gold. LSU 27 USC 21
Joe-S-U: LSU
John: Big Ten (wow, how weird is that to say regarding USC) vs SEC in week one is always fun, and hopefully between the expanded playoffs eliminating the need to be perfect to be national champs and conference expansion we’ll see more to these types of games going forward, not fewer. Unfortunately, whether they are in the mathematically Big Ten or the Pac 8/10/12/2, USC is not the USC of Charles White, Marcus Allen, Reggie Bush or Matt Leinart. LSU 31 USC 17
Josh: Lincoln Riley finally ripped off the Alex Grinch band aid, and brings in the former defensive coordinator from UCLA to help turn around on of the worst defenses in the country last year, which was a part of the reason why they wasted Caleb Williams’ last season with the Trojans. LSU lost their heisman trophy winner in Jayden Daniels and are looking to try and have lightning strike twice. I dont think USC wins this game despite being the closer team for this neutral site game in Vegas, and the Tigers make their first mark as an SEC challenger. LSU 35 – USC 28.
Steven: USC and LSU meet in Las Vegas.Now that’s a ticket any college football fan would love to have. LSU has a legitimate top 10 receiving corps with transfer receivers Zavion Thomas and CJ Daniels. On a fast track such as Allegiant Stadium, they could be a handful for a USC defense that hasn’t been good since before Alex Grinch was hired and fired. It would be great to see USC regain some of the old swagger they had when Pete Carroll was coaching them. Unfortunately, the Lincoln Riley years seem to have been more about pumping out offensive talent than actually fielding a well-rounded, competent football team. This year, Miller Moss takes over the QB duties from Caleb Willaims, and he looks to be the real deal. The offense will still be humming, but can it play enough possession football to keep LSU’s offense off the field? Of all the marquee games this weekend, this one looks like one that could be a shootout. Liking the Tigers. LSU coach Brian Kelly may be a carpetbagger, but he can still coach defense. Riley, well that remains to be seen. LSU 38-31