College football season is less than a month away, but some pundits already have hit midseason form. In a recent segment on ESPN, the assembled bobbleheads mused that LSU is putting too much emphasis on beating Clemson in Week 1.
Excuse me, fellas, but what’s LSU’s alternative to focusing on the Clemson game? Should LSU look ahead to its Week 2 tussle with Louisiana Tech, or reserve some gas in the tank for a clash later in September with Southeastern Louisiana?
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LSU has lost each of its past four season openers. That includes three Week 1 losses for Brian Kelly, the last of which caused Kelly to grow madder than a wet hen in his postgame news conference.
So, naturally, LSU made beating Clemson an offseason focus, complete with scattering Clemson logos and paw prints throughout the weight room to provide visual motivation.
Is that a bit hokey? Yes, it is.
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If LSU beats Clemson, though, I can already hear the commentators applauding Kelly for emphasizing this opener. If LSU loses, Kelly will be blamed for placing too much emphasis on one game.
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I’ll admit to firing off a few spicy takes of my own this preseason. In a recent appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show,” I described the Big Ten’s College Football Playoff proposal as “patently absurd.” (I stand by that opinion, by the way.)
Not every take must be set to boiling temperature, though.
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In fact, I’m going to use this space to workshop a few underreactions that might go against the grain in the aftermath of Week 1.
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Arch Manning will not win or lose Heisman against Ohio State
All eyes will be on Arch Manning in Texas’ high-profile opener Aug. 30 against the defending national champions, and his performance likely will produce a shift in the Heisman Trophy odds. However, Heismans are won in November and December, not August. I expect how Manning performs in a November game at Texas and how he fares in the SEC Championship (if Texas makes it there) will affect his Heisman chances more than his Week 1 output.
Neither LSU nor Clemson becomes a pretender by losing opener
The winner of LSU-Clemson will gain an immediate résumé boost, but let’s not bury the loser (unless it’s a blowout). These programs built two of the nation’s best rosters, complete with top quarterbacks. If the outcome is close, I won’t be ready to eliminate the loser from the title hunt, even if the overwhelming response will be to pile on the loser.
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Beating FSU would be a good win for Alabama, not a great one
Let’s hold off on saying Kalen DeBoer solved all that ailed Alabama in 2024 if the Crimson Tide handle Florida State. Remember, the Seminoles went 2-10 last season.
Wait and see on Gunner Stockton
If Gunner Stockton lights up Marshall in an opening romp, that’s better than the alternative for Georgia. It doesn’t mean Stockton is superior to Carson Beck. Marshall is the equivalent of a JV opponent. The Thundering Herd have a new coach, and they welcomed in more than 50 transfers amid a total program makeover. Stockton playing well would be a comforting development for Georgia, but nothing more.
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Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Warming up my college football football ‘underreactions’ for Week 1
