Section 400’s Week 1 College Football Roundtable

Football is finally, finally, back! As we did last football season, the guys from Section 400 will go through the top storylines heading into the monstrous slate on each College Football Saturday.

Find out below what Section 400 writers Brian Hauch, Will Gardner, Matt Kolen and Jack Albanese are most intrigued about in week 1.

Guess Who’s Back

After a long offseason, college football has finally returned. I know how much you guys missed answering my questions every Saturday morning. As you recover from the vodka-sodas at the bar last night and drink your morning coffee, what game are you looking forward to the most today?

BH: I am BEYOND excited to see how the new-look Auburn Tigers offense performs in prime time at Jordan-Hare today. They may be favored by the age of head coach Hugh Freeze, but the prospects of watching five-star Cam Coleman continuestly “Moss” SWAC-level cornerbacks gets me giddy. Call me biased, but this team could have enough talent to lead the SEC in scoring.

WG: Notre Dame is overrated this year. In the era of the 12-Team Playoff, everyone expects the Irish to easily qualify as the five or six seed. Don’t be surprised if they lose an early on in College Station in Week 1 though.

JA: Auburn obviously, but Georgia taking on Clemson should be a fun one as well. Dabo Sweeney hasn’t been able to figure it out in the NIL era of college football, but a win today could help flip the narrative in South Carolina.

MK: I’m very high on West Virginia shocking Penn State at Mountaineer Field to start the season. WVU looked solid for a half in Happy Valley a season ago. With the home juju, don’t be surprised if the Mountaineers pull it out. I’m also praying on Notre Dame’s downfall in College Station because their fans are the absolute worst.

Back Again

Texas & Oklahoma enter the SEC this season after successful 2023 campaigns? Can either of them win an uber-competitive SEC or are you going with someone else?

BH: I asked the question because I simply don’t see a path for either of the newest additions to the SEC to win the conference in year one. Texas has arguably the most talent in the country but I think the grind of an SEC schedule is going to hit them hard, much like me after hitting the floor after falling off a mechanic bull.

WG: If there’s a year for Texas to win the conference it’s this season. I have zero faith in Oklahoma though. As for my pick, I think it’s an absolute crapshoot. Nick Saban leaving Alabama creates a massive opportunity for the other teams in the SEC as well.

JA: I’m going with Georgia but Texas definitely has a shot. The Bulldogs are clear and away the best team in the country and I’ll believe that until they prove me wrong.

MK: I’m in the same boat as Will. Texas has a legitimate shot, but I still think Georgia and Alabama are the two best teams in the conference.

Football’s Back

Oregon lost to our Washington Huskies in the PAC 12 title game last year. They now bring in Dillon Gabriel to replace Bo Nix. How far does this team go in 2024?

BH: I may be an absolute old man yelling at a cloud with this take, but Oregon is going to falter in the BIG 10 because of jet lag. A college football season is not meant to be spent flying across 3 times zones every other week. The Ducks finish ranked, but it may not be enough to get into the college football playoff.

WG: The BIG 10 is H…A…R…D, hard. I think Oregon will be solid but I have absolutely no clue who is going to win this conference.

JA: They’ll make the 12-Team playoff this year if they can hang in there with Ohio State and Michigan.

MK: Oregon lost Bo Nix. They’ll be decent with Dillon Gabriel but I’m not nearly as high on them as I am other teams across the BIG 10. They’ve never had to deal with this travel before, and it’s going to hurt them.

Tell a Friend

Favorite bet(s) today?

BH: Auburn is going to score about 500 points today. Cam Coleman, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, and Robert Lewis may be the BEST receiving trio in the SEC. Alabama A&M simply won’t be able to stop three-receiver sets on Saturday. Give me the over 56.5 and the Auburn team total over 46.5

WG: I like the over 48.5 in the Georgia and Clemson game. It’s in a dome, in a neutral site, with two teams that don’t know each other well. Points will be scored. I also love Oklahoma State (-13.5) against South Dakota State.

JA: Texas A&M -2.5 & Penn State -7.5. No need to overthink it.

MK: I’m taking Air Force (-29.5), App State (-35), and I’ll take the (+7.5) with West Virginia against Penn State.

 

Guess Who’s Back, Guess Who’s Back

Which underdog shocks the world today?

BH: Give me Charlotte (+8) to beat James Madison outright in their home opener. Let’s get some early season chaos in the “Fun Belt”.

WG: I like Nevada (+8) to take down Troy. Nevada looked decent against SMU as a huge underdog last week. The Wolf Pack have some nice juice right now.

JA: Give me USC (+4) to beat LSU on Sunday night, but i don’t love it.

MK: You know how I feel. It’s all about the Mountaineers (+7.5) at home against Penn State.