NFL Catchup: Ravens WRs, Kyler Murray Injured; Bills, Jets Epic Postgame Speeches

It was an exciting Week 1 of the NFL with big wins and breakout performances from new and veteran stars. The Jaguars pulled out a dominant 34-10 win over the Browns and the Jets started the year in the win column, defeating the Titans 24-10. Additionally, first-year head coaches including Baltimore's Jesse Minter and Buffalo's Joe Brady secured their first wins as head coaches. Whether it was shocking injury news to key starters or electric postgame speeches, Week 1 delivered. Here's everything that happened from Week 1 of the NFL season: In wide receiver Ja'Kobi Lane's debut in a Ravens jersey and Zay Flowers' coming off a massive contract extension, both exited Baltimore's game early with injuries. Lane was sidelined with a right wrist injury and Flowers' departed with a hamstring injury that started as questionable to return, which quickly progressed into being ruled out. Flowers' injury has been ongoing from weeks prior, when he was sidelined for two weeks of practice due to the irritating hamstring injury. After fully suiting for this past Friday's practice, Flowers' production translated to five catches for 150 yards and one touchdown. For Lane – Baltimore's third-round NFL Draft pick from USC – his first game in the NFL was cut short, finishing the day with one reception on three targets and 11 receiving yards. Lane's debut also saw a touchdown reception, but was negated by a penalty. Lane left the field early with a wrist injury and was later ruled out for the remainder of the game. After the Ravens 41-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts, Baltimore will host the New Orleans Saints in Week 2. In his first start for the Minnesota Vikings, quarterback Kyler Murray's time under center was cut short due to a head injury. When Murray took off in an attempt at a first down, Murray went head first to kill the play, and was hit by a pair of Packer defenders to the head. Murray was quickly attended to and exited the field. After evaluation, the quarterback was ruled out for the day with a concussion. Murray's injury now gave way for backup quarterback Carson Wentz to take the field. Wentz started five games last season while quarterback J.J. McCarthy was dealing with an ongoing ankle injury. Through an ongoing quarterback competition between McCarthy and Murray, Murray ultimately landed the starting job on Aug. 11. Now, the Vikings will turn to Wentz for future competition under center as Murray is sidelined. In the Cleveland Browns opener on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Browns took a 34-10 loss, with their first touchdown of the day coming in the final two minutes of the game. Following the loss, head coach Todd Monken reacted to the performance of quarterback Deshaun Watson, as well as the quality of coaching throughout the game. "I'm sure as hell not firing me," Monken said in the Browns' postgame presser. "I'm not firing our staff. I'm not getting rid of all our players. He happens to be one of 53. So, we'll evaluate everything. We just didn't play good enough ... didn't coach well enough." Watson finished the day completing 16-of-22 passes, 205 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Notably, Watson was sacked a total of five times. The Browns now turn to a road matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Bills' thrilling 36-31 win over the Texans marked head coach Joe Brady's first in the NFL, and he celebrated in memorable style: shirtless. "You wanna talk about conviction? Everything we believe in man, showed up in that game. We said, ‘Don’t look at the scoreboard, man.’ We just said put the ball down. They moved the ball," Brady said after the game. Quarterback Josh Allen completed 20-of-29 passes, 334 yards and a pair of touchdowns. On top of Allen's numbers, the Bills' offense had a solid day through the air. Wide receiver DJ Moore closed out his first game for Buffalo with five receptions for 100 yards and a touchdown, while wide receiver Dalton Kincaid recorded five receptions for 130 yards. Buffalo now hosts the Detroit Lions for Thursday Night Football for their first home game in the newly renovated Highmark Stadium. The Jets added quarterback Geno Smith through free agency, and drafted edge rusher David Bailey Jr., tight end Kenyon Sadiq and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. in the first round earlier this year. There was some potential hype that this team could become competitive as head coach Aaron Glenn enters his second season. The Jets offense delivered, as Smith completed 19-of-24 and 215 yards. Running back Breece Hall recorded 22 carries for 102 yards and one touchdown, and wide receiver Garrett Wilson finished with six receptions for 73 yards. D efensively, New York recorded three sacks, four tackles-for-loss and held the Titans to just 10 points on the day. To close out their win, Glenn delivered a thrilling postgame speech:

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Jayden Daniels Takes Blame For Stefon Diggs' Penalty In Commanders' Loss

Leaders are supposed to take accountability, sometimes even if a mistake wasn't their fault. Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels took accountability for Stefon Diggs' costly penalty after their 24-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles, revealing the team likely would have gone for two earlier in the game had the celebration penalty not forced them to kick the extra point instead. Daniels said the mistake fell on him for not making sure the offense was prepared for the situation as the team's quarterback and captain. "You just got to be smarter, we've got to know situational football. That's on me for not reiterating that in the huddle, we just got to be smart," Daniels said after the game. "There's a time and place for everything and celebrations." Diggs' touchdown catch in the third quarter helped Washington cut Philadelphia's lead to 17-15 early in the fourth quarter, but a 15-yard penalty for his celebration near the goal post pushed the Commanders back and forced them to settle for one point rather than attempt a 2-point try. Diggs' touchdown also marked Daniels' first touchdown pass of the season. The penalty loomed large in the final minutes, when Washington needed a two-point conversion of its own to tie the game and came up short. Daniels connected with Antonio Williams late in the fourth quarter on a throw that was confirmed by video review before the failed 2-point attempt on a shovel pass. Daniels went on to confirm that the penalty changed Washington's plan after Diggs' touchdown. "I'm pretty sure at that point we would've went for two, we had to settle for the extra point, but as the leader and the captain man I put that on myself for not reiterating that in the huddle knowing that we had a potential to score on the play while we're in the huddle and just reiterating when we score, we're going for two," Daniels said. The Commanders ultimately fell short in their bid for a season-opening win, dropping their rematch with the Eagles to start 0-1.

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Philly Gets Victory, But Was It Impressive? 3 Takeaways From Eagles Win vs. Commanders

The Eagles just know how to win football games. Even with the Commanders driving for a possible game-tying score, it felt like Philadelphia would make the play to put the game away. They eventually did. It came on a Washington two-point conversion attempt that would have put the game into overtime. Jayden Daniels flipped the ball to tight end John Bates, who was immediately wrapped up by Moro Ojomo well short of the end zone, sealing a 24-22 home win to open the season. The game didn’t feel as close as the score implies. The Eagles offense generated most of the big plays in the game, and they had their way with a new Washington offense. It was less of a statement and more of a reminder that the NFC East still goes through Philadelphia. Here are my takeaways: The highs were certainly high. Jalen Hurts threw three touchdowns and hit a couple deep balls to lead the Eagles on four scoring drives, but the offense stalled out for the stretches in between those big plays. The new offense under first-year coordinator Sean Mannion didn’t feel all that different from the offenses we’ve seen in Philadelphia the past few seasons. The first touchdown drive was sparked by Mannion’s play calling. Hurts threw a beautiful deep ball to Dontayvion Wicks off play-action, beating Washington’s busted coverage for 64 yards. Wicks beat Mike Sainristil for a second time on Philly’s second touchdown. Sainristil was cheating inside, allowing Wicks to cross him up badly. Hurts just had to float the ball to the back corner of the end zone. Hurts connected with Smith on another deep ball and found Goedert up the middle for a catch-and-run that extended the Eagles' lead in the fourth quarter. Outside of those plays, Hurts struggled to find open receivers downfield. If not for a few miracle scrambles by Hurts, the Eagles offense may have stalled out completely in the second half. Philadelphia’s new run game — built around outside zone run plays from under center — needs more work. Barkley’s runs from under center produced just 2.3 yards per pop, and his one explosive run came on an inside zone run from the gun, a staple of the old offense. It wasn’t effective on its own, but the run game served another purpose against Washington. It took the teeth out of the Commanders' pass rush and kept Hurts in clean pockets, which he used to hit those downfield shots. Those were nice, but the run game was concerningly inefficient outside of Barkley’s 42-yarder, and the big plays came on coverage mistakes by Washington. The big plays were enough to grind out a close win against a mediocre team, but will it be enough going forward? We need to see how this new Eagles offense looks against a playoff-level defense to get a true sense of their capabilities. That first real test won’t come for a few more weeks, with matchups against the Titans and Bears, who gave up 35 to Carolina, up next on the schedule. The Rams will visit them in Philly in Week 4. Maybe that’s an overreaction after a game against an elite defense, but the season-opening loss in Philadelphia confirmed what many had speculated about Washington’s offense all summer: the Commanders haven’t put enough around Jayden Daniels. And with the third-year quarterback hitting his extension window, he won’t be playing on a discounted rookie contract for much longer, making it even more difficult to surround him with talent when he’s taking up a bigger chunk of the cap. Daniels could have been better himself, but Washington’s offense provided him with no margin for error. He was on the run for most of the game. When the Eagles weren’t getting quick pressure, Washington’s receivers were struggling to separate from Philadelphia’s secondary. He was pressured on half of his dropbacks and averaged just 1.7 yards per play under duress, per Next Gen Stats. New offensive coordinator David Blough was expected to install a new offense, built around heavier personnel and fewer spread formations, but the Commanders couldn’t move the ball without resorting to tactics from the old offense. The offense started to produce once Blough put Daniels in the gun, spread things out, and let him play up-tempo. But even when things were "working," Daniels had to grind. Daniels didn’t get much help, but he’s not totally blameless for the disappointing performance of the offense. He did little to elevate his teammates on Sunday. Outside of one ridiculous scramble, that featured a double spin move, Daniels didn’t make many plays with his legs. He scrambled for only one first down. Before getting hot in the fourth quarter, Daniels squandered the few downfield opportunities his receivers gave him. If this Washington offense is going to be better, its quarterback will have to be better. But he sure could use some help. Even if the offense has plenty of room for improvement, Philadelphia showed why it still belongs on any shortlist of contenders. The Eagles defense has been one of the best units of the past two seasons, and it might be even better in 2026. It looked the part in Sunday’s win over Washington. I’m giving general manager Howie Roseman the credit for the improvement. He added cornerback Riq Woolen, who had been cast off by the Seahawks, in hopes of patching up the one hole that remained on the unit. Based on the first game of Woolen’s Philly tenure, the hole at the CB2 spot is officially patched. He surrendered just one catch for a single yard in his debut. The rest of the Eagles secondary played to its lofty standards, as well. Defensive tackle Jalen Carter dominated the trenches and spearheaded an Eagles pass rush that made Daniels’ life miserable. There’s a lot of pressure on Jalyx Hunt and Nolan Smith Jr. to produce on the edges, and they responded with 13 combined pressures in the opener. Philadelphia did that without its other big defensive addition, edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, who missed the game with an injured pectoral. We haven’t even gotten to the best player in Sunday’s game, linebacker Zach Baun. The All-Pro linebacker made plays all over the field. The Eagles can dominate a game at all three levels of the defense, which will come in handy in January. 3 ½. What’s Next? The Eagles get a bit of a reprieve from the NFC grind with a trip to Tennessee next week. The Titans looked first-overall-pick bad on Sunday, and their defense could be exactly what this Philadelphia offense needs to break out. It needs to sharpen up quickly, with games against the Bears and Rams rounding out the first month. By the end of that stretch, we’ll know if this team is ready to compete for a title or if it’s due for another roller-coaster season. Washington’s season may already be on the brink of collapse with a trip to Dallas next week and a visit from the Seahawks following that. Teams rarely climb out of an 0-2 hole to make the playoffs. An 0-3 start, and it might be time to start looking toward the draft.

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Why Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs' Response To Disappointing 2025 Is Top Storyline In 2026

Patrick Mahomes is returning from an ACL tear, and the Kansas City Chiefs went 6-11 to miss the playoffs for the first time in over a decade in 2025. However, they made some intriguing moves over the offseason to provide optimism that they can return to the mountaintop in 2026. That's why FOX Sports' Charles Woodson views the Chiefs as the top storyline entering the 2026 NFL season. On "FOX NFL Kickoff," Woodson said he's looking forward to seeing how Mahomes and Kansas City respond in 2026 to their shortcomings in 2025. "Last year, we were deprived in the playoffs of seeing the best of the best," Woodson said. "Patrick Mahomes has been Superman. Over the last 10 years, this Kansas City Chiefs team has been to five Super Bowls, and they won three of them. This past year, he had his first major injury where he had to miss significant time. "So, I want to know how that affects him mentally, because he's had to carry this team rushing the football over this 10-year span. Over this 10-year span, they've only had one 1,000-yard rusher, and that was back in 2017." The Chiefs signed running back Kenneth Walker fresh off his Super Bowl LX MVP performance for the Seattle Seahawks to try and help those rushing woes. That wasn't the only notable addition that the Chiefs made, either, selecting LSU cornerback Mansoor Delane with the sixth-overall pick in the sixth overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft before adding Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods later in the first round. Those moves should help the Chiefs compete in an ultra-competitive AFC West. Both the Denver Broncos and Los Angeles Chargers made the playoffs last season, with Denver going 14-3 and earning the No. 1 seed in the AFC. Expectations remain high for the Chiefs, too. Their projected win total is 10.5, and they have the sixth-best Super Bowl odds. The Chiefs will be put to the test right away, hosting the Broncos on Monday night. That's followed by a home game against the Indianapolis Colts before taking on the Miami Dolphins and Las Vegas Raiders on the road.

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4 Takeaways From Texas' Comeback Win Over Ohio State — With An NFL Draft Twist

Normally, college football fans have to wait until the first snow flurries of the year for the biggest regular-season games. That wasn't the case this year, as we were treated to a thrilling early-season showdown between Ohio State and Texas on Saturday night. Both teams entered the matchup loaded with future NFL Draft picks, but let's face it: Most of the attention was on quarterbacks Arch Manning and Julian Sayin, along with star pass-catchers Cam Coleman and Jeremiah Smith. Sayin and Smith were spectacular in the first half, while Manning looked like a future franchise quarterback in the second. The end result? A wild, fun-filled affair that ended with the Longhorns pulling off a 24-23 comeback win. Here are my takeaways from Texas' thrilling win over Ohio State, with an NFL Draft twist. These four prospects are ranked in the order in which I would currently select them if I were building an NFL roster. 1. Jeremiah Smith Is The Top NFL Prospect In The Country – And It's Not Close Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith wasn't just the best player in this game. He’s the top NFL prospect in the country and one of the highest graded prospects I’ve evaluated in nearly 30 years as a professional scout. I’ve often compared Smith to future Hall of Famer Julio Jones, but in reality, that is short-changing the Buckeyes’ star wideout. Like Jones, Smith offers an exceptional combination of size, strength and speed. He is already a far better route-runner than Jones was at this point in his collegiate career.Smith has the ability to sink his hips and change direction like you would see from a smaller wide receiver. But at 6-foot-4, 222 pounds, he not only has strong and reliable hands, but he is also savvy at shielding the ball from defenders. He displayed that late in the first half, setting up a Texas defender before contorting his body in the air to make a highlight-reel catch. Smith easily blazes by the cornerback and is wide open, but he's forced to turn around and adjust his body midair to make the grab. He uses his strong hands to come down with the football, giving the Buckeyes a first down and putting them in scoring position. Smith finished with a game-high eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. He was undoubtedly the best player on the field, despite the Buckeyes' loss. NFL Player Comparison: Julio Jones NFL Draft Grade: Top-5 selection 2. Arch Manning Possesses The Traits To Be A Franchise QB While Smith was the top player on the field Saturday night and the best overall prospect in the 2026 draft, the top quarterback will almost surely be the first pick. Quarterbacks make more money because they matter more. Fair or not, that’s just the reality of football. I’m not ready to pronounce Manning as the best quarterback in college football, but I do believe he can become that, with a few relatively small improvements. He possesses all the physical traits to project as a franchise quarterback and there is plenty of evidence that he also has the requisite mental toughness, given the microscope he’s played under his entire life. That’s just the reality of growing up a Manning. Throws like this one are just expected. Manning has endured nearly impossible expectations, with his occasional growing pains frequently cited by critics and his moments of brilliance either ignored or too often credited to his head coach, Steve Sarkisian. Some have even already labeled him as "overrated" or a "bust." Given that he now has 40 touchdowns and just 11 interceptions in his college career, including Saturday night's historic comeback win over the No. 2-ranked Buckeyes, it seems like Manning is being held to a higher standard than any other quarterback. He’s a quarterback, not Amazon delivery. High-level quarterback play takes time. There just aren’t many quarterbacks in college — or even the NFL — who can make throws like the one above or lead their team to 21 fourth-quarter points against an Ohio State defense littered with NFL-caliber talent from top to bottom. That is why Manning is a first-round lock. NFL Player Comparison: Trevor Lawrence NFL Draft Grade: Top-5 selection 3. Cam Coleman Is Silky Smooth — But We Didn't See It One of the reasons I am so bullish on Manning taking his game to another level this fall is the fact that Texas lured Coleman from Auburn to Austin. In most other drafts — including last year’s — Coleman would be the top-ranked wide receiver. He’s silky smooth, with excellent agility and acceleration, and possesses the body control to make difficult receptions look easy. Early in the first quarter, Manning dropped back and threw a deep ball to Coleman, who extended his body and appeared to come down with the ball. The ball popped out of Coleman’s hands when he hit the ground and into the hands of Ohio State safety Jaylen McClain. The replay appeared to show Coleman dragging his foot while maintaining possession, but the play was ruled a pick. Now, to be clear, Coleman’s knack for making circus catches does not automatically make him a future No. 1 receiver in the NFL. He needs to show greater nuance as a route-runner and cut down on dropped passes. He finished with only three catches for 35 yards while being targeted five times on Saturday night. I believe Coleman will improve in each of these areas at Texas. Quarterbacks and receivers typically need time to develop a rapport. And while we didn’t see many highlight-reel moments from Coleman on Saturday, he did haul in two touchdown catches in the Longhorns’ Week 1 win, including a 44-yard bomb down the right sideline. It isn’t often that a receiver competing against SEC competition has 15 touchdown receptions in just 24 career games and is still only scratching the surface of his potential. That is the case with Coleman. NFL Player Comparison: A.J. Green NFL Draft Grade: Top 10 4. Julian Sayin Has Elite Diagnostic Skills And Touch Projecting Sayin to the NFL is a tougher task than projecting Manning for a variety of reasons. Most importantly, he simply isn’t as physically gifted. He isn’t as tall, strong-armed or athletic. Sayin has also been blessed with remarkably talented wide receivers. It is easier to complete passes, of course, when the receivers are seemingly always open and catch everything thrown in their general direction — which we saw in the first half with Smith on Saturday night. What Sayin lacks in arm strength, however, he makes up for with his processing ability and touch. Last year, as a redshirt freshman, he led the country with a 77% completion rate after throwing 301 passes, the most of any Big Ten quarterback. Sayin isn’t a checkdown magnet, and he rarely puts the ball in harm’s way. He is very effective on layered throws between the second and third levels of the defense and consistently shows the ability to stand tall in the pocket and deliver a pass where only his receiver can make a play on it, just as he did on this touchdown pass to Smith. Sayin isn’t the type to wow with his physical attributes, but I am impressed with his steadiness and poise. Those traits can translate even better at the NFL level than a flashy arm or scrambling ability. But he needs to play well in big games to continue to develop that reputation. After finishing the first half 12-of-16 for 192 yards and a touchdown, Sayin completed just five passes after halftime as the Buckeyes were held to three second-half points. NFL Comparison: Kirk Cousins NFL Draft Grade: Third Round

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2026 NFL, College Football Odds: Best Bets For Bama-UK, Packers-Vikings

Last Monday night in Tallahassee, Florida State created four turnovers and still didn’t cover as a 3-point underdog. The Seminoles lost 27-24 to SMU, so it’s a push for this column but hopefully a win for any of you that were able to grab +3.5 closer to kickoff. Boy, did it feel good to sweat football bets again. We know you’re here for informed wagers and I assure you I vet everything through multiple handicappers, oddsmakers and betting buddies who know what they’re doing. Those that do well in this racket know the "How, what and why," and that’s always my goal. Also, this will never be the place for a million picks or five-team parlays. These will always be the wagers I love the most and ones that I’m betting with my own money. Let’s go to work. (2026 Record: 1-2-1, -1.2 units) This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. The Owls were demolished by Florida last week, 66-21. So, why are you betting them Well, they moved the ball surprisingly well against an SEC defense — 396 yards ain’t too shabby. Life will be a lot easier against Navy, a program that doesn’t sniff the type of athleticism and speed that Florida brought to the table. I like veteran FAU quarterback Caden Veltkamp a ton and think the Owls are ripe to pull an upset at home. My love for this year’s Minnesota team is well-documented. I enjoy betting on teams that return their starting head coach, both coordinators and starting quarterback. And oh, by the way, they return Anthony Smith, the guy who led the Big Ten in sacks last year. Miss State quarterback Kamario Taylor wowed last week against Louisiana-Monroe with 354 yards and four touchdowns, but now he has to face a real defense, headlined by Smith. After bulldozing East Carolina last weekend, Alabama heads to Lexington for a very early SEC tilt. It’s the first collegiate road start for freshman quarterback Keelon Russell, who improvised a ton against the Pirates to the tune of 6.6 yards per rush. I’m sorry, but that’s not gonna happen against Kentucky. If the Wildcats can limit Russell’s escapability and keep him in the pocket, they’ll have every chance to hang inside this big number. I hope my bosses at FOX Chicago aren’t reading this. Simply put, the Bears are one of the most overvalued teams in the betting market. Their prices to win the conference and Super Bowl are insane given all the question marks on the defensive side of the ball. There’s a lot to like about the Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams partnership, but this line is too fishy. I’ll take Carolina off a playoff berth, catching a full field goal in its home opener. Speaking of overvalued, meet the Green Bay Packers. Defensive superstar Micah Parsons isn’t walking through that door for weeks, and I’ve never been a big Jordan Love believer. Meanwhile, Minnesota brings back most pieces from a top-10 defense and now Kyler Murray is orchestrating the offense with a loaded receiver room and a veteran backfield. People forget the Vikings won nine games last year. And now they have a quarterback.

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Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's College Football Week 2 Expert Picks, Best Bets

We're off to a hot start to the season. Let's keep it going. Here are my best bets for Week 2 of the college football season, along with my weekly Bear Bytes. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sports betting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Last Week: 5-2Season: 5-2 I'm having flashbacks to Ohio State’s final two games last year, when its offensive line — mainly the tackles — got abused by Indiana and Miami. Will that be the case here against Colin Simmons and Rasheem Biles? I think Texas is much better than the team that nearly won last year at the Shoe. I’m not sure this Ohio State team is as good — still an excellent side — and it seems like this is a game Texas has had circled for quite some time. And while Steve Sarkisian has lost more of these types of games than he’s won, it is interesting that a few years ago the Horns lost a close game to Alabama at home and then won relatively comfortably in the rematch the following year. I'm a huge fan of Kamario Taylor and I think the Bulldogs could surprise a few teams this season in SEC play. Both teams routed overmatched foes last week, so we’ll get a truer indication this week as to where both teams might land in their conference pecking order. I need to see the Gophers' offense do it against a Power 4 opponent. I thought about laying the 10.5 with FIU as well, but given how the Golden Panthers turned the ball over last week vs. USF — along with a very strong defensive effort — led me to going Under here. Buffalo needed a goal line stand to hold on 21-17 against Albany last week, and I’m not sure the Bulls' OL is going to have much success against the FIU D. Duke’s offense was totally one dimensional in the opener vs. Tulane. It was Nate Sheppard on the ground for over 200 yards. I’d expect more of the same this week against an Illinois team that Duke really should have beaten last year. It’s not like Illinois did much offensively against UAB. It had just 332 yards and about a third of that total came on two long scoring plays. The Nittany Lions just dominated Marshall in the opener and now head to Philadelphia to take on Temple. Now, I’m not thinking Temple wins this game, but I do think 24.5 is a tad too many for K.C. Keeler’s bunch. I expected the USF offense to have trouble last week with FIU, and the Bulls did indeed. But what surprised me was how well the USF defense played. I’d expect the offense to improve quite a bit this week. If the D plays that well again vs. the Army run game, USF will have a great chance to win outright. We expected QB Byrum Brown to be a bit of a turnover machine, and he didn’t disappoint last week. However, USM is one of the worst teams in the country after Charles Huff’s departure and this should result in a big win for Alex Golesh in his home opener. Last Week: 1-2, -0.86 South Florida +145 No. 1 Ohio State @ No. 4 Texas The last three regular-season top-five matchups have been won by Ohio State — Ohio State over Texas last year, and Ohio State over Indiana and Penn State in 2024. At Texas, Steve Sarkisian is 4-8 when facing a top-10 opponent as a ranked team (2-6 in top-10 matchups). Iowa State @ No. 21 Iowa Seventeen of the last 20 CyHawk showdowns have gone Under the total. No. 18 Tennessee @ Georgia Tech Josh Heupel has been a double-digit road favorite three times at Tennessee. The Vols have lost outright twice — in 2024 at Arkansas as a 14.5-point favorite and in 2022 at South Carolina as a 22.5-point favorite. No. 12 Alabama @ Kentucky Alabama’s four regular-season SEC road games last year were decided by 7, 7, 3 and 3 points. No. 11 Oklahoma @ Michigan Dating back to 2009, Michigan has been a home underdog 14 times. The Wolverines have pulled just three upsets in that span and their last seven losses have come by 18, 21, 19, 38, 29, 11 and 29 (23.4 points per game). Southern Miss @ Auburn Southern Miss has lost 26 straight games as a double-digit dog against Power 4 opponents, the last 11 coming by an average of 30.7 PPG. Mississippi St. @ Minnesota Since 2018, Minnesota has been involved in 10 home games in which the spread was within three points either way. The Gophers won only two of them.

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