With you know who coming out of retirement for the Rams, it’s already a wrap for the Super Bowl … or is it? The Bears? Must-see TV. The GOAT of this generation? He’s coming back with a vengeance. Oh, and Joe Burrow is talking big. 

There will inevitably be significant storylines this NFL season that we can’t predict. But we do have an idea of the narratives that will have the biggest impact on how we view this year.

Here are the top 13:

1.

Aaron Donald’s return after two years in retirement is the cherry on the top for the Rams, who’ve built one of the most talented rosters in NFL history. They’ve revamped their defense in a significant way by adding Donald, Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett (trade), former All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie (trade) and cornerback Jaylen Watson (free agency).

And that’s on top of their top-ranked offense from a year ago that returns all 11 starters, including league MVP Matthew Stafford. 

The Rams are the heavy favorite to win Super Bowl LXI. Anything less than a Lombardi Trophy would mark a major disappointment. But it’s certainly no lock: Over the past 30 years, the preseason Super Bowl favorite has entered the season with +500 or shorter odds 20 times. They’ve gone 0-for-20.

2.

Mahomes is coming off the first major injury of his career — and his first time missing the postseason. He suffered a torn ACL in a Week 15 loss to the Chargers that eliminated the Chiefs from playoff contention. 

This generation’s most accomplished player, Mahomes intends to return to the postseason. With offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy back, the return of a healthy Rashee Rice as WR1 and the addition of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker III in the backfield, Kansas City could have its most dynamic offense in years around the three-time Super Bowl MVP. 

(Scott Winters/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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3.

Released by the Cardinals in the spring after seven seasons, Murray signed a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum with the Vikings and beat out 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy to become QB1. If the former No. 1 overall pick regains Pro Bowl form, Minnesota becomes a dark-horse contender to win the NFC North and one of the better teams in the conference.  

Kyler Murray talks with Minnesota quarterbacks coach Josh McCown before a Vikings preseason game in August. (Kara Durrette/Getty Images)

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4.

The Bears returned to national prominence in 2025 in Ben Johnson’s first season as head coach — 11 regular-season victories, an NFC North title and the franchise’s first playoff win since 2010. Second-year Bears quarterback Caleb Williams led Chicago to seven comeback victories after trailing in the final two minutes of regulation, the most since the 1970 NFL/AFL merger.  

But will the Bears keep ascending in 2026? Or will they come down to earth? Reliance on late-game heroics isn’t a formula for sustained success. The Bears rebuilt their secondary this offseason but are already facing major injury concerns. Their marquee free-agent acquisition, safety Coby Bryant, will miss four to six months after undergoing knee surgery.  

5.

The A.J. Brown shadow is gone, with the star receiver traded to the Patriots in the offseason. But the Eagles will have to replace his production and adjust to significant coaching changes, including yet another new offensive coordinator and the loss of legendary offensive line coach Jeff Stoutland, who stepped down. 

First-time OC Sean Mannion will have to improve an offense that regressed last season from the unit that helped the franchise win Super Bowl LIX. Last season, the Eagles dropped from seventh to 19th in scoring and from eighth to 24th in total offense.

6.   Josh Allen And Lamar Jackson’s Continued Super Bowl Pursuits

Even with Mahomes and the Chiefs out of the playoffs last season, neither Allen nor Jackson could take advantage. Allen’s Bills suffered an overtime loss to the Broncos in the AFC divisional round, while Jackson’s Ravens failed to even make the playoffs. 

So the pressure continues to ramp up on the MVP quarterbacks, both entering their ninth season, to make a Super Bowl. The stakes are particularly high in Baltimore, considering that Jackson has no guaranteed money left in his contract after next season. 

7.

Injuries have become an annual concern for the Niners, a perennial contender under coach Kyle Shanahan. San Francisco is hopeful that it will have tight end George Kittle (Achilles) and edge rusher Nick Bosa (ACL) for Week 1 in Australia, but their statuses remain uncertain. The team had 23 players sidelined in its final training camp practice. 

Despite having one of the league’s oldest rosters, the 49ers should have one of the best teams in the NFL. But injuries can derail their hopes of a deep postseason run.  

8.

With quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, the Cowboys had one of the NFL’s elite offenses last season. But they were held back by a porous defense — ranked last in points allowed and third-worst in yards allowed — leading Dallas to miss the playoffs for a second straight year. 

The Cowboys, though, poured significant resources into that side of the ball this offseason. Five of their seven draft picks were defensive players, including first-rounders Caleb Downs, an All-American safety out of Ohio State, and Malachi Lawrence, a star defensive end from UCF. Dallas also added a slew of veterans — safety Jalen Thompson, cornerback Cobie Durant and edge rushers Rashan Gary and Von Miller among them. 

On paper, the Cowboys have one of the more complete teams in the NFC. 

Caleb Downs (left) and Malachi Lawrence pose with their first-round jerseys after the draft in April. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via Getty Images)

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9.

Owning one of the NFL’s most lethal offenses, the Bengals are viewed as a major AFC contender for the first time in years after the upgrades they’ve made on defense. Cincinnati traded the 10th pick in the draft to the Giants for star defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence II, and also added edge rusher Boye Mafe, defensive tackle Jonathan Allen and safety Bryan Cook in free agency. 

Quarterback Joe Burrow says this year’s Bengals team reminds him of his legendary 2019 LSU team, which went 15-0 and won the CFP national championship. The three-time Pro Bowler is “trying to manifest” a return to the Super Bowl. 

If Cincinnati returns to prominence in 2026, the AFC landscape becomes significantly more competitive at the top.

10.

A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Rodgers will spend his 22nd and final NFL season with new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy, who was his coach in Green Bay for 13 years. Rodgers will have a deeper cast of wide receivers around him than he had a year ago — the Steelers traded for Michael Pittman Jr. and drafted Germie Bernard in the second round — as Pittsburgh begins the post-Mike Tomlin era and aims for its first playoff victory since 2016. 

11.

Since putting together one of the best rookie quarterback seasons in NFL history in 2023, Stroud has regressed in consecutive years. His uninspiring playoff run last season, including a four-interception performance in the Texans’ division-round loss to the Patriots, has thrust his future in Houston into question. 

The franchise picked up the fifth-year option in his rookie contract, which will pay him $25.9 million fully guaranteed in 2027, but a long-term deal doesn’t appear to be imminent. Texans general manager Nick Caserio said Tuesday that if a deal isn’t reached before Week 1, all contract talks will pause until next offseason. 

An improved Stroud would make the Texans one of the top Super Bowl contenders, as they already have one of the NFL’s most feared defenses. 

In 2023, C.J. Stroud looked like the NFL’s next superstar quarterback. Now his future in Houston is uncertain. (Tim Warner/Getty Images)

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12.

New Browns coach Todd Monken named veteran Deshaun Watson the starting quarterback for Week 1 over second-year pro Shedeur Sanders following a months-long competition. But the 30-year-old Watson, who’s appeared in just 19 games for Cleveland since signing a five-year, fully-guaranteed $230 million deal with the franchise in 2022 due to suspension and injuries, has long been a shell of himself. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Browns turn to Sanders at some point this season. 

Cleveland currently holds two first-round picks in the 2027 draft (one was acquired in the Myles Garrett trade), so the team is positioned to land a quarterback of the future next spring. 

13.

Mayfield will play out the final year of his contract, as the former No. 1 overall pick and the Bucs failed to reach agreement on a multi-year extension before his self-imposed training camp deadline. 

Apart from being a rare situation — established starting-level quarterbacks and their teams typically stay multiple years ahead of contract expiration — it also represents a big gamble for both sides. Mayfield risks injury or a downward trajectory before he can get a big-money deal next offseason, while Tampa risks Mayfield playing himself out of its price range and hitting free agency. 

The Bucs could franchise-tag him next spring to prevent that from happening, but that would limit their salary cap flexibility for 2027. 

Throughout his college and NFL career, Baker Mayfield has bet on himself multiple times and come out on top. Will that be the case again in 2026? (Mike Carlson/Getty Images)

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NFL Related Stories

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In Follow The Money, Ben Portnoy will bring you into a weekly deep dive into the business of college sports.

Before we jump in, I thought it would be helpful to briefly explain what we’re doing here.

College sports have never experienced a more topsy-turvy era. Longtime traditions and the increased need for commercialization are clashing at every turn. Quarterbacks are signing multi-million dollar deals. Television contracts are popular fodder for fan bases. Even jersey patch deals are becoming mainstream.

Each week we’ll capture some of the angst and inherent fluidity of the ecosystem as we look at the off-the-field storylines that are shaping what you’re seeing on Saturdays.

With that, let’s get into it.

The Main Event: SEC, LSU And Potential Independence

Lane Kiffin is already at the center of college football’s latest controversy in his first season at LSU. (Photo by Ella Hall/LSU Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)

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There is no place quite like Baton Rouge.

This is a city where football is king, where politics and the Tigers intertwine like PB&J and where power struggles and backroom dealings are the currency of the day.

So what better place to begin the 2026 football season than a Louisiana courtroom?

For those who haven’t spent the last two weeks locked into PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records) tracking court cases, let’s rehash what’s happening down on the bayou:

• June 23 — The NCAA institutes its new age-based eligibility model that will give athletes five years of eligibility and streamline the processes around waivers and other carve-outs. It begins with the high school class of 2023.
• Aug. 19 — Lawyers representing 32 athletes file a claim in Louisiana that the new NCAA rules shouldn’t apply to them as class of 2022 athletes and thus allow them a fifth year of eligibility
• Aug. 20 — A Louisiana judge grants a TRO allowing Dae’Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris — who played in training camp with the Browns and Saints, respectively — among others, to enter the transfer portal and join their former head coach, Lane Kiffin, at LSU
• Aug. 24 — A separate Louisiana judge grants former Utah Jazz player RJ Luis an injunction, paving the way for him to return to school and join the LSU basketball team.
• Aug. 30 — The SEC issues a statement that it will comply with the court order, though sources suggest it is weighing significant penalties, including as severe as booting the Tigers from the league should they play former pro players.

Yeah, it’s a lot.

That said, the LSU situation got me thinking: What if the SEC really did kick the Tigers from the league? And, if it did, what kind of brand value or sponsorship dollars might LSU command on the open market as an independent?

“A conference like the SEC is just bigger than a single school,” Rob Temple, CEO of Pivotal Sports & Entertainment, told me. “A team moving out of it may have a change or an impact on its sponsors tied to the school or whatever, but the big money around advertising and distribution of content, all that kind of flows to another place.

“But the idea of private equity coming into college sports — just like Americans have gone and become owners in the EPL — if that dynamic ever came into college sports, and you got into valuations of franchises, that’s different. That’s a huge hypothetical.”

Tamarcus Cooley intercepts the ball during 2026 spring practice in Baton Rouge. (Photo by Ella Hall/University Images via Getty Images}

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Independence isn’t anything new in college sports. Notre Dame is the poster child, but others have played this game — BYU in the 2010s and Miami in the 1980s immediately come to mind. Pulling it off these days, however, is increasingly complicated.

For one, scheduling is its own challenge. Independent UConn and its administrators have long addressed the issues this poses in trying to piece together a coherent ledger.

There’s also a matter of whether LSU would subsequently control its own media rights or whether it’d remain tied to the SEC’s ongoing deal with ESPN. The rights would likely revert to the school, but that’s no guarantee — see Clemson and Florida State’s lawsuits against the ACC in recent years for further proof.

Media rights control aside, the most obvious parallel in all of this is Notre Dame, which brings home an annual payout that neighbors the SEC and Big Ten’s media rights distributions in the $75 million range through its NBC deal and arrangement with the ACC. 

Could LSU fetch that on the open market? That’s less clear.

“It’s no knock on LSU; it’s just Notre Dame has been Notre Dame, and they’ve operated independently for so long that to assume LSU would immediately have that same level of independent value is probably unlikely,” one media rights consultant told me. “Do they have a good shot of it? Sure, perhaps in the Southwest, but I think the point is, I don’t know if they have that same level of national recognition and standing to be considered independent.”

Lane Kiffin and LSU are set to welcome 44 incoming transfers this season, including former five-star and Colorado standout Jordan Seaton. (Photo by Gus Stark/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)

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There’s also the matter of the school’s broader business value.

The Athletic conducted a study in July that suggested LSU would be the 11th-most valuable program in the country at around $1.3 billion.

That shouldn’t come as a huge surprise. 

LSU athletics has reported north of $120 million in revenue every year since 2015 and almost $200 million or more since 2022, per the Knight-Newhouse College Athletics Database. It also reported at least $60 million in donor contributions annually since 2022, while corporate sponsorship and licensing dollars have jumped from $3.3 million in 2022 to $5 million in 2025.

Pro sports exist in Louisiana, but it’s fall Saturdays at Tiger Stadium that capture the consciousness of the state in a way the Saints and Pelicans can’t quite muster — and why a pending game of chicken between LSU and the SEC has everyone paying attention.

“The SEC and Commissioner Sankey are prepared to contest the allegations in the plaintiffs’ petition at Thursday morning’s hearing,” the league wrote in a statement released on Sunday night, “and defend the SEC’s rights as a voluntary association to fulfill its mission to its member institutions.” 

Best Quote I Saw This Week

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry has taken an active interest in the success of LSU football over the years. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)

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“This whole thing is ridiculous. Don’t hate the player, hate the game.” — Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry in a statement to Front Office Sports on the ongoing eligibility fight in the state.

Best Deal I Saw This Week

Duke partnered with Edward Jones, allowing the financial services firm to place branding on the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium. (Photo courtesy of Duke Athletics)

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Duke announced a five-year agreement with Edward Jones, which, at face-value, isn’t going to force eyebrows to raise.

That the Blue Devils brass is allowing the company to place its branding on the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium, however, is noteworthy.

“It’s balancing our needs with the history and tradition, evolving with the current landscape and figuring out what is right to do here,” Duke athletics director Nina King told me by phone. “I’m just really excited by how this looks. It’s not like, ‘Oh my goodness, we turned into NASCAR.’”

Michigan added signage within the Big House for the first time in recent weeks. Now, Duke is following suit. Such is life in college sports these days.

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The first race of the NASCAR Cup postseason will get the green flag this Sunday, Sept. 6 at Darlington. 

Drivers will take the track for the Cook Out Southern 500 as The Chase makes its comeback.

It’s fitting that Tyler Reddick and Denny Hamlin are tied atop the early board. Reddick secured his fourth win of the 2026 season at this very track; Hamlin enters the weekend as the favorite to win the title and also as the regular-season champion.

Let’s take a look at the oddsboard as of Sept. 2 at FanDuel Sportsbook.

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.

Cook Out Southern 500

Tyler Reddick: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)
Denny Hamlin: +500 (bet $10 to win $50 total)
Chase Briscoe: +600 (bet $10 to win $70 total)
Kyle Larson: +850 (bet $10 to win $95 total)
Christopher Bell: +1000 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Ryan Blaney: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)
William Byron: +1200 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Ty Gibbs: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)
Joey Logano: +1800 (bet $10 to win $190 total)
Chase Elliott: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Bubba Wallace: +2200 (bet $10 to win $230 total)
Brad Keselowski: +2500 (bet $10 to win $250 total)
Chris Buescher: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Erik Jones: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Corey Heim: +2500 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Carson Hocevar: +3500 (bet $10 to win $350 total)
Austin Cindric: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Ryan Preece: +5000 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Ross Chastain: +6000 (bet $10 to win $610 total)

Alex Bowman: +7500 (bet $10 to win $760 total)
Daniel Suárez: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Josh Berry: +8000 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Austin Dillon: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Shane van Gisbergen: +15000 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
John Hunter Nemechek: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Zane Smith: +20000 (bet $10 to win $2,010 total)
Austin Hill: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Connor Zilisch: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Michael McDowell: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Riley Herbst: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
Todd Gilliland: +25000 (bet $10 to win $2,510 total)
AJ Allmendinger: +30000 (bet $10 to win $3,010 total)
Noah Gragson: +35000 (bet $10 to win $3,510 total)
Ricky Stenhouse Jr.: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Ty Dillon: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Chad Finchum: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Cole Custer: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)
Cody Ware: +50000 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)

Here’s What To Know About The Oddsboard:

The Favorite

Can Tyler Reddick find his spark again as The Chase begins?

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Reddick and his team started the 2026 season off with a magical run. He won the first three races and added two more to the tally before losing momentum. At one point, Reddick boasted a 100-point lead in the overall standings. Looking ahead to this weekend, the driver of 23XI’s No. 45 Toyota should feel relatively confident, considering he won at this track when Cup raced here in March for the Goodyear 400.

One To Watch

Denny Hamlin’s 2026 has been exceptional so far.

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Denny Hamlin — who’s at the top of the early oddsboard along with Reddick — is one to watch in this race and throughout the entire postseason. In fact, FOX Sports motorsports insider Bob Pockrass put Hamlin at the very top of his Chase contenders rankings, and he also notes that Denny has won at all 10 tracks on The Chase schedule. That, of course, includes Darlington. When the series raced at this track earlier this year in March, Hamlin got an 11th-place finish after starting ninth. Hamlin goes into Darlington as the points leader in The Chase.

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Under Kirby Smart, the Georgia Bulldogs have been one of, if not the, premier programs in college football.

Smart has led Georgia to two national championships, a 117-21 record, four SEC championships and five College Football Playoff appearances. But there is one thing the Bulldogs have never done during his tenure in Athens: cover a spread of 40 points or more.

According to Bet Labs, Georgia is 0-10 against the spread when favored by at least 40 points under Smart.

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.

Since 2017, here are the results of every game in which Georgia was favored by 40 points or more:

• Sept. 16, 2017 vs. Samford: Favored by 44.0 | Won 42-14 (Margin: +28) — ATS Loss
• Nov. 17, 2018 vs. UMass: Favored by 42.0 | Won 66-27 (Margin: +39) — ATS Loss
• Sept. 7, 2019 vs. Murray State: Favored by 49.5 | Won 63-17 (Margin: +46) — ATS Loss
• Nov. 20, 2021 vs. Charleston Southern: Favored by 54.5 | Won 56-7 (Margin: +49) — ATS Loss
• Sept. 10, 2022 vs. Samford: Favored by 52.0 | Won 33-0 (Margin: +33) — ATS Loss
• Sept. 24, 2022 vs. Kent State: Favored by 44.5 | Won 39-22 (Margin: +17) — ATS Loss
• Sept. 2, 2023 vs. UT Martin: Favored by 48.5 | Won 48-7 (Margin: +41) — ATS Loss
• Sept. 9, 2023 vs. Ball State: Favored by 42.5 | Won 45-3 (Margin: +42) — ATS Loss
• Sept. 7, 2024 vs. Tennessee Tech: Favored by 54.5 | Won 48-3 (Margin: +45) — ATS Loss
• Nov. 23, 2024 vs. UMass: Favored by 42.5 | Won 59-21 (Margin: +38) — ATS Loss

While the Bulldogs failed to cover all 10 of those spreads, they won every game outright, and usually with ease. Only one game was decided by fewer than 28 points.

But whether it’s because Georgia pulls its starters early, takes its foot off the gas or simply doesn’t care about beating an overmatched opponent by 70 points, the Bulldogs have never been able to cover a spread this large under Smart.

But they’ll have another opportunity to end that trend in Week 1.

Georgia is 46.5 point favorites over Tennessee State in Week 1 (David J. Griffin/Getty Images).

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Georgia hosts Tennessee State on Saturday as a 46.5-point favorite at DraftKings Sportsbook.

The Dawgs are coming off a 12-2 season in which they won the SEC Championship before falling to Ole Miss in the CFP quarterfinals (Sugar Bowl). Georgia finished with a top-10 scoring defense (17.6 PPG allowed) and the No. 4 rushing defense in the country (81.5 YPG allowed), but its offense held the team back, ranking only 51st nationally.

Meanwhile, Tennessee State is an FCS program that is already 0-1 this season after losing 26-24 to Jackson State last week. The Tigers finished just 2-10 last season, including a dreadful 0-8 record in OVC-Big South play.

There may never be a better opportunity for Smart and the Dawgs to finally cover a 40+ point spread.

Will this be the week Georgia finally bucks the trend?

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The odds-on favorite to win the Super Bowl got even better on Sunday, with Aaron Donald rejoining the Los Angeles Rams as he ended his retirement after two years. But should we expect Donald to play at the level that won him three Defensive Player of the Year awards this season?

We asked several scouts around the NFL if they think Donald will have a tremendous impact on the Rams this season and what to expect from the 10-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle. The answers we got varied, with some expressing confidence that he’ll play at a high level again and others believing we should lower our expectations for Donald.

Here’s more about what we learned from our conversations with scouts and people around the league about Donald’s return this season. 

Eric D. Williams: Yes, he’s 35 years old and hasn’t struck a man in anger with pads on in two seasons. Still, according to scouts I spoke to, they expect Aaron Donald to have the same type of impact the three-time Defensive Player of the Year had when he left the game after the 2023 season.

“If one man can do it – it’s AD,” one longtime scout told me. “He still trains like a player. He’s got a strong appetite for ball! He will be a rotational player, but the snaps will be significant!”

Another scout noted the amount of time Donald spent working out before returning to the field last week. Donald said he spent 14 weeks of intense workouts with personal trainers before determining he was in good enough shape to rejoin the Los Angeles Rams.

“I thought this would be the time he would return,” the scout told me. “It looks like they kept tabs on his conditioning too, with several workouts. I’d say he’s a sub-package, plug-and-play guy the first two weeks and then can be an every-down guy after that.

“There will probably be some rust, and the wear and tear may show some. But he’s still a difference maker and leader.”

However, not everyone I spoke with offered a glowing perspective on Donald’s return.

“My guess is he is a good player, but not great anymore,” a league source told me. “I think he plays around 35 to 40% of the defensive snaps for the Rams this year.

“To me, it’s more about his age than missing time. How many great 35-year-old defensive players are there in the NFL right now?”

Aaron Donald earned his eighth first-team All-Pro nod in his last season in 2023. (Photo by Ryan Kang/Getty Images)

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Donald has played at least 67% of his team’s defensive snaps in each season of his NFL career, including 81% of the Rams’ defensive snaps in his last season, per Pro Football Reference. But some older defensive linemen turn into one-down players as they reach the later portions of their career. Von Miller, for instance, played just 37% of the Washington Commanders’ defensive snaps last season at age 36. 

Ralph Vacchiano: The rich got a little richer when Aaron Donald returned to the Los Angeles Rams this week. But not everyone is convinced that the addition of the future Hall of Famer is the luxury that it seems.

“Look, he’s an all-time great player,” an NFL scout told me. “He’s probably still great. I wouldn’t bet against him. But he’s not immune to reality. He’s 35. He retired three years ago. It’s not easy to play at that age. It’s even harder being away for so long.”

“Wait and see,” another NFL scout told me via text. “The guy was a monster. Is he still? I need to see it first.”

Donald last played in 2023 when he had a respectable eight sacks in 16 games, and his last double-digit sack season was 2021 when he had 12.5. But it certainly seems like he has a chance to reach those numbers again playing on a defensive line with Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year who set an NFL record with 23 sacks last season. 

“If he’s healthy, you can’t block them both. It’s a problem for everybody,” the first scout told me. “But it’s the health I’m worried about. He’ll say he’s in phenomenal shape. I’m sure he looks it. But working out for a few years is different than playing football for a few years. It just is. 

“And he’s going to feel it.” 

 

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GREEN BAY, Wis. — The story of Jordan Love’s development has long been that he had the luxury of sitting safely behind Aaron Rodgers for two years, learning from a master while avoiding bad habits and delaying the pressure of the pass-rush and the immediate weight of NFL stardom. 

But that narrative isn’t true. Not exactly. Love was Green Bay’s starter in 2021 for one game. And it was a catastrophe for the rookie quarterback. Even he’ll admit it.

In a Week 9 matchup, with Rodgers sidelined, the Kansas City Chiefs overwhelmed Love with the most predictable concept you can throw at a rookie: the all-out blitz. He wasn’t ready for it. So the Chiefs kept doing it. They blitzed him on 54% of his dropbacks and pressured him on 46%. Love completed only 55.9% of his passes and threw an interception. It was ugly, and the Packers lost 13-7.

“I didn’t have answers where I could change the play at the line of scrimmage and feel comfortable enough to do that stuff in that game,” Love told me during training camp. “That was kind of a wake-up call.”

That was the moment that Love started to become an NFL quarterback. It wasn’t from sitting and watching. It was from playing and failing.

In 2021, as a rookie in his first NFL start, Jordan Love didn’t have any answers for the Kansas City blitz. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

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“In that moment, you feel like you let the team down,” Love told me. “For me watching it back, there was just so much good stuff to learn from and grow from. A team in the NFL — if you’re not able to beat whatever they’re giving you, they’re gonna keep coming with it, and that’s what they did.”

He added: “I’m glad it happened.”

When Love returned to the starting lineup two years later, he was prepared. He had answers for the blitz. Love had made it his mission to have full command at the line of scrimmage to set his offensive line protection, to audible to a “kill” call or to change the routes of individual receivers. 

When it comes to beating the blitz, he’s now the NFL’s best, tied with Rams QB Matthew Stafford, the reigning MVP. Last season, they both had a .30 expected points added per dropback against the blitz, per Next Gen Stats. Love generated explosive plays on 21.3% of his dropbacks against the blitz, and completed 6.2% of his passes over expected, per NGS. And Love did it last year without any one receiver who could’ve been Stafford’s WR2, with Davante Adams ranking above Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs and the Packers’ other receivers from 2025.

It’s Love’s ability to beat the blitz that has quietly made him one of the NFL’s most underrated players.

“That’s where I’ve grown the most,” Love told me. “That’s Aaron’s specialty [at the line of scrimmage]. And all that stuff stems from him seeing pre-snap, ‘OK, this is going to be a bad play. Let me change it. Let me get to something else I like.’ And everybody being on the same page when he’s signaling stuff out.

“I’ve had to grow into that.”

Here’s an example. A few Packers offensive linemen brought this play up when I spoke with them in the locker room. Green Bay was playing the Bears in Week 14 when, on third-and-10 in the red zone, Love recognized pre-snap what was once his Achilles heel: the all-out blitz. So the Packers QB calmly signaled to his top receiver, Christian Watson, to adjust his route. With seven rushers coming, Love took just 2.6 seconds to throw. Fading away, he lofted the ball to Watson, who was open for an easy touchdown.

“If the quarterback doesn’t see it … the play’s screwed,” Packers guard Aaron Banks said. “We don’t really care if they blitz or not. To be honest, we trust [Love]. We trust that he’s going to make the right decision, put the ball in the right place, and he trusts us to pick up the blitz.”

It must be frustrating for a defensive coordinator — developing and designing a play for months, only to see it defeated handily. Defensive coordinators only get to run 10 to 15 plays per game, often trotting out their base defense with standard assignments and rules. So when they get that chance, the play shouldn’t crash and burn. Love makes sure that it does.

It must be even worse for the pass-rushers.

“From my personal experience, I don’t think so,” Packers superstar edge Micah Parsons said, jokingly, when I asked him if it was difficult to rush Love.

But … well, the stats don’t lie, my man.

When Parsons was a Dallas Cowboy, he played against Love once. Parsons rushed Love 19 times and managed just one pressure. That was, at the time, the lowest pressure rate of his entire career.

And so it made sense that Parsons finally conceded the difficulty.

“That six-foot-five frame. He’s super elusive in the pocket. He can really just make any throw. Watching it from the sidelines in the family, I don’t think people grasp how good he is against the blitz,” Parsons said. “He has that ability to look over and still find guys that he needs to.”

Jordan Love (10) and Micah Parsons (1) speak to Erin Andrews after beating the Lions on Thanksgiving last season. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)

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Love has so many redemptive qualities — the physical gifts (like height), the work ethic, the high football IQ and the unique arm talent. They all blend together to make Love into a one-man blitz-beater. Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich called it Love’s most underrated quality.

“That’s probably it,” Stenavich told me. “His ability to stand in the pocket and make those throws for sure. … He has no fear.”

Love is such a quick thinker and processor — and not just against the rush. Stenavich said he trusts Love to absorb plays in just one day. In rare cases, they’ve put new plays into their game plan in the middle of a game.

“He’s able to see a picture and then visualize it in his brain and then go out and execute,” Stenavich told me.

The knock on Love is the counting stats. And with so much focus on fantasy football, that might be all that matters to some fans. He finished the 2025 season with 3,381 passing yards, 23 passing touchdowns and six interceptions in 15 games. It is, frankly, nothing special.

In 2025, Love didn’t throw the ball all that often when compared to Stafford, for example. It’s what has kept Love out of the MVP conversation for the past few years. Still, in 2025, Love’s EPA/dropback (.19) tied Stafford for second in the NFL. Patriots QB Drake Maye, the MVP runner-up, finished first at .25. In advanced metrics and efficiency stats, Love is keeping pace with MVP-caliber quarterbacks.

“He may not lead the league in passing yards or anything like that, but I think the biggest thing is, like you said, the EPA. When we are throwing the ball, what happens?” Stenovich said.

Love’s game might be an acquired taste when you compare him or Josh Allen or even Maye. But it wasn’t long ago that Love had 4,159 passing yards, 36 total touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2023.

All these numbers fail to represent all the progress Love has made at the line of scrimmage — which reveals all the progress he’s made behind the scenes in the meeting rooms and on the practice field. Which reveals the quiet truth.

He’s elite.

Love entered the league as a highly-touted but equally-doubted prospect out of Utah State. (That’s right: Utah State.) At that point, it didn’t take much to stop him — it took just the simplest blitz in a coach’s playbook.

Now?

You can’t fool Love. Not with the blitz. Not when you drop seven or eight into coverage. Not when you throw him wrinkles.

Yes, he learned from those two years on the bench. But that one time the Packers threw the rookie into action might’ve put him on the fast track for the MVP hunt in 2026.

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Who runs college football? Can Indiana repeat as national champions? Which team is ready to make the leap? And is LSU officially college football’s new villain?

The 2026 college football season is here, and the biggest questions in the sport are waiting to be answered.

FOX Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt has plenty of thoughts. On the latest episode of “The Joel Klatt Show,” Klatt tackles 10 burning questions heading into Week 1, including which teams can actually win it all.

Will The Big Ten Continue Its Run Over The SEC?

Klatt’s Thoughts: “I think this is the biggest question in college football. … The last three National Championships have come out of the Big Ten: Michigan, Ohio State and Indiana. But it’s been even more than that because, for so long, the SEC dominated. They were the premier conference in college football by a wide margin. They won everything. … It was also that way in the NFL Draft, every single year, it was the SEC with the most players drafted in the first round … Over the last few years, we’ve seen the shift happen, not just at the top winning the championships, but also in the records in these bowl games, and, last year, in the first round of the NFL Draft.

“In the last three seasons, the SEC is 0-4 against the Big Ten in the College Football Playoff. … Every single metric you used to hear about and, candidally, the ones that matter, these games that matter, the first-round draft picks, the elite talent, the Big Ten has overtaken the SEC. … I predict that the Big Ten is going to win another championship this year.”

Is Indiana Going To Be Good Again?

Klatt’s Thoughts: “This is an emphatic ‘Yes.’ Indiana is a powerhouse right now. Curt Cignetti, I think, is the best coach in college football. That was proven last year. That roster was not as expensive as all the rosters that they were beating in the College Football Playoff. … Cignetti retained all of his staff. This is the one thing that I think is going to be hard to wrap your minds around. They were 16-0 and national champions last year, and the conversations that I’m having with people around the program at Indiana is that they’re quietly ahead of where they were each of the last two years right now with this team. There is a chance this is a better team. …

“Josh Hoover is further along in the offense and with his comfort in the offense than Fernando Mendoza was last year or Kurtis Rourke was two years ago. That’s something that they point to. The offensive line is further along. … Their front seven on defense might be better than last year, and this was one of the best defenses in college football.”

Who’s Going To Be The Face Of College Football?

Who will be this year’s face of college football?

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Klatt’s Thoughts: “I think the quarterback class is outstanding. You’ve got Dante Moore, Arch Manning, CJ Carr, Julian Sayin, Darian Mensah, Jayden Maiava, Sam Leavitt and John Mateer. It is littered with guys who could potentially become that guy in college football … Oh, by the way, I haven’t even mentioned the guy who is widely considered the best skill position player we’ve seen in college football, maybe in our lifetimes, but certainly in over a decade in Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The potential is limitless for college football this year.

“It could be an unbelievable year, and the guy that grabs the sport and brings it down and becomes the face of the sport is going to be the one that plays the best in high-leverage moments and on big stages. That’s what it becomes, and that guy’s ultimately going to be the Heisman Trophy winner. … My pick to win the Heisman Trophy is Jeremiah Smith.”

Will Arch Manning, Steve Sarkisian & Texas Finally Raise Their Ceiling?

Klatt’s Thoughts: “I think that [new defensive coordinator] Will Muschamp is going to have a huge impact on this season because if he fixes that defense, then, yes, Arch, Sark and Texas can raise their ceiling, but that’s really where it lies. It’s not with Arch and Sark. It’s with Will Muschamp, the offensive line and the defense. Those are the areas for Texas that have got to change. Obviously, they have a difficult schedule. They’ve got that Ohio State game. They’ve got to play at Tennessee. They’ve got Red River [Oklahoma]. They’ve got Ole Miss. They’ve got three road trips in November: Missouri, LSU and Texas A&M.

“So this schedule is daunting. There’s no doubt, but they are one of the more talented teams in the country. And if they run it and play good defense, then they could easily win a national championship.”

Which New Coaches Are Going To Make A Huge Impact In Year 1?

Klatt’s Thoughts: “Eric Morris at Oklahoma State. He goes from North Texas to Oklahoma State and takes a bunch of his guys with him. Does it remind you of anybody? Yeah, this is exactly what Curt Cignetti did when he went from James Madison to Indiana, and they popped right away and went to the College Football Playoff. Bob Chesney, now going from James Madison to UCLA. Now, I think it will be much more difficult for UCLA than it would be for Oklahoma State because I think the Big Ten is more difficult than the Big 12, but this is a guy who has a quarterback in Nico Iamaleava, and they can increase their win total drastically right away. This is a really good coach.

“I also feel the same way about James Franklin at Virginia Tech. James is a hell of a football coach. At Penn State, his only problem was that he couldn’t get all the way to the mountaintop, but, man, he’s a great climber. He built a really solid program at Penn State. He did a great job there, couldn’t get to the mountaintop, and now he’s at Virginia Tech, and I think he will immediately make them better. Those are guys I think could elevate their programs right away.”

Who Can Actually Win The National Championship?

Who will win the 2026 national championship?

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Klatt’s Thoughts: “I’ve got seven teams that can absolutely win a national championship this year. They’ve got the roster and everything that you need. … Oregon, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana, Texas, Miami: I won’t be surprised at all if any of them win the national championship. It’s what makes the sport great this year, by the way. I think that’s a deeper, more eclectic list than we’ve had maybe ever in college football, but easily in multiple decades.”

Are Lane Kiffin And LSU The New Villain In The Sport?

Klatt’s Thoughts: “They’re absolutely the villain. … Now, you have the SEC actively against LSU and Lane Kiffin [the Tigers have been trying to add players who appeared on NFL rosters in training camp to their roster]. … There’s no doubt in my mind that he’s the villain in college football …

“It would be the shock of all shocks to me if they came together from a chemistry perspective to run the table, win the SEC and win the national championship. It is a different equation now. I think it takes more than talent and a great offensive mind to go and win a national championship. It takes everything. You’ve got to have chemistry, depth, experience and togetherness. All these things are really hard to build. That’s what it takes. Do they have that? I don’t know.”

Which Teams Will Level Up In Each Conference?

Klatt’s Thoughts: “Maybe it’s BYU out of the Big 12? In the Big Ten, I look at USC, Michigan, Penn State and Washington trying to level themselves up. These teams are very good teams, but you got to prove to me that you can potentially beat one of the top dogs. In the SEC, you got Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, and all these different teams. My money would be on three teams that I think have the talent, coaching and potential to actually go up there and beat one of these top-tier teams in these conferences. In the Big Ten, that’s USC and Michigan, and in the SEC, it would be LSU, just because of that talent, but we’ll see about the chemistry.”

Who Could Be This Year’s Indiana? (Dark Horse)

Who will be this year’s Indiana?

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Klatt’s Thoughts: “How about Texas Tech and Ole Miss taking the next step? … I would not have told you at this point last year that Indiana had the roster or the chemistry or the experience or any of that to go win a national championship, and they did. Maybe that’s the case for Texas Tech? They beat up on teams that they should and lost to the best team that they faced in Oregon last year. Everyone’s overlooking Ole Miss because Lane Kiffin left. What if they galvanize around Pete Golding with their great quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, and they move forward and win the SEC? Maybe they just run roughshod over college football, and they become this year’s 2025 Indiana.”

Is The Sport Better Than Ever?

Klatt’s Thoughts: “It’s absolutely ‘Yes.’ For all the things that aren’t perfect in this sport, all of these changes, however hard they have been to swallow, to watch and work through, have made the sport better. There’s been more engagement than ever with college football. …

“Whatever you think about NIL and whatever you think about the transfer portal and whatever you think about the mess that is college football right now from a governance standpoint, these changes, however hard to swallow, have made the sport incredible. We’ve got great teams. We’ve got talent all over the country, and we have every single part of this country represented with high expectations and expectations all the way at the top, as high as winning the national championship. That makes it great. We’ve got great quarterbacks and players. This could be an epic season of college football.”

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The USC Trojans opened the 2026 college football season in the win column, but that’s not the story for the No. 14 ranked team in the country.

Instead, the story for USC is its poor attendance at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum for its Week 0 win over the San Jose State Spartans, with the standout number of empty seats on a sunny day garnering nationwide attention.

“This is USC, right? People are going to pay attention. People are going to have an opinion. It’s part of being a blue-blood school. I don’t buy into the false narrative,” USC head coach Lincoln Riley said in a press conference on Tuesday afternoon about concerns regarding the school’s attendance for home games. “I think that comes from a lot of people who don’t follow our program and most of those who have never stepped foot in the Coliseum. 

“The reality is during my years here, attendance has gone up every single year, as has our play in the Coliseum, including running the table last year in front of a lot of epic atmospheres, and I expect that to happen again this year.”

The esteemed LA Memorial Coliseum currently seats 77,500 people for USC football games, with a reported 51,144 people purchasing a ticket for last week’s game, the lowest number for the Trojans since 2018, excluding 2020 (fans weren’t allowed in the stands for Pac-12 games in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic).

Last year (2025), USC averaged 67,783 people in attendance per game, which ranked ninth in the Big Ten, according to D1.ticker.

“We understand the factors that impacted Saturday’s attendance,” USC said in a statement to USA TODAY Sports in response to the backlash about their attendance. “We have high expectations and a premier home schedule this season, and we know the competitive advantage an electric Coliseum atmosphere can provide our program. We thank our fans who showed up Saturday and look forward to seeing increased attendance the rest of the season.”

Riley is in his fifth season at USC, with the Trojans a combined 36-18 under him from 2022-26. Last season, they went 9-4 overall and 7-2 in Big Ten play. The Trojans haven’t made the College Football Playoff with Riley, who came to USC after five seasons as the head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners (2017-21) and seven seasons on Oklahoma’s coaching staff altogether.

As for how the actual Week 0 game went, USC beat San Jose State 42-26 in a victory that saw the Trojans get out to a 28-0 halftime edge and lead by as many as 32 points (USC led 35-3 at the outset of the fourth quarter).

USC’s offense racked up 504 total yards. Quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 286 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions, while posting a 191.8 passer rating, completing 86.2% of his passes (25 of 29) and rushing for a score. In all, the Trojans rushed for 166 yards and four touchdowns on 4.3 yards per carry. Meanwhile, USC wide receiver Trent Mosley had a game-high seven receptions for 118 yards and one touchdown.

Riley’s Trojans host the Fresno State Bulldogs on Friday night (9 p.m. ET on FOX/FOX One), with USC’s Big Ten opener coming on the road against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights on Sept. 19.

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The confetti has already dropped for Alex Palou, who secured his fifth INDYCAR title and fourth consecutive last week. 

However, one more race remains on the INDYCAR schedule before the 2026 season comes to an end.

This weekend, the series goes to Laguna Seca for the Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey on Sunday, Sept. 6 at 2:30 p.m. ET (FOX).

Will reigning champion Alex Palou add another exclamation mark to his already dazzling track record or should bettors keep their eyes on another driver?

Here are the odds at DraftKings Sportsbook as of Sept. 2.

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.

INDYCAR Series: Mission Foods Grand Prix of Monterey 2026

Alex Palou: 10/11 (bet $10 to win $19.09 total)
Christian Lundgaard: 18/5 (bet $10 to win $46 total)
Pato O’Ward: 15/2 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
Kyle Kirkwood: 15/2 (bet $10 to win $85 total)
David Malukas: 10/1 (bet $10 to win $110 total)
Will Power: 12/1 (bet $10 to win $130 total)
Scott McLaughlin: 16/1 (bet $10 to win $170 total)
Scott Dixon: 20/1 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Felix Rosenqvist: 20/1 (bet $10 to win $210 total)
Rinus Veekay: 25/1 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Josef Newgarden: 25/1 (bet $10 to win $260 total)
Marcus Ericsson: 30/1 (bet $10 to win $310 total)
Marcus Armstrong: 40/1 (bet $10 to win $410 total)
Christian Rasmussen: 50/1 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Alexander Rossi: 50/1 (bet $10 to win $510 total)
Louis Foster: 60/1 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Graham Rahal: 60/1 (bet $10 to win $610 total)
Romain Grosjean: 70/1 (bet $10 to win $710 total)
Santino Ferrucci: 80/1 (bet $10 to win $810 total)
Nolan Siegel: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Mick Schumacher: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Kyffin Simpson: 100/1 (bet $10 to win $1,010 total)
Dennis Hauger: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Caio Collet: 150/1 (bet $10 to win $1,510 total)
Sting Ray Robb: 500/1 (bet $10 to win $5,010 total)

Here’s What To Know About The Oddsboard:

The Favorite

Alex Palou’s 2026 could get sweeter if he gets into Winner’s Circle at Laguna Seca.

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This weekend should be a relatively enjoyable one for Alex Palou because, regardless of what happens on the track, he’s already wrapped up the 2026 INDYCAR championship. His road to his fifth INDYCAR title (and fourth consecutive) was paved with eight poles, six wins and 673 laps led. When the series raced here in July 2025, Palou got into Winner’s Circle, holding off Christian Lundgaard (second) and Colton Herta (third).

One To Watch

Will Pato O’Ward finish the year with another win?

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Pato O’Ward comes into this weekend after sweeping both races at Milwaukee. His electric run in the Midwest was exactly what he needed to add some glimmer to an otherwise disappointing year. Before the series stopped at the Milwaukee Mile, Pato had just one other win under his hood this season and that came at Mid-Ohio. Last year at this track, O’Ward just missed the podium, finishing fourth.

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Last season’s College Football Playoff ended with Indiana lifting the trophy after a 27-21 victory over Miami. So it’s no surprise this season to see the Hoosiers featured in FOX’s opening Big Noon Kickoff.

Equally unsurprising in College Football Week 1 odds: Curt Cignetti’s squad is quite popular, even though it’s nearly a six-touchdown home favorite vs. North Texas.

“Action is one way. They’re laying the 40 points with Indiana,” Caesars Sports head of football trading Joey Feazel said.

Bookmakers and sharp bettors offer their Week 1 college football betting insights on a handful of the most notable matchups.

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.

High On The Hoosiers

Indiana was great on the field all of last season, then late in the year became a betting-window behemoth. In their last five games, the Hoosiers went 5-0 straight up (SU) and 4-1 against the spread (ATS).

That included an impressive three-game win-and-cover streak:

• A 13-10 victory over Ohio State as a 3.5-point underdog in the Big Ten title game
• A 38-3 blowout of Alabama as a 7.5-point favorite in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals
• A 56-22 beatdown of Oregon as a 3.5-point favorite in the CFP semis.

Indiana then capped its 16-0 SU season with that victory over Miami in the CFP championship game, falling just short of covering as a 7.5-point favorite.

The public betting masses often remember what they last saw and react to it. That’s the case at Caesars with North Texas vs. Indiana, in a noon ET Saturday kickoff on FOX.

Caesars opened the Hoosiers as massive 40.5-point favorites, briefly went to Indiana -41.5, then actually backed up to -39.5. As of Wednesday afternoon, it’s Hoosiers -40.

North Texas was great to bettors throughout last season, going 12-2 SU/10-4 ATS. But things have greatly changed since then.

“North Texas is not the same team as last year. Coach Eric Morris and the majority of the team moved on to Oklahoma State,” Feazel said, while noting the Hoosiers are 19-10 ATS over the last two seasons. “Indiana has been very good to bettors the past couple years.

“We anticipate a lot more bets coming in on Indiana by kickoff.”

Lane Leads LSU

Lane Kiffin enters his first season as head coach for the Tigers (Getty Images).

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Clemson vs. LSU is arguably the biggest Saturday game in college football Week 1 odds. Dabo Swinney is trying to put Clemson back on the CFP map, while a new era begins at LSU under Lane Kiffin.

Caesars opened LSU as a 9.5-point home favorite and stretched to -10.5 on Aug. 19. The line has been at LSU -10 since Monday.

“There was a little pushback at 10.5,” Feazel said, alluding to Clemson interest. “It’s two-way action, but I anticipate that changing once we get closer to game time. I expect more action on LSU, especially on parlays and moneyline parlays.”

Feazel also noted early sharp money on Under 51.5, with the total dipping to 50.5.

Top-25 Tilt

No. 24 Louisville vs. No. 9 Ole Miss is the lone Week 1 meeting of Top 25 teams. The Rebels, behind QB Trinidad Chambliss, are coming off a stellar 13-2 SU campaign (9-6 ATS).

Kiffin led that charge in the regular season, before darting to LSU. Pete Golding then guided Ole Miss all the way to the CFP semifinals, where the Rebels lost a thriller to Miami, 31-27, as 3.5-point underdogs.

Golding then went from interim to full-time Ole Miss coach. And with Chambliss returning this year, bettors are high on the Rebels in college football Week 1 odds.

Ole Miss opened -6.5 at Caesars and is up to -7 as of Wednesday afternoon, for a 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday neutral-site game in Nashville.

“No surprise, we’re seeing more Ole Miss action coming in. I wouldn’t expect that to change, with the depth and talent of this team,” Feazel said. “The Rebels have one of the better quarterbacks in this draft class, and Chambliss is getting action on Heisman Trophy odds, too.”

On-Campus Sharp Side

Notre Dame vs. Wisconsin is also at 7:30 p.m. ET Sunday, going up against Louisville-Ole Miss. It’s a quasi-neutral-site game at Lambeau Field, 2.5 hours from the Badgers’ campus.

College football betting expert Paul Stone picked Notre Dame to win the national title. However, he’s not on the Fighting Irish in Week 1, at least on the spread as a 20.5-point favorite.

Stone believes Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph could keep the Badgers within the lofty number. Stone recommends taking the points, and he actually got Wisconsin at +21.

Joseph played last season at Old Dominion, where he threw for 2,624 yards and ran for another 1,007, accounting for a total of 34 touchdowns.

“In Old Dominion’s season-opening 27-14 loss at Indiana last year, Joseph broke free for long touchdown runs of 75 and 78 yards,” Stone said. “If Joseph can use his legs to generate some offense, I think the Badgers can keep it within the generous number.”

On the flip side, the public masses — as expected — are on Notre Dame this week.

“Notre Dame has been one of the championship futures darlings, and that’s gonna translate into action on Week 1,” Feazel said. “Right now, we’re seeing heavy, heavy action on Notre Dame.

“Although 20.5 is a lot of points, that’s not stopping bettors from laying that number here, even for a game in Wisconsin’s backyard.”

Oh Say Can You ACC

College football Week 1 odds wrap up with a Monday night ACC clash. SMU travels to Florida State for a 7:30 p.m. ET kick.

The Seminoles are coming off two straight sub-.500 seasons. Then in last week’s season opener, the ‘Noles (1-0 SU/0-1 ATS) were unimpressive in a 34-17 win as hefty 31.5-point home favorites vs. New Mexico State.

With those elements in mind, the Mustangs are a growing road favorite this week at Caesars.

“Florida State played last week and struggled against the number,” Feazel said. “So we saw some line movement as a result, from SMU -1.5 through -2 and -2.5, up to -3.

“There’s pressure pushing back on the 3. It’s gonna be a highly bet game, and so far, bettors are backing SMU. I expect action to be one-sided on SMU leading up to game day.”

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