Week Zero Takeaways?

UMass is going bowling

Hawaii is almost as good as an SEC team

Jackson State is still a very good SWAC team

YTTV multiview is solid

SDSU looks like a good mid major, not a NY6 team

USC has a ton of talent on offense, and their freshman receiver Branch was electric last night. 
They looked really good last night, but that defense is going to be a problem.
I think they get to the playoff this year and lose in the semifinals, hopefully to Michigan in the Rose Bowl.

I didn't get to watch the ND game but Hartman is a huge upgrade over the guys they were running out there last year. They also have a very good defense.

The thing to watch is their pass catchers. They do not seem to have another super TE and their best WR from last year is playing DB at OSU. 

I watched the USC game and the score is deceptive. SJSU was within one score deep into the 3rd quarter and blew a couple scoring chances. And one of USC’s scores was a fluke play after a fumble. USC’s defense has a few good players but largely looked predictably weak. Not a great performance. 

I saw Brady Hoke clapping.  Didn't matter if SDSU gained 5 yards, or lost 5 yards, caught a pass, dropped a pass.  It was really weird.

1. I think OSU would give away their favorite local tattoo parlor for Hartman right about now. Would be amazing to see him completely outperform whoever OSU puts under center for a road upset in a few weeks. 

2. Lincoln Reilly will never have an elite or even good defense. Well maybe never is too long of a timeframe. But he certainly isn't going to win a big ten championship with what we've seen on that side of the ball throughout his coaching career.

3. The Hawaii and SJSU backdoor covers cost me a lot of money. Vanderbilt being up by 21, only to give up 2 late TDs was just brutal to watch.

Navy sucks

After watching ND go up 21-0 in the 2nd quarter, Navy stayed with the triple option and failed to score. The Navy FG attempt went wide right. The game was over by then. I couldn't watch Navy stay with their triple option offense and get smoked. The takeaway for ND is their offense. They looked balanced on offense. The ND defense stopped the triple option so they were not tested against the pass. (Wait until next week)

Didn't see much others. Glad SDSU (Hoke) won and Rich Rod's team won their game.

Good point on the upcoming ND vs OSU matchup.  But, Navy is breaking in a new coach?  we can't put much stock in Navy.

USC had a lot of highlights with their 5 star WR.  Did Domani Jackson play at all for USC yesterday?

OU with a healthy Rourke will be the best team in the MAC. Without a healthy Rourke they will be 3rd in the conference 

I wasn’t impressed by what I saw out of ND. I want to see what that passing game looks like when the can’t run the ball with zero resistance and they can’t throw a ten yard out to a wide open WR whenever they want. Hartman was way late on quite a few throws.

I should've learned my lesson from last year's USC team.  Their defense is mediocre once again and taking them to cover a spread is a risky proposition.

I know Navy is on a bit of a downswing, but ND looked really good, Hartman could be the difference in some of their coin-toss games this year.

USC - about as expected. Williams is still the most exciting and entertaining player in college football, and if Branch continues to show those Reggie Bush-ish moves? Their games will be fun to watch.

Disappointed if the numbers I'm hearing (8-10% fewer plays and only 1% less time to complete a game?) are correct. I think we all know that television money (and its commercials) really runs college football, but if we're giving up actual football I'd have hoped to see games completed in less time, not a straight up grab of that entire time devoted to commercials.

USC better drastically improve their defense or they’re going to be in for a huge surprise in the B1G. San Jose St kept that game competitive. Wonder if Domani Jackson is regretting his decision

Also, anyone who watched the ND game and actually thinks anything can be taken away from it needs to get their eyes checked. Navy is awful. Their “improved” triple option became more predictable, their QB could not throw the ball to save his life, and the defense was just being manhandled 

Week Zero… or was it weak zero?   We didn’t learn much - with primarily overmatched contests.

ND may have a passing game and has stronger lines than Navy - but, the talent difference between Navy and ND is immense.  I looked into 247 and could even find a Team Talent rating for Navy - and ND was 10th in talent last season.

USC’s defense does not seem to have made any notable strides.

So, if those two data points are “real” learning, it’s beyond me.  No surprises - I’m was a weak zero to start the season.

ND played a clearly overmatched Navy team.  Small nitpick, but why was Hartman (who looked very proficient albeit against a clearly overmatched Navy secondary) still in the game mid way through the 3rd quarter when they are up 35-0?  To each their own, I suppose....

USC - didn't get to watch the game, but looking at the stats (I know could be miss leading) it appears it is the same old USC.  SJSU, only down 7 at halftime, had almost 200 yards of offense with efficient YPP.  Can't see them making it to the CFP, too many good team in the PAC 12, they will lost twice.  UDub and Utah are the teams to beat out there with Oregon State as a darkhorse.  Like someone else posted, I will be pulling for the Beavers all season, how epic would it be for them to win the PAC12 in its last season...

Hawaii - The marked improvement of this team was interesting to see.  Ya I know it was Vandy, but it was clear that Chang has a QB he likes and will be willing to toss the ball around 40-50 times a game...  Much better team than last year...

Don Brown is doing things at UMass! His defense is still kind of broken but he’s basically running the Gun Triple stuff on offense and they seem like they’ll be pretty fun.

Hawaii’s back, and they should never ever hire a coach who isn’t from the run and shoot tree ever again

ND is definitely better than it was last year, but Navy is an awful team, undersized, and going through its first coaching transition in 16 years. We don’t really know how much better ND is, but we’ll probably find out in Week 3. Hartman  is absolutely an upgrade. 

USC still has no defense, and until that is rectified, they are not winning a title. They are the kind of team that Alabama or Georgia would probably beat 56-31. 

Navy was so bad that it's impossible to tell how good Notre Dame even is. Playing bad teams never reveals if you're actually anywhere near elite, it can only reveal if you're flawed/bad.

Lincoln Riley definitely brought OU to LA. They'll be able to outgun most people, but at some point they're going to run into a good team and lose a game 55-30 or something. Maybe they'll get the full OU experience and get smoked in the playoffs. Giving up 28 to SJSU is a bad omen. Like 2010 Michigan beating UMass 42-37. That USC defense stinks.

ND looks legit with Hartman but Navy might also be horrible. While Hartman looked good, it looked like a chunk of his success was just Navy's incompetence too. You might get a sense for how good they are when they play NC State, but OSU will be a real test for both teams

The biggest takeaway from Week Zero around college football is that people seem united in hating the new clock rule.  And I get it.  They say it's to shorten games but realists know it's to make room for EVEN MORE commercials.  

As for the team takeaways... my fuck Notre Dame stance that I've stayed loyal to since I was a little kid still stands.  Hate that they're going to be grooving on offense.  But yes, the game with Ohio State really seems more interesting now.

takeaway week 0?

ND and Hartman haven't proved a thing yet. This is not the same middling, but tough and well-coached Navy team of last year. This year's edition is a HORRIBLE team. Small, slow, and not very well-coached. If they win over two games that will be a shocker. IMO, ND should've put up at least 50 given how bad Navy is, especially since their starters were in for a good chunk of the 4th Q.

USC looked okay, but that defense did not look very improved.  As a comparison between ND and USC, I think USC beats Navy in the realm of 63-0. SJSU beats Navy by the same score that ND beat them by. And ND only beats SJSU 31-24.

I saw what you saw on regards to the fightin chickens. Also, SC is not the #6 team in the country, and SJSUs QB may turn into the next mid major darling QB in next year's draft. 

Notre Dame sucks. Way to run up the score against a service academy.