Carson Beck won’t regret transferring from Georgia to Miami. That doesn’t mean Gunner Stockton won’t answer Georgia’s problems.
Kalen DeBoer faces trouble at Alabama, but not the hot seat. Not yet, at least
For Notre Dame, it all comes down to Texas A&M.
It’s gotten so bad in Alabama in Kalen DeBoer’s quest to replace Nick Saban, fans are musing about the availability of Georgia Tech’s coach, and talk-show host Paul Finebaum is tweeting his show’s phone number, lest dejected fans require an on-air therapy session.
Is Georgia Tech’s coach also available to call plays for Notre Dame? The Irish are reeling after their play-callers were out to lunch in the season opener, while Carson Beck dined on leprechaun.
Clemson fought for the driver’s seat on the struggle bus, but the Tigers failed that task, too. Alabama already called dibs. At Texas, they’re left rationalizing that it’s only Week 1.
Here are four lingering questions after college football’s first full weekend:
Will Georgia regret losing Carson Beck?
Beck won’t regret transferring from Georgia to Miami. He wisely left Kirby Smart behind in favor of Miami’s superior wide receivers. Dependable big fellas and reliable pass catchers are a quarterback’s best friends.
For Beck, it became notable that Miami receivers didn’t drop a pass, and CJ Daniels turned a would-be interception into a touchdown with the greatest grab you’ll see all season. Notre Dame sacked Beck just once. Allow Beck comfort in the pocket, and he’ll use his big-league arm to dissect a defense.
Beck’s performance in a 27-24 takedown of the Irish became proof positive of the power in a change of scenery – and the value in wide receivers. Georgia led all Power Four teams in dropped passes last season.
Beck missed his Brock Bowers security blanket in 2024, but, more than that, he missed having a target whom he could throw to without worrying the ball would bounce off their hands. Beck compounded the problem by forcing passes that resulted in interceptions. It’s revisionist history to act like Beck wasn’t part of Georgia’s underachievement last year. His slump played a part, but he was far from the only (or biggest) flaw.
Smart, realizing he had a problem, upgraded Georgia’s wide receivers in the offseason, but the collection in Athens still isn’t as good as what Beck will have at Miami.
So, Beck will enjoy his new digs, but will Georgia regret losing Beck? That’s tougher to answer.
Gunner Stockton, Beck’s successor, lacks Beck’s howitzer, but he’s no noodle-armed quarterback. He’s a veteran blue-chipper. Stockton fared well in Georgia’s smashing of Marshall, but there’s little to glean from playing what Smart aptly described as an “overmatched” opponent.
Still, I couldn’t help but notice Stockton score on a pair of read-option runs.
Georgia’s offense never looked better than it did while possessing dual-threat veteran Stetson Bennett IV in its 2022 national championship season. Bennett could improvise and extend plays with his legs. He became the epitome of a gamer. Georgia rallied around him.
Stockton seems popular inside Georgia’s locker room, and teams that lack receivers like Miami’s Daniels and Malachi Toney benefit from mobile quarterbacks. Stockton’s running abilities give Georgia a callback to Bennett.
Is Kalen DeBoer on the hot seat?
No. Not yet, anyway. He’s on an uncomfortable seat. Rightfully so. Alabama’s defense lacked none of its vintage ferocity in a season-opening loss to Florida State. You could’ve made a similar assessment after last year’s losses to Vanderbilt, Tennessee and Oklahoma.
The drop-off of Alabama’s defense didn’t begin under DeBoer. That started at the end of the Nick Saban era, but the problem’s worsened.
DeBoer is protected by a whopper buyout, and the fact that athletic departments now need money to pay athletes. He’s also got five-star freshman quarterback Keelon Russell waiting in reserve. He might want to consider tapping that reserve sooner than later.
For now, DeBoer’s facing heat, but not the firing squad. Ask me again if Alabama loses to Louisiana-Monroe.
Should Texas or Clemson be more concerned?
Texas. Why? Because Clemson’s game against LSU equated to a free swing.
Georgia smashed Clemson last season, and the Tigers still made the College Football Playoff. Clemson’s neatest path to the playoff remains winning the ACC, though Florida State, Miami, Louisville and SMU will make that an obstructed path.
Clemson’s vaunted defensive line will shine within the ACC.
For Texas, the Horseshoe won’t be the only difficult environment it faces. Two of its toughest remaining games, against Georgia and Florida, will be on the road, in addition to a neutral-site game against Oklahoma and home game against Texas A&M. Arch Manning has yet to prove he can diffuse landmines such as those.
It’s not time to panic about Manning or this Texas offense, but it’s also not irrational to be concerned after a clunker in Columbus.
Does Notre Dame’s season hinge on Week 2?
Consider the Irish’s next game – they’ll host Texas A&M – a matchup with win-or-bust consequences.
Notre Dame scheduled its toughest games in the season’s first two weeks, and it’s reasonable to think the Irish need to go 1-1 in those games to build a playoff résumé.
Pinning at-large playoff credentials to opponents like Purdue, Stanford and Syracuse is a bootless errand. The Irish need to beat the Aggies to avoid falling from the playoff picture by Week 3.
The good news for Notre Dame? CJ Carr showed promise against Miami in his first career start. The game plan became a problem. That can be addressed. Start by remembering the existence of Jeremiyah Love.
Texas A&M’s run defense showed vulnerability in a Week 1 triumph against Texas-San Antonio.
Beating Texas A&M buoyed Notre Dame a year ago, even after the Irish lost to Northern Illinois. A year later, the Aggies could sink Notre Dame.
Blake Toppmeyer is the USA TODAY Network’s senior national college football columnist. Email him at BToppmeyer@gannett.com and follow him on X @btoppmeyer.