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Good morning! Sit in front of a TV for 12 hours today.
Bamboozlement: A brief history of CFB Week 1 overreactions
This is the biggest Week 1 in college football history.
Somehow, people will make it bigger than it is. This sport is extra susceptible to the season-opening overreaction. Fans of every sport do it, but a few things about this one make it extra easy to lose the forest for the Week 1 trees: The players are 18 to 22, and they act like it sometimes. The rosters always had significant turnover every year, and the transfer portal multiplied it. Most of all, there just aren’t a lot of games.When you get 12 of something over an entire year, your heart wants every one of them to be the most important thing that’s ever happened.
Not that a 100-loss baseball team has never excited its fans with a season-opening sweep, but the Week 1 overreaction is more a feature of CFB than a bug. My personal favorites of the playoff era so far:
2014’s “Kenny Trill” game: Texas A&M 52, South Carolina 28. The Aggies had just lost Johnny Manziel. New signal-caller Kenny Hill became a Heisman Trophy candidate by throwing for 511 yards. A&M moved from No. 21 to No. 9 in the AP Poll, before finishing 8-5 and unranked. Kyle Allen, not Hill, finished the year as the starting QB.
2016’s “Texas is back!” game: Longhorns 50, Notre Dame 47 in overtime. You remember Joe Tessitore’s call as Tyrone Swoops dove across the goal line to win it for Texas. The Horns were not back, though. They jumped from unranked to No. 11 but still finished 5-7. Charlie Strong got fired. It took several more years for Texas to be back.
2024’s USC vs. LSU game: Trojans 27, Tigers 20. The Trojans jumped from 23rd to 13th, and the city of Los Angeles briefly got excited about a revival. But USC ran into repeated close-game trouble after that and finished 7-6, way out of the playoff hunt. LSU, which had started at No. 13, turned out to have a lousy defense and went 9-4.
One thing you might remember about each of these: They were on their own little TV islands, played in primetime on Thursday or Sunday nights. They weren’t competing for attention with other games. If you were a college football fan, you were watching. That meant lots of potential sources for spicy takes.
So, stay frosty. These matchups look primed for the Week 1 overreaction:
No. 6 Notre Dame at No. 10 Miami (Sunday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The lone game of Sunday night, with everyone watching. Two ultra-talented teams, sure, but both with new QBs coming off injuries. Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr didn’t play a snap as a freshman, and Miami’s Carson Beck needed Tommy John surgery as he left Georgia. Either can lose and still be pretty good. Maybe better.
TCU at North Carolina (Monday 8 p.m. ET, ESPN). Prepare for Bill Belichick’s college experiment (good story here) to either be a devastating failure or a great success that has put the haters in their place. I thought it was interesting that betting markets quantifiably turned against Belichick during his dramatic offseason.
What about No. 1 Texas at No. 3 Ohio State today? Believe it or not, many people might underreact to that one. Both teams will be odds-on to make the playoff afterward, and it will be tempting to lean on that cushion and say, “Well, it was just one game.” Don’t get carried away like that. Instead, embrace that this game is the most important thing that has ever happened.
News to Know
Shelton pulls out of U.S. Open
Ben Shelton, the No. 6 seed at the U.S. Open and the biggest star in American men’s tennis, had to retire from his third-round match yesterday with a shoulder injury. Shelton called the match off before the fifth set, telling his father and coach that he was experiencing some of the worst pain he’s ever felt. It’s an unceremonious end to what has been the best season yet for the 22-year-old, who couldn’t hold back the tears as he walked off the court yesterday. Heartbreaking stuff.
In better news from an American perspective, Taylor Townsend pulled off quite the upset late last night.
F1 returns tomorrow
A reminder that Formula One is back from its summer hiatus tomorrow with the Dutch Grand Prix. Let’s get you caught up:
No, Max Verstappen is not winning the drivers’ title. That honor will almost certainly belong to either Oscar Piastri or Lando Norris, who are building a dynasty at McLaren.
During the break, Cadillac unveiled its drivers for its debut season in 2026: F1 veterans Valtteri Bottas and Sergio PĂ©rez. The American team opted against American drivers.
It should be a fun title race between Piastri and Norris down the line. But Verstappen might have something to say in his home race tomorrow.
More news:
Time to overreact? Deion Sanders’ retooled Colorado team lost to Georgia Tech in its season-opener last night. Sanders’ clock management down the stretch was … not good.
Newly acquired Michah Parsons will wear No. 1 in Green Bay, the first Packer to do so since Curly Lambeau in 1925 and 1926. Pretty cool.
Speaking of new homes, former Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner opened up about dealing with threats and security concerns while playing in Toronto.
A 12-year-old Little Leaguer was suspended for a bat flip last month. Yesterday, that bat sold for $9,882 at auction. Yes, someone bought a kid’s baseball bat for nearly $10,000.
The Patriots made one of the most surprising cuts in the NFL yesterday, releasing safety and former captain Jabrill Peppers. There must be more to this story.
Watch Guide
I encourage you to enjoy all the glory of an incredible college football slate today. But if that’s not your cup of tea:
đź“ş Tennis: Sinner vs. Shapovalov | 1 p.m. ET (estimated) on ESPNÂ
Jannik Sinner is the heavy favorite here, but Denis Shapovalov has the game to give the defending champ trouble. Plus, Shapovalov has been one of the most outspoken players in condemning the resolution of Sinner’s doping case.
đź“ş MLB: Mariners at Guardians | 7:15 p.m ET on FOXÂ
The Guardians are hanging onto the slimmest of Wild Card chances. More pressing, though, is Cal Raleigh. Do you ever just stare at the wall and think about how we’re living in the time of a switch-hitting catcher with 50 home runs before the end of August? Big Dumper forever.
Get tickets to games like these here.
Pulse Picks
An Olympic gold medal is all Patrick Kane, 36, is missing from his illustrious hockey career. Here’s his plan to play his way onto one final Olympic team.
It was a somber week here in New Orleans, as Friday marked the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. There’s plenty of coverage out there, but I have three recommendations to find out more about an event that changed this city (and the country) forever:
— Chris Branch
Before even playing in his first home game in L.A., South Korean superstar Son Heung-min’s impact is being felt on and beyond the pitch,as Paul Tenorio writes.
I bought a Kindle last week (I know I’m late!), but it is the perfect escape from work, the internet and *waves around* just everything. Sure, fall is about football and leaves, but it’s also cozy book weather. This fall is cozy Kindle season for me. — Emily Olsen
My wife has given me almost every one of my haircuts since 2018, and these Wahl electric clippers (Wirecutter budget pick) have been the weapon of choice for all of them. Saves time, saves money, and my wife and I get to share a cute ritual together — as long as she doesn’t make me look like Carlos Alcaraz. — Alex Iniguez
Only one MLB position player has ever switch-thrown from multiple positions in the same game: Let Tyler Kepner introduce you to Athletics utility player Carlos Cortes.
You’ve probably watched “The Green Mile” but if like me you’ve never read the book, give it a bash. It’s even better when you realize that it was originally released in six parts. — Phil Hay
Cheap bakes: Get a 7-year-old hooked on banana bread. Mash two up and you’re basically there. This simple Chiquita mix is three bucks and un-screw-up-able. Yum. — Chris Sprow
Most-clicked in the newsletter yesterday: Taylor Swift’s appearance at the Cincinnati-Nebraska game. Of course.
Most-read on the website yesterday: The missteps that led Jerry Jones into this current trainwreck.
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(Top photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)