Week 1 Preview

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Good morning and welcome to 4th & Forever, Rand & Tate’s College Football Newsletter. Let’s be honest, Week 0 is a the unappetizing house salad your significant other makes you feel obligated to order while the 16oz ribeye that is Week 1 is being cooked. Well it’s time to undo a belt buckle or two because that ribeye is done and on the way to the table. No more New Mexico, Nevada, and Montana State talk. Gone are the days of analyzing the travel plans of Delaware State across the Pacific. The whole hog is here and thus begins the best season of the entire year: College Football Fall. Today we’re recapping the Week 0 that was, preview Week 1, and provide betting picks that are all but assured to be locks so let’s get to it.

Week 0 Recap

Things sure kicked off with a bang, didn’t they? #10 Florida State was taken down by Georgia Tech on Saturday in a game that went just about exactly as we predicted it to go (other than the fact that the game was very quick, which we’ll touch more on below). Florida State looked largely unorganized and unsure of what it was actually capable of accomplishing offensively, while Georgia Tech was very prepared in how it wanted to attack Florida State on both sides of the ball. Tech largely dominated FSU on both lines of scrimmage, rushing for 190 yards on 5.3 yards per carry, while holding FSU to only 90 yards on the ground (3.2 YPC). So much for that vaunted defensive line, huh ‘Noles? A ton of credit goes to GT here, who has really established an identity for themselves as a very tough and physical team that is not going to back down from more talented teams - Brent Key is now 5-0 against ranked ACC teams in his tenure so far. They whooped FSU’s ass up front and deserved to win this game.

The national focus will of course be about FSU though, and that’s understandable. The FSU fanbase, coaching staff, and administration spent all offseason complaining about being left out of last year’s College Football Playoff while simultaneously suing the ACC in order to leave because it believes itself to be too relevant and good to keep playing with its conference members. It’s objectively hilarious that they flew out to Dublin, Ireland, and lost to Georgia Tech. A lot of the public talk was about DJ Uiagalelei’s inability to push the ball downfield, and just overall being a completely average quarterback at best. But the biggest issue to us was something we pointed out in our preview last week - this group of FSU receivers is just not it. Last year Jordan Travis was throwing to Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman, and on Saturday DJU was trying to throw fade routes to Ja’Khi Douglas who, frankly, will be going pro in something other than sports. DJU wasn’t great by any means, but he did lead FSU’s offense down (including two massive 4th down throws) to tie the game - it was FSU’s defense that then could not get off the field and then gave up the game-winning field goal. It’s not time to panic in Tallahassee quite yet, but the QB/WR combo is highly concerning for the offense, and getting pushed around on both lines of scrimmage by Georgia Tech is far from encouraging. 

Elsewhere in Week 0, New Mexico blew a 17-point lead to lose to Montana State in the 4th quarter while Hawaii beat Delaware State who did end up making it to Honolulu. SMU had to storm back late to beat Nevada despite being 27.5 favorites and one of their cornerbacks getting ejected for spitting on a player. Not a great showing for either of the ACC’s predicted contenders last weekend. 

We quickly did want to touch on something we noticed about the Week 0 games in general - these games all happened remarkably quickly. The new clock rules implemented last year, primarily the clock not stopping on first downs, were amplified by the fact that after a given play, the clock operators in each of these games were often allowing 6-8 seconds to run off the game clock before they started the next play clock. The consistency of this issue really impacted the FSU/GT game, where both teams were taking their time between plays and often running the play clock down close to zero. Both FSU and GT had only seven (!!!) offensive possessions in that game, which is crazy! This is something we’ll be keeping an eye on in Week 1 and is something we hope is fixed quickly because having less football is never the answer.

Five Week 1 Games to Watch

#14 Clemson vs #1 Georgia (Atlanta): UGA -13.5, O/U 48.5 - Saturday 12:00pm ET ABC

Well here we are Georgia fans, we finally made it. We’re back in the benz. The Dawgs take on Clemson in the 66th all-time meeting between the two rivals (UGA leads the series 43-18-4) and for the second time over the past four seasons at a neutral site. Both teams return their starting quarterbacks from 2023, though Carson Beck has been the much better player so far in their respective college careers. Receiver is a bit of a question mark for both teams, but both have guys in their rooms who have the talent to break out in a big way. Both teams will be a little thin at running back - Clemson because Phil Mafah is their only truly proven back on the roster, and Georgia because Rod Robinson will miss the game due to injury while Trevor Etienne may be suspended due to his offseason driving arrest. Georgia holds the clear advantage between the two offensive lines.

The key to the game for the Dawgs will be to stay ahead of the chains on first and second down. Clemson is notorious for playing a ton of man coverage and bringing well-disguised blitzes throughout games, and they’ll present different looks up front with their linemen and linebackers that give quarterbacks and offensive lines a ton to think about. Through the years they have been incredibly efficient at getting teams off of the field on third down, so Georgia will need to find a way to get a push up front to open up the run early in this game, and Beck will need to be efficient in the short and intermediate passing game to keep Clemson from teeing off in third-and-long situations. The potential suspension of Etienne and Rod Robinson’s absence means we’ll likely be playing some young guys at RB which makes me slightly concerned about pass protection, because UGA asks a lot from their RB’s in pass pro. Clemson’s second cornerback spot (and really just their secondary in general due to injury) is a major concern for the Tigers heading out of fall camp, so look for Beck and Mike Bobo to look for favorable matchups outside to take advantage of some of Clemson’s inexperienced guys out on islands in man coverage. UGA’s receivers need to step up and prove themselves here, and I expect that they will.

For Clemson, it really all comes down to Cade Klubnik. It’s really that simple. He was a turnover machine at times last year, a guy that looked completely uncomfortable in the pocket. But at other times, especially down the stretch of the season, he looked like a guy who was capable of making big throws while having enough athleticism to keep defenses on their feet with his running game. Offseason reports indicate things look better on offense than they did even during the season last year, but it’s hard to blindly predict that they’ll be scoring consistently - even when Clemson did have good drives last year, they’d couldn’t do anything in the red zone - they scored 3.9 points per red zone trip in 2023, ranking 115th in the nation. That’s not a recipe for success against the likes of Mykel Williams, Smael Mondon, and Malaki Starks. If Klubnik comes out and looks like he can consistently deliver the ball to Clemson’s improved receiver unit, the Tigers can keep this one close. If not, this game could get out of hand, and fast.

Tate’s prediction: Clemson keeps it close in the first half but the Dawgs start pulling away in the third quarter. UGA 34 - Clemson 13. Nate Frazier flashes and Dawg Nation realizes that we have a legitimate star in the making in Joenel Aguero.

#8 Penn State @ West Virginia: PSU -8.5, O/U 51.5 - Saturday 12:00pm ET FOX

To say Morgantown will be bopping for this one would be an understatement. These two old rivals met every year for over 50 years but have played just once - last year in State College - since 1992. Penn State, Pitt, and West Virginia used to compete in a round-robin for the Old Ironsides Trophy but conference realignment broke up these rivalries decades ago. Props to the athletic departments for getting these rivalries back together because college football is better when opposing fanbases are seething like rabid coyotes at the site of a regional foe. 

Penn State’s QB Drew Allar has a new OC in Andy Kotelnicki to work under which has prompted the annual ‘This is the year for Penn State and Drew Allar’ media machine off. We here at 4&F won’t but you’re welcome to buy into the hype at your own risk, Charlie Brown. Lucy will hold the ball for you this time, we promise. Unsurprisingly Penn State will field a stout defense and stud RB and likely beat every team not named Ohio State. West Virginia’s Neal Brown was closer to death than that blonde girl in Indiana Jones who was almost sacrificed in the volcano pit but a 9-4 record in 2023 temporarily saved his job. Dual-threat QB Garrett Greene and every good RB return from one of the nation's best rushing attacks from last year but questions are abound for a defense that must replace six starters. FOX will turn this game into a cinematic masterpiece and JD Vance better avert his eyes if the Neers win because there will be couches ablaze.

#19 Miami @ Florida: Miami -2.5, O/U 54.5 - Saturday 3:30pm ET ABC

In our offseason coaching storylines and SEC/ACC previews, we circled this game for both coaches and programs as a must-win. The losing fanbase of this game is going to make Chernobyl look like a science fair volcano with how much they’re going to melt down. Florida has the toughest schedule in the nation and Billy Napier has been pleading for patience while not showing tangible results since he arrived in Gainesville. Mario Cristobal on the other hand has used NIL dollars to assemble top-flight recruiting classes and transfer commits but on field coaching decisions have lost Miami games and eroded the fanbases confidence in him. Even though on paper Miami is the much more talented team and has the better QB, they still have to go into the Swamp and face an SEC team. Unless Colorado State @ Texas or UTEP @ Nebraska tickles your fancy, there is nothing else on during this time slot so the entire nation gets to watch South Beach or inland Florida cannibalize themselves into the ether. 

#7 Notre Dame @ #20 Texas A&M: TAMU -3, O/U 46.5 - Saturday 7:30pm ET ABC

Perhaps the most anticipated game in the country this weekend, Notre Dame travels down to take on Texas A&M, and things are not looking great for the Irish on the injury front. After losing both of their offensive tackles to the 2024 NFL Draft, Notre Dame then lost their new starting left tackle for the season and now have announced they’ll be starting a true freshman at the position against the Aggies on Saturday night. That is, uh, far from ideal considering Texas A&M’s defensive line has a chance to be the best in the country, with Purdue transfer and potential future first round pick Nic Scourton ready to tee off. The Irish will start Duke transfer Riley Leonard at QB, and while we think Leonard is a good player, relying on a transfer QB to make consistent plays behind a questionable OL is not the position you want to be in - especially on the road in one of the toughest environments in the country.

With that said, Texas A&M’s offense isn’t exactly coming into the season as a dominant unit, either. Conner Weigman will get the start at QB and while we have seen him be a good player in the past, he is prone to injury and does not have a plethora of great skill talent to distribute the ball to. Arguably the Aggies best skill position player (at least in terms of raw talent), RB Reuben Owens, is now out for the year after suffering a knee injury in fall camp. With star receiver Evan Stewart’s departure to Oregon, there is no clear go-to guy for Weigman on the outside either, and Notre Dame’s defense is going to be pretty damn good itself. This is going to be a very physical, defensive slugfest between two good teams under the lights, and we can’t wait for it.

#23 USC vs #13 LSU (Las Vegas): LSU -4.5, O/U 64.5 - Sunday 7:30pm ET ABC

Yeah, so this game is going to be the exact opposite of what you just read above. LSU and USC are, to a comical degree, almost the exact same team as each other as it stands now. Both have big tall statues playing quarterback (Garrett Nussmeier for LSU and Miller Moss for USC), future NFL stars at receiver (notably Kyren Lacy for LSU and Zach Branch for USC), and absolutely no defense to speak of whatsoever. To be honest, that is about all the preview that you need for this one - a Sunday night shootout between two of college football’s biggest programs when we don’t have to work on Monday? Sign us the hell up. The difference in this one will come between LSU’s offensive line and USC’s defensive line. LSU’s OL will rival Georgia’s as the best in the country this season, and USC is looking to prove that they’re ready to actually attempt to try on defense after firing Lincoln Riley’s long-time defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. If USC can slow down LSU’s run game, they’ve got a good shot. Either way, expect lots of points.

Five More Games to Watch, Because It’s Week 1 Dammit!

North Dakota State @ Colorado: Colorado -9.5, O/U 60.5 - Thursday 8:00pm ET ESPN

America’s most hated team playing the FCS’ best program of all time on national TV with all eyes on the game? Let’s gooooo! These two teams could not be more of an antithesis to each other - Deion’s squad embraces the flash, the glamor, the spotlight, and the headlines, while NDSU’s roster is full of a bunch of overlooked midwesterners who play football like they hate their own lives. We’d be more confident in a hilarious upset if NDSU’s coach Matt Entz didn’t leave to be the linebackers coach at USC this offseason, but even so, Vegas expects this game to be closer than they expected the FSU/GT game to be, and we saw how that went. We couldn’t ask for a better Thursday night opener to the weekend, and we’ll take any excuse we have to watch Travis Hunter play football.

North Carolina @ Minnesota: UNC -2.0, O/U 51.5 - Thursday 8:00pm ET FOX

If UNC and Minnesota did a USC-UCLA thing and both wore their home uniforms, Stevie Wonder would have to turn the game off. What Stevie Wonder and other blind people might like is how this game might turn into a classic Big 10 ground-and-pound game reminiscent of the 1940s. Both teams have star RBs and unproven QBs so look for both defenses to stack the box and dare the QBs to beat them through the air. Minnesota brought in FCS Heisman finalist Max Brosmer from New Hampshire and returns true sophomore RB Darius Taylor who rushed for 138 yards against the Heels in last year’s defeat. Carolina named transfer QB Max Johnson the starter who played sporadically and inconsistently at TAMU & LSU. The Heels will lean on RB Omarion Hampton who rushed for over 1,500 yards a year ago even with Drake Maye at QB. Carolina plays the Triangle YMCA’s in the following three weeks so a win here would go a long way for their early season confidence. 

TCU @ Stanford: TCU -9.5, O/U 60.0 - Friday 10:30pm ET ESPN

Would this game be on one of our “games to watch” lists at any other point in the season? No, but it’s happening at 10:30pm on a Friday night during a weekend where there are hardly any P4 vs P4 matchups happening, so count us in. TCU looks to bounce back from a down season after losing everybody from their national runner-up team in 2022, while Stanford showed flashes in 2023 under first-year head coach Troy Taylor. Watch out for Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor, who had over 1,000 yards as a true freshman last season and absolutely dominated Travis Hunter last October. We’d say we’re surprised he’s still at Stanford because he could start at just about every school in the country right now, but we wouldn’t be passing up a Stanford degree either. This will be a fun one late at night and we expect to see some points - PAC 12 after dark lives on and we’ll damn sure have a couple of beers to enjoy it.

Virginia Tech @ Vanderbilt: VT -13.5, O/U 48.5 - Saturday 12:00pm ET ESPN

After SMU and Florida State decided to take some ipecac and throw up on themselves in Week 0, the ACC is looking wide open. Queue Virginia Tech who, along with NC State, is the trendy dark horse pick in the conference. If the Hokies want to get taken seriously as an ACC contender they should not overlook Vanderbilt which is a sentence no one should ever have to type, but remember this Hokie squad lost to Purdue, Rutgers, and Marshall in consecutive weeks last year. Virginia Tech will go as far as QB Kyron Drones takes them and with his athleticism and Charmin schedule, it could be all the way to the playoff. 

Boston College @ Florida State: FSU -16.5, O/U 50.5 - Monday 7:30pm ET ESPN

After the Debacle in Dublin (I’m trademarking that) last weekend and the intense media coverage given they were the only game on worth a shit last weekend, I’m sure there’s nothing the FSU staff and fans want more than this team to slip away into oblivion for a few weeks while they figure out their offense. Too bad Noles, you get a primetime matchup at home against Boston College with the entire country watching on Monday night. Boston College nearly beat #3 FSU last year after blowing a 3 TD lead in Chestnut Hill and while the Eagles have a new coach in Bill O’Brien, they still have QB Thomas Castellanos who racked up 400 yards of offense against the vaunted Noles D. We have a bit of an eye on Castellanos and the BC offense against this FSU defense because Haynes King and Jamal Haynes sure made it look easy getting to the edge against FSU last weekend, and Castellanos sure can fly. As we noted above with Miami and UF, the three P4 Florida schools have to win this weekend. If the offense looks flat and Boston College wins as 2+ TD underdogs, Chief Osceola might plant that spear through DJU after the game. 

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Holding Ourselves Accountable

Tate: I went 1-1 on the week and strongly wish I’d put the GT moneyline in as one of my picks because I was all over that on my book. I won’t rehash that game as we already did above, but nailing that prediction is giving me some confidence heading into Week 1 that the market may not be entirely adjusted to some of the camp reports that are giving us both concern and excitement for certain teams around the country - FSU should’ve never been two score favorites in that game. I obviously got the SMU -24.5 pick very wrong, but so did seemingly everybody else in the country. That line went all the way up to SMU -27.5 before kickoff because there was really no reason Nevada should have been competing with them. But SMU came out completely and utterly lifeless and looked like they didn’t want to be there at all. It was an awful coaching performance by Rhett Lashlee and his staff - the defense looked completely unprepared for what Nevada’s offense was running, and SMU’s constant changing of QBs in the first half completely eliminated any rhythm the offense was briefly able to find. I’ll take this L but I’m fully blaming the SMU staff for it.

Rand: I’m going to blame my 1-3 Week 0 showing on irrational confidence and eagerness for college football to start. Did I have any reading into why Montana State was an 11.5-point favorite against New Mexico? Absolutely not but 7 days ago there wasn’t a college football game to watch so who cares. I will blame picking SMU -24.5 on Tate because I need a scapegoat and I literally wrote, “Shit, following Tate again which is a horrible idea…”. Granted, we both nailed the GT +10.5 pick but I missed the game total over because I had amnesia that DJU can’t throw a football more than 7 yards down the field unless he’s wearing a Clemson jersey and playing Wake. Week 0 cobwebs have been shaken off, let’s get the real season started.

Tate’s Great Picks (1-1)

#23 USC vs #13 LSU (Las Vegas): LSU -4.5, O/U 64.5 - Sunday 7:30pm ET ABC

Pick LSU -4.5 & Game Total Over 64.5: Given our preview above, I don’t think I need to harp on why I’m on the over here. Defense has been entirely optional for both of these teams over the past couple of years, I believe LSU has the much better QB in this game, and I think the Bayou Bengals’ offensive line is going to demolish USC up front.

North Carolina @ Minnesota: UNC -2.0, O/U 51.5 - Thursday 8:00pm ET FOX

Pick Game Total Under 51.5: As we mentioned above regarding the weirdness with the clock operation across the Week 0 games, I’m on the under between these two teams who are replacing quarterbacks and don’t seem to have much of an identity headed into their first game. I’m expecting a slow start for both squads and I highly, highly doubt this turns into anything resembling a shootout. A 27-24 final gets the job done here, and I’m not sure we’ll even get there.

#7 Notre Dame @ #20 Texas A&M: TAMU -3.0, O/U 46.5 - Saturday 7:30pm ET ABC

Pick TAMU -3.0: I’ve mentioned it in a few newsletters now - I have absolutely zero confidence in Notre Dame’s ability to consistently block, and therefore move the ball, against this Texas A&M front 7. As the game total suggests, this is going to be a low-scoring affair which is never ideal for teams covering spreads, but I am simply all the way out on Notre Dame being legitimately good this season while I think A&M has the chance to surprise the country. Given the Aggies are at home, I’m riding with them this weekend.

UNLV @ Houston: Houston -2.5, O/U 54.5 - Saturday 7:00pm ET FS1

Pick Game Total Over 54.5: These teams like to score lots of points and don’t like to play a lot of defense.

Akron @ #2 Ohio State: OSU -48.5, O/U 58.5 - Saturday 3:30pm ET CBS

Pick Akron +48.5, Game Total Under 58.5: I normally hate betting on these types of games and spreads, and I promise this is not a commentary on how I feel about Ohio State this year. I just feel like this game is going to get out of hand quickly, and that OSU will start resting their guys and sitting on the ball relatively early in this game, to not show up the outmatched in-state opponent. The weird clock situations last week are making me think these types of blowout matchups might fly by - I think OSU may get up by 28 or 35 in the second or third quarter and absolutely relax. I’ll eat my words if OSU decides they want to light the Zips up for 70.

#19 Miami @ Florida: Miami -2.5, O/U 54.5 - Saturday 3:30pm ET ABC

Pick Florida +2.5: As much as I hate the Gators and as much as we’ve talked about their grueling schedule this year, I’m equally as low on a Mario Christobal team walking into an extremely tough environment and pulling this out with ease. I’m not sure what Florida’s record is going to be this year, but I actually think they’re going to be a solid team that plays well at home and limits mistakes offensively. Give me the Gators to cover at home.

#14 Clemson vs #1 Georgia (Atlanta): UGA -13.5, O/U 48.5 - Saturday 12:00pm ET ABC

Pick UGA -13.5, Game Total Over 48.5: Need I say anything here?

OnlyRans (1-3)

#7 Notre Dame @ #20 Texas A&M: TAMU -3.0, O/U 46.5 - Saturday 7:30pm ET ABC

Pick TAMU -3: When a team returns 9 starters on both sides of the ball with a new coach coming in, that’s unprecedented and a reason for optimism. Notre Dame is injured and TAMU is at home. Additionally, what was the last high-profile Notre Dame game you remember them winning? 

South Dakota State @ #17 Oklahoma State: OK State -9.5, O/U 53.5 - Saturday 2:00pm ET ESPN+

Pick Oklahoma State -9.5: I got burned last week by picking FCS power Montana State to cover 11.5 over lowly New Mexico and got burned. SDSU is the reigning FCS national champion but the talent disparity between the upper echelon of the FCS and one of the best teams in the Big 12 is worth way more than 9.5 points here. Ride the Pokes. 

#19 Miami @ Florida: Miami -2.5, O/U 54.5 - Saturday 3:30pm ET ABC

Pick Miami -2.5: I’ve been on this earth for 27 years and I’ve read and heard about Miami having the talent to finally do it this year for 23 of them. I don’t think they’re going to do ‘it’ this year but like getting called in for jury duty, you’re going to get burned eventually. Might as well rip off the band-aid.

TCU @ Stanford: TCU -9.5, O/U 60.0 - Friday 10:30pm ET ESPN

Pick Stanford +9.5: As we mentioned, Stanford has some firepower on offense and returns 18 starters. TCU is still picking up the pieces from their 2022 national championship run and that includes breaking in a new DC. 2 possessions is too much for a TCU team having to go to the West Coast. 

#8 Penn State @ West Virginia: PSU -8.5, O/U 51.5 - Saturday 12:00pm ET FOX

Pick West Virginia +8.5: Wait a minute. Penn State is heading to Morgantown for the first time in three decades against a solid WVU squad and giving 8.5 points? This is purely a bet on the home crowd being unconsciously raucous and literally unconscious by the game’s end. 

North Dakota State @ Colorado: Colorado -9.5, O/U 60.5 - Thursday 8:00pm ET ESPN

Pick Game Total Under 60.5: Vegas is telling you they expect Colorado to win 40-20 which is way too many points for both teams in Week 1. Three of the four Week 0 games went under last night and I don’t think that’s a coincidence given the amount of transfers programs bring in nowadays. It’s not sexy and I’d love a 51-48 shootout, but I’d ride the under here.

Arkansas-Pine Bluff @ Arkansas: Arkansas -48.5, O/U 57.5 - Thursday 7:30pm ET ESPNU

Pick Arkansas-Pine Bluff +48.5: Akin to Tate’s Akron/Ohio State theory, am I really to believe Arkansas is going to put up a 50 burger on APB with a trip to Oklahoma State on the docket for Week 2? Let’s go Golden Lions!

#23 USC vs #13 LSU (Las Vegas): LSU -4.5, O/U 64.5 - Sunday 7:30pm ET ABC

Pick USC +4.5: This is an early season shot in the dark but I’m taking USC, QB Miller Moss, and new DC D’Anton Lynn in Vegas over an LSU team that lost a lot, has yet to figure out how to effectively utilize the best LB in the country Harold Perkins Jr, and has a QB with the last name Nussmeier. No clue how this game will play out but 4.5 points for an unknown quantity in LSU is too much for me.

Wake Forest & Georgia

Georgia: See ‘Five Week 1 Games to Watch’ above and the Georgia season preview from last week.

Wake Forest: The Deacs host North Carolina A&T tonight (!!) at 7pm in Winston-Salem. Deep in the bowels of Wait Chapel where I’m assuming Wake stores their papyrus University creed, I think the first two bullets say every building on campus shalt be built using the same brick from the same plant in Salisbury, NC and Wake shalt open each college football season on a Thursday or Friday night against a random ass non P4 team. Excluding COVID you’d have to go back to 2012 for the last time Wake did not open their season on a Thursday or Friday night and even the 2012 game was against Liberty. 

Coach Clawson is no stranger to QB battles but if my memory serves me correctly, this is the first time he’s taken one into the season. When the depth chart was released on Tuesday, he didn't list a starter between Hank Bachmeier or Michael Kern. Instead, he’s going to throw both of them out there and likely see who will win the starting job before the Virginia game next week. Rational? Yes. Annoying? Also yes but we haven’t seen either of them get quality, live reps so it’s not like we can sit around and say one of them should be the starter. I previewed the Deacs in more detail last week.

Aside from the ongoing QB battle I’ll be looking to see how WRs Horatio Fields and Donavon Greene look as they are coming back from injuries and have All-ACC level talent. Secondary is an eternal focus but I don’t think we’re going to learn much facing an FCS team that went 1-10 last year. The same goes for the offensive line. The Deacs should have their way with the Aggies in all aspects of the game with a notable exception of the band performances. If this game turns into anything else, I’m moving to Cuba. 

Where In The World Are We?

Rand: After spending 1.5 fortnights or 21 days for the uneducated in a Denver Courtyard Marriott I have returned to Winston-Salem where I’ll be attending the Wake-A&T game Thursday night. Given I still pay rent in Atlanta I figured I’d go down there over the weekend for the first time since July 5th. My roommate and I came to the tough decision that we should sit on the couch and watch football for 14 hours straight on Saturday with more screens than a 911 call center. 

Tate: After a lovely day at East Lake for the Tour Championship on Friday, you know damn well I’ll be front and center in Mercedes-Benz Stadium at noon on Saturday to watch the Dawgs. And I may just join Rand on his couch for the rest of the day.

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Rand Fisher & Tate Smillie met a few years ago through their good buddy Dave Peljovich who went to college with Rand and high school with Tate. Tate went to Georgia and has spent the last few years collecting championship rings while traveling to watch the Dawgs. Rand went to known CFB powerhouse Wake Forest and currently pays rent in Atlanta but is rarely found there with all the work & CFB travel he does.