Predicting Top College Football Week 1 Performers
In just one week, college football will be back, and so will the eye-popping individual performances that will have fans everywhere talking for days.
"Hey, did you see how many yards (star player) had against (downtrodden opponent) on Saturday? Or what about (breakout player) for (Group of Five team), who had (nearly record-breaking statistic)?"
The opening weekend of the season is a perfect time for top performers to pick back up where they left off a season ago and for some less-heralded players to command some attention for themselves.
Here are 15 college football players—three each for the major categories of passing yards, rushing yards, receiving yards, sacks and interceptions—who have great chances at shining the brightest in Week 1. These players were chosen based on their individual success in a statistical category and their opponents' strength for a particular matchup.
Let us know who you think will have the biggest Week 1 performances in college football in the comments below.
Passing Yards: Baylor QB Seth Russell
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Baylor head coach and offensive mastermind Art Briles probably can't wait to unleash his new quarterback onto the college football world this season. And junior Seth Russell will get the perfect opportunity to put up the points and the yardage in his first career start.
The Bears travel to SMU for a Friday night, all-Texas showcase in Week 1 of what could be a big season for Briles and Co. This is the second half of a home-and-home agreement, as Baylor smashed SMU to the tune of 574 yards in a 45-0 blowout that opened McLane Stadium.
Baylor's quarterbacks combined for 313 passing yards against the Mustangs, who later finished with an awful 1-11 record and the No. 102 ranking in pass defense. Chad Morris has a shot at turning things around at SMU, but it's going to take quite a good deal of time—and an opener against the nation's most prolific offense could get ugly quickly.
Passing Yards: Cal QB Jared Goff
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With Connor Halliday now gone at Washington State, Cal's Jared Goff is the top passer in Power Five college football heading into 2015. Goff will have an opportunity to kick-start his race for the yardage title this year with a matchup against FCS opponent Grambling.
Grambling went 7-6 last season, losing to Houston—its last FBS opponent for 2014—by a score of 47-0. The Tigers allowed an average of 266 yards through the air last season against a schedule mostly consisting of schools from the SWAC. None of their opponents came close to putting the ball in the air as much as the Golden Bears will in this season opener.
Goff has four of his top five receivers back for this season and could be an early pick in a future NFL draft. He most likely won't play the entire game, but he'll still get plenty of chances to make big plays down the field for a program looking for a much-needed winning season.
Passing Yards: Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
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While Mississippi State doesn't return many starters from its 10-win team this season, the Bulldogs still have one of the nation's top quarterbacks in senior Dak Prescott. The dual-threat signal-caller's push for several major awards will start with a season opener at Southern Miss, a team he picked apart in 2014.
Prescott threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns last season against the Golden Eagles in a 49-0 rout. His top two receivers, De'Runnya Wilson and Fred Ross, will be back to attack a defense that only returns five starters and allowed a staggering 6.41 yards per play in 2015.
With Southern Miss returning 10 starters on offense compared to Mississippi State's three on defense, this game might be a little closer than the blowout win the Bulldogs had last season. Mississippi State should still run away with this one away from home, but it wouldn't be surprising to see Prescott get the chance to top the triple-digit mark through the air.
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Rushing Yards: Georgia RB Nick Chubb
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Surprisingly enough, Nick Chubb has a chance to improve on a debut season in which he ran for 7.06 yards per carry—the best for any SEC running back with at least 100 carries since Arkansas' Felix Jones back in 2007. He doesn't have to start the season No. 2 on the depth chart, and Georgia has four returning starters in front of him on the offensive line. Oh, and he's had an offseason of preparation.
"Back in high school, I wasn’t really taught anything. I had a lot of freedom in high school," Chubb told Edward Aschoff of ESPN.com. "They would just toss me the ball, and I would run. I know how to run the ball now."
Chubb's sophomore season starts with a home game against Louisiana-Monroe, which gave up more than 250 rushing yards last year to Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, New Mexico State and Georgia Southern. And none of those teams had an elite rusher like Chubb.
Rushing Yards: Marshall RB Devon Johnson
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Without an NFL game on the schedule, the first weekend of the college football season will feature one contest in the FBS—Conference USA favorite Marshall hosting Big Ten cellar-dweller Purdue. The Thundering Herd will have a new-look offense without star quarterback Rakeem Cato, but they still have excellent running back Devon Johnson.
Johnson had one of the best rushing seasons in all of college football last season, averaging an astonishing 8.58 yards per carry on 206 touches and finding the end zone 17 times. With a new signal-caller replacing Cato, look for Marshall to go to Johnson early and often this year.
Purdue, on the other hand, finished No. 93 nationally in rushing defense and hasn't finished higher than No. 79 since 2010. With a poor track record against big-play running backs, the Boilermakers might be chasing Johnson all day Sunday.
Rushing Yards: Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd
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Jalen Hurd is another sophomore SEC running back who could surge this season, and he'll face a weak rush defense in Week 1 when Tennessee takes on Bowling Green in Nashville. Hurd hit the 100-yard mark in three of his final games last season and will have his sights on returning to that level to start 2015.
Hurd's supporting cast might make him an even better candidate for greatness in 2015. The Volunteers return most of their offensive starters, including three on the offensive line. The 6'3" sophomore running back will also be able to stay fresh for more big plays with the addition of former Alabama running back Alvin Kamara to the program.
Bowling Green won the MAC's Eastern Division last season and will be a favorite to do so again in 2015, but it also returns just five starters from a defense that ranked 101st nationally against the run. Look for the bigger and faster Hurd to smash through the Falcons in this opener.
Receiving Yards: Colorado State WR Rashard Higgins
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The nation's top wideout is back for the 2015 season, as Rashard Higgins looks to build on an incredible campaign in which he led the entire country in receiving yards and touchdowns. This season, he has a new quarterback and a new head coach, but the improbable Heisman campaign is already underway in Fort Collins, Colorado.
The Rams open the season against Savannah State, which has to be the single worst Division I football program in the country. In the last few seasons, Savannah State has allowed 61 points to Middle Tennessee State, 83 and 77 to Georgia Southern, 64 to BYU, 66 to Troy, 77 to Miami and 84 to Oklahoma State.
With former Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo now the Rams head coach, expect Colorado State to "throw the dang ball" to Higgins plenty of times in 2015. Against Savannah State, he'll be a touchdown threat every time he touches the ball.
Receiving Yards: Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell
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Laquon Treadwell was one of the nation's top receivers last season before his heartbreaking injury at the goal line in a last-minute loss to Auburn. But the Ole Miss star has made a full recovery and will be ready for the Rebels season opener against FCS opponent Tennessee-Martin.
The Skyhawks are experienced in the secondary, per OVC Extra, but the unit struggled mightily in defending the pass last season. Kentucky threw for 422 yards against UTM in their season-opening game last season, and the Skyhawks finished the year allowing an ugly average of 13.18 yards per reception.
Ole Miss would probably love nothing more than to feed the ball to Treadwell in his first game back. If he can return to the excellent form he had to start 2014, he'll have the chance to rack up the big plays against this FCS opponent.
Receiving Yards: Tulsa WR Keevan Lucas
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It may seem odd to peg a player from a 2-10 team to have a huge performance in Week 1, but Keevan Lucas was the lone bright star for a bad Golden Hurricane program. He averaged more than 100 yards per game as a receiver and will now play in an explosive offensive system under former Baylor assistant Philip Montgomery.
"Obviously there’s guys you want to touch the football," Montgomery said, per John E. Hoover of the Tulsa World. "I think [Lucas and receiver Keyarris Garrett] have got a chance to be really, really special players—not just for us, but at the next level. [They are] guys that have really been working on their craft."
Tulsa has a chance to pick up a big first win under Montgomery when it hosts Florida Atlantic, which only returns one starting defensive back from a unit that finished 87th nationally in pass defense last season. Lucas should thrive in this new offense, and he can hit the ground running with a big performance in Week 1.
Sacks: Arizona LB Scooby Wright
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Scooby Wright, the nation's top defensive player from a season ago, will be a leader once again for defending Pac-12 South champion Arizona. In the first week of the 2015, this pass-rush master has an extremely favorable matchup.
UTSA held Wright to just one sack in last season's 26-23 matchup in San Antonio, but this is a much different team of Roadrunners. Larry Coker's squad will have a hard rest ahead, as it returns only six starters—and only two on the offensive side of the ball.
Wright will face what will be almost a completely new offensive line and an inexperienced quarterback on the first Thursday night of the season. The Arizona linebacker will want to show there's no drop-off for him from 2014, and he could put up some more eye-popping numbers from the first snap of the season.
Sacks: Boise State DE Kamalei Correa
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Another pass-rush specialist out West who has a feast-worthy matchup in Week 1, Kamalei Correa enters 2015 after finishing eighth nationally in 2014 with a dozen sacks—tying NFL first-round pick Vic Beasley of Clemson.
Correa finished 2015 with a two-sack performance in Boise State's win over Arizona in the Fiesta Bowl. The Broncos open the season with another Pac-12 opponent, Washington, that could be in for an extremely long year on the offensive side of the ball.
Washington's lone returning starter on the offensive line, senior Dexter Charles, was forced to retire from football earlier this month due to knee injuries. The Huskies will also break in a new quarterback for their Friday night game against Boise State, which returns Correa and seven other defensive starters from a team that could pull off an undefeated season.
Sacks: Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah
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Emmanuel Ogbah, the Big 12's reigning Defensive Lineman of the Year, finished 12th nationally last season with 11 sacks. He opened his 2014 campaign with a pair of sacks against then-defending national champion Florida State, and he could get off to a hot start again this year.
Ogbah and the Cowboys open the season on Thursday night against Central Michigan, which only returns five starters on the offensive side of the ball and has a brand-new head coach. For the Chippewas, allowing sacks came in big spurts last season, as they gave up three or more to Purdue, Syracuse, Buffalo and Western Kentucky.
If Oklahoma State can rattle Central Michigan early and get to the quarterback, Ogbah should clean up with sacks after another offseason of preparation. In a league with several great defensive linemen, Ogbah will want to defend his title as the best with a strong debut in 2015.
Interceptions: Duke S Jeremy Cash
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Duke's Jeremy Cash decided not to go to the NFL after a strong 2014 season, and now he's raking in the All-American as one of the country's best defensive backs. The safety only recorded two interceptions last year, but he sounds ready to add to that number in 2015.
"If the ball is in the air, we're going to go get it, or if we see a running back carrying the ball loosely, we're going to get it out," Cash said, per Bob Holliday of WRAL. "One way or another, we have to win the turnover margin."
The Blue Devils' Week 1 opponent, Tulane, had a penchant for turning the ball over last season with 18 interceptions thrown. Tulane is eyeing a big rebound from a dreadful offensive performance in 2014, but Cash is an elite safety who can make the Green Wave quarterbacks pay for bad ball security.
Interceptions: Florida DB Brian Poole
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With all-world cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III locking down receivers last season, Brian Poole stepped up and led Florida with four interceptions last season—with three of them coming in the Gators' final two games.
Now a senior, Poole will be asked to play both safety and corner in one of the nation's best secondaries. In Week 1, he'll face a New Mexico State offense that led the nation in interceptions thrown last season with 24.
The Aggies, like any other opponent, will steer clear of Hargreaves with their pass attempts. Poole flew all over the field last season for Florida and finished the year looking like one of the country's best ball-hawking defensive backs. Florida's defense should punish turnover-prone New Mexico State, so keep your eyes on Poole in Week 1.
Interceptions: Oklahoma CB Zack Sanchez
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Oklahoma's Zack Sanchez finished second in the Big 12 last season in interceptions, recording picks in five of his first six games of the season. Sanchez told reporters earlier this month he is focused on another hot start and proving that he tops his league.
"I definitely believe I am the best corner in the Big 12," Sanchez told Brian Chatmon of ESPN.com. "I've believed that for a while, now I just gotta go out and prove it, every week, week in and week out...like have no holes in my game and prove to the country I'm one of the best in the country."
Sanchez will look to bring it in Game 1 against Akron, which had a hard time last season finding a quarterback that wouldn't turn the ball over. The Zips' Kyle Pohl and Thomas Woodson combined for 14 interceptions and just 14 touchdowns in 2014. Oklahoma is looking for a defensive renaissance, and the season opener is the perfect opportunity for Sanchez and the Sooners to showcase their early improvement.
All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.
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