We waited all summer for week 1, and the noon kickoff slate is probably the worst it will be all season.

I'm struggling to find a single game that looks like it'll be good.

We’ve seen the comments. We know you have thoughts about the AP Top 25 poll. Now it’s your turn. The AP Fan Poll is open for submissions.
https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll

Week 1 is here, and today I'm back with the final installment of the preseason primers.

The Big Ten Primers are now LIVE, plus a Big Ten Conference Preview. Over the last two week's I have launched the other P4 conferences to bring us to this final launch. All P4 teams + Notre Dame are now live. 68 Team previews and 4 Conference previews!

Quick explanation:

With the season approaching, I wanted a better way to prepare than reading dozens of separate previews or listening to hours of podcasts, just to forget most of it by Week 1. started with a few, then more, then decided to expand to all P4 + ND. It ended up being more arduous than I anticipated, but also rewarding.

They are mostly designed as quick references for watching games, with roster/coaching changes, 2025 context, advanced stats, schedules, players to know, and a small betting lens.

https://cfb.drwhittier.com

Hope you enjoy!

Note:

This is totally free and not self promotion. I was creating these for myself and friends and just thought others would find them interesting.

The only reason for a website was to make them more accessible than just sharing links to google drive.

I don't work in media, this is not my full time job. I just love CFB. Though I tried to be as thorough as possible, I'm sure I missed some things. All feedback is welcome. I will be pushing some updated revisions later this week from feedback I already received on previous releases.

Coming this Saturday, September 5, the Georgia Bulldogs will kickoff their 2026 campaign by hosting the Tennessee State Tigers at 3 PM EDT in Sanford Stadium.

As of this typing, the high temperature forecast for Sanford Stadium is 98°F with a max heat index of 105°F, per the latest forecast from the National Weather Service.

Will that be the hottest game the Dawgs have ever hosted? Let's dive into the numbers.

I used weather observations gathered from the Athens Ben Epps Airport (KAHN), which is located roughly 2.7 miles east of Sanford Stadium, per Google Maps. These observations are collected from the Automated Surface Observing System (ASOS), which is an automated weather station located onsite at the airport. This is an official weather observation station recognized by the National Weather Service.

I know this does not represent on-field temperatures, which are often (much) warmer, but there is no official data for that. Another limiting factor is that KAHN only has data going back to 1944. University of Georgia football dates back to 1892, so admittedly, there is ~51 years of data not accounted for here. Heat index is also not accounted for here. This only looks at high temperature data.

Here are interesting statistics drawn from this data. Scroll down to the bottom of this post to see a chronological list of the games.

• Since high temperature records began at KAHN (1944), UGA has played in 19 September home games in which the high temperature was at least 90°F. The Dawgs have a 16-3 record (0-3 record in the SEC) in this September heat.

• Of those games, only two of them had a high of at least 95°F. Dawgs are 2-0 (0-0 in the SEC) in those games.

• Of those two games, the hottest September game ever recorded in Sanford Stadium was 97°F (a victory over Baylor on 9/16/1972).

• 2018 is the only season on record in which Sanford Stadium hosted multiple 90°F+ September games (two).

Could this Saturday be the hottest game ever played Between the Hedges? Stay tuned.

9/22/1945: Murray State (90°F, W 49-0)

9/16/1949: Furman (90°F, W 25-0)

9/23/1961: Alabama (92°F, L 6-32)

9/16/1972: Baylor (97°F W, 24-14)

9/12/1981: Cal (90°F, W 27-13)

9/18/1993: Texas Tech (91°F, W 52-37)

9/20/1997: NE Louisiana (94°F, W 42-3)

9/5/1998: Kent State (93°F, W 56-3)

9/4/1999: Utah State (93°F, W 38-7)

9/17/2005: ULM (91°F, W 44-7)

9/8/2007: SCAR (93°F, L 12-16)

9/6/2008: Central Michigan (91°F, W 56-17)

9/18/2010: Arkansas (92°F, L 24-31)

9/1/2012: Buffalo (92°F, W 45-23)

9/10/2016: Nicholls State (94°F, W 26-24)

9/1/2018: Austin Peay (94°F, W 45-0)

9/15/2018: Middle Tennessee (91°F, W 49-7)

9/7/2019: Murray State (95°F, W 63-17)

9/7/2024: Tennessee Tech (91°F, W 48-3)

Week 1 lines are up at underdogpickem.com. Deadline is Saturday 9/5 at 11am CDT.

Same UnderdogPickem as always, with a refreshed site this year.

How it works:

* Pick 3 underdogs each week to win outright (not just cover)

* Correct picks score the point spread

* Points add up all season

* Saturday games only (except Rivalry / Thanksgiving week, when we also add Friday games)

* Lines from ESPN this year

Join the r/CFB group: https://underdogpickem.com/group/join/ZL22NCATEZ

Sign in (or make an account), then hit that link. You can also make your own group and invite friends.

Solo project, just for fun. I don't make money off of it. If something's off, tell me and I'll fix it.

I just told my girlfriend the "that dog would bite you!!" UGA joke (wonderful woman, but zero laughs), and it got me to wondering:

What's the oldest joke you remember hearing about a college football team?

---------------

For anyone unfamiliar, the joke, direct copy pasta from a subreddit like 13 years ago:

"Two guys were at a University of Georgia football game when one of them looks down at the Georgia Bulldog sidelines and sees Uga, the school mascot, licking himself like dogs like to do. The guy smiles, leans over to his buddy while pointing at Uga and says, "Man, I wish I could do that".

His friend looks back at him in surprise and says, "Man, that dog would bite you!""

(mods, lmk if need reflair from "casual")

• TCU-North Carolina from Ireland, average of 4.9 million viewers (10% more than last year’s Iowa State-Kansas State)
• NC State-Virginia, average of 3.2 million viewers
• MEAC-SWAC Challenge (Howard-Alabama A&M) on ABC, averaged 1.2 million viewers

https://x.com/espnpr/status/2094905351225147443?s=61&t=6Bx3tD-mSTjm4jbTxJLP_g

I’m moving out of Columbus at the end of this month and want to make a MAC game. Depending on start times, I’m thinking I may try and do both Toledo vs SDSU and BSGU vs USF. Any of the other games absolutely worth attending over the others?