Rivals national recruiting analyst Greg Smith is joined by national transfer portal analyst Adam Friedman, Tim Verghese of InsideNebraska.com and Ryan Young of TrojanSports.com to tackle three topics and determine whether they believe each statement is FACT or FICTION.
MORE FACT OR FICTION: DJ Lagway will be the top freshman QB this season
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1. The Colorado game can jumpstart the Matt Rhule era in Lincoln.
Verghese: FACT. As long as Nebraska can at least play competitive football, the environment expected at Memorial Stadium on a Saturday prime time game, paired with the number of recruits expected in town could generate some serious momentum on and off the field. Dylan Raiola’s debut already caught the eyes of prospects across the country, a standout performance, relative to expectations for a true freshman, with even more eyes on him could see the Huskers emerge as a contender for recruits they’re currently not involved with.
Nebraska’s confidence in their defense’s ceiling this year under Tony White, limiting Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter and the Colorado offense could be a wake-up call for top 2025 and 2026 defensive targets expected in town such as 2025 Alabama four-star linebacker commit Dawson Merritt, 2026 four-star athlete Brandon Arrington and 2026 Miami four-star linebacker commit Jordan Campbell.
Smith: FACT. This game will have a ton of eyeballs on it and I can’t wait to see what the ratings number comes in at. You’ve got a storied rivalry between two programs with notable head coaches. There is star power at quarterback on both teams. A win against Colorado at night in Memorial Stadium would have fans and recruits buzzing. There will be an enormous amount of visitors in town as well including four-star outside linebacker target Christian Jones.
This game could resonate for years to come for Matt Rhule's program.
2. USC’s Week 1 win shows it is a Big Ten championship contender.
Young: FACT. I still wouldn’t call USC a top contender, not yet, but ‘A contender,’ certainly. The Trojans showed there is indeed life after Caleb Williams, as Miller Moss threw for 378 yards, didn’t turn the ball over and led two late fourth quarter touchdown drives for the win while looking supremely poised and in command.
They also showed that they may actually have a defense for the first time in … many, many years. USC only managed to keep one power conference foe under 28 points last year, and in D’Anton Lynn’s debut held a pretty potent LSU team to 20 while making key stop after key stop. It was the fewest points USC had allowed to a ranked opponent since 2019. And it just LOOKED different than anything we’d seen from a USC defense since even further back than that. It’s one game, but it’s hard not to raise expectations for this team.
I don’t know yet if they can stack up with Ohio State or Oregon, etc., but give me a larger sample size of what we saw Sunday and I could certainly get there. Either way, I would now expect this USC team to remain very much in the mix in the conference race until deep in the season.
Smith: FICTION. It was a huge win for coach Lincoln Riley against LSU in Vegas. However, the Trojans must show me more than an opening week win for me to believe in them being a true contender in the Big Ten. There were encouraging signs, notably the physicality of the defense. If the team can do that from week-to-week in the meat grinder that is the Big Ten, it’ll be very impressive.
Riley said after the game "That was some pretty good Big Ten football today.” Let’s revisit this topic when the weather turns and the physical games pile up.
3. Cam Ward will be the biggest impact transfer in the country this season.
Friedman: FACT. Cam Ward’s career at Miami got off to an outstanding start on Saturday and if he can keep it up the Hurricanes will find themselves in the College Football Playoff. With him leading the way, Miami is the obvious favorite to win the ACC. Ward wasn’t the highest-ranked transfer in the 2024 cycle but he is the highest-ranked starting quarterback. Caleb Downs, Walter Nolen, Evan Stewart, Kadyn Proctor and Julian Sayin are all excellent prospects and some could end up being picked higher in the NFL Draft than Ward when the time comes but it would be a stretch to say any of them will have as big an impact as Ward this season.
Smith: FACT. There is an argument to be made for a pair of Ohio State players here. Downs is a superstar safety that helps control the game. Quinshon Judkins should have a terrific year as part of the Buckeyes' tailback tandem.
However, I have to go with Ward. It’s not just because he had an outstanding season-opening game that led to a big win over Florida. If Ward hits his ceiling and plays like a first-round NFL Draft pick, it will make Miami a playoff team. If the Hurricanes pull that off, it could be the shot in the arm that coach Mario Cristobal needs to bring Miami back to national relevance. I’m calling my shot now and saying both end up happening. The Hurricanes will go to the College Football Playoff and Ward will be a first-rounder.
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