Season's Edge: Openers, Favorites, and a Billion-Dollar Back

The sport doesn't officially open until Saturday, but Thursday already felt like game week. Bill Belichick and North Carolina travel to Dublin to face TCU in what amounts to a reset moment for a program that stumbled to 4-8 in his debut season — a chance to quiet a year's worth of noise before a domestic crowd even sees his team.

On the national stage, the preseason consensus is taking shape around Ohio State and Notre Dame, though neither case is airtight. Ohio State sits atop most composite rankings while analysts openly question whether its offensive and defensive lines can hold up in January. Kirk Herbstreit answered by doubling down on the Irish, adding CJ Carr to his Heisman conversation — a pick that carries more weight given Herbstreit's platform and the momentum already building around Notre Dame.

Away from the polls, two programs made Thursday's quieter kind of news. Texas A&M enters its opener with a retooled offensive line and measured optimism at quarterback, tempered by a backfield injury still drawing attention in camp. Georgia, meanwhile, closed a recruiting cycle on a definitive note, landing the nation's top running back prospect with a seven-figure NIL commitment — a reminder that roster-building never really stops, even on the eve of Week 1.