A final offering of news and notes you need to know before Week 1's main Saturday entree begins (but Thursday night sure was an awful lot of fun).
Updates on unsettled QB competitions
We're not sure yet who the starter will be, but this battle between Alex Orji and former walk-on Davis Warren ended up being a true competition, one that ultimately became tighter and tougher to call than even Michigan sources were expecting as of a couple weeks ago. The super-athletic Orji has been the favorite in this competition for an extended period of time but him being up-and-down in recent weeks combined with Warren doing well led to Warren being a true factor in this competition. Warren, a former cancer survivor, is a terrific story.
Maryland head coach Mike Locksley indicated earlier in the week that he's already selected a starting quarterback but has yet to make a public announcement. It seems likely that Billy Edwards, who was Taulia Tagovailoa's backup last season, ends up being the starter. Edwards, who has been competing for the job with NC State transfer MJ Morris and redshirt freshman Cam Edge, ran for seven touchdowns last season.
Former Vanderbilt and Mississippi State quarterback Mike Wright may end up being the choice to start here. He's been involved in a tight competition with redshirt sophomore Jack Lausch, who appeared in 10 games last season as a reserve. Wright has made 14 career starts, including three last year at Mississippi State.
Pressure a two-way street in the Swamp
With high expectations comes real pressure on third-year Miami head coach Mario Cristobal to capitalize on what looks like a wide-open Atlantic Coast Conference with one of the highest-paid rosters in the country. Miami was very aggressive in the offseason, landing what many NIL insiders believe to be the highest-paid available quarterback in Washington State transfer Cam Ward, who commanded a seven-figure payday. Ward, along with Oregon State transfer running back Damian Martinez and Houston transfer wide receiver Sam Brown, contribute to Miami having real offensive firepower that Cristobal and Co. can't afford to squander starting Saturday against Florida in a game that Gators head coach Billy Napier would also desperately love to win.
Cristobal isn't on the hot seat like Napier, but multiple industry sources mentioned this week there's a lot of pressure for him to take advantage of this roster that's as talented as any in the ACC and that it would be less than ideal if the Hurricanes began this promising season with a loss to Florida. Cristobal is 12-13 through two seasons at Miami.
Debut of the best roster money can buy
Ohio State brass hasn't shied away from touting a $20 million roster buoyed by an aggressive transfer portal shopping spree. Fans will get their first view at what that money bought the Buckeyes when Ohio State opens its season Saturday against Akron at 3:30 ET on CBS.
The most important acquisition, for better or worse, was Kansas State quarterback Will Howard who will have a big impact on whether the Buckeyes can meet national-championship-or-bust expectations. Howard's starting price began at $500,000, we've reported.
But the biggest prize in Ohio State's collection of stars was safety Caleb Downs, the SEC Freshman of the Year in his lone season at Alabama. After Nick Saban announced his retirement, the expectation among informed parties was that Downs, a Georgia native, would leave the Crimson Tide for the home-state Bulldogs, especially after Travaris Robinson headed to Athens, even before he entered the portal. That Ohio State could beat Georgia, which badly wanted Downs, back in January might be the moment we look back on that helped get the Buckeyes over the hump in their title pursuit.
Big 12 defensive lineman poised for a big-time breakout year
Despite modest stats last year (five starts, 16 tackles and just two tackles for loss), Iowa State defensive lineman Domonique Orange was impressive enough that there were some high profile programs hoping during the winter for him to enter his name into the transfer portal.
Ultimately, he stayed put at Iowa State and is now seemingly in line for a big breakout season.
An Iowa State source said this week that the 6-foot-4, 325-pound junior has "been crushing it" and been "dominant" during the buildup to the season.
"Has gotten into the best shape of his life, is a freak athlete and poised to bust out," the source said.
The next Drake London for USC?
Replacing Caleb Williams won't be easy, but one of the benefits for new USC starting quarterback Miller Moss is that he'll be far from devoid of talent at wide receiver. And that goes beyond just Zachariah Branch.
Another Trojans receiver that may soon be a household name: Fellow sophomore Ja'Kobi Lane. Keep an eye on Lane on Sunday night against an LSU secondary that is not up to its standard.
The 6-foot-4, 195-pound Lane, a four-star recruit, has been so impressive behind the scenes at USC this offseason that Trojans sources have compared him at times skill set-wise to players like former Cincinnati Bengals star AJ Green and ex-USC standout Drake London, who's posted 141 catches and 1,771 yards the last two years with the Atlanta Falcons after being selected by the Falcons with the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft.
It comes after Lane closed last season on a high note with three catches for 60 yards with two touchdowns in USC's 42-28 win over Louisville in the Holiday Bowl.
Don't expect Georgia Tech to disappear any time soon
Ever since Georgia Tech's win over Florida State, one of the common things that's come up with industry sources regarding the Yellow Jackets has been that the win was far from a fluke and that Brent Key is building something with his alma mater that could have the team in a respectable position well beyond just this season.
In addition to Key now being 5-0 against ranked ACC opponents the last three years, he also now has Georgia Tech in position for its top-ranked recruiting class since the Yellow Jackets' 2007 class that included players such as eventual Tennessee Titans first-round defensive end Derrick Morgan. Georgia Tech's 2025 recruiting class is currently ranked 19th in the 247Sports team rankings. It includes five-star offensive lineman Josh Petty and three four-stars, including a top-125 overall prospect at cornerback in Jalen Penson who a personnel staffer at a top-tier program described as "one of, if not the best high school players in Georgia." There are also some three-stars in the class that people around the personnel space have mentioned as being high on such as safety Rasean Dinkins, EDGE Carrington Coombs and wide receiver Sam Turner.
