The rise of Cameron Ward, the Sooner problem, and other early season college football storylines proven wrong

We are about a quarter of the way through the 2024 college football season, which means we are all gaining a much deeper understanding of the full landscape. With so many breakdowns, preseason hype, and hot takes that were made over the last several months, there are also a series of surprises both positively and negatively.

Here are those surprises, including some of the studs and duds from preseason hype. These players, coaches, and teams have all captured our attention throughout. It’s made for a very interesting early season football action.

STUDS

Here are the studs in college football so far this season.

Miami quarterback Cameron Ward

A lot of people expected Ward to be a huge upgrade for the Hurricanes under center, but I’m not sure anyone expected this. Through four games, Ward has thrown for 1,439 yards and 15 total touchdowns. He has done so while throwing just two interceptions, and completing over 72 percent of his passes. The optimism has returned to the Miami program, and a big reason for that is the dynamic right arm of Ward.

Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton

They haven’t gotten a ton of preseason hype but Maryland quietly has two legitimate NFL Draft prospects with Felton and Kaden Prather. The latter got a little more of the attention out of the two, and Prather is very talented but Felton has been arguably the best wide receiver in college football so far this season. In four games, Felton has hauled in 41 receptions for 604 yards and five touchdowns. He’s been stellar, and NFL scouts are taking notice.

Tennessee Volunteers

A lot of people expected Tennessee to take a nice step this season, and some even thought they could be a bit of a sleeper. A few games into the year, the Volunteers look like they could be even better than most believed. They are led by sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who has been stellar. We expect the offense to be good under head coach Josh Heupel, but the defense has been even better. The defensive line is deep and productive, which makes for a great combination.

DUDS

Here are the duds in college football so far this season.

Oklahoma Sooner offense

What a strange world we are living in. Oklahoma has a good defense, and a very poor offense. It has typically been the complete opposite, but this might be the Brent Venables experience. Jackson Arnold has been poor at quarterback, and is now on the bench following his performance against Tennessee. The offensive line has been extremely underwhelming, and the wide receiver unit is depleted. It’s a mess right now.

Texas A&M quarterback Conner Weigman

Before the season, Weigman was being hyped up as potentially a big riser in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Obviously things are not off to a great start. Weigman looked very poor against Notre Dame in the season opener, and has now been injured. Redshirt freshman Marcel Reed has filled in, and showed some promise. It will be interesting to see if there is a quarterback controversy once Weigman is back fully healthy.

UNC head coach Mack Brown

The Tar Heels are sitting at 3-1 but they are coming off of a disastrous 70 to 50 loss to James Madison this past week. Obviously that is a very troubling performance, but that’s not even the worst part of that performance. After the game, it’s reported that Coach Brown asked the team afterwards if they still wanted him to coach. That statement may have opened up Pandora’s Box. The team backed Brown but once that thought is out there, it’s a bad sign for the next time the team struggles, especially so early on in the season.