Welcome to Glass Slipper! Roman Anthony is a problem; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

**NOTICE: Glass Slipper will arrive on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday next week.

We’re back. Each Saturday morning of the college football regular season, I will be predicting the outcome of the six best games of the weekend. Every time I pick the wrong team to win, it costs me $15. At the end of the year, I will use the total pot of money to buy gifts for random Glass Slipper subscribers. That’s right; you literally benefit from my failures. Let’s go.

Game 1: No. 1 Texas vs. No. 3 Ohio State

The pick: Ohio State wins, 20-17.

Look, I think the Longhorns are better. I have them claiming the national title, after all. If this was a neutral-site contest, I’d take Texas in a heartbeat. But… do you know how many passes Arch Manning has attempted on an opposing team’s campus? I’ll provide a little hint, if you need it. He’s tied with you.

The Tennessee matchup in Round 1 of the playoff was the first time I’ve been impressed by a Columbus atmosphere in a half-decade. That crowd - still stinging from another Michigan loss - will pale in comparison to the one filing into the Shoe as we speak. Win or lose, I’m so excited to see the Bucks have a meaningful home-field advantage again. A ring has rejuvenated the entire city, and this afternoon is going to serve as evidence.

Arch has obviously grown up in the spotlight. Still, asking a guy with zero road experience to deliver the goods in front of 110,000 rabid fans is a lot. It’s hard for me to envision him leaving Columbus without committing a turnover or two. Though OSU’s fleet of young talent has a few nervy moments, the defending champions escape in a low-scoring affair.

Game 2: Syracuse vs. No. 24 Tennessee

The pick: Tennessee wins, 23-21.

My list of 32 squads that are capable of reaching the CFP excluded the Vols, and that was not an oversight. The concerns begin with Joey Aguilar, who flung 24 interceptions in 25 appearances at a Group of Five school. Far too many of those were due to some inexplicable decision-making. Joey then headed to UCLA, and was uninspiring enough to make that staff salivate over the man he is now trying to replace at Tennessee. I’m not sure a path to 9-3 exists.

Syracuse quietly had double-digit victories in 2024; a 13.5-point line thus feels awfully disrespectful. I’ll go with Josh Heupel’s group to scrape by in Atlanta, but look out.

Game 3: No. 8 Alabama vs. Florida State

The pick: Alabama wins, 31-13.

This should be a satisfying lesson in humility. The Tide are dealing with a rash of injuries, and it won’t matter. I’m certainly interested to hear what Thomas Castellanos has to say in that postgame presser. Does he take ownership of his chesty talk, or make excuses? I sure hope he selects the mature route.

Game 4: No. 9 LSU vs. No. 4 Clemson

The pick: LSU wins, 28-24.

What a fantastic matchup. An immediate how-much-better-did-you-get assessment for Garrett Nussmeier, and a chance to find out if Tom Allen’s unit is as dominant as it looks on paper. The two sides are bickering over the Death Valley moniker, as well? I can’t wait.

LSU’s season-opening woes are well-documented; five(!!) consecutive 0-1 starts definitely qualifies as an alarming problem. Maybe I’m hung up on the ugliness I saw from Cade Klubnik in Week 1 last season, but I’m sensing an up-and-down evening tonight. Caden Durham enjoys a big performance, and the Bayou Bengals earn their most important victory since the Joe Burrow era.

Game 5: Virginia Tech vs. No. 13 South Carolina

The pick: South Carolina wins, 35-17

The LaNorris Sellers Heisman hype train will reach blistering speeds after this one. The Hokies are normally a bit tougher on defense than you might expect, but they don’t have an answer for that kid. Shane Beamer thumps his family’s beloved program, and the Gamecocks’ chase for a playoff bid gets off to a nice start.

Game 6: No. 6 Notre Dame vs. No. 10 Miami (FL)

The pick: Notre Dame wins, 33-20.

The ‘Canes gave up 31 or more points in six of their last nine games a year ago, and I’m not convinced they did enough in the portal to fix the issue. Cam Ward rewrote Miami’s record books; he never got the chance to shine on a big stage because a seventh-round quarterback on the other sideline dropped 42. Even if Carson Beck flourishes this season, he could very well suffer a similar fate.

Needless to say, I don’t trust the Hurricanes to capitalize on CJ Carr’s inexperience. The Irish are superior at just about every position group, and I expect them to win rather comfortably.

Pressroom

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“Don’t Do Me Like That” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. Big weekend.