2025 Season record: 39-32-2
Nado’s Notions is back for its eighth season of action. We finished with a winning percentage of 54.8% in 2025 and hoping to improve on that this season.
I opted out of week zero, and thankfully I did because I really liked TCU. Quarterback Jaden Craig was a disappointment and not having wide receiver Jordan Dwyer did not help matters.
Onward!
Long Island Sharks (0-1) @ Kansas Jayhawks (0-0) | September 4 | 7:00 PM CT | David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium
Line: Kansas -40.5 | Total: 53.5
We begin the 2026 season in Lawrence, Kansas where Kansas hosts Long Island. Long Island began their season last week, and it got ugly rather quickly. The Sharks defense surrendered touchdowns on their first three defensive possessions and found themselves down 42-0 at halftime against FCS North Dakota.
It will not get any easier this week as they take on the Jayhawks. Offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki is back in Lawrence after a stint at Penn State. In 2023, Kotelnicki led a Kansas offense that was 17th in the country in scoring at 34.8 points per game.
With Jalon Daniels off to the pros, Kansas will be quarterbacked by Isaiah Marshall. Marshall is limited on experience, but like Daniels, he is a threat as a runner. Marshall averaged over 10 yards per rush attempt in 2025.
Outside of Marshall, this is an older roster for Kansas. Their depth chart is littered with upperclassmen.
The Jayhawks also added running back Dylan Edwards, who has spent time at Colorado and Kansas State. Edwards is a home run threat and we should see him get loose against an overmatched Long Island defense.
It is also noteworthy that Marshall won a competitive quarterback battle over Cole Ballard. It is likely Ballard will play in this game, and the offense should remain full-go.
Give me Kansas -40.5.
Ohio Bobcats (0-0) @ Nebraska Cornhuskers (0-0) | September 5 | 11:00 AM CT | Memorial Stadium
Line: Nebraska -23.5 | Total: 46.5
The Frank Solich Bowl gets underway in Lincoln as the former coach’s two former schools do battle on Saturday.
Ohio should come in with some confidence after winning three straight to close out the 2025 season. The last of which was a win over UNLV, who was quarterbacked by Anthony Colandrea. Colandrea now takes over at quarterback for Nebraska. In that matchup, Colandrea was held without a passing touchdown and was picked off once.
Colandrea will lead a Cornhusker offense replacing its biggest weapon in running back Emmett Johnson. Johnson led the Big Ten in rushing yards with 1,451 yards in 2025.
On the flip side, Nebraska struggled to stop the run in 2025. The Cornhuskers defense allowed over 200 rushing yards in six of thirteen games last season.
The Ohio running game will feature Duncan Brune who ran for 585 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2025.
Ohio +23.5 is my pick.
Nicholls Colonels (1-0) @ Kansas State Wildcats (0-0) | September 5 | 6:00 PM CT | Bill Snyder Family Stadium
Line: Kansas State -40.5 | Total: 55.5
Nicholls began their season last week. Despite an interception on their first play, the Colonels bounced back and made quick work of Mississippi Valley State. Nicholls State rolled up 515 yards of offense in their 44-10 victory.
Kansas State head coach Collin Klein is making his debut. The former Wildcats quarterback takes over a program coming off a disappointing season. The struggles began early in the season with a loss to Iowa State in Ireland. Kansas State followed that up with a close win over North Dakota then back-to-back losses to Army and Arizona.
Kansas State will be looking for a much better start to the Klein era, but this line is disrespectful to the Colonels, especially with a game under their belt. Give me Nicholls +40.5.
UCLA Bruins (0-0) @ California Golden Bears | September 5 | 9:30 PM CT | California Memorial Stadium
Line: UCLA -1.5 | Total: 53.5
The college football slate does not offer much, but we do get Pac-12 after dark! While this is not officially a Pac-12 game, when UCLA and Cal square off late Saturday, the vibes are still there.
With two talented quarterbacks in Nico Iamaleava and Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, this has the makings of a shootout. Iamaleava is in his second season at UCLA and should improve under the new coaching staff.
Sagapolutele will have some new targets at receiver this season. Cal added Ian Strong from Rutgers and Chase Hendricks from Ohio. The duo combined for 1,799 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2025.
I am taking over 53.5.
It is not the best slate, but college football is back! Also, I am not going to ask you to like and subscribe, but feel free to share this with your friends, your enemies, or whoever you would like. Let’s get some winners!
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One response to “Nado’s Notions: Week 1”
[…] Last week: 2-2 (Kansas -40.5, Ohio +23.5, Nicholls +40.5, UCLA/Cal over 53.5) […]
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