College football is back. Week 1 is here. And here’s what we’re hearing about the sport as most teams finally take the field. Sources spoke on condition of anonymity to provide an honest assessment and candor.Oregon Ducks: National Title Favorites?Bruce Feldman and Ralph D. RussoIndiana’s big questionThe biggest question for college football’s defending national champion Indiana is this: How well will quarterback Josh Hoover do in replacing Heisman Trophy winner and first overall NFL Draft pick Fernando Mendoza?Hoover has plenty of arm talent, but like Mendoza, who took a lot of sacks at Cal before arriving in Bloomington, Hoover comes with one significant area of concern: turnovers. He threw 33 interceptions and lost nine fumbles in the past three years while playing for TCU. One of the biggest reasons for optimism inside the Hoosiers program, we hear, aside from coach Curt Cignetti’s magnificent track record of finding and developing QBs, is how impressive Indiana’s new running backs have looked.Indiana, which ranked No. 12 in the nation in rushing and No. 1 in the Big Ten last season, has to replace Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black, a pair of 1,000-yard rushers.The Hoosiers’ new 1-2 punch might be even more explosive than last year’s tandem. In Boston College transfer Turbo Richard, who ran for 749 yards and scored 11 touchdowns last season, they have a player who is fast but also really elusive. In Khobie Martin, who averaged 6.5 yards per carry and scored six TDs for the Hoosiers in 2025, they have a complete back who is very smooth with eye-catching acceleration. They’ve also added UAB transfer Lee Beebe, a 218-pound power back who missed most of last year with a torn ACL but had 1,103 yards from scrimmage and eight TDs in 2024.This backfield, along with a stout defense, is going to help Hoover a lot as he acclimates to Cignettiball before Indiana’s schedule ramps up in mid-October.Look out for the Fighting Irish defenseLast year, Notre Dame ranked No. 9 in the country in fewest yards per play allowed on defense. But the Irish were only 35th in third-down defense and 47th in red-zone TD percentage. The latter two numbers are respectable, but we think the Irish will take a big jump on defense this year — and that is a big part of why we’re picking Notre Dame to win the national title this season.Look for the Irish to become a more smothering defense this fall with the arrival on staff of D-line coach Charlie Partridge, regarded inside the coaching world as one of the top developers of defensive linemen. “We were small inside,” said a team source, “but we’ve really bulked up and added some good depth.”Edge rusher Bryce Young, the son of Irish great Bryant Young, is starting to emerge, we’re told. Young, No. 50 on this year’s Freaks List, improved his broad jump from 9-5 to 10-2 and jumped 35 inches vertically. He had 20 tackles and two sacks last season but is primed for a breakthrough in 2026 now that he’s leaner, stronger and more explosive. The Irish also brought in several promising newcomers in the portal to go with last year’s breakout defensive lineman Boubacar Traore (10 TFLs, 6.5 sacks).