Week 1 of the college football season is completed (unlike many of the passes in the first games), and the first poll of the active season has been established. We knew ahead of time that the upper strata were going to be shaken up, what with no fewer than three games involving top-10 matchups on the slate. Toss in an additional upset, and this list already looks far different than the pre-season picks.
The Labor Day weekend was a good time to see just what your school was capable of, how well they were ranked, as well as getting to know all of the new players who are now your favorite, thanks to the transfer portal fluidity.
It was a packed weekend, with games extended through Monday night, when Bill Belichick’s college debut saw him roundly run off by TCU. (And due to our managing editor’s affinity for the Tar Heels, that is all we will mention of this.) Here’s the rundown of the highlights from this debut weekend and some of the notable results.
ESPN’s longtime Saturday morning fixture Lee Corso officially left “College Game Day,” making his final appearance on the panel and seeing his donning of the mascot head for the last time. Tributes were aplenty on Saturday, including the Ohio State marching band forming his name on the field. And host Reese Davis has declared Corso’s signature at the close of every show will be leaving with the coach. "Anyone who tries to put on a mascot headgear to make a pick at the end of the show, I will deliver a form tackle that would make Chris Spielman jealous," Davis said.
A testament to the “College Game Day” power is seen as Fox Sports has been looking to entrench its own Saturday pregame broadcast, “The Big Noon Kickoff,” with a panel of experts and former players, as well as looking for its version of Pat McAfee. The deal made in the offseason was to bring on Dave Portnoy, the force behind Barstool Sports, and his arrival brought instant controversy. As the Fox show was also located in Columbus for the Ohio State-Texas tilt, reports were that the school was forbidding Portnoy from entering the stadium for the game. This became disputed, but not debatable was the reaction the Buckeye faithful had for the boisterous Michigan fan.
On the subject of mascots, while the Oregon Ducks had a breezy time of it getting past Montana State, not all the waterfowl on the field had a good game. The new occupier of the famed Duck Mascot had a moment when his head was detached during the pregame festivities. Panic ensued.
The Oregon Duck lost his head while running out 😬 pic.twitter.com/pr3OSxbdbx
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) August 30, 2025
- In New Orleans, there has been plenty of recognition on the 20th anniversary of the day Hurricane Katrina decimated the city. To commemorate the event, Tulane wanted to wear the same uniforms from that year, but their request for the switch to gameday whites was rebuffed by visiting Northwestern, which said the request came in too late as the Wildcats had already aligned their helmet decals and uniform patches. Tulane coach Jon Sumrall used this slight as motivation, as the Green Tide dominated with a 23-3 win.
Some of last year’s upstarts had a tough opening. Boise State had a first-round bye in last year’s playoffs and opened as the only school out of the Power Four conferences to be ranked in the pre-season, at #25. The Broncos were drilled by the South Florida Bulls, 34-7. And after a strong bowl season, the Army Knights seem less weaponized as they dropped their opener to…(rechecks score sheet)...it says Tarleton State.
On to the bigger games.
Ohio State 14 - Texas 7
In a game that was as much about flagging offenses as it was a defensive battle, the long-awaited Arch Manning era got off to a grinding start. The touted Longhorn QB struggled all day, as he missed receivers on the way to just 170 yards in the air, and was not able to get Texas to the end zone until there was 3:28 remaining in the game. On the other side, the Buckeyes were not much better, gaining only 203 yards of total offense. The game came down to essentially two plays, which could have easily flipped the score. Texas was completely stymied inside the five-yard line and could not punch in with a 4th-and-inches. Ohio State got the winning score on a miracle no-look catch by Carnell Tate in the end zone with blanket coverage.
Miami 27 - Notre Dame 24
Playing under tropical rains, the Carson Beck era in Miami started strong. After a first quarter where the Georgia Bulldog transfer looked off on his timing with receivers, he settled in and piloted the offense for much of the game. Beck ran three touchdown drives of 70+ yards as he seemed thrilled to have receivers who could hang onto the ball, even in the rain. (Last year, he suffered from the most dropped passes in D-1 play with the Bulldogs.) One surprise for the Hurricanes was receiver Malachi Toney, a local 17-year-old recruit the team kept secret, who had 82 yards receiving and a touchdown. The highlight was a staggering one-handed 20-yard nab by Liberty transfer CJ Daniels, stabbing the ball as it was about to be intercepted and tucking it in as he landed for the touchdown. Two fourth-quarter scores tied the game, but helping preserve the win was a wild Miami interception that was deflected twice and then kicked in midair before being taken in by star lineman Rueben Bain Jr.
Straight out of a video game 😦
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 1, 2025
The Hurricanes come up with the INT! pic.twitter.com/exia1fBxgh
LSU 17 - Clemson 10
In another offensive letdown by Heisman hopefuls, Cade Klubnik and Garrett Nussmeier spent much of the game shaking off the rust. Klubnick was hounded all game by the Tigers' defense as he went 19/38 and an interception. Making his cause more difficult was a complete absence of a running game, with Clemson gaining just 31 yards in total. Nussmeier fared better, coming around in the second half and guiding LSU to the go-ahead score with 12 minutes remaining to take the road win.
FSU 31 - Alabama 17
The biggest top-10 upset came Saturday night as the hotseat watch for Kalen DeBoer begins. The Alabama faithful were dismayed to see their school coming back down to Earth. They are unsettled, however, not just with a loss this early, but with the level of defeat. Florida State dominated both sides of scrimmage as they nearly rushed for three times the yardage. This result stands as the first time the Tide lost an opener by more than two touchdowns since 1970. And this blowout took place with the Seminoles only making nine completions.
Also seen: Kansas State fell off as the early #17 squad lost to Iowa State on Week-0 in Ireland, and this week had to edge North Dakota as it took Avery Johnson hitting his third touchdown pass with under a minute left in the game. Utah looks completely different as it stormed past UCLA, 43-10, putting up more points than the Utes were likely to have scored in two games last season.
LSU, Iowa State, and Miami were the big movers, as Alabama took a 13-point dive
Here is the new AP Top-25 (1st place votes received)
Ohio State (55)
Penn State (7)
LSU (3)
Georgia
Miami
Oregon
Texas
Clemson
Notre Dame
South Carolina
llinois
Arizona State
Florida
Florida State
Michigan
Iowa State
SMU
Oklahoma
Texas A&M
Ole Miss
Alabama
Tennessee
Indiana
Texas Tech
Utah
Editor's Note: The mainstream media continues to deflect, gaslight, spin, and lie about President Trump, his administration, and conservatives.
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