Opening weekend of college football spanned five days and largely over-delivered on excitement despite the lack of many marquee matchups. We did not learn a whole lot about the national contenders, but going off what we saw my national Top 10 is below.
On Sunday I posted my Pac-12 Power Rankings, which can be seen below the Top 10.
National Top 10
1. Clemson
Last Week: Beat Georgia Tech, 52-14
Next Game: Saturday vs. Texas A&M
Trevor Lawrence and my favorite running back in the country, Travis Etienne, did not skip a beat in the opener. Now they face one of the few challenges on their regular season schedule with a visit from Texas A&M.
2. Georgia
Last Week: Beat Vanderbilt, 30-6
Next Game: Saturday vs. Murray State
A solid, if not spectacular, start for Georgia which opened the year with a conference victory. Now it’s a tuneup game before the showdown with Notre Dame on Sept. 21.
3. Alabama
Last Week: Beat Duke, 42-3
Next Game: Saturday vs. New Mexico State
It took a little while to get going, but Alabama did Alabama things by dispatching a pesky Duke squad in the opener. Like Georgia, this week will be a tune up as the Tide awaits the start of conference play on Sept. 21 vs. South Carolina.
4. Oklahoma
Last Week: Beat Houston, 49-31
Next Game: Saturday vs. South Dakota
Another year, another Heisman contender in Norman. Jalen Hurts delivered in big time fashion as Oklahoma rolled against Houston. Yet another sleeper on the schedule this week for a Top 10 team.
5. Ohio State
Last Week: Beat FAU, 45-21
Next Game: Saturday vs. Cincinnati
Justin Fields and the Buckeyes came out clicking in their opener, but will face a much more difficult test this week with a visit from Cincinnati. The Bearcats won 11 games a year ago and knocked off UCLA last Thursday.
6. LSU
Last Week: Beat Georgia Southern, 55-3
Next Game: Saturday at Texas
I had the Tigers No. 9 in my preseason rankings, but an impressive debut and a loss from Oregon affords the opportunity to slide LSU up a few notches. This week’s showdown at Texas could position the Tigers nicely for early playoff contention, especially since a big non-conference win could cancel out a tough SEC loss later in the year.
7. Washington
Last Week: Beat Eastern Washington, 47-14
Next Game: Saturday vs. California
It was a great start for Jacob Eason and the Huskies, but a stiff challenge awaits Saturday against the Golden Bears. The Pac-12 North will be a wild ride this season, but Oregon’s loss does not help anyone in the league with aspirations of the College Football Playoff.
8. Utah
Last Week: Beat BYU, 30-12
Next Game: Saturday vs. Northern Illinois
The stout Utah defense delivered in the opener against rival BYU. Now it’s the home opener against Northern Illinois, which should not be much of a challenge. The Utes are in the unique position of being a heavy favorite in the Pac-12 South, but their conference opener is a few weeks away.
9. Florida
Last Week: Beat Miami, 24-20 (Aug. 24)
Next Game: Saturday vs. Tennessee-Martin
The Gators opened with a Week 0 victory over Miami, which was critical to kick off Dan Mullen’s second season and keep alive their plans to challenge Georgia as the top team in the SEC East. Defensively, Florida looked strong and they have playmakers offensively, but can a thin offensive line hold up throughout the season?
10. Michigan
Last Week: Beat Middle Tennessee, 40-21
Next Game: Saturday vs. Army
One of the only Top 10 teams I did not see much of last week, but the Wolverines pulled away. This week they will be tested by a tough and deliberate Army team, which barely escaped an upset against Rice last week.
Pac-12 North
For three quarters, it looked like Oregon was going to deliver the marquee non-conference win that the Pac-12 desperately needed. But the Ducks missed opportunities to open the game up early came back to haunt them as Auburn’s defense stiffened and its offense found enough plays to overcome Oregon in the final minute.
While the loss does not affect Oregon’s standing in the Pac-12, it does put the league behind the eight-ball for the College Football Playoff discussion at this early stage of the season. It will be an uphill battle for the conference, as it will for the Ducks who must fend off Washington, Stanford and Washington State just to win the North Division.
After one week, here’s how I see the North:
1. Washington
Last Week: Beat Eastern Washington, 47-14
Next Game: Saturday vs. California
The Huskies had to replace a ton of key players, but they have recruited at an elite level for several years. QB Jacob Eason makes the offense more prolific through the air, and this remains the program to beat in the North until proven otherwise.
2. Oregon
Last Week: Lost to Auburn, 27-21
Next Game: Saturday vs. Nevada
How the Ducks respond to a disheartening loss will be interesting. Mario Cristobal has done an excellent job instilling a toughness and championship mindset into the program, but now faces his biggest challenge yet as he tries to re-focus his team as plenty of football is left to play this season.
3. Stanford
Last Week: Beat Northwestern, 17-7
Next Game: Saturday at USC
It wasn’t pretty, but Stanford wins rarely are pretty. Holding off Northwestern is an important win for the Cardinal and the Pac-12. The health of QB K.J. Costello will go a long way to determining if this team can challenge and surprise in the North. The upcoming schedule remains daunting.
4. Washington State
Last Week: Beat New Mexico State, 58-7
Next Game: Saturday vs. Northern Colorado
Mike Leach’s Air Raid attack did not miss a beat with its new QB Anthony Gordon, even if the competition did not provide much resistance. A winning attitude and culture is thriving on the Palouse, and until things change, the Cougs will remain a contender in the North.
5. California
Last Week: Beat UC Davis, 27-13
Next Game: Saturday at Washington
It was a lackluster debut for a Cal team that cannot afford to step on its own foot. The offense was sluggish, which was to be expected, but the defense also did not assert itself early against UC Davis. While defense should be the strength, the question remains if the Bears can score enough points to challenge the teams ahead of them in this division.
6. Oregon State
Last Week: Lost to Oklahoma State, 52-36
Next Game: Saturday at Hawai’i
The Beavers proved they will be able to move the football and score some points, but the defense remains far from the level that will threaten teams in the Pac-12. Oklahoma State moved the ball at will with a freshman QB debuting on the road. Expect this team to continue to improve slowly, but a breakthrough remains a year away, at least.
Pac-12 South
Road setbacks for Arizona and UCLA did not get the South off to the best start, but Utah asserted its dominance over BYU to get things back on track. Arizona State, Colorado and USC each won games they were expected to comfortably, so the pecking order is pretty simple at this stage.
While the Utes are the heavy favorite to win the division, USC was talented enough to make a run, especially hosting Utah this season. But the loss of JT Daniels throws a wrench into the expectations for the Trojans.
This week USC opens conference play with a home showdown against Stanford. A win would bolster not only USC’s hopes for the season, but the status of the South Division which, outside of Utah, is overshadowed by the North frontrunners.
Here is a look at how I see the South race going into Week 2:
1. Utah
Last Week: Beat BYU, 30-12
Next Game: Saturday vs. Northern Illinois
The first 30 minutes was the struggle most expected against BYU, but the Utes asserted their dominance in the second half with a couple momentum-changing plays. The defense is going to be outstanding, but can the offensive line protect Tyler Huntley and can he make the winning decisions in close games? That, along with regressed kicking game performance, are the questions that will decide if this is a championship-caliber team.
2. USC
Last Week: Beat Fresno State, 31-23
Next Game: Saturday vs. Stanford
The Trojans’ new offense was looking impressive, then JT Daniels went down with a knee injury. It was a struggle to hold off Fresno State from there, but USC was able to prevail. With Daniels out the rest of the regular season, the questions and pressure pile up for Clay Helton & Co.
3. Arizona State
Last Week: Beat Kent State, 30-7
Next Game: Friday vs. Sacramento State
It was a steady debut performance for true freshman QB Jayden Daniels and the Sun Devils in a relatively easy win over Kent State. The defense showed plenty of promising signs, but how much of a test did it really face? There’s one more week to sort out the kinks before the first real test of the season.
4. Colorado
Last Wek: Beat Colorado State, 52-31
Next Game:Saturday vs. Nebraska
Consider Mel Tucker’s debut a success. The Buffs turned in a balanced performance to defeat rival Colorado State. The defense yielded some yards, but the offense focused more on establishing the run than having QB Steven Montez sit back in the pocket. They key will be working Laviska Shenault Jr. into this balance, as he had only six total touches on offense.
5. UCLA
Last Game: Lost at Cincinnati, 24-14
Next Game: Saturday vs. San Diego State
The Bruins went on the road to open the season against an 11-win team that they lost to a year ago, so they were underdogs. It was a great start for the Bruins until Dorian Thompson-Robinson fumbled on the opening possession. Then, the Bruins struggled to do much of anything offensively. That was eerily similar to their struggles early last season. It’s hard to know what to expect from this team going forward, especially as the non-conference slate remains difficult.
6. Arizona
Last Week: Idle; Lost at Hawai’i, 45-38 (Aug. 24)
Next Game: Saturday vs. Northern Arizona
The Wildcats had a disappointing start to the season that saw their comeback bid fall short at Hawai’I in Week 0. It was a similar story to a season ago when the offense too often struggled early and the defense surrendered too many big plays. The good news was QB Khalil Tate looked healthy, but establishing the rushing attack around him needs to become a priority. Expect a bounce-back against NAU this week, then judgement day arrives when Texas Tech comes to town.
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