1. Ohio State – Coach Ryan Day’s Buckeyes are coming off a dominating week 1 win versus Ball State. Quarterback Julian Sayin looked excellent, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Two of the passing touchdowns came to preseason Heisman favorite Jeremiah Smith. Up next for the Buckeyes is a marquee roadie at Texas that will define the entire early season for the team that wins the game.
2. Georgia – Kirby Smart’s Dawgs did exactly what a championship contender should do with a great 63-3 season opener win over Tennessee State. Gunner Stockton looked amazing once again, completing 15-of-16 passes and throwing for three touchdowns. Nate Frazier looked amazing as well, rushing for 72 yards on four carries and three touchdowns. Saturday, The Dawgs host Western Kentucky before starting SEC play at Arkansas.
3. LSU – The Bayou Bengals destroyed Clemson 51-10, giving Lane Kiffin an incredible debut. It was arguably the most impressive performance out of any new coaching regime in Week 1. Quarterback Sam Lovett had a dominating performance in both passing and rushing. Up next for LSU is Louisiana Tech before starting SEC play at Lane Kiffin’s previous team at Ole Miss.
4. Texas – The Longhorns are coming off a dominating 59-7 win over Texas State. Second year starting quarterback Arch Manning completed 20-of-27 passes, four passing touchdowns and one interception. The Longhorns now get the ultimate test in Austin versus the Ohio State Buckeyes with the chance to rectify last year’s loss in The Shoe.
5. Notre Dame – Marcus Freeman’s Irish won 41-13 over Wisconsin, which is a very good result. Notre Dame was only up 13-10 at halftime before taking control of the game in the second half. The Irish schedule certainly sets up well for a championship run.
6. Indiana – Curt Cignetti’s defending national champions opened with a 52-16 win over North Texas. The win extends Indiana’s winning streak to 17, which is the Hoosiers’s FBS-best winning streak. Next for the Hoosiers is Howard before the rest of their schedule gets tougher.
7. Alabama – The Crimson Tide defeated East Carolina, and quarterback Keelon Russel’s debut gives Alabama plenty of reason for optimism. He did amazing in both the passing and running game, throwing for 256 passing yards as well as rushing for 86 yards. The Tide starts SEC play Saturday at Kentucky, led by new coach, Will Stein.
8. Miami – The Hurricanes opened the season with a 45-6 conference win over Stanford. Wide Receiver Malachi Toney, another Heisman contender, had his most impressive game of his career with 234 receiving and three receiving touchdowns. Up next for the Hurricanes is a Thursday night game with Florida A&M.
9. Oklahoma – The Sooners opened up the season with a 51-0 over UTEP. John Mateer looked sharp in his return as starting quarterback, throwing for 225 passing yards and three touchdowns. Now the Sooners will face the first real test of the season, traveling to Ann Arbour to take on Michigan.
10. Ole Miss – The Rebels opened up the season with one of the most entertaining games of Week 1, beating Louisville 41-38 at the Music City Kickoff in Nashville on Lucas Carnerio’s 48 yard field goal as time expired. Trinidad Chambliss had an outstanding performance, throwing for 336 passing yards, three passing touchdowns and one passing touchdown. Next, the Rebels host Charlotte before starting SEC play versus previous head coach Lane Kiffin’s LSU Tigers.
11. Texas Tech – The Red Raiders beat Abilene Christian 33-10 in their season opener. Quarterback Will Hammond returned from an ACL injury that ended his season last year, throwing for 298 passing yards and a passing touchdown. The Red Raiders also ran for 173 yards, while the defense held ACU to just 194 passing yards. Next, the Red Raiders travel to Oregon State.
12. Tennessee – The Volunteers opened the season with a dominating 56-9 win over Furman. Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon had an impressive debut and tied a Tennessee record with three touchdown passes. Tennessee’s offense looked explosive, but a real test comes Saturday on the road at Georgia Tech who is coming off a very disappointing 14-13 loss to Colorado.
