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ESPN staffSep 2, 2024, 10:00 PM ET
After five straight days of college football, Week 1 is in the books. There was a school-record-breaking performance from Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava in his freshman debut, showing the preseason hype around him was warranted. Other programs didn’t have as ideal a weekend, but it’s only Week 1.
Can Iamaleava maintain his performance when the Volunteers take on top-25 opponent NC State in Week 2? What does LSU need to improve on after a tough last-second loss to USC?
Our experts voted on who should be in the top 25 and gave their first impressions on each school based on Week 1 performances.
No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs
It was a new season but the same results for Georgia’s tenacious defense in its 34-3 rout of Clemson in Atlanta. The Bulldogs limited the Tigers to only 13 first downs and 188 yards of offense. Clemson passed the 50-yard line only twice. Georgia linebackers Jalon Walker and Raylen Wilson and end Mykel Williams applied good pressure on Tigers quarterback Cade Klubnik, and freshman safety KJ Bolden looked more than ready in his first college game with four tackles.
All-American safety Malaki Starks moved to the star position because of Joenel Aguero‘s injury, and Starks adjusted well. Depth on the defensive line remains a concern, especially if Williams (ankle) and tackle Warren Brinson (leg) are sidelined for long. Williams was wearing a walking boot on his left foot when he left Mercedes-Benz Stadium. — Mark Schlabach
No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes
The Buckeyes have yet another rising star wideout in true freshman Jeremiah Smith, who shined in his Ohio State debut. Smith dropped his first pass off his chest on the opening drive. After that, he was unstoppable. He finished with 92 yards receiving on six catches and became the first Ohio State freshman in 26 years to debut with two touchdown receptions.
Smith joins Ohio State’s enviable array of dangerous playmakers, which includes preseason All-American wideout Emeka Egbuka and standout running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, who combined for 120 rushing yards in Ohio State’s 52-6 victory over Akron. The offense got off to a slow start in coordinator Chip Kelly’s first game calling plays. But in the second half, Ohio State got rolling behind a promising performance from senior transfer quarterback Will Howard. Once it settles in with all the new pieces, this Ohio State offense figures to be a juggernaut. — Jake Trotter
No. 3 Texas Longhorns
Answers to the biggest questions surrounding the Longhorns will have to wait until next weekend’s visit to Michigan, but this was a comprehensive start from Texas. Quarterback Quinn Ewers opened his junior season 20-of-27 for 260 yards with three touchdown throws, including an eye-catching, no-look touchdown strike to Matthew Golden before halftime.
Freshman pass catcher Ryan Wingo led Texas with 70 receiving yards on four catches, and Arch Manning got in on the action, too, going 5-for-6 for 95 yards and a passing touchdown while adding another score on the ground. Props as well to a Longhorns secondary that held Colorado State (306.5 passing yards per game in 2023) to 74 yards through the air. A big test awaits at Michigan Stadium in Week 2. — Eli Lederman
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide
Kalen DeBoer’s debut at Alabama underscored why he rose from relative obscurity to replace the greatest college coach of all time in Nick Saban. DeBoer’s offenses are dominant and flashy, and Alabama’s had room to grow after last season. The Crimson Tide stormed out to a 42-0 halftime lead against Western Kentucky, which had never trailed by so many points at the half since it joined the FBS in 2007.
Quarterback Jalen Milroe had 169 yards and three touchdowns on only four completions in the first half, and recorded his third career game with at least three touchdown passes and two rushing touchdowns. Freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams had touchdown receptions of 84 and 55 yards in his debut, while running back Justice Haynes and others had big nights. Alabama held WKU’s typically powerful offense to 103 passing yards, 2.2 yards per play and zero points. — Adam Rittenberg
No. 5 Notre Dame Fighting Irish
It wasn’t pretty, but as rock fights go, Notre Dame came out of this one looking pretty good. The Irish held off Texas A&M 23-13 behind a gutty performance from Riley Leonard and a dominant defensive effort. Xavier Watts and Adon Shuler each picked off passes, and the Irish stuffed two critical fourth-down tries to preserve the win.
Perhaps most significant, Notre Dame seems to have found a clear lead back in Jeremiyah Love, who had 91 yards and the go-ahead TD, while Clemson transfer Beaux Collins emerged as a playmaker in the passing game. — David Hale
No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions
Penn State’s hire of Andy Kotelnicki resonated more than most offensive coordinator additions because of what it represented. If Kotelnicki could spark quarterback Drew Allar and an offense that lacked explosion in 2023, the Nittany Lions would be a complete CFP contender. Allar and the Nittany Lions’ offense looked like a different unit in Kotelnicki’s debut, stretching the field — and West Virginia‘s talented defense — for 34 points and 457 yards in an impressive road win. In the first half alone, Allar passed for 199 yards and three touchdowns and connected on completions of 50 and 55 yards.
An offense that produced one 100-yard receiving performance all last season saw Harrison Wallace III reach triple digits on an 18-yard touchdown from Allar late in the second quarter. Penn State’s defense continued to thrive under new coordinator Tom Allen, keeping West Virginia out of the end zone for more than three quarters and allowing just 3.7 yards per play. — Rittenberg
No. 7 Ole Miss Rebels
One week in, the Rebels’ electric offense leads the country in scoring thanks to a thoroughly dominant 76-0 win over FCS team Furman. Jaxson Dart threw for 418 yards and scored six total touchdowns in two quarters. Tre Harris, Juice Wells and the Rebels’ countless playmakers shined, and a reloaded offensive line held up nicely.
Pete Golding’s defense forced nine three-and-outs. A 52-point halftime lead allowed Lane Kiffin to send in the backups for the entire second half. Ole Miss finished with 772 total yards, the most by any Rebels team in Kiffin’s tenure. All in all, that’s about as clean of a season opener as one could hope, and the head coach admitted afterward he couldn’t find much to be critical about. — Max Olson
No. 8 Oregon Ducks
It’s the first game of the season, but the No. 3 team in the country isn’t supposed to struggle like this. What made Oregon’s hard-earned 24-14 win over FCS opponent Idaho — at home, no less — even more confounding is that it gained 487 yards on offense, held its opponents to just 217 total yards, had 31 first downs and only one turnover, and held the ball for nearly 40 minutes of game time. So, how did the Oregon end up with only 24 points? In short, the Ducks were sloppy. The offensive line was a sieve, allowing three sacks, accounting for seven of Oregon’s eight penalties that cost it 60 yards and stalled a handful of promising drives.
Oregon appeared to move the ball at will, and Oklahoma transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel debuted for the Ducks with 380 yards and 7.8 yards per pass, as well as two touchdowns, but he also had a fumble and threw the ball 49 times. Gabriel completed 41 of those 49 passes, but the balance between him and the running game didn’t look to be quite established as the Ducks barely crossed 100 yards rushing as a team. Even though the defense looked close to midseason form, to say there’s room for improvement for Dan Lanning’s team would be an understatement as it heads into much tougher matchups. — Paolo Uggetti
No. 9 Miami Hurricanes
As soon as quarterback Cam Ward arrived via the transfer portal in January, expectations around the Hurricanes in Year 3 — under Mario Cristobal — started to rise. Everyone saw why against the Florida Gators in a performance that will go down in the history books in the once annual rivalry. Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns, often looking nonchalant as he stepped back to pass. Maybe that is because his offensive line protected him all day, giving him the confidence to sit in the pocket and take his time. Even when he did have to scramble out, he still made jaw-dropping plays, including one across his body to Jacolby George in the back of the end zone for a touchdown.
Beyond his performance, Miami is starting to look the way Cristobal has planned since his arrival: Tough and physical on the offensive and defensive lines. The Hurricanes will be favored in their next three nonconference games, starting Saturday against Florida A&M. But Cristobal knows a big opening win only means so much. To back up the statement that was made, they have to keep winning. — Andrea Adelson
No. 10 Michigan Wolverines
The Wolverines’ national title defense began with a surprise on offense, as Davis Warren, not Alex Orji, earned the starting quarterback job. Warren had predictably mixed results in the opener against Fresno State but capped Michigan’s best drive of the night, a 75-yard surge in the fourth quarter, with an 18-yard touchdown pass to star tight end Colston Loveland. The senior QB had an interception and only 118 passing yards, as he struggled to get in rhythm with his wide receivers.
Michigan didn’t free up Donovan Edwards in the run game, although Kalel Mullings looked capable with 92 rushing yards on 15 carries. The defense helped with an 86-yard pick-six from cornerback Will Johnson and another interception from Zeke Berry that set up a touchdown. But coach Sherrone Moore said “everything” must improve as Michigan prepares to host Texas in Week 2. — Rittenberg
No. 11 Missouri Tigers
Murray State was never likely to trouble the Tigers, but Missouri jumped to a 28-0 lead in just 11:22 and kept piling on in a comfortable start to an expectation-filled season in Columbia. Brady Cook found Luther Burden III for a 16-yard score on the opening possession.
Transfer rushers Nate Noel and Marcus Carroll combined for 5.1 yards per carry and each found the end zone in their team debuts. And the Tigers’ defense, led by first-year coordinator Corey Batoon, finished as the only FBS unit to allow fewer than 100 yards in Week 1, albeit against a Murray State offense that averaged 16.6 points per game last fall. — Lederman
No. 12 Tennessee Volunteers
If you didn’t buy Nico Iamaleava stock this offseason, the price just went up. Tennessee’s redshirt freshman phenom threw for 314 yards and three TDs on 22-of-28 passing in his first home start, breaking the school record for passing yards in a half, and rolled to a 69-3 win over Chattanooga Mocs.
The Vols threw for 414 yards, rushed for 304 and scored on 10 of 13 drives against a preseason top-10 FCS opponent, and their defense didn’t let the Mocs cross midfield once in the first half. This team looks ready to take on a top-25 foe with NC State up next. — Olson
No. 13 USC Trojans
It was about as ideal of a start to the season as the new-look USC team could have hoped. With the eyes of the entire sport on the Modelo Vegas Kickoff Classic, Lincoln Riley’s team didn’t just hang with an SEC opponent, it beat one in a 27-20 win over LSU. The revamped Trojans defense under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn looked worlds better and far more sound than its previous iteration, while new starting quarterback Miller Moss proved why — for at least one game — Riley was right to hand over the team to him instead of a transfer quarterback. Moss showed incredible poise as USC’s offense stalled in the middle of the game while the defense (who would have thought?) kept the Trojans in it by holding the Tigers’ offense at bay long enough for Moss to engineer a winning touchdown drive in the final minutes of what was an electric game.
It is, indeed, only one game, but there is plenty of promise now surrounding a USC team that could have easily gotten away with a down year given all the changes. Instead, Moss and the offense look ready to play with anyone, while the Trojans appear to be stronger than before. There’s a long way to go, but that’s as good of a first impression as any and likely Riley’s signature win in three seasons as USC’s head coach. — Uggetti
No. 14 Utah Utes
Welcome back, Cam Rising. After missing last season because of a serious knee injury, the Utes quarterback completed 10 of 15 passes with five touchdowns and no interceptions in a 49-0 win against Southern Utah. If there was any concern about Rising’s ability to regain his previous form — he guided the Utes to two Pac-12 titles and Rose Bowl berths in 2021 and 2022 — those thoughts likely faded quickly Thursday.
Still, considering the quality of the opponent, this week’s game against Baylor will be a much better barometer for how the Utes will fare in their first season in the Big 12. — Kyle Bonagura
No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners
Jackson Arnold threw for four touchdowns in his first regular-season start, and the Sooners forced six turnovers in a season-opening rout of Temple. Oklahoma coach Brent Venables said Arnold played “really efficiently.” But the offensive story belonged to wide receiver Deion Burks. The Purdue transfer notched three scores before halftime in his Oklahoma debut, becoming the fifth Sooner in program history to register three touchdowns in a half.
There were issues for Oklahoma — 1-for-12 on third down, struggles across a new-look offensive line, a long-term injury for wide receiver Jalil Farooq — but the Sooners cruised in the opener. They now look ahead to a Week 2 visit from a Houston team that suffered a 27-7 defeat to UNLV in Week 1. — Lederman
No. 16 Oklahoma State Cowboys
The Cowboys were in control from start to finish in a 44-20 win against South Dakota State, the defending FCS national champion. It wasn’t a dominant performance by any means — OSU outgained SDSU by just six yards — but a comfortable win was exactly what the Cowboys needed to start the campaign against a dangerous opponent.
After rushing for 1,732 yards last season, Ollie Gordon II ran for 104 yards and a pair of scores on 27 carries, while Alan Bowman threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Oklahoma State can now shift its full attention to this week’s game against Arkansas, which visits Stillwater. — Bonagura
No. 17 Kansas State Wildcats
The Avery Johnson era began with a 41-6 win over UT Martin, with the quarterback going 14-of-21 for 153 yards passing and two touchdowns along with three carries for 37 yards. He also threw his first interception.
The Wildcats’ defense smothered the Skyhawks, allowing just 134 yards, eight first downs and only 0.9 yards per rush, and Kansas State blocked a punt in the first quarter and returned it one yard for a score. — Dave Wilson
No. 18 LSU Tigers
Garrett Nussmeier showed a ton of confidence in his biggest test yet as the Tigers’ new QB1, but the Tigers have a lot to clean up after coming up short on Sunday night in Las Vegas in a 27-20 loss to USC.
Too many undisciplined penalties (10) and missed opportunities ultimately added up to a blown lead and 14 points surrendered in the final six minutes, leaving a frustrated Brian Kelly questioning his team’s focus and lack of killer instinct. It’s far too soon to say this team is in trouble, but Kelly’s postgame anger certainly speaks to how winnable this game felt and how disappointing it is to start 0-1 yet again. — Olson
No. 19 Kansas Jayhawks
The Jayhawks put away FCS Lindenwood before a competitive game had a chance to materialize, building a 34-0 lead by halftime and cruising to a 48-3 triumph. Kansas was so dominant that it needed only 15 pass attempts from Jalon Daniels (9-of-15, 148 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and eight carries from Devin Neal (112 yards, 2 TDs). Nine different players registered rushing attempts. It was a predictable result against an overmatched team, and it doesn’t do much to inform speculation about what the rest of the season might look like for the Jayhawks. — Bonagura
No. 20 Arizona Wildcats
Wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan might have delivered the offensive performance of the college football season in Week 1, catching 10 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns. The truth is, McMillan could have challenged the FBS single-game receiving yards record of 405 had Arizona wanted to force this issue in the fourth quarter. Any conversation about who the first receiver in the 2025 NFL draft will be should start with McMillan.
The Wildcats also were explosive rushing the ball, as Jacory Croskey-Merritt and Quali Conley combined on 23 carries for 196 yards (8.5 yards per carry). But it wasn’t all good for the Wildcats in coach Brent Brennan’s debut: They allowed 39 points and 471 yards to New Mexico, which lost last week to FCS Montana State. — Bonagura
No. 21 Iowa Hawkeyes
The Hawkeyes got off to an alarming start offensively, managing just a pair of field goals in the first half in new offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s debut. But in the second half, quarterback Cade McNamara and the Hawkeyes found their groove. McNamara threw three touchdown passes, as the Hawkeyes coasted to a 40-0 win over Illinois State.
Iowa played without coach Kirk Ferentz, who served a one-game suspension for a recruiting violation; assistant head coach Seth Wallace helmed the team in his place. The Hawkeyes struggled offensively all last season, finishing last in the Big Ten in a multitude of categories. On Saturday, they showed promise in the second half behind McNamara, who missed the final nine games of last season with a knee injury. The Hawkeyes should be tough defensively again. If they can get more from the offense, they could prove to be a surprise playoff contender. — Trotter
No. 22 NC State Wolfpack
The Wolfpack have been billed as a sleeper contender in the ACC, but during the early going in a 38-21 win over Western Carolina, they struggled to find a rhythm and consistency with their revamped offense. That all changed in the second half, as Jordan Waters jump-started the run game (123 yards, 2 TDs) and signal-caller Grayson McCall got more comfortable (318 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT).
The star of the show was wideout KC Concepcion, who picked up where he left off last season with nine receptions for 121 yards and three touchdowns. Afterward, NC State coach Dave Doeren said he would never apologize for a loss. It gets much harder this week, as the Wolfpack take on Tennessee in a huge game not only for potential playoff ramifications but also to help the ACC start to change the narrative about the conference as a whole. — Adelson
No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies
The Aggies could never get in an offensive rhythm in a game that marked a disappointing beginning to a new era in College Station. Drawing a top-10 Notre Dame team brought a national television audience and a raucous crowd of 107,315, and the defense played up to its billing for the first half, which ended in a 6-6 tie. The Irish then ran for 133 yards and two touchdowns in the second half as they pulled away for a 23-13 win. But the bigger concern as A&M transitions to new coordinator Collin Klein’s offense is the performance of quarterback Conner Weigman, who was 5-of-16 for 61 yards and threw two interceptions on throws of five or more yards, according to ESPN Stats & Information. — Wilson
No. 24 Clemson Tigers
The Tigers’ punchless offensive performance against Georgia’s formidable defense raised questions about their trajectory with quarterback Cade Klubnik running the show. Klubnik completed 18 of 29 passes for 142 yards with two sacks and one interception. Wide receiver Antonio Williams played well with six catches for 76 yards, but the Tigers didn’t get much production in the passing game from anyone else.
Tailback Phil Mafah ran for 59 yards on 16 attempts. The Tigers went 4-for-13 on third down. The good news: Clemson probably won’t face a defense as good as Georgia’s again in the regular season. The Tigers will try to get better in Saturday’s home game against Appalachian State. — Schlabach
No. 25 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
It might not be the most stylish way to win games, but Georgia Tech is a perfect mirror of its coach, former O-lineman Brent Key. The team has 16 former linemen on its staff, and physicality is the foundation of everything Key wants to do on both sides of the ball. So far, it has worked.
In upsetting Florida State in Week 0, the Jackets dominated the line of scrimmage. In a win over Georgia State on Saturday night, Tech ran for 225 yards and three scores. It’s exactly the recipe Key thinks can carry the program to the next level. — Hale
