Week one college football reactions
Week one lived up to the hype of being the greatest opening weekend in college football history. Now that all the craziness has settled, what are some major takeaways from the first weekend of action?
Rece Davis and Desmond Howard talk on the set of College Gameday on Nov. 24, 2012. Photo obtained via creativecommons.org. No changes made.
After just one weekend of games, college football has proven once again that anything can happen. There were upsets, surprise performances and chaos that ensued as the 2016 season opened with a bang.
It was billed as the greatest opening weekend of college football ever, and it did not disappoint. Here are just a few takeaways from week one.
Alabama will be as good as ever
Well, so much for a down year for the Crimson Tide. Some media outlets and fans were predicting somewhat of a down year for Alabama after they lost some talent and replaced it with unproven players.
So, what did ‘Bama do? They went out and demolished the then-No. 20 USC Trojans, 52-6. After a slow first quarter, Alabama seemed to wake up — and it was total annihilation from there.
Sophomore running back Damien Harris looked fantastic, rushing for 138 yards on just nine carries. The defense was excellent, holding an explosive USC offense to just six points. And, although the battle has not officially been declared over, it appears that Alabama has found its next superstar quarterback in true freshman Jalen Hurts.
Once again, Alabama is at the top of the mountain and will contend for the national title.
The SEC isn’t a quarterback’s league
The Southeastern Conference has been the best conference in college football for some time now. Year in and year out, it is home to a bevy of elite defenses, strong running games and some of the top teams in the nation.
However, what the SEC doesn’t have this year is elite quarterback play. Week one was a showcase of just how much SEC teams will struggle at the quarterback position this season.
Aside from nearly everyone but Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly, there is a major lack of consistent quarterback play in the SEC.
Brandon Harris looked as if he has made no progress in the Tigers’ loss to Wisconsin. Josh Dobbs continued to struggle with accuracy and consistency against Appalachian State. Arkansas and Florida struggled to escape with victories against much lesser opposition. Missouri, South Carolina and Vanderbilt’s offenses look even more deplorable, if that were somehow possible.
The SEC will still reign as the top conference in college football and its champion will almost certainly be in the College Football Playoff. But, it won’t be thanks to the quarterback play.
It was a bad week to be a Top 10 team
For just the second time in history, two top-five teams lost in the opening weekend of the season.
No. 3 Oklahoma lost to then-No. 15 Houston and No. 5 LSU lost at Lambeau Field to an unranked Wisconsin team.
Oklahoma, though they tapered off as the game went on, looked good for most of the contest and played a tough opponent. LSU, on the other hand, looked anemic on offense and lost at their own style of play to an unranked team.
And if those weren’t enough to satisfy your desire for upsets and chaos in the polls, another top-10 team lost on Sunday night.
No. 10 Notre Dame fell to the unranked Texas Longhorns in double-overtime. Tyrone Swoopes scored the game-winning touchdown for Texas to complete the third top-10 upset of week one.
Aside from the upsets, Clemson looked a bit sluggish against an Auburn team that should have been severely outclassed by this Clemson squad. And Tennessee needed some luck and an overtime period to escape Neyland Stadium with a win against a Sun Belt team.
That’s half of the AP Top 10 who either lost or came awfully close to losing.
Maybe week two will be a bit kinder to the top ranked teams.
Houston is the real deal
You heard it here first, ladies and gentlemen. The Houston Cougars are the real deal, and it should not surprise anyone if they are in contention for the College Football Playoff at the end of the season.
Led by their electric, playmaking quarterback Greg Ward Jr., Houston was able to handle a fantastic Oklahoma team coming off of a College Football Playoff appearance.
After a first quarter that was largely controlled by the Sooners, Houston took over, never looking back. Though the game ended in a 10-point victory for the Cougars, that margin is deceiving. Houston beat down the No. 3 team in the nation.
They even pulled out their best Auburn impression with a “Kick Six.”
Again, it may only be week one, but don’t be shocked if Houston seriously contends for a playoff spot.
Edited by Dalton King
Featured image by Neon Tommy
Adam is the Assistant Sports Editor for the Tennessee Journalist and a Junior at UT. Most of his free time is spent watching sports, listening to good music, and enjoying life. If you wish to contact him, you can email him at amillike@vols.utk.edu, follow him on Twitter, @AdamMilliken14, or find him at https://www.linkedin.com/pub/adam-milliken/109/a89/a32.
