College Football Takeaways: Alabama still the team to beat after dominating in Week 1

College football is better when the Bounce House is bouncing, when Enter Sandman is reverberating around Blacksburg, and Camp Randall is jumping around to Jump Around. Week 1 encapsulated everything that we love about the nation’s best sport, and we’ve got the immediate takeaways from around the college football landscape.

College Football Week 1 Takeaways: The Crimson Tide rolls on

Although they entered Week 1 of the 2021 college football campaign as the No. 1 team in the nation, there was a sense that Alabama might struggle to replicate their dominant success of last season. Some prominent national media analysts had Oklahoma ranked as the best team in the country.

By 7 PM ET, they looked as dominant, if not more so, than at any point in the 2020 season.

It’s easy to understand the assumption that there’d be a drop-off in performance, especially in the early going. After all, they’d lost a quarterback who set fire to the SEC last season, the first Heisman-winning wide receiver since 1990, and a whole host of crucial components to a historic NFL Draft class. Most teams would crumble.

But the biggest takeaway from college football Week 1 is that, once again, Alabama isn’t most teams. They effortlessly and ruthlessly destroyed a Miami Hurricanes team that is expected to compete in the ACC. Even the 44-13 scoreline doesn’t truly do justice to the gulf between two teams that entered the year as top-15 programs. Alabama limited Miami to 266 total yards and forced 3 turnovers.

Alabama defense dominates, Bryce Young brilliant in first start

This Alabama defense is legit. Will Anderson might be the best defensive player in the nation. Christian Harris, Brian Branch, Phidarian Mathis, and Tim Smith all had tackles for loss. Christopher Allen, who suffered a potentially season-ending foot injury, also had a tackle for loss and a forced fumble. Malachi Moore snagged an interception for a secondary featuring solid performances from 2022 NFL Draft prospects Jordan Battle and Josh Jobe.

While the defense was dominant, first-year starter Bryce Young’s performance stole the show on Saturday afternoon. Next Sunday, the Crimson Tide will have three starting quarterbacks in the NFL, and yet Young now holds the program’s record for passing yards in a debut start (344). Furthermore, his 4 touchdown passes surpassed Joe Namath and Mac Jones’ record for TD passes in a first start under center.

While you’d expect a former five-star recruit to impress, especially with an elite talent in Evan Neal protecting his blind side, Young’s performance was above and beyond that expectation. The records and statistics are nice, but what was more impressive was the poise from the young passer. He navigated the pocket well, threw on the run with ease, and demonstrated excellent arm strength.

Georgia emerges as the biggest contender to Alabama

In what was billed as the game of the week, fifth-ranked Georgia outfought Clemson in a 10-3 win. The Bulldogs bullied the Tigers’ offensive line with a dominant defense, putting constant pressure on young quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei that he ultimately couldn’t handle in his first game as the full-time starter.

Six different Georgia players registered a sack, with Nakobe Dean twice finding his way into the backfield. Nose tackle Jordan Davis registered 2 tackles for loss despite finding himself constantly double-teamed. Meanwhile, Christopher Smith scored the game’s only touchdown after returning an interception 74 yards to the house.

While the Bulldogs’ pass rush will be lauded, they limited Clemson to just 2 rushing yards. There were concerns over how the Tigers would adjust to life without Travis Etienne, and those will only be intensified after such an abysmal performance on the ground.

Although the Georgia offense only totaled 256 yards themselves, they won’t face many more imposing defenses than Clemson’s. If they can consistently move the ball with JT Daniels and the ground game, their defense will give them a chance to be the main contender to Alabama for a national championship.

Rough weekend for top 2022 NFL Draft quarterback prospects

Alabama’s Young headlined a group of quarterbacks that represents the future of college football. On Thursday night, C.J. Stroud overcame a shaky start to lead Ohio State to victory in his debut. The redshirt freshman threw for 294 yards and 4 touchdowns, with 1 interception, in a highly entertaining 45-31 win over Minnesota.

Meanwhile, Tulane’s Michael Pratt looked more likely to win the Heisman than many of the quarterbacks favored to win the award. The sophomore sensation threw for 296 yards and 3 touchdowns against Oklahoma, adding another score on the ground. There were also impressive performances from Coastal Carolina’s Grayson McCall, Texas’ QB1 Hudson Card, and Haynes King led Texas A&M to a win in his debut start.

If you’re a quarterback-needy NFL team, your biggest takeaway from college football Week 1 is that those quarterbacks can’t come soon enough. The 2022 NFL Draft quarterback class was always going to struggle to live up to last year’s historic group, but the performances of the presumptive top talents leave more answers than questions.

Sam Howell hampered, Tulane takes the bite out of Spencer Rattler

Sam Howell had his struggles as North Carolina was shocked by Virginia Tech on Friday night. Howell buckled behind an offensive line that bore a disturbing resemblance to Swiss cheese. Despite the emergence of WR Josh Downs, the impact of a depleted supporting cast was painfully evident. Normally as clutch as you can get at the college level in the fourth quarter, the junior quarterback threw 2 interceptions as the Hokies won 17-10.

Advantage Spencer Rattler in the race to be QB1 of the 2022 class — or so we thought. The Sooners’ signal-caller threw an interception on the opening drive of Oklahoma’s relocated game with Tulane. His first half was a microcosm of his entire 2020 season, a shaky start that got better down the stretch. However, rather than improve through the second half, Rattler threw another interception and was spared a third by a poor pass interference call.

Meanwhile, Malik Willis (Liberty) and Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati) showed off their insane arm strength in comfortable wins over Campbell and Miami (OH), respectively. Boston College’s Phil Jurkovec dismantled Colgate. With Daniels struggling against Clemson and Matt Corral still to play on Monday night, the quarterback situation is as murky as it’s ever been.

College Football Week 1 Takeaways: Season opening shocks

Although Oklahoma managed to prevent a shocking loss to Tulane, and their Big 12 rival Iowa State narrowly avoided embarrassment against Northern Iowa, Virginia Tech’s win over North Carolina was just one of many surprise results in the opening weekend of the college football season.

UC Davis opened the weekend of weirdness with a 19-17 win over Tulsa on Thursday night. It was the first time the Golden Hurricane lost to an FCS team in 35 years. Just hours later, Eric Barriere gave the FCS their second win over FBS competition. He led Eastern Washington to a 35-33 double-overtime win over UNLV in the Las Vegas Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium.

FCS teams continued to overcome the odds through the weekend. Fresh off a FCS National Championship appearance in the spring, the South Dakota State Jackrabbits routed Colorado State 42-23. Running back Pierre Strong established himself as an under-the-radar 2022 NFL Draft prospect with 138 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 carries. Holy Cross made sure the FCS had four FBS scalps with a 38-28 win at UConn.

Things go bump in the night for two Power Five programs

Yet, the biggest shocks were reserved for late Saturday night. The Montana Grizzlies of the Big Sky Conference beat Washington 13-7. The 20th-ranked Huskies were left shocked by a Cam Humphrey rushing touchdown. Two Kevin Macias field goals sealed the Grizzlies’ first win over the Huskies in over 100 years.

As one Power Five program fell, so did another. East Tennessee State comfortably beat Vanderbilt. After Joseph Bulovas gave the SEC team an early 3-0 lead, ETSU scored 23 unanswered points. Quarterback Tyler Riddell found Malik Murray for the only offensive touchdown of the game. However, Stephen Scott’s scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter sealed the surprising win.

Coaches on the hot seat

In one of the biggest upsets of Week 1, the Charlotte 49ers of the Conference USA secured their first-ever win over a Power Five program, defeating Duke 31-28 in a nail-biting and thrilling fistfight on Friday night. Quarterback Chris Reynolds threw for 324 yards and 3 touchdowns while adding a fourth score on the ground for Will Healy’s team.

While Healy’s star is ascending, the defeat piles the pressure on Duke head coach David Cutcliffe. The long-tenured coach transformed a failing program upon his arrival in 2008. Yet, the Blue Devils have had consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2012, and a defeat to a team that they beat 53-19 last season is highly embarrassing. They’ve given up 30+ points in each of their last five games while failing offensively in pivotal moments.

At the risk of seeming prejudice against people called Dave, Stanford head coach David Shaw must surely be feeling a warming in the seat of his pants. Many people view the winningest coach in program history as untouchable. But at some point, the program’s lack of recent success has to be addressed. The Cardinal lost 24-7 to Kansas State and put up just 233 yards. Describing his situational play-calling conservative — such as settling for a PAT while down three possessions — is downplaying the problem considerably.

College Football Week 1 Takeaways: Big Ten turned on its head

Take everything that you thought you knew about Big Ten football and throw it in the bin. Michigan has a potent offense with a competent quarterback, Northwestern can’t defend, and Rutgers has one of the highest-scoring offenses in the nation. The conference has seemingly formed an alliance with the upside-down from Stranger Things.

After watching former Michigan quarterback Joe Milton struggle for Tennessee, Wolverines fans were treated to an impressive early display from Cade McNamara. The junior QB went 9/11 for 136 yards and 2 touchdowns in a 47-14 win over Western Michigan. Meanwhile, sophomore RB Blake Corum averaged 7.9 yards per carry for 111 yards and a rushing touchdown. Corum had opened the scoring with a 14-yard receiving touchdown.

While the Wolverines succeeded on Saturday, Michigan State thrilled on Friday. The Spartans turned over Northwestern 38-21 with an awe-inspiring performance from Wake Forest transfer Kenneth Walker III. The junior running back put himself in the 2022 NFL Draft window with a monster night, rushing for 264 yards and 4 touchdowns.

Iowa and Penn State continue winning runs

Indiana started the season as one of the favorites to challenge Ohio State in the conference. However, they finished Week 1 on the end of a shellacking from Iowa. Riley Moss intercepted Michael Penix Jr. twice, taking both picks to the house, as the Hawkeyes racked up a 31-3 lead. Iowa has now won seven consecutive games and is emerging as a genuine contender in the conference.

While there were some uncharacteristically high-scoring performances, a traditional defensive battle broke out between Penn State and Wisconsin. Jahan Dotson took advantage of a Badgers’ breakdown in coverage for the only receiving touchdown of the game. While Wisconsin couldn’t hold firm, the Nittany Lions intercepted Graham Mertz twice to seal a 16-10 victory.