There aren’t many grand conclusions to be drawn from what was for the most part a lackluster Week 1 college football schedule. Of course, that never stops professional and amateur pundits alike from attempting to do just that. We’re back once again to bring a bit of perspective to the sport’s weekly debates.
For the uninitiated, here’s how this works. The following statements are hyperbolic to some degree. We’ll discuss whether there’s an element of truth to them or if they’re serious overreactions.
We’ll start with the result that caused the loudest commotion over the weekend from a game that undoubtedly wasn’t on anybody’s radar.
The playoff committee shouldn’t count Michigan’s win
As someone once famously said, ‘Playoffs? You kidding
me? Playoffs?” Tainted or not, the Wolverines’ victory against Western Michigan is in the books and the case is closed.
But be that as it may, the Michigan team we saw Saturday will be fortunate just to make a bowl game, let alone contend for a playoff spot. The Wolverines’ Big Ten slate includes the entire top-10 triumvirate of Ohio State, Oregon and Indiana, and other conference dates with Iowa and Penn State are 50-50 propositions at best for Michigan. Oh yeah, then there’s next weekend’s non-conference clash with Oklahoma. Quite simply, the committee will not in any way have to concern itself with Michigan.
Oregon was ranked too high
The second-ranked Ducks were the only top-five team to have anything remotely resembling a close call in Week 1. It remains to be seen if the voters in the US LBM Coaches Poll will adjust their preseason ballots, But regardless of whether Oregon is demoted or stays put, it will be a discussion point for poll watchers.
On one hand, the Ducks’ date with Boise State was clearly the most challenging assignment among the teams ranked in their vicinity. But the Ducks were also outplayed for considerable stretches in that game. Ultimately, a team’s Week 2 position in the polls will have little bearing on its season, but it will be something to watch when the new rankings are released.
Boise State will be in the playoff
On the other side of that result in Eugene, the Broncos lent credence to their installation as favorites in the new Pac-12 despite coming up a touchdown short of a huge upset. But while a narrow loss to the Ducks foreshadowed a run to the playoff for Boise State in 2024, we shouldn’t pencil in the Broncos just yet. Before embarking on its Pac-12 quest, Boise must take on a couple other challengers from fellow Group of Six leagues. Memphis, already with a road win at UNLV in the bank, comes to Boise next week, then on the last weekend of the month visits Western Michigan (remember them?).
The SEC is back on top
In the never-ending rivalry between the nation’s two premier conferences, the SEC picked up a few talking points in Week 1. First and foremost, the league’s members went a perfect 16-0, while the Big Ten’s lower-tier squads weren’t nearly as dominant. Nebraska, Michigan State and Northwestern struggled, we all know what happened at Michigan, and then there was the embarrassing loss by Rutgers against a Massachusetts program that was winless in 2025.
The diet for most of the involved participants consisted primarily of cupcakes, while a couple of the SEC squads needed some late-game heroics they had fewer issues as a whole. That narrative could change as early as the coming week, but for now SEC fans can chirp with confidence.
The ACC is terrible
The mood isn’t nearly as chipper around ACC campuses in locales not named Coral Gables, Florida. Against other Power Four conference schools, the ACC has a combined record of 1-5, with North Carolina providing the lone triumph against TCU in Dublin in Week 0. Louisville at least acquitted itself well against Mississippi, and California was in a close one with UCLA before unraveling in the fourth quarter. But overall the league’s results have been disappointing, headlined by Clemson’s faceplant at LSU and Georgia Tech’s mistake-filled home loss to Colorado. See above on how quickly storylines can change week-to-week in this sport, but the early returns aren’t good.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football Week 1 overreactions: Michigan lost, Oregon in danger, ACC stinks
