And to think, Kyle Whittingham said he wanted to put an end to all the drama around Michigan.
Nobody could have scripted a more dramatic finish to the former Utah coach’s Michigan debut Saturday night.
No. 16 Michigan beat Western Michigan 13-12 on Saturday only after it was ruled that a second remained following Bryce Underwood’s unsuccessful Hail Mary attempt, even though the scoreboard clock indicated no time was left. Given a second chance, Underwood and
JJ Buchanan connected on a remarkable 47-yard touchdown.
Just like that, an opening weekend filled with snoozers and blowouts got a moment worth talking about.
The second-chance Hail Mary led to the incomprehensible scene of the Michigan Stadium crowd storming the field to cheer the winningest program in Bowl Subdivision history eking out a victory over a Mid-American Conference school. It also capped an eventful opening weekend for new coaches.
Michigan brought Whittingham in to stabilize a program following the firing and arrest of Sherrone Moore, who lasted just two seasons. That followed the tumultuous tenure of Jim Harbaugh that included a 2023 national title as well as a spying scandal and NCAA sanctions for recruiting violations.
Whittingham spoke on multiple occasions this offseason about ending all that off-field drama. On the field, it appears he still has work to do.
Michigan committed three turnovers without forcing any, and the Wolverines allowed Western Michigan to have possession for over two-thirds of the game. Perhaps the spectacular finish will spark Underwood, who struggled for much of the night and had an inconsistent freshman season after arriving at Michigan as the nation’s No. 1 prospect in his class.
At least Whittingham won his debut. Oklahoma State's Eric Morris wasn't so fortunate.
Oklahoma State is coming off a 1-11 season but seemed a likely candidate for improvement after Morris added 91 newcomers, including 21 who had played for him at North Texas. The headliner was Drew Mestemaker, who threw for a Bowl Subdivision-leading 4,379 yards at North Texas last season.
But the Cowboys lost 24-10 to Tulsa, an indication Morris' rebuild could take some time. Mestemaker went 29 of 49 for 241 yards with two interceptions and one touchdown.
No. 2 Oregon faced an early 10-point deficit before rallying to beat Boise State 34-27. Dante Moore threw a tiebreaking 62-yard TD to Dakorien Moore with 8:45 left.
The game was reminiscent of their 2024 matchup, when Oregon needed a field goal as time expired for a 37-34 home victory over a Boise State team featuring Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty.
That Broncos team went on to reach the College Football Playoff, and Oregon remained unbeaten until a Rose Bowl quarterfinal loss to eventual national champion Ohio State.
It wouldn’t be a surprise if both teams are back in the playoff this year.
Boise State's early-season schedule could go a long way toward sorting out which team has the best shot at earning the Group of Six's playoff berth.
Memphis (2-0) had a notable season-opening win at UNLV last week and will travel to Boise State next weekend. Defending MAC champion Western Michigan, which made quite an impression in its narrow loss to Michigan, will host Boise State on Sept. 26.
No. 6 Indiana’s new faces helped the defending national champions roll to a 52-16 victory over North Texas in their opener.
Former TCU quarterback Josh Hoover went 13 of 16 for 231 yards with four touchdowns in his first game stepping in for Heisman Trophy winner and No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza. Boston College transfer Turbo Richard scored twice and Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh got the Hoosiers’ first touchdown with a one-handed grab.
One sign of concern for Indiana is that a defense that allowed the second-fewest points per game of any FBS team last year struggled to slow down North Texas.
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Miami’s Malachi Toney have wasted no time launching their respective Heisman Trophy campaigns.
Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone as No. 1 Ohio State opened its season with a 56-3 blowout of Ball State on Saturday. Smith celebrated his second touchdown by doing a Heisman pose.
One night earlier, Toney performed a similar celebration during his three-touchdown performance in the seventh-ranked Hurricanes’ 45-6 victory at Stanford. Toney set a school single-game record with 234 yards receiving.
Smith, Toney and Hoover aren't the only potential Heisman contenders performing well.
— Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who finished fourth in the Heisman voting last season, went 21 of 25 for 320 yards with three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.
— Miami QB Darian Mensah, who led Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference title last year, threw five touchdown passes in his first game with his new team.
— Gunner Stockton threw three touchdown passes and one incompletion as No. 3 Georgia trounced Tennessee State 63-3.
— South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers threw three touchdown passes and four incompletions in a 57-0 victory over Kent State.
— Southern California QB Jayden Maiava, the reigning AP national player of the week, has thrown five touchdown passes and six incompletions through No. 14 USC’s first two games of the season.
— Maybe it’s too soon to put Pitt QB Mason Heintschel on this list, but he set an Atlantic Coast Conference single-game record by throwing seven touchdown passes in a 59-14 rout of Miami (Ohio). He went 31 of 41 for 459 yards.
Sunday's lineup includes an early Apple Cup between No. 17 Washington and Washington State before prime-time showdowns: No. 4 Notre Dame against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin, and No. 9 Mississippi faces No. 24 Louisville in Nashville, Tennessee. The Labor Day capper sees Mike Norvell and Florida State hosting No. 19 SMU and dynamic quarterback Kevin Jennings.
The next AP Top 25 rankings to sort it all out will be released Tuesday.
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