Labor Day weekend gave college football exactly the kind of chaos it loves: blowouts, a huge controversy at the Big House and a wild back-and-forth battle in the Music City. Once the AP Top 25 dropped, the debate really started.
A few teams landed in spots that feel off, and the biggest miss at the top of that list is SMU. The Mustangs survived Florida State on Monday night, but that game looked a lot closer to an upset waiting to happen than a statement win.
SMU did get a conference road victory in ugly conditions after the power outage knocked out coach-to-player communication and the iPads, and Florida State did hang around with plenty of energy after the long delay. Still, six penalties and four turnovers - including three on drives inside Seminoles territory - made the whole thing way too messy for comfort.
Kevin Jennings and the offense were explosive enough to justify staying in the rankings, but No. 17 feels too rich.
Miami, on the other hand, looks like it earned every bit of its rise. The Hurricanes did something a lot of teams didn’t in Week 1: they took on a conference opponent instead of padding the schedule, then handled business convincingly.
Against Stanford, Miami’s passing game was rolling, and the roster pieces around it are starting to pop. Darian Mensah’s accuracy and timing fit Shannon Dawson’s Air Raid-esque system perfectly.
Malachi Toney is a problem whether the ball is in the backfield or in open space, and Cooper Barkate looks set to become one of the sport’s best No. 2 receivers. There’s more coming too, with Mark Fletcher Jr. and the run game still waiting to get going.
Even the new-look defensive line showed enough early signs to make you take notice.
Washington’s ranking feels fairer than its performance in the Apple Cup. The Huskies escaped Washington State, but they did not look crisp doing it.
The offense stumbled through much of the night, managing only 10 points through the first three quarters, struggling on third down, bogging down in the red zone and piling up frustrating penalties. The defense saved them.
Washington’s front seven helped flip the game with three sacks and three turnovers, and the unit deserves the praise. The offense, though, was a different story, especially for a group with this much experience.
If there was one team that made a real national statement, it was LSU. The Tigers didn’t just beat Clemson; they flattened them on national television.
Clemson came in with plenty of support - ranked 23rd in the coaches poll and getting 112 votes as the top unranked team - but LSU never let the game breathe. Dabo Swinney’s team couldn’t get much going on offense, while LSU piled up 644 total yards and 309 on the ground.
Lane Kiffin was even shooting hoops on the sideline at one point, and his halftime line - “imagine if we had pro players” - landed because LSU looked so overwhelming. This is a roster that appears loaded from top to bottom, and the Tigers didn’t need any extra help to prove it.
Oregon also took on a real test and came through it with its reputation intact. Boise State didn’t treat the trip to Autzen Stadium like a sightseeing tour.
Spencer Danielson’s team brought real pressure, especially in the first half, and played a clean game with just three penalties and no turnovers. Maddux Madsen made several impressive throws, including a touchdown strike to tight end Matt Wagner on fourth-and-3 with pressure in his face.
Boise State showed plenty of toughness and looked like a legitimate top-25 team even in defeat.
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For Oregon, the bigger takeaway may be how quickly roles are beginning to sort themselves out after one game. McClellans emergence gave the Ducks another reliable target, Hurych supplied points when they mattered most, and the overall performance left plenty for the staff to evaluate as it looks for the right combinations moving forward. In a game that was close well into the fourth quarter, those early impressions can carry a lot of weight. [Read more 🡒]