Week 1 Recap

Every summer, the buildup for the college football season swells by the day
leading up to the opening weekend. This year, fans got a taste of football a
few days early, as the new-look Michigan Wolverines squared off against a
solid Utah team and second-ranked TCU went to Minnesota to take on the
Golden Gophers. Those expecting an immediate turnaround under Jim
Harbaugh were disappointed as the Wolverines committed three turnovers
and lost 24-17. TCU was also underwhelming, holding on for a narrow 23-17
victory.
After a few more appetizers on Friday night, the first full day of football took
place on Saturday. The afternoon began with an upset, as Northwestern took
down #21 Stanford. The Cardinal offense was lethargic all game, failing to
score a single touchdown. At 3:30, #6 Auburn got all they could handle
against Louisville. Trailing by a touchdown with just less than a minute to go
in the fourth quarter, the Cardinals forced Auburn into a 3rd and 12. It
looked like they would get the ball back with a chance to tie the game before
Louisville coach shockingly burned the team's final timeout, allowing Auburn
to run out the clock for a 31-24 win.
The next big game pitted #15 Arizona State against unranked Texas A&M in
Houston. Despite being unranked, the Aggies entered the game as threepoint favorites. The proved why by taking an early lead and outplaying ASU
throughout the game. After a strong finish, A&M won by a final score of 3817.
The Cowboy Classic, which pitted #3 Alabama and #20 Wisconsin, was the
showcase of the opening weekend. It began as a physical, ground-andpound contest. At the half, the Crimson Tide held a slim 14-7 lead. They
broke it open in the second half, though, pulling out a convincing 35-17
victory.
In another night game, Notre Dame handled Texas 38-3 in South Bend,
looking every bit as impressive as anticipated. The past few days provided
us with some great games, but there is still one to come. Ohio State gets a
revenge game against Virginia Tech tomorrow night.
The college football season is finally underway, which means that it's time to
move on from preseason predictions. Those are fun and give us something
to look forward to, but now that the games have begun we can finally begin

to evaluate actual on-field performances. Every Sunday, I will write a recap

of the previous day's games. I will provide my rankings (top six) every week
leading up to the college football playoff selection. The recaps will also
include assessments of individual players, including Heisman updates
beginning in Week 6. Check my website every week to stay up to date on all
things college football. Also look at the website every Friday for game picks.
Buckle up. This season is going to be quite the ride!

Overreactions of the Week

Positives
Notre Dame- The Fighting Irish returned an FBS-high 19 starters from a year
ago and I ranked them #5 in my preseason magazine. They opened the
season against Texas, a traditional powerhouse. Although the Longhorns
aren't the same dominant team they used to be, Notre Dame looked great in
all phases of the game and should be satisfied with their performance.
Texas A&M- Last year, Texas A&M opened the year with a convincing win
over South Carolina that led many to believe they were playoff contenders.
The Aggies wound up slumping to an 8-5 finish. Once again, they notched
an impressive Week 1 win in 2015 by beating a proven Arizona State team.
Their defense appears much-improved, stifling the high-powered Sun Devil
offense. If John Chavis' defense is for real, A&M could make a splash in 2015.

Negatives
Baylor, Oregon, Michigan State, and TCU- These four Top 10 teams were
all expected to cruise to easy victories, but they ran into some unexpected
speed bumps. After beating Minnesota 30-7 last season, TCU had to scratch
and claw for a narrow victory this time around. Baylor and Oregon, who have
both made sizeable defensive strides in recent years, both got torched by
low-level competition. Michigan State was in control throughout their game
against Western Michigan, but they surrendered 24 points and were unable
to pull away. These predicted contenders looked far from midseason form in
their openers. We will learn more about Michigan State and Oregon when
they square off in East Lansing next Saturday.

Stanford- Stanford's offense struggled throughout the 2014 season, but

they returned a majority of their starters, leading most to believe they would
regain their 2013 form. Instead, they looked even worse, as they were held
to just six points by a mediocre Northwestern defense. Now several years
removed from the Jim Harbaugh era, Stanford's best days may be behind
them.
Michigan- Moving from Jim Harbaugh former team to his current one, things
don't look too bright in Ann Arbor either. Although the Wolverines outplayed
Utah, they were done in by Jake Rudock's three interceptions as well as
several missed opportunities. The offensive line is also still a work in
progress. Michigan should improve steadily throughout the season, but fans
would've liked to see more from their team in the opener.

Individual Stars
Josh Rosen- UCLA has all the pieces necessary to make a playoff run, but
they had to break in a new starting quarterback. Five-star true freshman
Josh Rosen had plenty of hype surrounding him, but nobody knew how easily
he would transition to the college game. He answered all his critics in his
debut, throwing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns. As long as Rosen
keeps up that level of play, UCLA will be a force to be reckoned with.
Malik Zaire- The lefty assumed the
starting job at Notre Dame when
Everett Golson left for Florida State,
and he is making the most of his
opportunity. Zaire finished the Texas
game with as many touchdown passes
(3) as incompletions. His team looked
just as impressive as he did in the
victory. If they keep winning and he
keeps up that level of play, Zaire could
soar to the top of Heisman lists.
Everett Golson- Everett Golson didn't have a bad day either. In his Florida
State debut, Golson tossed four touchdown passes in a rout of Texas State.
More importantly, he didn't commit a turnover, which had been a major
problem at Notre Dame. As long as Everett Golson takes care of the football,
he will do just fine as Jameis Winston's replacement.

Derrick Henry- Henry entered the

season as one of the favorites for the
Heisman Trophy, and he strengthened
his argument in Week 1. The 6'3," 242
pound back carried the Crimson Tide
as they broke in a new quarterback.
He racked up 147 rushing yards and
three touchdowns. Derrick Henry has
the makings of a true workhorse back,
and he will get plenty of spotlight opportunities playing for Alabama.
Brandon Allen- Everyone knows about Arkansas' outstanding running
attack, but few people had heard of Brandon Allen before the season. Allen
is one of the few returning starting quarterbacks in the SEC, and he shone in
the opener against UTEP, throwing four touchdown passes. If Allen plays at
that level all season, the Hogs will certainly compete for the SEC title.

My Rankings
1. Ohio State (0-0, Preseason #1)- Ohio State doesn't play until Monday.
2. Alabama (1-0, Pre. #4)- Alabama entered the opener against Wisconsin
with plenty of question marks.
They have yet to name a starting
quarterback, and there were questions along the offensive line and at
receiver. All those questions were answered against a solid Badger football
team. Jake Coker looked comfortable as the starting quarterback, and the
offensive line consistently paved huge holes for Derrick Henry to run
through. Alabama looks like a national championship contender once again.
3. Notre Dame (1-0, Pre. #5)- Simply put, Notre Dame dominated in their
opener. Texas clearly isn't where they want to be, but the Irish's victory was
still very impressive. Their defense looked stout and Malik Zaire was just as
good as advertised. Notre Dame appears primed for an incredible season.
4. Baylor (1-0, Pre. #2)- It's too early to judge teams based on sluggish
performances against overmatched opponents, but Baylor needs to tighten
up defensively if they want to run the table. They were very vulnerable on
that side of the ball, and those weaknesses will be exploited against Big 12
opponents. Nonetheless, the Bears won handily. It would be unfair to count
Baylor out based on just one game.

5. UCLA (1-0, Pre. #7)- The only uncertain position on the UCLA roster was
the quarterback position, and Josh Rosen was nearly perfect in his debut.
This is one of the most experienced teams in America, which gives them a
great chance to win the wide-open Pac-12. They were one of the few Pac-12
teams who looked good this weekend.
6. TCU (1-0, Pre. #6)- Some people may worry about TCU's close game
against Minnesota. Those people don't realize that Minnesota is a very good
football team, especially defensively. That was a nice road win for TCU that
will prepare them for their touch conference schedule. The Horned Frogs
may not have looked dominant, but a scrappy win can sometimes do more
good for a team than a blowout.

*Preseason rankings based on Karl Finkbeiner's 2015 College Football

Preview Magazine