CFB Week 1 Superlatives: Michigan’s Hail Mary, Lane Kiffin’s LSU Debut And CFP Effects

The college football season is off and running with bloody noses, one second being put back on clocks and poorly timed firework shows. But that’s why we love this sport — because each week brings unexpected surprises. As for the results, there was a lot of chalk. The top teams rolled, though there were some nervy moments that Oregon and Michigan would probably prefer not to discuss any further. Transfer quarterbacks like Miami’s Darian Mensah and Indiana’s Josh Hoover didn’t skip a beat in keeping up the winning ways of their predecessors. And, we learned that LSU is probably a contender even without professional players, USC might break through this season and that quarterbacks Arch Manning and Julian Sayin look ready for a Texas-Ohio State battle next week. With that, here are my Week 1 superlatives. No surprise here, but it’s the fiasco that happened in Ann Arbor on Saturday night. It looked like Western Michigan pulled the upset of the weekend when Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood’s pass sailed out of the back of the end zone with what appeared to be no time left. Broncos players were celebrating a 12-7 victory and coach Lance Taylor had a smile on his face until officials ruled there was actually one second left. Underwood took advantage of his second chance, threw another Hail Mary, and JJ Buchanan came down with a 47-yard touchdown, allowing the No. 16 Wolverines to escape with a 13-12 win. There was plenty of controversy surrounding the review. Ultimately, the Big Ten defended the decision in a statement released hours after the game, which accompanied a recording of the replay as it was reviewed by officials and showed there was one second left when the ball hit WMU’s Micah Davis, who had jumped from out of bounds. Broncos players were in tears after the final whistle as Michigan fans rushed the field in celebration. Taylor said he thought the clock hit zero before his players touched it, while Michigan coach Kyle Whittingham said he was “pretty sure” there was one second left. “This game will go down in Michigan history,” Whittingham told reporters after the game. “I don’t know if it’s in a positive way, but it’ll go down in history for certain. We’re 1-0, but the reality is we’ve got a lot to fix, a lot of things to address. “There was not a lot of whooping and hollering in the locker room.” There were only two Big Ten teams to lose games in Week 1. Wisconsin fell to No. 4 Notre Dame at Lambeau Field, but Rutgers didn’t have the same excuse. The Scarlet Knights were embarrassed by UMass 37-21 in their season opener after being a 29.5-point favorite. Minutemen quarterback William Watson III completed 19 of 22 passes for 197 yards and three touchdowns, while Rutgers quarterback Dylan Lonergan struggled, completing just 55% of his passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions. After the loss, Rutgers went viral for proceeding with a pre-planned fireworks show that was supposed to celebrate their team winning. Now, coach Greg Schiano, who returned to Rutgers with the hope of reviving the program, has been unable to do that and is certainly on the hot seat after just Week 1. This one goes to Lane Kiffin. No. 11 LSU trounced Clemson 51-10 at home in his debut as the Tigers’ head coach. After a week of headlines and court hearings, Kiffin proved that while it would be great to add former NFL players to his team, he doesn’t really need them because his team is stacked with talent. Arizona State transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 16 of 28 passes for 231 yards with a touchdown and an interception and added 113 rushing yards and two more touchdowns. Running back Dilin Jones also had 113 rushing yards and two scores, while defensive end Jordan Ross returned an interception for a touchdown and recorded a sack. LSU overcame a weather delay, drama and some early mistakes – Leavitt’s first quarter pick led to a Clemson field goal – to prove that while they have a head coach who isn’t going to shy away from the spotlight, the Tigers seem to be a legitimate contender this season regardless of anything else. Miami receiver Malachi Toney set a school-record with 234 yards receiving and No. 7 Miami rolled Stanford 45-6 on the road on Friday night. Toney connected with Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah for three touchdowns, including on the Hurricanes’ first two drives. His third came on a 47-yard bomb in the third quarter, which is the play that ultimately gave Toney the record. Mensah, meanwhile, was practically perfect, completing 27 of 30 passes for 401 yards and five touchdowns. It’s clear this duo is going to have a tremendous impact this season as the Hurricanes try to get back to the national championship game. And add Toney to the Heisman Trophy conversation. Entering the season, the award was mostly stacked with quarterback candidates as well as Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. But Toney should be part of the conversation, too. Oregon got what coach Dan Lanning described as a “wake-up call” when his second-ranked team was nearly upset by Boise State at home in Week 1. The Ducks won 34-27, but didn’t look the part of a national championship contender as they got off to a slow start and struggled to get into a rhythm. Expectations are high in Eugene this season with quarterback Dante Moore leading an uber-talented roster that’s made consecutive CFP appearances. Moore completed 28 of 37 passes for 378 yards and three touchdowns in the win, but both he and Lanning were critical of their team post-game. They have things to fix as tougher opponents loom, including a late-September conference game against USC on the road before facing Ohio State, Michigan and Washington in November. This result against Boise will be talked about by the CFP committee later on in the season for sure, but if the Ducks can handle the rest of their opponents, then it won’t matter. On the flip side, if the Broncos become the Group of Six leader, then this result might end up looking pretty good for both teams. The spotlight will be on two SEC-Big Ten matchups. Week 2 features No. 1 Ohio State traveling to No. 5 Texas as well as No. 10 Oklahoma heading to No. 16 Michigan. It’s rivals playing rivals! Last year, the Buckeyes beat the Longhorns 14-7 in Columbus, and it was both Manning and Sayin’s first starts. Sayin went on to lead the country in completing 77% of his passes, while Manning was a bit more up and down before finding his stride later in the year. Both quarterbacks are in the Heisman discussion this year, and this matchup — the teams’ third meeting since January 2025 — will be an early indicator of who has a leg up in the CFP race. The Sooners and Wolverines also played last year, with Oklahoma winning 24-13 in Norman. Michigan will be desperate to show they’re not the team that nearly lost to Western Michigan in Week 1, while Oklahoma hopes to move itself up the standings of SEC powers with a strong non-conference victory.