College football Week 1 overreactions: LSU is the team to beat

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Week 1 of college football didn’t disappoint. Despite there only being one ranked on ranked matchup, games were great and we had an action-packed weekend.

There is still one more game to be played, which is SMU vs. Florida State, but with the rest of the slate in the books, it’s time for our weekly overreactions. Here are six of them.

MORE: College football Saturday’s top-5 Week 1 report card: who aced their kickoff?

LSU is the team to beat

Tigers Head Coach Lane Kiffin, LSU Tigers take on the Clemson Tigers. September 5, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; at Tiger Stadium. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

Lane Kiffin lives to the villain in college football, and it works. LSU hosted Clemson this weekend, which was supposed to be the game of the week. A two-hour weather delay determined it was far from the game of the week.

Kiffin’s Tigers destroyed Clemson, 51-10, and we quickly realized that either LSU is just that good, or Dabo Swinney’s Tigers are that bad. As the weeks march on, we are going to learn more about both teams, but LSU appears to be for real.

Sam Leavitt is the perfect QB for Kiffin. He threw for 230 yards and one TD, while rushing for 113 yards and two TDs. There are a lot of good football teams, but LSU is the team to beat.

A WR will win the Heisman this season

Sep 4, 2026; Stanford, California, USA; Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (1) runs after the catch for a touchdown against the Stanford Cardinal during the third quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stan Szeto-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

The Heisman Trophy is a QB award; we all know that. But it’s not impossible for a WR to win — Travis Hunter did it a couple of years ago as a two-way player at Colorado.

And if Week 1 told us anything, this batch of WRs are special. Miami’s Malachi Toney set a program record, grabbing 12 catches for 234 yards and three touchdowns. QB Darian Mensah was superb, too, but Toney was the player in that game.

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith continues to impress. He grabbed eight catches for 151 yards and two scores — all in the first half.

Texas’ Ryan Wingo went off, KJ Duff had three TDs for Rutgers — poor Rutgers — and Ole Miss’ Deuce Alexander had 159 yards and two scores.

The MAC is the strongest Group of Six Conference

Sep 3, 2026; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Massachusetts Minutemen offensive lineman Greg Knox III (66) celebrates with teammates after defeating Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

How about the MAC this weekend? The MAC is always a scrappy conference and that came to fruition in Week 1.

It all started on Thursday night when Rutgers was beat down by UMass, 37-21. Then on Friday, Toledo hung with Michigan State, despite the Spartans pulling away late, winning 30-20.

Ohio hung tough with Nebraska until the fourth quarter, and then the game everyone saw — Western Michigan. The Broncos had beaten the Michigan Wolverines as the clock hit zero. But a final second was placed back on the clock, and Bryce Underwood found JJ Buchanan for a Hail Mary for the Wolverines to win the game, 13-12.

A team in the MAC likely won’t make the College Football Playoff, but scheduling these scrappy teams is at your own peril.

Oregon looks mortal after all

Sep 5, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning asks for a video review during the second half in a game against the Boise State Broncos at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Wayrynen-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

Not only did Oregon enter the season as the No. 2 ranked team, but the Ducks were an easy title favorite for some. Oregon returned Dane Moore and practically its entire defense, and then some.

But Week 1 showed us that the Ducks are mortal. Entering the home contest with Boise State as a 24.5-point favorite, Oregon found itself tied with the Broncos with less than eight minutes left on the clock. Moore would find Dakorien Moore for a 62-yard score with a little over seven minutes left on the clock to win 34-27.

It’s early, but Oregon didn’t look superior and you can argue that Boise State should’ve won the game.

Dabo Swinney will pack his bags after this season

Sep 5, 2026; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney looks on against LSU Tigers during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

For the first time since 2011, Clemson entered the season unranked. And now we know why. The Tigers fell to LSU in Death Valley, 51-10, and Dabo Swinney appears to be lost.

The once-claimed best head coach in college football appears to be a shell of himself. The Tigers don’t have a QB at the moment, and Clemson’s pride and joy defense was abysmal. Swinney is likely skating on thin ice, and his Tigers’ program continues to unravel.

If things don’t progress in a hurry, Swinney could be looking for a new job.

Field storming needs to be removed from college football

Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood (19), center, exits the field with Director of Player Personnel Ron Bellamy after 13-12 win over Western Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026. Credit: USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect (Reuters)

This might be a get-off-my-lawn take, but the Michigan Wolverines embarrassed themselves in more ways than one. Not only did the Wolverines need a final second to be placed back on the clock in order to beat Western Michigan — a team they were favored to beat by four touchdowns.

But after a successful Hail Mary, the fans stormed the field. That’s embarrassing. You stormed the field after beating a MAC program, a team you should beat every time you’re on the field with them.

Look, field storming might be cool, but there is a time and place for that. Maybe if you beat a top-five team you’re not favored to beat, then it’s acceptable. Saturday, however, was not.

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