The Good, the Bad, the Ugly: Week 1

NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos...

Through week one, we are already starting to have some clarity as to who the top teams in the Group of Six are. North Dakota State has looked dominant through two games, Boise State almost pulled off a massive upset against a National Championship contender, and the Air Force defense looks improved. It is certainly shaping up to be an exciting season as teams from the Mountain West and PAC-12 are competing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. Now that week one has wrapped up, let’s take a look at where some of these teams stand in this edition of “The Good, the Bad, the Ugly.”

A Tier

North Dakota State

The Bison have looked flawless in their victories over Jacksonville State and Fordham. While not exactly elite competition, the Bison have looked physically superior and prepared for the style of football they will encounter at this level. The defense has surrendered only seven points through two games and Nathan Hayes has been very impressive at the quarterback position. It will be interesting to see how this team does away from home as they will have a tough test travelling to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force.

Colorado State

The Jim Mora Jr. era is off to a fantastic start as the Rams used a dominating second half to propel themselves to a convincing victory over their rival, Wyoming. Hauss Hejny was fantastic, completing 23 of 33 passes for 214 yards while adding five touchdown passes. The Rams forced four Cowboy turnovers that resulted in 14 points. Colorado State looks ahead of schedule and has a great chance to start the season 2-0 with a victory over Southern Utah.

B Tier

Boise State

They say there are no moral victories in college football, but this was sort of a moral victory. Boise State went toe-to-toe with, arguably, the best team in college football and had a chance to send it to overtime late in the fourth quarter. This is clearly a better football team than what we saw last year. The tackling in the open field was elite, and an inexperienced offensive line held their own with one of the best defensive lines in college football. Boise State fans should feel good about the upcoming season. If they take care of business against Memphis this weekend, they will be the outright favorite for the Group of Five spot in the College Football Playoff.

C Tier

Oregon State

A lot of pundits thought the Beavers would finish near the bottom of the PAC-12, but their loss to Houston had some promising signs. Oregon State looks like they have found their quarterback in Braden Atkinson. Atkinson threw for 376 yards and had the Beavers moving down the field despite their struggle running the ball. I feel better about this team after week one, but they have to get better in the trenches. They only had 26 rushing yards and surrendered four sacks. But if they can build on the success of their passing game and show progress on defense, this team should be flirting with bowl eligibility by the end of the season.

D Tier

Texas State

I didn’t expect the Bobcats to win, but I thought their offense could at least make things interesting for a half. They showed flashes on the offensive side of the ball. But this defense is bad and is going to have a really hard time competing against the better teams in the PAC-12 if they don’t make some significant gains. Bobcat quarterback Brad Jackson looked rattled at times, and his two turnovers proved costly. The Longhorns showed that if you can make Jackson uncomfortable, he can be slowed down.

Hawaii

Through two games, this team has been a massive disappointment. Micah Alejado has been a shadow of what he was last season and the offense has been largely inept for seven of the eight quarters they have played this year. You have to feel for this defense; they held a talented UNLV offense to 21 points and kept Jackson Arnold in check for the majority of the game. This team is not a contender for the conference championship and they might struggle to make a bowl game. If Timmy Chang doesn’t right the ship quickly, his seat might start getting warm.

F Tier

Northern Illinois

In their first game as a Mountain West member, the Huskies managed only 120 total yards of offense and only seven yards rushing. Sure, Iowa is a good football team, but a 40-0 loss where there were little to no signs of life on the offensive side of the ball can’t be very encouraging for a program that is already beginning the season in a tough spot with an interim coach. This has the makings of a really long season for Northern Illinois.

Utah State

The award for worst loss of the weekend goes to the Aggies. What an embarrassing performance for Utah State in their inaugural game as a member of the PAC-12. McCae Hillstead looked like a quarterback that is not ready to start at any level of college football, throwing three interceptions against an FCS team that has almost zero chance of making the playoff. This feels like the beginning of a very long season for Bronco Mendenhall’s squad.

Fresno State

The Bulldogs lost 39-0, and if we are being honest, it really wasn’t that close. Sure, USC is a legitimate playoff contender, but seeing a team under the leadership of Matt Entz get pushed around like that is head scratching. Fresno State still has significant problems in the trenches; they can’t run the ball and their defensive line is going to struggle to get pressure on the quarterback. If this team wants to be a realistic contender, they will have to improve quickly in the trenches.

How do you feel about your team after opening weekend? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.

More at NCAAF College Football News, Photos, Stats, Scores, Schedule & Videos