The Best College Football Weekend Ever
And why we’ll probably never see anything like it again.
Heralded as the greatest opening weekend of college football ever, the first slate of the season was just that —great. And … we may never see its likes again.
Why? The big boys don’t like losing in the first week. That’s why they schedule the patsies.
Instead, there were some significant upsets:
Houston 33, №3 Oklahoma 23: With the Big 12 considering whether to add Houston, the Cougars took advantage, including taking a missed 53-yard field goal by the Sooners and turning it into a 100-yard runback for a TD. Oklahoma QB Baker Mayfield was thought to be a Heisman Trophy favorite, but Houston’s Greg Ward Jr. outplayed him. “We were prepared to win,” Cougars coach Tom Herman said. “We expected to win. We train to win. It wasn’t about making a statement, it was about going 1–0 the first week of the season.”
Wisconsin 16, №5 LSU 14 at Green Bay’s Lambeau Field: Defensive-minded LSU coach Les Miles barely survived keeping his job last season, and he’s not off to a good start with another anemic offensive effort by the Tigers. LSU’s Heisman hopeful, RB Leonard Fournette, had 138 yards on 23 carries but that’s a win for the tough Badgers’ defense. A Wisconsin interception late sealed the game. LSU OL Josh Bouette was ejected for a late hit, and the SEC will be reviewing whether to suspend him a game.
Texas A&M upended №16 UCLA in overtime: The Aggies gave away a big lead in the fourth quarter but held on with QB Trevor Knight running in for a TD on fourth and goal from inside the 1 in overtime. UCLA QB Josh Rosen went 26-for-36 for 343 yards and one touchdown — but also three interceptions, including on the Bruins’ final drive in regulation that might have won the game.
Texas prevailed in double OT to beat №10 Notre Dame: The Longhorns had a big lead, gave it up, scored late in regulation to regain the lead, only to see a blocked extra point returned by Notre Dame for two points to tie the game. Both teams scored a touchdown in the first OT. Notre Dame hit a field goal in double OT, but Texas pushed it over the line for the winning TD.
But there is still some order in the world of college football: №1 Alabama, even with a true freshman QB, walloped №20 Southern Cal 52–6 at Jerry Jones’ 80,000-person palace in the Big D. Crimson Tide QB Jalen Hurts (what a name for a QB!) threw two TDs and ran for two more.
And №2 Clemson, which lost the national championship last season to Alabama, held off Auburn 19–13 in a game between the Tigers and the Tigers! Clemson QB Deshaun Watson, another Heisman hopeful, passed for 248 yards, 174 on nine receptions by Mike Williams. Auburn was one of six SEC teams to lose in the opening week.
Best games to watch next weekend: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee at Bristol (TN) Motor Speedway, which can hold 160,000 fans — those schools are four hours apart, but this is their first regular-season meeting since 1937 — plus, don’t miss rivalry game Penn State at Pitt.
Sports served up fresh in your inbox, on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
