College Football: Biggest Winners and Losers of Week 1

There’s still two games to go in Week 1 of the college football season, but we’ve learned a lot in the past few days. There have been some pleasant surprises, but there have also been some teams that failed to live up to expectations.

Here are the top winners and losers from Week 1 of the college football season.

Winners

Alabama and Bryce Young

Breaking News: Alabama is a good football team.

Once again, Alabama showed people why it has been the top dog in college football for the past decade. The Crimson Tide closed as 19.5-point favorites against the Miami Hurricanes, and went on to obliterate them from start to finish, covering the spread and winning the game by a score of 44-13.

Despite losing eight starters from last year’s championship team, Alabama’s offense didn’t skip a beat. Bryce Young immediately established himself as a Heisman contender, and Jameson Williams slid seamlessly into the the shoes of Devonta Williams and Jaylen Waddle at wideout.

Alabama is deserving of being a big favorite to win the National Championship after Week 1 and don’t be surprised if Bryce Young is the new Heisman Trophy betting favorite.

Georgia and its defense

Much like its SEC counterpart, Georgia has immediately put itself in the conversation of national championship contenders with its Week 1 win over the Clemson Tigers.

JT Daniels and the Bulldogs offense looked lackluster at best, but if any team in the country can slow down Alabama, it might just be the Georgia defense. They held Clemson to only three points, which is a feat that’s beyond impressive.

Georgia still has a long way to go and a lot of football left to play, but an eventual SEC Championship Game against the Crimson Tide looks more likely than ever.

The Iowa Hawkeyes

A lot of things went the Iowa Hawkeyes way in Week 1. They demolished the highly touted Indiana Hoosiers 34-6, and their defense looked completely dominant in the process.

Not only that, but their Big 10 West opponent, Wisconsin, lost to Penn State which gives them a clear path to winning the division. A win against Wisconsin on November 13th will give them a great shot to represent the West in the conference championship game, as long as they don’t stumble against inferior opponents.

Finally, Ohio State looked beatable in its game against Minnesota. If the Iowa defense is as dominant as it looked today, could they give the Buckeyes a challenge in the Big Ten Championship Game?

I’m getting ahead of myself, but a lot of things fell Iowa's way in Week 1.

Losers

Oklahoma and Spencer Rattler

The Oklahoma Sooners won their game against Tulane, so they aren’t literal losers, but outside of that, it was a disastrous debut. Spencer Rattler, the Heisman favorite, threw two interceptions. The defense, which was supposed to be much improved, got steamrolled by the Green Wave. The offense, which is supposed to be one of the best in the country, was held to only three points in the second half.

They can chalk it up to a bad day at the office and the result of underestimating a tough opponent, and they better hope that’s the case. If that version of Oklahoma is the one that will show up all season, they won’t win the Big 12 let alone the National Championship.

JT Daniels and D.J. Uiagalelei

While Georgia and its defense was a winner this week, JT Daniels has to be on my list of losers alongside his opposing quarterback in the game, D.J. Uiagalelei. I know it sounds crazy to list Daniels here despite the win, hear me out.

These two quarterbacks were among the top five names on the odds list to win the Heisman Trophy. Uiagalelei was listed second at +900 and Daniels was listed fifth at +1500. While nobody expected either guy to light up the opposing defense in this matchup, their performances tonight effectively ended their Heisman campaigns before they started.

Uiagalelei went 19 for 37 for 178 yeards, zero touchdowns, and one interception while Daniels went 22 for 30 for 135 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. Those aren't Heisman numbers.

Admittedly, this was a bigger blow for Uiagalalei, but expect names to drop drastically on the updated odds list when it's released next week.

The Pac-12

It’s been a while since the Pac-12 was relevant on the national stage, and it didn’t get off to a good start in Week 1. Oregon and USC, the conference's top two contenders, barely beat their out of conference opponents. Oregon was losing to Fresno State in the fourth quarter before scoring eight straight points to squeak out the win, and USC was only beating San Jose State 13-7 heading into the final quarter.

To make matters worse, the conference's third top contender, the Washington Huskies, were upset by Montana as a 22.5-point favorite.

Unless this week was an anomaly, expect the Pac-12 to be nothing more than a conference you can bet on late at night this season. If they can’t handle Mountain West opponents, they won’t be in the conversation when it comes time to select the college football playoff.

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