College football Week 1 superlatives: Jalen Hurts, Playoff picture, Heisman rankings, eye on Week 2

Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts is the biggest story from a wild and wonderful Week 1.

Week 1 of the college football season has come and gone. It was a five-day binge that began on Thursday with Clemson defending their national title and will end with Notre Dame embarrassing Lousiville on Monday night. In between was an all-you-can-eat buffet of college football goodness that made it socially acceptable to spend 15 hours on your couch on Saturday.

Hopefully, you also managed to enjoy your Labor Day weekend and have a cookout with some friends and family. I had a good time at a BBQ with some old and new friends and thankfully there were no raisins in the potato salad. The appetizers were fire. The grill master turned out five-star burgers and dogs and the drinks were cold and refreshing. It was the perfect complement to the weird, wild, wacky and wonderful from Week 1.

Let’s dive right into the Week 1 superlative with how the College Football Playoff rankings would look like if the season ended today.

College Football Playoff rankings

1. Clemson – The reigning champions beat up on Georgia Tech, winning 52-14 on Thursday night. Trevor Lawrence threw a pair of sloppy interceptions in the first sign he is a human being and not a football-playing god. He did run for a touchdown and showed off his mobility a little more than he did last year as a freshman. He’s not about to turn into Kyler Murray or Lamar Jackson, but that added wrinkle will only make his game and the Clemson offense even more dangerous.

2. Alabama – Tua Tagovailoa threw for 336 yards and three touchdowns, including one to Jerry Jeudy in the Tide’s 42-3 win over Duke. The offense wasn’t really tested vs. the Blue Devils defense. The run game wasn’t much of a factor though, averaging only 3.5 yards per rush on 42 attempts. Questions about the defense in the wake of injuries, especially All-American candidate Dylan Moses will still linger because Duke didn’t have an offense that could challenge even the Tide’s third-string unit. The run game efficiency and defense remain something to watch for.

3. Oklahoma – Jalen Hurts set a program record with six total touchdowns and more than 500 yards of total offense in the Sooners’ 49-31 win over Houston. Hurts topped 300 yards passing and looked as good as ever as a thrower. He’s always been a great runner but in Lincoln Riley’s offense, it’s safe you can pencil in Hurts for the Heisman ceremony. The new defense under Alex Grinch played great in the first half. The Cougars offense didn’t have any big plays as they limited the explosive D’Eriq King. However, the second half effort and performance was disappointing and will need to be better to be a serious contender if they make another trip to the College Football Playoff.

4. Ohio State – Justin Fields threw four touchdowns and ran for a score in his debut for the Buckeyes. Four of the scores came in the first quarter when Ohio State put away Florida Atlantic before fans could get comfortable in their seats in the Horseshoe. Fields looks every bit the part of the former five-star who was held in the same regard as Trevor Lawrence as recruits. He didn’t get to show it off at Georgia, but Fields made quick work to show he’s worthy of the hype.

Early Heisman statements

I love when players are making Heisman statements in August and we’re talking about playoff positioning over Labor Day weekend.

We can’t help it though. We waited eight months for the season to get here so forgive us if we can’t help think about this type of stuff.

The early front-runner is not Trevor Lawrence, who isn’t even the leading candidate in his own backfield, but it’s the former Alabama backup who is the latest Oklahoma transfer to put up video game numbers in this offense.

1. Jalen Hurts – 332 passing yards, 3 TD, 176 rushing yards 3 TD
2. Jonathan Taylor – 16 carries for 135 yards, 2 TD; 2 receptions for 48 yards, 2 TD
3. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama QB – 336 yards passing, 4 TD
4. Justin Fields, Ohio State QB – 244 passing yards, 3 TD; 61 rushing yards, 1 TD
5. Travis Etienne, Clemson RB – 12 carries for 205 yards, 17.1 YPC, 3 TD

It’s so ridiculously early that this list could be 15 names long. Most of the favorites, save for Adrian Martinez, figure to stay in the conversation for the next two months as they jockey for positioning. But these were the most impressive individual performances from the shortlist of Heisman candidates.

Best play: Jalen Hurts 43-yard run

It’s pretty wild to think about the journey Jalen Hurts has been on the last three years. Hurts was the first true freshman quarterback to ever start for Nick Saban in 2016. He throws for 2,780 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding 956 yards and 13 scores on the ground. Hurts wins SEC Offensive Player of the Year and scored the go-ahead touchdown in the National Championship Game. If not for Deshaun Watson and Hunter Renfrow’s heroics, it would have been the game-winning score.

He leads Alabama back to the title game a year later vs. Georgia but gets benched at halftime in favor of Tua Tagovailoa who throws three second-half touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime. Just like that, Hurts and his 26-2 record as a starter and two national game appearances was the backup. Hurts didn’t transfer, although no one would have blamed him if he wanted to play elsewhere. Hurts didn’t leave his teammates. He stuck around, he scored the game-winning touchdown in the SEC Championship Game to get Alabama back to the playoff after Tua was injured.

Hurts graduates and transfers to Oklahoma, a certifiable quarterback factory, where he gets to play for the coach who just developed the last two Heisman winners and last two No. 1 picks (Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield). And in his Oklahoma debut, Hurts did something neither of his predecessors was able to do. In fact, only Johnny Manziel in 2012 is the only quarterback in the last 15 years to throw for 300 yards and three touchdowns and run for 150  yards and three touchdowns.

It’s even crazier to think then that on a night he accounts for six touchdowns that his best play was one that didn’t go for six.

The play below highlights one reason Riley is the best offensive coach in the nation and why the NFL will be beating down his door every year.

This is the type of play you can only pull off in NCAA (RIP) back in the day when you were playing on freshman difficulty and you had a quarterback like Pat White with a speed rating over 90.

ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky did a brilliant job breaking down the intricacies of the play below and how well Hurts executed the design.

You can take the quarterback out of Alabama but you can’t take the Alabama out of the quarterback.

“We did some really good things out there tonight, but there are a lot of things we can improve on,” Hurts said on the ABC broadcast after the game. “We’ve got to take that next step.”

Always a perfectionist. His former coach, Nick Saban, would be awfully proud of that response and how he played. Even if he didn’t get to watch and had to hear about it afterward.

“Jalen set a great example when he was here when he was a player,” Saban said. “He was a good leader. He was a performer. And I also think when things didn’t go his way, he showed a lot of character as a person to continue to try and improve himself and do everything he could to help his team.”

“I didn’t see the game last night—we work on Sunday nights,” Saban said, via Alex Byington. “But I hear he played extremely well, did an outstanding job, and that doesn’t surprise me in the least bit. We’re really happy for him, not only in the way that he handled himself throughout this entire process but now that he’s having success as well.”

Worst call: Stanford punts at NU 34

Over a five-day weekend of college football games, there is a lot to pick from when it comes to the worst calls of the week. It probably isn’t technically the “worst” but it’s one that absolutely boggles my brain. It’s early in the second quarter and Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello was just sacked to set up a fourth-and-10 from the Northwestern 34. The analytics will tell you the success rate of going for it on that down and distance is successful 39 percent of the time. Conversely, teams who begin a drive with that field position score 38 percent of the time. In short, you go for it. Naturally, Stanford head coach David Shaw elected to punt. Okay, fine, they played it conservatively and let their good defense continue to pummel Northwestern who couldn’t move the ball. Fine, I get it. But the punt went into the end zone for a touchback. A net of 14 yards. Coaches need to stop doing this.

Worst beat: Northwestern (+6.5) vs. Stanford

The same game also delivered the worst beat of the opening week. If you had money on the scrappy underdog Wildcats, you were all set to start counting your winnings. Northwestern were 6.5-point underdogs vs. Stanford and trailed 10-7 with less than 30 seconds remaining in the game. Northwestern quarterback Hunter Johnson was sacked and fumbled and recovered by Stanford’s Jordan Fox in the end zone to make it a 17-7 game. This is why Scott Van Pelt had to start a Bad Beats segment because this stuff happens all the time!

Worst debut: Hunter Johnson, Northwestern QB

The former No. 1 quarterback recruit and Clemson transfer had high expectations after arriving in Evanston, but he didn’t make a great first impression. You already read about his struggle at the end of the game, but he finished 6-of-17 passing for 55 yards and a pair of interceptions. His success rate on passes thrown beyond five yards was the worst in Week 1 and his 35.3 completion percentage was second-worst. It can only go up from here.

Best debut (Non-transfer edition)

Hurts, Fields, Jacob Eason and Kelly Bryant all had good-quite strong debuts in their new places. Excluding the transfer quarterbacks, the best debut goes to Auburn true freshman quarterback Bo Nix. The former five-star recruit got off to an inauspicious start for the Tigers vs. Oregon but saved his best for last. Nix threw a 26-yard game-winning touchdown with nine seconds left to complete the comeback vs. the Ducks.

Nix edged out Joey Gatewood for the starting job late in fall camp, but Gus Malzahn appears to have made the right call after the legend-making clutch performance by the freshman. The potential is off the charts for Nix who could thrive in this spread offense. I can’t wait to see what he does the rest of the season and the rest of his career. He could be the next great young quarterback in college.

Best return to coaching: Mack Brown, North Carolina

How great was it to see Mack Brown back on the sidelines and back at North Carolina? Saturday marked the return for Brown to UNC since he left for the Texas job after he went 10-1 and finished No. 4 in the final AP Poll in 1997. It was also his first game coaching anywhere in five years. For three quarters, it didn’t look like it was going to be a happy homecoming. North Carolina trailed South Carolina 20-9 into the fourth quarter before scoring 15 unanswered points to win 24-20. Brown was emotional on the field in his postgame interview when he talked about how proud he was of his players and their resolve after some heartbreaking losses the previous few years. When he got to the locker room though, he was ready to celebrate. And he proceeded to celebrate like every grandpa at a wedding when he showed off his dance moves.

Honorable mention: Les Miles at Kansas for winning the opener vs. Indiana State, 24-17. It was a bit of a nail-biter in his first game since he was fired after four games into the 2016 season at LSU. But wins are at a premium at Kansas so they’ll take it. But it’s just great to have Miles back on the sidelines again, even if there may only be two or three more wins coming this year with the Jayhawks.

Weirdest return to coaching: Hugh Freeze coaching from a hospital bed

Hugh Freeze made his return to coaching but he has yet to make his return to the sideline. The former Ole Miss coach coached the Liberty season opener vs. Syracuse from a hospital bed as he recovers from back surgery. Freeze’s only two weeks removed from a staph infection in his spine that was nearly fatal said he is most comfortable when reclined. So what did he do? He coached Liberty from the reclined position on his hospital bed. Liberty lost 24-0 and looked lost in the process, but Freeze managed to get Liberty in the news with this stunt. I don’t know why he wouldn’t let his assistants run the show while he recovers. Oh yes, I do. He’s Hugh Freeze!

I haven’t laughed as hard as I laughed at Syracuse coach Dino Babers pointing up to Freeze and Freeze raising his red visor back at Babers in a long time. College football is the best, weirdest sport in the world.

Biggest meltdown: Tennessee or Florida State?

Florida State had their worst season in four decades last year when they missed a bowl game and fans were ready to start a GoFundMe to buy out Willie Taggart. The Seminoles came out and looked like a new team in the first half vs. Boise State. Cam Akers ripped off a long touchdown run and quarterback James Blackman was slinging it down the field. FSU was up 31-13 with less than three minutes in the first half. Then halftime happens and came out looking like the team fans saw in 2018.

What in the world did Taggart tell his team?!

Boise State scored the next 26 points to win in Doak Campbell behind freshman quarterback Hank Bachmeier. Not too bad considering the game was relocated to FSU’s home stadium due to the threat of Hurricane Dorian and he threw for 407 yards. Florida State used to be a power, but now they’re getting worked by a freshman from Boise State.

Tennessee had expectations of going back to a bowl game after sitting out bowl season the last two years. But after losing to Georgia State at home, the program may just be hoping to get a couple of SEC wins this year. Then again, Vanderbilt and Kentucky have their number of late, so it may be another long year on Rocky Top. The Vols paid Georgia State $950,000 to get them on the schedule so considering they basically paid a cool mill to get embarrassed on the opening weekend, it’s tough to top. Rocky Top has hit rock bottom.

Florida State fans should feel bad but Tennessee fans should feel embarrassed. That is if they aren’t numb to the happenings over the last decade. Actually, that’s probably it. They can both be miserable because neither situation is getting better anytime soon.

Don’t be surprised if both programs have new coaches by this time next year.

Best reckless decision: Shane Beamer headbutts player

Oklahoma assistant Shane Beamer got a little hyped during the Sooners’ opener vs. Houston. It’s understandable when it’s game night and expectations are high for the program. You can accept coaches getting a little overzealous and excitable. We’ve all been there before. But few of us have ever headbutted a player who has a helmet on and our head is unprotected.

Beamer had to get stitches to close the gash near his eye/forehead. But he’ll have a little scar and a war story to tell friends, strangers and family members for the years to come. I hope he embellishes as the years go by and by the time he’s 70, he’ll have people believing he got the scar fighting a pack of grizzly bears in remote Alaska after his biplane crashed. Oh wait, that’s the plot of the Anthony Hopkins-Alec Baldwin 1997 movie The Edge.

Stat of the week: Michigan State holds Tulsa to -73 yards rushing

You may have missed it on Friday night, but Michigan State’s defense had a night they’ll never forget. The Spartans defense limited Tulsa to minus-73 yards in their 28-7 win. The performance broke a 69-year-old record previously set vs. Pitt in 1950. Nice. Defensive end Kenny Williekes was named the Walter Camp Defensive Player of the Week after collecting a sack and scoring a touchdown on a fumble recovery.

“We pride ourselves on stopping the run, that’s our No. 1 goal each and every week,” Willekes said, via the Detroit Free Press. “So when someone says they’re gonna come into our house and rush for 200 yards, that’s something we take very personally. I think we showed today that …”

Best example why you don’t bodypaint: USC fans #FihtOn

It was a rough opener for USC who got the win vs. Fresno State but lost starting quarterback JT Daniels to a season-ending torn ACL and meniscus. Freshman Kedon Slovis took over and will be the starter moving forward for Clay Helton’s team. But that wasn’t the only blemish suffered by the USC football program on that night.

During the ESPN broadcast, the cameras showed some Trojan fans who painted their chests like David Puddy from Seinfeld. I give the kids an A+ when it comes to school spirit and supporting the team, especially when attendance is down in college football, especially in the student sections.

But their bodypainting etiquette needs some more work.

They lost the G in “Fight On” and the internet had some fun at their expense.

Unfortunately, the G was supposed to be filled by Lori Loughlin’s daughter who left school in the wake of the college admissions scandal. Other acceptable answers include USC having to vacate the G due to NCAA sanctions.

Best pro prospect: Jerry Jeudy, Alabama, WR

Jerry Jeudy topped our initial NFL Draft Big Board set in mid-August. The reigning Biletnikoff Award Winner could be the next Odell Beckham Jr. or Antonio Brown in the NFL. The 6-foot-1, 192-pound receiver had a stellar opener for Alabama vs. Duke. Jeudy had 10 catches for 137 yards and a touchdown where he put the defender through the spin cycle.

Jeudy probably won’t be the No. 1 pick because of the position he plays. Keyshawn Johnson in 1996 is the last receiver to go first overall in the NFL Draft. Before him, you have to go back to Irving Fryar in 1984. They are the only receivers in the modern era to go first overall. Can Jeudy make it three?

What to watch for Week 2

1. Clemson vs. Texas A&M
2. LSU vs. Texas
3. USC vs Stanford
4. Cincinnati vs. Ohio State
5. Army vs. Michigan
6. Nebraska vs. Colorado

There are two great matchups on tap in Week 2 with Clemson hosting Texas A&M and Texas hosting LSU. A pair of rivalry games (USC vs. Stanford, Nebraska vs. Colorado) are also on the schedule that should be noteworthy, if not altogether, outstanding watches.

Intriguing matchups, however, take place in the Big Ten where Ohio State will play Cincinnati who is coached by former Ohio State player, assistant and interim coach, Luke Fickell. The Bearcats are one of the best Group of Five teams this year and got a win vs. UCLA in their opener.

And Army looks to extend the nation’s second-longest winning streak to 14 (Clemson) when they travel to Ann Arbor to take on Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines. Army is a 23-5.point underdog, but I’d take the points knowing they took Oklahoma and Kyler Murray to overtime last year. I think this game will be a lot closer than the oddsmakers believe.

“I think this team can be very special,” Army quarterback Kelvin Hopkins Jr. told USA Today. “It’s a lot of guys that want to leave a good legacy.”