College Football: 25 Things We Learned This Weekend

With the first week of the college football season slowly beginning to fade away in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a look back at what we’ve witnessed and what’s to come as the 2010 NCAA gridiron campaign has officially kicked off.

And from overrated teams to under-the-radar squads, let’s count down 25 things we learned this weekend…

No. 25: Oklahoma Sooners Appear to Be Overrated Entering Season

No. 7 Oklahoma struggled in their week one 31-24 opening win over Utah State, and the Sooners appear to be highly overrated entering the 2010 season.

Granted, they could easily turn things around in week two—but looking back at the week one win, Oklahoma’s defense is in major need of help.

No. 24: Pittsburgh is Definitely Overrated and Will Fall in the Polls

No. 15 Pittsburgh’s 27-24 overtime loss to Utah has to be the biggest shocker of the weekend.

Regardless of the upset, Pittsburgh proved to be overrated and there’s no doubt they will fall in the polls.

No. 23: Despite Tough Win, TCU May Soon Be a Top Five Team

No. 6 TCU held on for 30-21 victory over No. 24 Oregon State in the week one opener, and if the Horned Frogs can continue winning games they will soon find themselves in the top five teams in the nation.

And after a quick test on Saturday, TCU will prepare to battle Tennessee Tech next weekend at home.

No. 22: Monday’s Battle Between Two Top 10 Teams Should Be Exciting

On Monday, Sept. 6, No. 3 Boise State will be battling No. 10 Virginia Tech in a nationally televised game.

And it should be quite a remarkable way to wrap up week one action on the college gridiron.

No. 21: Baylor’s Robert Griffin III is Back, Will Lead Bears to Bowl

The Baylor Bears have plenty to be excited about entering the 2010 season, and they kicked things off on the right foot in week one with a 34-3 drubbing of Sam Houston State.

Baylor sophomore play-caller Robert Griffin III, returning from a 2009 season-ending injury, played remarkable in the Bears opener—completing 19-of-36 pass attempts for 242 yards and two touchdowns.

And if RGIII can remain healthy this season, there’s no doubt the Bears will be bowl bound.

No. 20: Big 12 Powerhouses Lacking Defensive Prowess of Season’s Past

Both Oklahoma and Texas may have won their season openers, but neither the Sooners nor the Horns appeared to have the defensive prowess they have carried with them in season’s past.

In fact, No. 5 Texas’ 34-17 victory over Rice was anything but easy; and both the Horns and Sooners have reasons to be a little concerned heading into week two.

No. 19: Big East Teams a Major Disappointment in Week 1 Action

Both Connecticut and Cincinnati looked awful in their 2010 season openers, as a majority of the Big East teams fell in week one.

On top of that, the only true Big East team to pick up a victory in week one was Syracuse, winning at Akron.

No. 18: Penn State’s Rob Bolden Appears to Be Star-in-the-Making

Penn State freshman quarterback Rob Bolden had quite a coming out party in week one, completing 20-of-29 pass attempts for 238 yards and two touchdowns in a 44-14 victory.

And you really can't argue with those numbers.

No. 17: New Mexico’s Football Team is Literally Terrible

The blowout of week one goes to No. 11 Oregon, as the Ducks beat down New Mexico 72-0 on Saturday.

Unfortunately for the Lobos, New Mexico appears to be one of the weakest team in NCAA football this season.

No. 16: Pac-10 Quarterbacks Very Solid in Week 1 Matchups

Pac-10 quarterbacks had a phenomenal showing in week one action, with Arizona's Nick Foles leading the way on 32-of-37 passing.

No. 15: Defending Champs Alabama Looked Damn Good in Week 1

The defending national champions and No. 1 ranked Alabama Crimson Tide looked almost unstoppable in their week one 48-3 blowout over San Jose State.

No. 14: Ole Miss Football Has Serious Issues to Sort Out Defensively

For the first time in school history, Ole Miss lost to a Football Championship Subdivision team—dropping a 49-48 double-overtime heartbreaker to Jacksonville State.

No. 13: Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys Very Impressive in Week 1 Win

Oklahoma State was by far the most impressive Big 12 team to kick off the 2010 college football season, as the Cowboys destroyed Washington State, 65-17.

No. 12: Notre Dame Hype in 2010 May Finally Be the Real Thing

The Brian Kelly era at Notre Dame began with a bang to kick off the 2010 season, as the Fighting Irish knocked off Purdue, 23-12, in week one.

No. 11: ESPN’s “College GameDay” Crew Still Doesn’t Have a Clue

From Lee Corso to Kirk Herbstreit, there are some major changes that need to be implemented if ESPN wants fans to continue watching their hit program, "College GameDay."

And if this past Saturday is any indication of what's to come, prepare for a pretty dull season of "College GameDay."

No. 10: Michigan’s Rich Rodriguez Can Finally Breathe Sigh of Relief

The Michigan football team got things off on the right foot to begin the 2010 college gridiron campaign, as third-year coach Rich Rodriguez can now breathe a sigh of relief after the Wolverines picked up a 30-10 win over Connecticut.

No. 9: Florida Looked Sloppy in Week 1 Win Against Miami (Ohio)

No. 4 Florida looked quite vulnerable in a week one victory over Miami (Ohio), and the Gators need to wake up heading into week two.

No. 8: LSU Should Be Concerned After Barely Beating Undermanned UNC

The LSU football team and its fans have every reason to be concerned after the Tigers allowed an undermanned UNC squad to get back into the game and almost pull what many would have called an upset.

No. 7: USC Far From Impressive in Week 1 Victory Over Hawaii

The 14th ranked USC football team looked anything but superb in their week one 49-36 victory over Hawaii, as the Trojans need to take an in-depth look at some defensive breakdowns that plagued them this past week.

No. 6: What Is Up with Big 12’s Kansas Jayhawks Football Team?

The Kansas Jayhawks have got to be the new cellar dwellers in the Big 12 Conference, dropping a week one contest against North Dakota State, 6-3.

No. 5: Ohio State Offense Appears to Be Clicking on All Cylinders

No. 2 Ohio State throttled Marshall 45-7 in its week one season opener, and the Buckeyes seem intent on making some major noise in 2010.

No. 4: Fresno State Appears to Be an Under-the-Radar Team This Season

After trailing by 14 points, Fresno State came storming back to knock off Cincinnati 28-14.

And the Bulldogs appear to be one of the most under-the-radar teams this season.

No. 3: Just One Week Into 2010 Season, Things Already Getting Shaken Up

For those that didn't know about Jacksonville State, they were introduced to the college football world this past weekend when they knocked off Ole Miss in double overtime.

And there will be plenty of more upsets to come this season.

No. 2: Majority of Top 25 Teams Primed to Remain in Polls

Outside of Pittsburgh falling in week one, the remaining top 25 teams are pretty much primed to remain grounded at their current ranking or maybe rise a spot or two.

But it's still early, and I have no doubt some top 25 teams will begin falling when week two kicks off next weekend.

No. 1: Week 1 Fun, But Week 2 Should Be Even Better…

Which leads us to week two, which is right around the corner.

Week one was a blast, right?

And we still have a couple games to go before we can officially close the book on the first week of college football action.

But I can guarantee you there's plenty more fun to come; and I can't wait to continue watching as the 2010 NCAA gridiron season rolls on...

Denton Ramsey may be reached via email at [e-mail]