College Football: 25 Things We Learned in Week 1

Talk about exceeding expectations.

The first weekend of the college football season provided us with upsets, beat-downs, highlights and complete flops.

We saw traditional powers flop, yet again, and the end of the nation's longest winning streak.  So what does it all mean?

This list attempts in some simple way to break down the 25 things we can take away from this week (I will never believe in Notre Dame, ever again).

No. 25: TCU's Defense Is Not Up to the Usual Standards

TCU's defense is repeatedly at the top of the nation's defensive rankings.

This season there was some attrition but it was generally expected that Gary Patterson's squad would have an effective defense once again, regardless how the offense looked.

Wrong.

The Horned Frogs allowed Baylor to amass 564 yards, 414 through the air, in their loss to the Baylor Bears on Friday.

For a team coming off of a Rose Bowl win in 2010, it's going to be a rough season in '11.

No. 24: Auburn's Defensive Line Is Abominably Bad

Auburn's expectations going into this season were sky high just like every other team in the country.  Yesterday on the Plains we saw why they are going to fall short of a bowl game this season.

The Tigers' defensive and offensive lines are in desperate need of help.

Auburn allowed the lowly Utah State Aggies to push them all over the field and dominate physically from the get-go.

The Aggies rushed for nearly triple the amount of yards that Auburn's rushing attack managed and anyone who watched the game could see that the Tigers were struggling on both fronts.

The passing game was enough to bail them out of this one but next week against an explosive Mississippi State squad, it will be a different story if they don't figure something out quickly.

No. 23: Texas A&M Has One of the Better Rushing Duos in the Country

Call me crazy, but I think Texas A&M has a very good chance at taking the Big 12 title this season.

With a rushing attack like that, the Aggies are built to match up with the high scoring offenses they will face in the conference.

Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael accounted for a total of four rushing touchdowns against SMU, each of them averaging over six yards per carry.

Both guys have incredible strength near the goal line, and Gray has an excellent burst in the open field.

Combined with quarterback Ryan Tannehill, this offense is good enough to hang with any in the conference.

No. 22: Mark Richt's Seat Isn't Cooling off Soon

Georgia head coach Mark Richt's coaching seat has been slowly warming up over the past few seasons.  It is going to continue to get warmer.

The Dawgs were pounded by Boise State this weekend in Atlanta and must face rival South Carolina next week.

Georgia's defense was supposed to be improved in their second season in the new scheme but Kellen Moore and company put the lie to that statement.

Richt has been a solid coach for the Dawgs but right now he is feeling the heat.

No. 21: Don't Write off UNC

Don't forget North Carolina. The Tar Heels lost head coach Butch Davis the week before fall practice was started.

They lost one of their better quarterbacks in recent memory and some solid wide receivers.

And while their opponent was lowly James Madison, new quarterback Brynn Renner and the rest of the Tar Heels showed they might still be a player in the ACC race.

Brenner threw two touchdown passes, and completed 22 of 23 attempts. In the wide open ACC race, one would do well to remember UNC.

No. 20: Vick Ballard, That Is All

Memphis is not exactly tough SEC competition, as they were one of the worst teams in the country last season.

But the Bulldogs in general, and Ballard in particular, gave MSU fans reason to be excited about this season.

Ballard had scores from 46, 66 and one yard out, and finished the day with 166 yards on ten carries. He will have a field day next week against a porous Auburn defensive line.

No. 19: Robert Griffin III Is Heisman Material

Before Friday night, there where whispers here and there about RG III and his capability of competing for the Heisman.

After his five touchdown, 359 yard night on Friday, the Heisman talk is all over the place.

We have seen quarterbacks start off the season with a huge game only to fizzle out in the past but Griffin was absolutely superb in the win over TCU.

He threw no picks and consistently torched the Frog's usually solid defense with perfectly placed deep balls.

With Griffin at the helm the Bears may be a spoiler in the Big 12 title race.

No. 18: Jerry Kill Can Coach

Minnesota has been at the bottom of the Big Ten for the past several seasons.

New head coach Jerry Kill hopes to change that and he came extremely close against USC due to his ability to adjust and adapt.

USC receiver Robert Woods set the school record for receptions with 17 and Matt Barkley set the record for pass completions with 34.

But after catching 11 passes in the first half, including three touchdowns, the Gophers held Woods to only six catches in the second half, and kept the Trojans from scoring.

USC emerged on top, 19-17, but Kill and his squad are going to pull an upset in the Big Ten before the season is over.

No. 17: The Pac-12 Is Wide Open

The general assumption is that the Oregon Ducks are going to take the Pac-12, running away again this season.

Not so fast! While USC cannot play in the postseason, they have the potential to win the Pac-12 South.

Arizona State is a threat and teams like Arizona and Utah, while probably not Pac-12 Champ material, could make a difference.

That said, the real battle will be between Stanford and Oregon for the Pac-12 North.

The Cardinal have the best quarterback in the country and with Oregon's decimated O-Line, they have a shot to match up with their speed across the board.

This race will be one of the most interesting in the country this season.

No. 16: Mizzou Has Major Quarterback Concerns

The Tigers are hoping to compete with the top teams in the Big 12 this season but may not have the firepower.

Gary Pinkel's squad finished with only 129 yards passing, a number that seems more like one quarter for past Mizzou squads.  They finished with only 291 total yards of offense.

James Franklin was not overly impressive and has little time to reminisce on his shortcomings. The Tigers must travel to face a stout Arizona State defense this weekend.

Missouri's offense stalled way to early and often throughout the course of the game.

While the defense was a bright spot, they will struggle unless Franklin finds that missing "juice" needed to lead the offense effectively.

No. 15: David Wilson, Soothsayer

According to the ESPN game recap, Virginia Tech running back David Wilson said they wouldn't need another play after the first one if they just handed him the ball.

I guess he wasn't kidding.

On the Hokies' first play from scrimmage, Wilson scampered into the endzone and eventually found his way there a total of three times in their romp over Appalachian State.

Do the Hokies have questions to be answered in the backfield?

Yes they do, but I think we can safely say that Wilson and quarterback Logan Thomas may turn out to be pretty effective answers for any and all questions.

No. 14: Michigan State Fans Should Be Concerned

The Spartan's offense looked shaky and out of sorts at times against the Penguins of Youngstown State, as their defense allowed 20 first downs.

The Spartans were not particularly effective in the first half but managed to score 14 points before halftime.

In the second half they still only managed to put up 14 in spite of seemingly correcting their miscues and mistakes.

If this team is to compete for the Big Ten title once again, they are going to have to show a little more focus and execution than they did Saturday.

No. 13: Oklahoma State May Have Issues

There is no argument from me concerning the explosiveness of the Cowboys' offense. However, quarterback Brandon Weeden threw three interceptions in OSU's game against LA-Lafayette.

Weeden completed 61 percent of his passes and threw for nearly four hundred yards in the win, but there was cause for concern.

They may not have all been his fault, but playing against Big 12 squads will be a different proposition from facing Cupcake Tech. The Cowboys need to right the ship.

No. 12: West Virginia's Run Game Is Anemic, at Best

Mountaineer fans are hoping that the arrival of Dana Holgorsen will help WVU's football team get back to BCS games on a consistent basis.

As of this writing, their horrible run game might be the only thing limiting them. The Mountaineers averaged 1.6 yards per carry on 26 attempts against Marshall.

Due to Marshall's ineptitude, it did not hurt the Mountaineers. But any fan will remember that during their run at the BCS a few seasons ago, the run game was a staple of the attack.

Besides, name one team that was in a BCS game last season that did not boast an extremely effective running game.

Holgorsen needs to get it fixed immediately or things could get ugly real fast for a squad that must face Maryland and LSU in back-to-back weeks on September 17 and 24, respectively.

No. 11: Nebraska Can Make the No-Huddle Work for Them

The Huskers unveiled some of their new offense against Chatanooga. Filled with triple-option plays and quick, short passes, it seems tailor-made for their offense.

Taylor Martinez showed no ill effects from his injuries last season and overall, this offense should give some of their Big Ten counterparts fits.

The Huskers offense can be the difference in conference play especially if they execute at half the level they did against the Mocs.

No. 10: E.J. Manuel Is Going to Be Just Fine at Quarterback

Florida State is receiving a ton of love in the preseason polls.

The one question they had on the squad was at quarterback, where E.J. Manuel took over for the departed Christian Ponder.

So far, FSU fans should start to feel better about Manuel leading their experienced offense. He threw two touchdowns and 252 yards on 22-34 passing.

The fact that the Seminoles only totaled 92 yards rushing is a small disturbance but Manuel has the chops to lead this team.

Are they a BCS contender? That, my friends, we will find out in two weeks...

No. 9: The Defense Is Going to Carry Alabama

A.J. McCarron should be the starting quarterback, stepping up and leading the Tide to a win over Kent State.

However, two picks against a defense the caliber of the Golden Flashes may equal more like three or four against some of the better defenses in the SEC.

Trent Richardson will be effective in the run game and 'Bama will have to lean heavily on him to provide the spark needed against tougher opponents.

But the catalyst to Alabama's success will have to be the defense.

If they are going to return to the BCS, or even compete for the SEC, this defense must lock down opponents and smash them in the mouth.

They are perfectly capable of doing so and until McCarron can improve some minor accuracy issues, the Tide need a boost from the defense.

No. 8: The Loss of Young and Pettis Won't Bother Kellen Moore

Boise State quarterback extrordinaire Kellen Moore picked up in the 2011 season right where he left off.

The loss of his top two receivers, Austin Pettis and Titus Young to the NFL, was slated by some to slow him down.

However, Moore went out in the Broncos' season opener and did what he does repeatedly—play a great game and knock of another isolated BCS opponent.

Moore threw for three touchdowns, giving him 102 for his career, and 261 yards.

The MWC is slightly tougher than the WAC but Boise State seems to once again have a clear path to the BCS.

No. 7: Stephen Garcia Should Always Start

Steve Spurrier has been notoriously hard on his starting quarterbacks over the years. Yesterday, he ended Stephen Garcia's 28 game starting streak in favor of Connor Shaw.

What a mistake.

The Gamecocks were down 17-0 before Garcia came into the game against East Carolina, pushing the score to 24-14 at halftime.

He proved to be the steadying influence the Gamecocks needed, scoring twice on the ground and once through the air in their 56-37 come-from-behind victory.

While nobody is doubting Spurrier's coaching ability, but it was obvious in Saturday's win that Garcia is the engine that makes the offense go.

No. 6: Wisconsin's Offense Is (Gulp) Explosive

When one thinks of the Wisconsin Badgers' offense, images of explosive plays do not come to mind.

With the addition of offseason transfer quarterback Russell Wilson, they may have just become the most dangerous offense in the Big Ten.

The Badgers posted six 20-plus yard plays in the first half.

Even for a squad that usually pounds the ball up the middle and uses play-action to complete 12-15 yard passes, Wisconsin looked explosive against a lowly UNLV team.

Wilson threw for two scores and had a brilliant 46-yard scamper for another. The Badgers' week two opponent, Oregon State, lost in overtime to Sacramento State.

The Beavers are about to be ambushed.

No. 5: Florida Might Be on to Something

Chris Rainey accounted for 18 of the Gators' 41 points in their victory over Florida Atlantic.

The speedster rushed for one score, caught another and scooped up a blocked punt, taking it to the house.

Quarterback John Brantley displayed a level of comfort in the offense that he never showed at any time last season.

Granted, it was against FAU, not exactly a traditional SEC powerhouse. Gator fans should expect this team to show improvement over last season's debacle.

No. 4: The Ducks Are Not Near as Scary Without Cliff Harris

Oregon's BCS Championship hopes were all but dashed to pieces last night in Texas. So what happened?

Cliff Harris was out.

The explosive member of the Ducks' secondary was out for the battle with LSU and the guy who filled his place on defense got torched on Jarrett Lee's touchdown pass.

Harris was also noticeably absent from his punt return duties, as a muffed punt by his replacement led directly to an LSU touchdown.

Anyone who thought this suspension wasn't a big deal when it happened found out differently last night.

No. 3: Oklahoma Is Incredibly Potent

This may be a given to some of you, but Oklahoma is ridiculous.

They faced a Tulsa squad that is no slouch on the offensive side of the ball and completely blew them away.

The questions about replacing DeMarco Murray have been answered, as Dominique Whaley scored four times and the Sooners gained 663 yards on offense.

That kind of balance will carry them a long way, although the defense will need to be better than their 400 yard performance in this one.

We all knew their offense was going to be good, but 663 yards is insanely good.

No. 2: Never Buy the Preseason Irish Hype

OK, I'll admit it. I was flat wrong about the Irish. Forgive me for buying into the hype.

On a day filled with tumultuous weather, the Irish were pummeled on the field, looking slow, rusty and under-prepared.

From the moment Kayvon Webster returned a Notre Dame fumble 96 yards for a score four minutes into the contest, the Irish were plagued by miscues and poor decisions.

Brian Kelly's squad committed five total turnovers, three of them inside the opponent's 20-yard-line.

Tommy Rees came into the game after a two-hour halftime due to weather delay and managed to put up some big numbers, pulling the Irish within three, despite two interceptions.

But it was too little too late. Never again will I be suckered into the vacuum that is preseason Notre Dame hype.

No. 1: No Jefferson, No Problem

Some, myself included, thought the Tigers were going to struggle against Oreogn after all the turmoil that has been going on in Baton Rouge.

Wrong again. Jordan Jefferson does not play defense.

To put it simply, the Tigers could have started Danica Patrick at quarterback and likely would have beaten the Ducks.

Guys like Barkevious Mingo and Tyrann Mathieu showed the ability to step up and make big plays for the defense. Les Miles' squad proved they should not be written off just yet.

Never underestimate the "Mad Hatter."