College football season is officially back with Saturday’s action representing the true beginning of football season. As Saturday’s college football Week 1 action draws to a close, we’re highlighting some of the top winners and losers from this week’s slate.
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While we’re primarily focused on winners and losers from Saturday’s games, there were a handful of intriguing matchups and performances on Thursday and Friday. With that in mind, let’s dive into our list for Week 1.
Winner: Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado Buffaloes
Travis Hunter is just different. There are going to be compelling arguments made for him to play wide receiver or cornerback in the NFL. For now, we’re just lucky to see him play both positions at an elite level. Hunter played 124 snaps in Week 1 (ESPN), receiving just 2 plays of rest. For good measure, he tacked on 132 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. Just enjoy it college football fans.
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Loser: Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers
Here’s an idea for Dabo Swinney, give the transfer portal a try. Following a blowout loss to the Georgia Bulldogs in Week 1, Swinney’s Tigers have now lost 15 games in the last four years. He is still called one of the three best coaches in college football for his prior success, but that came with high-end NFL quarterbacks. Now that Swinney’s team isn’t being carried by a superstar quarterback, you see the results.
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Winner: Drew Allar, QB, Penn State Nittany Lions
Drew Allar could be a game-changer for the Penn State Nittany Lions. We’ve long been skeptical of James Franklin, his record versus top 10 teams (3-17) and ranked opponents (12-25) should tell you why. However, an outstanding quarterback who raises the floor of his offense can overcome coaching. The Nittany Lions have an excellent defense and Allar showed some All-American flashes in Week 1. If he keeps it up, Penn State is a bonafide playoff threat.
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Loser: North Carolina Tar Heels
The North Carolina Tar Heels lost 10 total games over the last two seasons with Drake Maye, an elite quarterback as their starter. With all due respect to Max Johnson, he is not close to that. Now, Johnson is sidelined for the season and the Tar Heels backup quarterback is thrown into the fire. It’s going to be a rough year for North Carolina and it might put Mack Brown on the hot seat.
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Winner: Georgia Bulldogs
Just minutes before Week 1 kicked off, there were plenty of people putting money on the Clemson Tigers after learning multiple Georgia Bulldogs starters were sidelined. Let that be a lesson to not bet against the Bulldogs when facing an inferior opponent. After a sluggish first half, still leading Clemson, Georgia walked all over the Tigers in the second half. Better talent and coaching win out, even when Georgia is missing multiple starters. Let there be no doubt who is the best team in college football.
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Loser: Mike Gundy’s QR code idea
Mike Gundy was convinced he came up with a brilliant idea, putting NIL-linked QR codes on players’ helmets to help raise funds for the Oklahoma State Cowboys NIL funds. Hours before kickoff in Week 1, the NCAA stepped in and crushed that plan. It’s back to the drawing board for a program that is already behind when it comes to NIL.
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Winner: Nico Iamaleava, QB, Tennessee Volunteers
Say what you want about Josh Heupel’s offense, but it made quarterback Hendon Hooker a Heisman Trophy candidate. Nico Iamaleava is far more gifted as a passer and Week 1 is only a glimpse of what he can do as he gains more experience. We won’t overreact yet to what this means for the Volunteers’ playoff hopes, but performances like this should demonstrate why Iamaleava is a Heisman Trophy candidate this year and arguably should be the front-runner in 2025.
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Loser: Florida Gators coach Billy Napier
We might only be a few weeks away from the Florida Gators quietly doing background work on coaching candidates. In 26 games as the Gators coach, Napier is now 11-15 and the team’s biggest win in 2023 came against a disjointed Vols program. The Gators schedule is the toughest in college football and Napier’s already shown he can’t win the big games. It’s a matter of when, not if, Napier is fired.
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Winner: Dylan Raiola, QB, Nebraska Cornhuskers
It’s not always the box score that stands out when evaluating a freshman quarterback. Though, Dylan Raiola certainly finished Week 1 with a spectacular stat line. Racking up 192 yards and 2 scores in a half is nice, but what’s even better are downfield darts like this and precision strikes like this. We’re not suggesting Raiola will be a superstar for the Nebraska Cornhuskers immediately, but they’ve solved their QB problem.
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Loser: Michigan Wolverines offense
If the NCAA is looking for an adequate punishment for the Michigan Wolverins’ sign-stealing scandal, perhaps they should watch this offense. In the first half at home against Fresno State, the Wolverines offense managed just 89 total yards and it went 0-for-4 on third-down conversions. Michigan has just a week to change things before it has to battle Texas on FOX. Based on everything we saw, it will take a historically dominant performance from the Wolverines’ defense for this team to win.
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Winner: Cam Ward, QB, Miami Hurricanes
The Miami Hurricanes finally have a quarterback. Cam Ward debated going to the NFL last year, but he rightfully realized there are more money-making opportunities in college football. Ward made a single mistake in Week 1, but he was otherwise phenomenal and you see the difference it makes for the Hurricanes. This isn’t saying “The U” is back, but they’re going to be a much bigger problem for opponents than we’ve seen in previous years.
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