College Football Week 1 Winners: Coach Prime, Pac-12, & A-C-C!

It wasn’t set up as the best slate of the season (check out Week 2!), and the game of the week (LSU vs. FSU) was a bust, but as it often does, college football gave us some unexpected upsets that got us out of our seats.

Here are Week 1’s winners:

Coach Deion Sanders said they were coming, and after Week 1, the Colorado Buffaloes are here. A 20.5-point underdog at TCU, Coach Prime’s team shocked the world against last season’s runner-up and a Horned Frogs program that passed on hiring Sanders a year ago.

If anyone could say, “I told you so,” after Week 1, it was Prime, and he did not pass up on the opportunity. I’m only disappointed they didn’t have a pile of receipts in the locker room.

Give the man his theme music.

We’re staying in Boulder. As much as Sanders is a showman and an excellent self-promoter, he loves to shower his guys with praise even more. Not that they needed it because their play on the field spoke loudly.

Cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter put on the show of shows in his FBS debut. The former No. 1 overall recruit who shocked the college football world by spurning Florida State for Jackson State exceeded the hype. Hunter had 11 receptions for 119 yards and a key interception inside the ten-yard line. It was a legendary two-way performance, and we can’t get enough.

As for Shedeur Sanders…all he did was set a Colorado record with 510 yards and four touchdown passes (no interceptions). That was a wow performance and erased any doubt about Sanders being a Power 5 passer.

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The Pac-12 went 12-0 in Week 1!! Not a single defeat. They’re 13-0 on the season. That’s the most wins by an FBS conference without a loss through Week 1 (USC is 2-0) since at least 1980 (ever?).

They averaged 52.6 PPG on Saturday. That’s the first time a conference has averaged over 50 points on a Saturday.

Are you not entertained?

The upsets continued through Monday night when the Duke Blue Devils pulled off another shocker by knocking off the No. 9 Clemson Tigers, 28-7. Quarterback Riley Leonard had a spectacular 44-yard touchdown run — MJ shoulder shrug included! — to put the Dukies up 13-7, and they never looked back.

Did the Blue Devils benefit from some second-half miscues by Clemson? Sure, but they also did their share of gifting the Tigers the lead in the first half.

Mike Elko turned in the program’s best win since the days of Steve Spurrier. Rush the field! 

We can debate how good or bad Duke’s upset of projected national title contender Clemson was for the conference. But on a weekend when the ACC went 2-1 over the SEC, the conference has the right to puff their chest.

More than winning the weekend over the rival conference, they won the two that counted. Let’s be honest… Did you even know Tennessee played Virginia?

No. 8 Florida State put a 45-24 whooping on No. 5 LSU on Sunday night. Jordan Travis threw for 342 yards and four TDs, and Michigan State transfer Keon Coleman balled out (9-122-3 TDs) in his FSU debut. The ‘Noles are back and are a legit national title contender.

This was the showcase game of the week, and even Cal fans got in on the act.

The night before, No. 21 North Carolina handled South Carolina 31-17 despite an inconsistent showing from Heisman hopeful Drake Maye (2 TDs, 2 INTs). Is their defense decent? They recorded an impressive nine sacks of Spencer Rattler and held South Carolina’s running game in check all night. Dance, Mack, Dance!

Not only did the Tar Heels prove who the “real” Carolina is, but the Miami (FL) Hurricanes made a statement in the “Confusion Bowl” about the “real” Miami, with their 38-3 thumping of Miami (OH), as they made Brett Gabbert eat his words.

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