Reactions from Week 1

I thought I'd do a new weekly feature, this time in response to the weekend of games gone by.  And my, how Week 1 left some reactions!




The overreaction:

• Three Top 10 teams fell in Week 1 - two of them to unranked teams (LSU to Wisconsin, ND to Texas, and Oklahoma to ranked Houston).  Those three teams aren't going to amount to anything this season!
• Houston, Wisconsin, and Texas are shoo-ins for the Playoff!  They beat their toughest opponents, with only mild challenges remaining!
• The PAC-12 is in deep trouble: its two best South teams lost big non-conference openers!
• The SEC is in trouble: only Alabama, Georgia, and Texas A&M are any good!
• Washington State, Iowa State, and UVA all lost against FCS teams.  They'll all struggle to win three games in 2016!
• Louisville, Ohio State, and Michigan scored a ton of points without playing an FCS team.  They're unstoppable!
• Alabama looked so dominant with young QB's against USC...they won't face a challenge all year!

The "wait and see" reaction:

• Tennessee, Arkansas, Penn State, TCU, Virginia Tech and Pittsburgh all won against seemingly over-matched foes with a little less domination than expected.  All have big Week 2 games against each other (Arkansas at TCU, Penn State at Pitt, VT/Tennessee in Bristol) and were almost certainly holding an Ace or two back in Week 1.
• Houston is the clear favorite from the Group of Five to contend for a New Year's Six bowl (and maybe even the Playoff).  Can someone else from the American rise up and prove to be a worthwhile challenge/resume builder for the Cougars?

Tony's Takeaways:

• The opening weekend certainly did not disappoint!  Notre Dame-Texas was an instant classic, FSU-Ole Miss was a highly intriguing tale of two halves, and the Saturday midday games had plenty of thrillers (Houston-OU, Wisconsin-LSU, and big upsets such as Richmond over UVA and South Alabama over Mississippi State).  
• Meanwhile, Alabama seems to have some trouble finding a competitive matchup for these neutral-site kickoffs. Credit to the Tide for sure, but I'm having some trouble staying entertained.
• I like how the Power Conferences all have some clear strength, some clear weakness, and some big questions.  It could end up being anyone's year to make (or miss) the CFP, which should provide for plenty of drama all the way to December.