OHIO STATE IS NO. 1 IN AP TOP 25; LSU, MIAMI INTO TOP 5, FLORIDA STATE IS BACK AND ALABAMA PLUMMETS
Ohio State climbed to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll on Tuesday, LSU and Miami moved into the top five, and Florida State jumped back into the rankings at the expense of Alabama, which plummeted to its lowest spot in 17 seasons.
The defending national champion Buckeyes received 55 of 66 first-place votes to move up two spots after their win over preseason No. 1 Texas. Ohio State is at the top of a regular-season Top 25 for the first time since November 2015.
Texas dropped to No. 7 as the media voters shuffled the rankings following a topsy-turvy Labor Day weekend. It was only the second time, and first since 1972, that two top-five teams lost in Week 1 and the first time four top-10 teams lost. Only three teams in the Top 25 are in the same spot they were in the preseason poll.
Penn State got seven first-place votes and remained No. 2. LSU, which received three first first-place votes, was followed by Georgia and Miami to round out the top five.
Oregon got the other first-place vote and was followed by Texas, Clemson, Notre Dame and South Carolina.
LSU jumped six spots after winning at Clemson and Miami got a five-rung promotion for its victory over Notre Dame.
The biggest movers in the poll were Florida State and Alabama after the Seminoles’ 31-17 victory in their head-to-head matchup: Florida State, 15 spots outside the Top 25 in the preseason, is now No. 14. Alabama dropped all the way from No. 8 to No. 21 — its lowest ranking since it was No. 24 in the 2008 preseason poll. That was the second of Nick Saban’s 17 teams in Tuscaloosa.
It’s been quite a turnabout for Florida State. The Seminoles were No. 10 in the 2024 preseason, lost their first two games, finished 2-10 and weren’t ranked again until now.
In and out
Utah, at No. 25, joins Florida State as the only newcomers this week.
The Utes had received the second-most points, behind BYU, among teams outside the preseason Top 25. Utah got more credit for beating UCLA 43-10 on the road than BYU got for hammering FCS foe Portland State. The Utes are ranked for the first time since last October, when they were at the front end of a seven-game losing streak.
Boise State, which had been No. 25, received no votes following its 34-7 loss at South Florida. The Broncos had appeared in 14 straight polls. The other team to drop out of the poll was No. 17 Kansas State, which followed up its season-opening loss to Iowa State with a last-minute home win over FCS team North Dakota.
Poll points
— Ohio State is the first team to take over the top spot in the first regular-season poll since Alabama in 2012. It was the biggest jump to No. 1 in the first regular-season poll since Southern California was promoted from No. 3 in 2008.
— Texas’ fall was the biggest for a preseason No. 1 since Auburn dropped to No. 8 in the first regular-season poll of 1984.
— LSU has its highest ranking after Week 1 since it was No. 3 in 2012, and Miami has its highest ranking after Week 1 since it was No. 5 in 2004.
— South Carolina is in the top 10 in the regular season for the first time since it was No. 8 in December 2013.
Conference call
SEC — 10 ranked teams (Nos. 3, 4, 7, 10, 13, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
Big Ten — 6 (Nos. 1, 2, 6, 11, 15, 23)
ACC — 4 (Nos. 5, 8, 14, 17)
Big 12 — 4 (Nos. 12, 16, 24, 25)
Independent — 1 (No. 9)
Ranked vs. ranked
No. 15 Michigan at No. 18 Oklahoma: This weekend’s game will be the first meeting since Oklahoma beat the Wolverines in the Orange Bowl to win the 1975 national championship. Wolverines freshman QB Bryce Underwood gets put to the test in his second start.
BUCKEYES, NITTANY LIONS WOULD BE 1-2 SEEDS AND TIGERS, BULLDOGS 3-4 IN AP’ TOP 25-BASED CFP BRACKET
Ohio State, Penn State, LSU and Georgia would be the top four seeds in the College Football Playoff based on the first Associated Press Top 25 poll of the regular season while Miami, Oregon, Texas and Clemson would host first-round games.
The Big Ten and Southeastern Conference each would have four teams in the 12-team field and the Atlantic Coast Conference would have two. Notre Dame would be in as an independent. So would South Florida as the Group of Five member receiving the most votes among unranked teams this week.
Based on the AP Top 25, the CFP would open like this:
— No. 9 seed Notre Dame at No. 8 Clemson. Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State.
— No. 12 seed South Florida at No. 5 seed Miami. Winner vs. No. 4 Georgia.
— No. 10 seed South Carolina at No. 7 seed Texas. Winner vs. No. 2 Penn State.
— No. 11 seed Arizona State at No. 6 Oregon. Winner vs. No. 3 LSU.
The first three teams outside the bracket: Illinois, Florida, Florida State.
The Illini are ranked No. 11 by the AP but would get bumped by automatically qualifying conference champions, in this case Arizona State of the Big 12 and South Florida of the American.
The five highest-ranked conference champions automatically qualify for the CFP, but no longer do the four highest-ranked champions receive a first-round bye. The 12-team bracket is now seeded directly based on the CFP’s final rankings, with the four highest-ranked teams receiving a first-round bye.
Those four teams will be assigned to quarterfinals in ranking order and in consideration of current bowl relationships. This year, quarterfinal winners advance to the semifinals at the Fiesta Bowl and the Peach Bowl. The No. 1 seed would receive preferential placement based on geography.
Teams ranked Nos. 5-12 by the CFP will play in the first round, with the higher seeds hosting the lower seeds either on campus or at other sites designated by the higher-seeded school. First-round games are Dec. 19 and 20, quarterfinals Dec. 31 and Jan. 1, semifinals Jan. 8 and 9 and the championship game is Jan. 19 at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.
The AP will publish brackets based on the weekly Top 25 until the CFP selection committee unveils its initial rankings Nov. 4.
DAN LANNING SAYS DUCKS ‘SPEND TO WIN’ FOLLOWING COMMENTS BY OKLAHOMA STATE COACH MIKE GUNDY
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Coach Dan Lanning said the Ducks “spend to win” following comments made by Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy about the resources No. 6 Oregon has for players.
Mike Gundy made comments about the Ducks’ apparent deep pockets for players on his weekly radio show ahead of the Cowboys’ game at Oregon on Saturday.
Gundy said his program spent “around $7 million” on its team over three years while the Ducks had spent close to $40 million last year alone — admitting that he might be off a few million.
“Oregon is paying a lot, a lot of money for their team,” he said. “From a nonconference standpoint, there’s coaches saying they should play teams that are spending the same amount of money.”
Lanning responded in his Monday news conference.
“Ultimately, how blessed are we to be in a place that’s invested in winning? If you want to be a Top 10 team in college football, you better be invested in winning. And we spend to win. Some people save to have an excuse for why they don’t, right?” Lanning said.
Oregon’s coach went on to praise Gundy as a great coach.
NO. 16 IOWA STATE SQUARES OFF AGAINST IOWA
Iowa (1-0) at No. 16 Iowa State (2-0), Sept. 6 at 12 p.m. EDT.
BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Iowa State by 3. Against the spread: Iowa State 2-0, Iowa 0-1.
How to watch: FOX
Key stats
Iowa State Offense
Overall: 421.0 yards per game (55th in FBS)
Passing: 244.5 yards per game (53rd)
Rushing: 176.5 yards per game (60th)
Scoring: 39.5 points per game (38th)
Iowa State Defense
Overall: 296.0 yards per game (57th in FBS)
Passing: 199.5 yards per game (81st)
Rushing: 176.5 yards per game (52nd)
Scoring: 14.0 points per game (58th)
Iowa Offense
Overall: 358.0 yards per game (78th in FBS)
Passing: 48.0 yards per game (135th)
Rushing: 310.0 yards per game (8th)
Scoring: 34.0 points per game (50th)
Iowa Defense
Overall: 177.0 yards per game (17th in FBS)
Passing: 134.0 yards per game (35th)
Rushing: 310.0 yards per game (12th)
Scoring: 7.0 points per game (20th)
Iowa ranks 19th in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert 62.5% of the time. Iowa State ranks 41st on offense, converting on 50.0% of third downs.
Iowa is 98th in the FBS with a -1 turnover margin, compared to Iowa State’s 11th-ranked +2 margin.
Both teams avoid getting penalized. Iowa State is 10th in the FBS averaging 17.5 penalty yards per game, and Iowa ranks 13th with a 20.0-yard average.
Iowa leads the FBS in red zone offense, scoring on 100.0% of trips.
Both teams rank high in time of possession. Iowa State is 18th in the FBS with an average time of possession of 34:35, while Iowa’s 10th-ranked average is 36:37.
Team leaders
Iowa StatePassing: Rocco Becht, 461 yards, 5 TDs, 0 INTs, 68.8 completion percentageRushing: Carson Hansen, 90 yards on 25 carries, 0 TDsReceiving: Brett Eskildsen, 123 yards on 5 catches, 1 TD
Iowa
Passing: Mark Gronowski, 44 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 53.3 completion percentage
Rushing: Xavier Williams, 122 yards on 11 carries, 1 TD
Receiving: Jacob Gill, 13 yards on 1 catch, 0 TDs
Last game
Iowa State defeated South Dakota 55-7 on Saturday, Aug. 30. Becht led Iowa State with 278 yards on 19-of-20 passing (95.0%) for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Dylan Lee carried the ball 13 times for 81 yards and scored one touchdown, adding one reception for zero yards. Gabe Burkle had four receptions for 85 yards and one touchdown.
Iowa won 34-7 over Albany on Saturday, Aug. 30. Gronowski threw for 44 yards on 8-of-15 attempts (53.3%) with one touchdown and no interceptions. He also carried the ball 11 times for 39 yards and one rushing touchdown. Williams carried the ball 11 times for 122 yards and scored one touchdown, adding one reception for three yards. Gill recorded 13 yards on one catch.
Next game
Iowa State plays at Arkansas State on Sept. 13. Iowa hosts UMass on Sept. 13.
OKLAHOMA HOSTS MICHIGAN IN RANKED MATCHUP
No. 15 Michigan (1-0) at No. 18 Oklahoma (1-0), Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. EDT.
BetMGM College Football Odds Opening Line: Oklahoma by 5.5. Against the spread: Oklahoma 0-1, Michigan 0-1.
How to watch: ABC
Key stats
Oklahoma Offense
Overall: 495.0 yards per game (23rd in FBS)
Passing: 392.0 yards per game (6th)
Rushing: 103.0 yards per game (100th)
Scoring: 35.0 points per game (47th)
Oklahoma Defense
Overall: 151.0 yards per game (12th in FBS)
Passing: 34.0 yards per game (2nd)
Rushing: 103.0 yards per game (70th)
Scoring: 3.0 points per game (11th)
Michigan Offense
Overall: 452.0 yards per game (41st in FBS)
Passing: 251.0 yards per game (45th)
Rushing: 201.0 yards per game (42nd)
Scoring: 34.0 points per game (50th)
Michigan Defense
Overall: 267.0 yards per game (51st in FBS)
Passing: 217.0 yards per game (87th)
Rushing: 201.0 yards per game (18th)
Scoring: 17.0 points per game (69th)
Oklahoma is 6th in defensive third down percentage, allowing opponents to convert on 9.1% of third downs.
Oklahoma ranks 115th in the FBS with a -2 turnover margin, compared to Michigan’s 11th-ranked +2 margin.
Michigan ranks 103rd in the FBS averaging 65.0 penalty yards per game, compared to Oklahoma’s 34th-ranked 35.0 per-game average.
Both teams have strong red zone offenses, each scoring on 100.0% of trips to lead the FBS.
Michigan is 101st in the FBS with an average time of possession of 26:58, compared to Oklahoma’s 43rd-ranked average of 32:56.
Team leaders
OklahomaPassing: John Mateer, 392 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT, 81.1 completion percentageRushing: Tory Blaylock, 44 yards on 8 carries, 1 TDReceiving: Keontez Lewis, 119 yards on 9 catches, 2 TDs
Michigan
Passing: Bryce Underwood, 251 yards, 1 TD, 0 INTs, 67.7 completion percentage
Rushing: Justice Haynes, 159 yards on 16 carries, 3 TDs
Receiving: Marlin Klein, 93 yards on 6 catches, 1 TD
Last game
Oklahoma beat Illinois State 35-3 on Saturday, Aug. 30. Mateer passed for 392 yards on 30-of-37 attempts (81.1%) with three touchdowns and one interception. He also carried the ball seven times for 24 yards and one rushing touchdown. Blaylock had 44 rushing yards on eight carries and one touchdown, adding two receptions for 18 yards. Lewis had nine receptions for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
Michigan won 34-17 over New Mexico on Saturday, Aug. 30. Underwood led Michigan with 251 yards on 21-of-31 passing (67.7%) for one touchdown and no interceptions. Haynes carried the ball 16 times for 159 yards and scored three touchdowns, adding two receptions for six yards. Klein recorded 93 yards on six catches with one touchdown.
Next game
Oklahoma plays at Temple on Sept. 13. Michigan hosts Central Michigan on Sept. 13.
BRIAN KELLY WONDERS: DID DABO SWINNEY SEE THE SECOND HALF OF LSU-CLEMSON?
A close loss at home left Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney to study film of the Tigers’ loss to LSU, and generate a metaphor winning coach Brian Kelly invited his counterpart to punt.
LSU defeated Clemson 17-10, but Swinney likened the matchup of preseason top-10 teams to starting a class with a final exam.
“It was a hell of a game,” Swinney said Monday. “It’s like getting a final exam, Day 1 of class. They made a 65. We made a 58. Neither one of us were great.”
Kelly won an opener at LSU for the first time and didn’t take the grading curve suggestion lightly on Tuesday.
“Well, I mean … I thought we dominated them in the second half. So, he’s either a really good grader for giving himself a 58, or he’s a really hard grader on us,” Kelly said. “Or he didn’t see the second half, which that might be the case. He might not have wanted to see the second half.”
Kelly and LSU jumped to No. 3 in the AP Top 25 poll on Tuesday and Clemson dipped from No. 4 to No. 8. Kelly said the focus is no longer on the win, but building on it.
“Look, this is all past. We’re much more focused on Louisiana Tech, to be quite honest with you,” Kelly said. “Clemson is a darn good football team. I mean, that’s a really good, that’s a top-notch team and they’re going to be a team in the hunt for the playoff picture, and we hope we are too.”
DEION SANDERS DEFENDS COLORADO’S LATE-GAME CLOCK MANAGEMENT, COACHING STAFF AFTER GEORGIA TECH LOSS
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — A feisty Deion Sanders is pushing back against anyone second-guessing his clock management or calling out his coaching staff.
The Colorado coach also announced highly touted freshman quarterback Julian “JuJu” Lewis would see the field against Delaware this weekend and suggested the NCAA should consider some rule adjustments to promote kickoff returns.
Sanders had a lot on his mind Tuesday after taking a few days to ponder a 27-20 loss to Georgia Tech to open the season. It’s the first time Sanders has started 0-1 at either Colorado or Jackson State.
“If we hit the darn plays, we wouldn’t be asking these questions,” said Sanders, who’s in his third season at Colorado. “We had the plays. We just didn’t make it happen.”
Play by play
Sanders went into detail on Colorado’s final drive with 1:07 left and why he saved his two timeouts. The first play — a pass that resulted in minus-2 yards — ended up chewing a chunk of time.
“Do you call a timeout there? No, you’re right there. You don’t call a timeout there. You’ve got to go. You’ve got to go,” he said. “You’re running tempo.”
The Buffaloes ended up driving to the 50 with 3 seconds remaining before attempting a Hail Mary that was knocked down.
“We’re trying to fix what was broken last week and we’re on to this week,” Sanders said. “I was there a few days ago but I’m gone now. I’m into this week now.”
Inconsistent offense
The offense proved inconsistent in Week 1 with Kaidon Salter taking over for Shedeur Sanders and as offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur adjusts to calling plays for more of a dual-threat option. The Buffaloes turned three early turnovers into just seven points.
Asked about the conversations with Shurmur in the aftermath, Deion Sanders responded: “It’s funny that you start out with coach Shurmur and we gave up over 300 yards, darn near 400 yards, rushing. It’s ironic to me. It seems like you guys pick and choose who you want to target.”
Inconsistent defense
The defense struggled, too, after producing those early turnovers. Coordinator Robert Livingston’s crew allowed 463 total yards, including a late 45-yard TD scamper from Georgia Tech QB Haynes King.
“We didn’t lose the game because of coach Shurmur, coach Livingston, or one specific thing,” Sanders said. “I’ve got to do a better job.”
Salter finished 17 of 28 for 159 yards and one TD in his Colorado debut. He also rushed for 43 yards and another score. There were times, though, when he threw with room to run.
“I don’t have to really sit down and say, ‘Kaidon, you should have ran right there,’” Sanders explained. “You don’t think he knows that? I’m pretty sure the Internet has told him.
“I don’t have to babysit — these are some grown men getting handsomely paid. I’m pretty sure they understand what the objective is.”
Lewis to play
Sanders fully intends to use the 17-year-old Lewis in some capacity against Delaware on Saturday. Lewis was a five-start recruit after three seasons at Carrollton High School in Georgia, where he threw for for 11,010 yards.
Might he even start?
“Can we take one thing at a time? I just told you he was playing,” Sanders said.
More kickoff returns
Sanders has a suggestion for the NCAA — move the kickoff farther back. He wants to spice up the game with more returns.
“We’ve got some freshmen that could light it up,” Sanders said. “Everybody’s got guys that you want to play on special teams, but they don’t get the opportunity because everybody’s kicking the darn ball into the band.”
Proud Sanders
One topic made Sanders beam — the news of Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter recently becoming a father.
“I love him like he’s a son,” Sanders said of Hunter, his two-way star who’s now with the Jacksonville Jaguars. “The thing that I told him is, ‘Let’s correct all the things that we purposely think that we didn’t receive as a child, and let’s correct that in our fatherhood. Let’s do that, and no matter what happens in life, let’s make sure we are the best darn father that ever walked.’
“I’m proud of him, and I love him to life. I miss him dearly.”
BIG 12 IN 30 SEASONS HAS GOTTEN BIGGER, AND FINISHES BETTER THAN IT STARTED IN WEEK 1
The Big 12 is in its 30th football season, 20 years after last winning a national championship and now in a much different era of the game than when the conference started.
Like many 30-year-olds, the league has gotten bigger while going through plenty of ups and downs. There have already been some this season.
TCU provided a much better finish to the Big 12’s holiday weekend than how it began. The Horned Frogs won 48-14 at North Carolina to spoil Bill Belichick’s debut in a prime-time Labor Day game highly anticipated because of the 73-year-old coach who won six Super Bowl titles before his first college game.
“Obviously, he has been a great NFL coach, props to him,” TCU quarterback Josh Hoover said. “But I’m just out here playing football and doing my job playing against North Carolina.”
While most talk nationally will still be about Belichick’s loss, it was a boost for the Big 12 after losses in its first three games this season against teams from other Power Four leagues: Cincinnati at Nebraska, and Colorado (to Georgia Tech) and Baylor (to Auburn) at home.
No. 25 Utah won 43-10 at UCLA 43-10 late Saturday. But Kansas State that same day, a week after a 24-21 loss to Iowa State in Dublin, Ireland, needed a last-minute touchdown to beat FCS team North Dakota.
Spreading titles out
Five different schools have been Big 12 champions the past five seasons. Arizona State made the new 12-team College Football Playoff last year after being the preseason pick to finish last in its league debut.
All the other power conferences, even the now-rebuilding Pac-12, had multiple champions in that same period. The SEC (Alabama), Big Ten (Michigan) and ACC (Clemson) have all had three-time champs in the 2020s.
“What pro sports leagues strive for is competitive balance and competitiveness from one through 16, or however deep the league is. And that’s what we’ve been striving for and pointing out,” Scott Draper, the Big 12’s chief football and competition officer, said this week. “Getting a chance to play for a national championship, no matter if you’re at one team or another team, the opportunity is the same. So that’s what we think is a winning formula.”
No. 16 Iowa State, No. 24 Texas Tech, newly ranked Utah and TCU are among the top contenders for the Big 12 title. So are Arizona State and Baylor, which had won six regular-season games in a row before losing to Auburn. The Bears’ league title in 2021 ended Oklahoma’s record run of six consecutive championships, followed by Kansas State, Texas and the Sun Devils.
National champions gone
The Big 12’s three national championships came from undefeated teams in the conference’s first 10 seasons: Nebraska in 1997, Oklahoma in 2000 and Texas in 2005. All now play in different leagues.
Nebraska left in 2011, part of a tumultuous period in the Big 12’s teen years. The Huskers went to the Big Ten at the same time Colorado left for the Pac-12 in the first changes to the original 12-team configuration that has since had seasons with 10, 14 and now 16 teams.
Texas A&M and Missouri departed for the SEC in 2012, when TCU and West Virginia entered the Big 12. Longtime independent BYU joined with American Athletic Conference teams Houston, Cincinnati and UCF a 14-team setup in 2023, a year before Texas and Oklahoma made their planned move to the SEC while Colorado returned from the dismantling Pac-12 along with Arizona, Arizona State and Utah.
TCU in 2022, its first season with coach Sonny Dykes, was the only Big 12 team to make a national championship game appearance in the 10 seasons of the four-team playoff (2014-23).
Does the Big 12 need a couple of standouts?
Oklahoma won 14 Big 12 titles in its 28 seasons. Texas has the second-most with four, though spread out and with a pair of bookend titles in the league’s inaugural 1996 season and the Longhorns’ final season in 2023.
Fourth-year commissioner Brett Yormark believes parity matters, but also thinks having some constant contenders and champions could be good for the Big 12.
“I think ultimately over time, and it’s hopefully sooner than later, there’ll be a couple of our schools that will emerge. Elite schools that are always part of the conversations at the highest levels, that’s what we’re working towards,” Yormark said during Big 12 media days this summer. “But it starts with parity and being competitive top to bottom. And I think we’re there, and I think we’re the best in the country when you think about how deep we are top to bottom. But I do believe that long term you need certain schools to emerge to the top.”
MISSOURI’S SAM HORN OUT INDEFINITELY, BLAKE CRAIG OUT FOR SEASON WITH KU ON DECK SATURDAY
Missouri will be without backup quarterback Sam Horn for “an extended period of time” because of an injury, Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz said Tuesday, and kicker Blake Craig will miss the rest of the season after tearing an ACL.
Horn had been in a competition with Penn State transfer Beau Pribula to be the starting quarterback, and both were expected to play in last week’s opener against Central Arkansas. But Horn injured his right leg in the first quarter on a designed run, and that left Pribula to play most of the way in a 61-6 rout of the Bears.
Pribula was 23 of 28 for 283 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran 10 times for 65 yards and two more scores.
“Beau’s going to be Beau. You can’t control injuries,” Drinkwitz said. “You can’t be afraid of them.”
Horn missed all of last season while recovering from Tommy John surgery. An accomplished pitcher, he was selected in the 17th round of the first-year player draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Horn signed a contract with them in July.
Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers is expected to back up Pribula beginning Saturday, when the Tigers renew the Border War against old Big 12 rival Kansas. Former walk-on Brett Brown also was added back to the roster to provide some QB depth.
WISCONSIN PREPARING TO START O’NEIL AT QB IN PLACE OF THE INJURED EDWARDS AGAINST MIDDLE TENNESSEE
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell acknowledged Tuesday that quarterback Billy Edwards Jr.’s knee injury likely will prevent him from playing Saturday against Middle Tennessee.
Edwards left the Badgers’ season-opening 17-0 victory over Miami (Ohio) on Thursday in the second quarter, with San Diego State transfer Danny O’Neil filling in for him the rest of the way. Initial reports have indicated Edwards has a sprained knee that has left his status as week to week.
“I don’t believe that Billy will be playing,” Fickell said. “He didn’t practice, so obviously Danny would be the guy we would go with, and Hunter (Simmons) would be the backup, and we’d just proceed from there.”
Wisconsin has grown accustomed to quarterback injuries. Tanner Mordecai missed 3 1/2 games with a broken hand in 2023. Last year, Tyler Van Dyke tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Badgers’ third game and missed the rest of the season.
Edwards started to limp after handing the ball off early in the second quarter Thursday. He was making his Wisconsin debut after spending last season at Maryland, where he completed 65% of his passes for 2,881 yards with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions for a team that went 4-8.
VIRGINIA, NC STATE HOPE TO KEEP ROLLING
Virginia and North Carolina State ended last season with losing records, but one of them will be off to a 2-0 start this year.
The teams will meet Saturday afternoon in Raleigh, N.C., in what officially will be called a non-conference game between two Atlantic Coast Conference teams.
There’s good momentum flowing for both teams after the first week of the season.
North Carolina State topped visiting rival East Carolina 24-17 on Aug. 28, so the Wolfpack have a couple of extra days of preparation compared to Virginia, which drilled visiting Coastal Carolina 48-7 on Saturday night.
“We’re just trying to keep the ball rolling,” said Virginia receiver Cam Ross, who made a touchdown catch, racked up 124 receiving yards in the opener and returned a kickoff for a touchdown.
Some of the Cavaliers’ efficiency might depend on the status of quarterback Chandler Morris, who was stellar in his Virginia debut before exiting with an injury to his left shoulder. He threw for two touchdowns.
“My expectation is he’ll play his tail off (against North Carolina State),” Virginia coach Tony Elliott said, noting the quarterback was on the practice field by Monday.
With Virginia comfortably ahead of its first game, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren said it was difficult to gain a full scope of what the Cavaliers might do in terms of schemes.
“In their case, there’s a lot of new players,” he said. “So getting used to who they are and what they’re doing with the guys they have and the game they played, they got up pretty fast on (Coastal Carolina).”
Doeren said he was impressed with what he saw from Virginia in Week 1.
“Defensively, you can tell they’ve put a lot of time into the portal,” he said. “They got a lot of experienced players, some returners and some new.”
North Carolina State had five true freshmen make collegiate debuts last week.
“I’m excited to see their growth from Week 1 to Week 2,” Doeren said. “There’s a lot of nerves in those games for those guys, more than we probably realize as coaches. We need these guys to come on, because the talent is there in some of these young players.”
Doeren said Wolfpack receiver Noah Rogers, who left the East Carolina game following a hard hit, is cleared to play this week. He made two catches for 19 yards last week.
NORTHWESTERN FACES WESTERN ILLINOIS, LOOKS TO REBOUND FROM OPENING LOSS
Northwestern coach David Braun lauded his team’s resolve, if not the result, after the Wildcats’ season-opening, 23-3 loss at Tulane.
“We talked about how adversity’s going to hit,” Braun said. “Well, adversity punched us in the mouth on Saturday. Here it is. How are we going to respond? So far, I’ve been really impressed with our leadership.”
Northwestern will look to translate intangibles into intensity — and, ideally, touchdowns — during Friday night’s home opener against FBS foe Western Illinois.
Struggles on the line of scrimmage must subside for the Wildcats to earn a victory and mount momentum ahead of a visit from powerhouse Oregon next week.
The Wildcats allowed 269 rushing yards at Tulane. Meanwhile, the Green Wave defense sacked Wildcats quarterback Preston Stone three times while forcing two fumbles, including one that was lost.
Stone, an SMU transfer, was 19-for-36 passing for 161 yards and a career-high four interceptions.
“He knows he needs to play better,” Braun said. “You know, it was our first time in the arena with him in a game-day arena to recognize the way that he sees the game in a competitive, live format. And maybe we need to rein things in here a little bit or clarify. Like, ‘Preston, you know you don’t have to do it all for us, right? Just play your game and just be you.’”
Northwestern hopes to get healthier in the secondary. Ore Adeyi practiced Monday while Braun said Damon Walters remains “week to week.” Both missed the Tulane game.
Western Illinois (0-1) is out to improve in the second leg of a season-opening road trip against in-state Big Ten foes. The Leathernecks absorbed a 52-3 drubbing at then-No. 12 Illinois on Aug. 29, getting outgained 440-163.
Illinois scored the first 38 points before Antonio Chadha connected on a 20-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, allowing the Leathernecks to avoid a shutout.
Those points marked the first by an Illinois FCS school against the Fighting Illini since 2018, and Western Illinois quarterback Chris Irvin knows they were well-earned.
“They were pretty physical up front and got to me quickly,” Irvin said. “I had to get the ball out of my hands.”
Protecting Irvin, who made his first start after serving as backup in 2024, will be key against the Wildcats. Western Illinois allowed four sacks and four quarterback hurries.
AP PLAYER OF THE WEEK: LSU’S GARRETT NUSSMEIER EARNS HONOR FOR LEADING COMEBACK WIN OVER CLEMSON
The Associated Press national player of the week in football for Week 1 of the season:
Garrett Nussmeier, LSU
The AP preseason All-America quarterback led his team’s comeback in a 17-10 victory at Clemson.
Nussmeier completed 28 of 38 passes for 232 yards and a touchdown in the top-10 matchup. He connected on his final 11 passes, including all nine in the fourth quarter, as the Tigers erased a 10-3 halftime deficit. He also rushed for a pair of first downs.
His 8-yard touchdown pass to tight end Trey’Dez Green put LSU up for good. It was the fourth time the fifth-year player from Lake Charles, Louisiana, led LSU to a victory after either trailing or with the game tied in the fourth quarter.
Runner-up
Devon Dampier, Utah. The transfer from New Mexico completed 21 of 25 passes for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns and rushed for 87 yards and a score on 16 carries in a 43-10 win over UCLA.
The third-year player from Phoenix gave the Utes’ offense, which ranked 115th last season, a desperately needed spark. He came in with strong credentials after leading the Mountain West Conference in total offense, rushing for 1,166 yards and a MWC-best 7.52 yards per carry and throwing for 2,768 yards and 19 touchdowns.
Honorable mention
Boston College transfer Tommy Castellanos was 9-of-14 passing for 152 yards and he rushed for a team-best 78 yards and a TD on 16 carries in Florida State’s 31-17 win over Alabama; TCU’s Josh Hoover was 27 of 36 for 284 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-14 win at North Carolina; Georgia Tech’s Haynes King rushed for 156 yards and three touchdowns, including the winning 45-yarder late in the game, and passed for 143 yards in a 27-20 win at Colorado; Miami DL Reuben Bain Jr., who dominated the line of scrimmage in a come-from-behind 27-24 win over Notre Dame, made six tackles and in the fourth quarter had his first career interception.
Six stats
— TCU’s two defensive touchdowns against North Carolina were double its total of one over the previous two seasons. The Horned Frogs had four in 2022.
— The six interceptions thrown by Florida Atlantic’s Caden Veltkamp (4) and Zach Gibson (2) against Maryland were the most in the FBS since Middle Tennessee threw six against Western Kentucky in 2021, according to SportRadar.
— West Virginia lost four fumbles in a 45-3 win over Robert Morris. The Mountaineers lost a total of five in 13 games last season.
— Sawyer Robertson’s 419 yards passing against Auburn were the most against the Tigers since Mississippi’s Chad Kelly threw for 465 in 2016.
— Navy backup QB Braxton Woodson ran seven times for 180 yards against VMI, all in the second half. The last player to run for so many yards on so few attempts was LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire, who had 188 yards on six runs against Arkansas in 2019.
— Rutgers’ 31 points in the first half against Ohio in a 34-31 win were its most against an FBS opponent since scoring 38 against UMass in 2019.
