WEEK 1: WINNERS & LOSERS
WINNERS
Iowa: The Hawkeyes are the Hawkeyes again. You know? Iowa at its best takes a seat on the opponent’s chest and just hangs around, eventually smothering an offense and defense with its physical style. Take Wyoming and its star quarterback, Josh Allen, who completed just 23 of 40 attempts for 174 yards with two interceptions in the Hawkeyes’ 24- 3 win. Iowa will be a threat in the Big Ten West Division.
California: Hopes weren’t high heading into Justin Wilcox’s first season. How many games would the Golden Bears win? The consensus was that four would be a great start. Maybe that undersold Wilcox. A 35- 30 win at North Carolina might say a lot about the Tar Heels, but it marked an outstanding and unexpected debut for the new Cal staff.
Boise State: The Broncos were not viewed as the overwhelming preseason favorite in the Mountain West Conference. Maybe that will change after a 24- 13 win against a very good Troy team. Though fans will continue to find reason to nitpick Bryan Harsin and his staff, the Broncos’ victory will be great in early December when the College Football Playoff selection committee convene to decide which teams gets the access- bowl bid to a New Year’s Six bowl.
LOSERS
Texas: The idea that Texas would hit the ground running under Tom Herman was never rooted in reality. It’s still disappointing to see the Longhorns wilt against Maryland, which scored more points against Todd Orlando’s defense, 51, than the combined total from its final four Big Ten games in 2016. In case you didn’t know: This isn’t an overnight fix.
Oregon State: The Beavers were a trendy bowl pick coming out of a crowded Pac- 12 North Division. Not this year. One week after getting pummeled by Colorado State — which then managed only a field goal in a loss to rival Colorado — Oregon State barely managed to sneak past Portland State, 35- 32, thanks to a late touchdown pass. No one doubts Gary Andersen’s coaching acumen, but the Beavers need to improve, and fast.
North Carolina State: Take a moment to congratulate Will Muschamp, who led South Carolina to a very meaningful season- opening 35- 28 win against N. C. State. But the loser here are the Wolfpack, who were considered a dark horse in the Atlantic Coast Conference but failed to capitalize on any momentum to open the year.
South Florida: The Bulls are not holding up their end of the bargain. After stumbling in the early going during last weekend’s win at San Jose State, No. 21 USF could only manage a 31- 17 win that belies its sloppy play against Stony Brook of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Bulls may continue to add wins with a laughably easy schedule, but they are not playing well enough to justify a spot in the Amway Coaches Poll.
Florida’s offense: In a word: pathetic. Florida has no quarterback, no offensive line, no idea how to move the football and no real hope of finding out how to do any of the above at any point in the near future.
— Paul Myerberg, USA Today