This weekend began the college football season, and it was anything but status quo. There were upsets, a headline game, and many players who made a name for themselves.
The biggest upset of the week came during the Alabama versus Florida State game. Coming into the game, Alabama was ranked eighth in the nation. After a disappointing previous season, Alabama was going to Florida with something to prove. On the other side of the ball, the Seminoles were looking to silence all of the haters. Last season, FSU went 2-10; this was an extremely disappointing season. As game day got closer, players started talking. FSU starting quarterback Thomas Castellanos said, “They don’t have Nick Saban to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.” Tensions were running high at kickoff. As the game got underway, it was clear that FSU came to play. From the first snap to the last snap, FSU dominated. The unranked team beat Alabama 31-17. FSU sent a statement to the college football world and is likely to return to the top 25 this week.
Jumping up to Ohio, there was a Top 3 powerhouse showdown between preseason No. 1 Texas and No. 3 Ohio State. This was a rematch from last year’s semi-finals game. Things looked a lot different this year, though, as both teams had new quarterbacks at the helm. Ohio State had a first-time starter, Julian Sayin, under center. For Texas, this season is the long-awaited season of Arch Manning. As everyone geared up for the game, many thought this would be an offensive shootout. However, this game proved to be a defensive battle. Both offenses combined for only 539 total yards. The offenses struggled all game to get anything going. At the end of the day, the game came down to a few crucial mistakes from Texas. Ohio State pulled out a nail-biter with a final score of 14-7. This matchup is likely to recur in the playoffs.
This week’s player of the week was Garrett Nussmeier out of LSU. LSU had a top-10 matchup against Clemson, with many eyes watching. This game was a dog fight, and Nussmeier really made a name for himself. He completed 28-38 passes for 230 yards with one touchdown pass. Throughout the game, Nussmeier stayed calm and eventually led his team to a 17-10 win. Garrett is now a favorite to win the Heisman and is definitely one to keep an eye on this season.
