The first full Saturday of college football is in the books, and several teams answered the opening bell in big ways. No. 3 Georgia made a huge statement against No. 11 Oregon, No. 2 Ohio State pulled away from No. 5 Notre Dame late and top-ranked Alabama cruised over Utah State. There were some hiccups for contenders, though, such as No. 7 Utah suffering an upset at the hands of Florida in the Swamp and No. 13 NC State barely escaping the clutches of East Carolina in what was one of the most disappointing games of the weekend.
New coaches made important debuts as well, including USC's Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma's Brent Venables and Miami's Mario Cristobal. Week 1 is always a big weekend because, as the old saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
So let's get right to it and hand out our report card for the national title contenders based on odds released last week by Caesars Sportsbook.
College football grades: Week 1 report card
| Team | Odds | Grade | Analysis |
|---|---|---|---|
 | 9/5 | A | The Crimson Tide dominated both sides of the ball, Bryce Young accounted for six touchdowns and the game was essentially over midway through the second quarter in the 55-0 win over Utah State. Yeah, they feasted on a cupcake, but it was essentially a perfect game. |
 | 3-1 | A+ | The Buckeyes didn't cover vs. Notre Dame, but that was not the most important development on Saturday in Columbus, Ohio. The much-maligned defense held the Fighting Irish to just 253 yards, 3 of 13 on third downs and just 12 total first downs in the debut of new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles. The offense will come around (and did late in the game), but the defensive performance shows that this team is for real. |
 | 17/4 | A+ | I don't give up multiple "pluses", but Georgia would have deserved five or six of them based on its 49-3 win over No. 11 Oregon. Quarterback Stetson Bennett IV threw for a career high 368 yards, the defense was lights out and the Bulldogs managed the first game of their title tour like a championship-caliber team. |
 | 10-1 | n/a | Clemson plays Georgia Tech on Monday night in Atlanta. |
 | 22-1 | A- | Lincoln Riley's debut featured 249 passing yards and two passing touchdowns from Caleb Williams, both of which were to wide receiver Jordan Addison. It's safe to say that the King of the Transfer Portal showed why he earned that moniker Saturday in the City of Angels in a 66-14 win over Rice. |
 | 25-1 | B- | Texas A&M didn't look very sharp prior to a lengthy weather delay, but its defense shutout Sam Houston 31-0. It was a mixed bag for quarterback Haynes King, who threw for 364 yards and three touchdowns but also two picks and didn't really get cranked up in a big way until after the weather passed. The jury is still out on his ability to lead a national championship-caliber program. |
 | 40-1 | B+ | I was surprised to see Texas with these odds, but it took care of business against ULM in a 52-10 win. Quarterback Quinn Ewers threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns in his debut, and running back Bijan Robinson rushed for 71 yards and a score in what was a cakewalk for the Longhorns. |
 | 40-1 | A- | The Sooners jumped out to a 21-point lead in the first quarter and never looked back in a 45-13 win over UTEP in coach Brent Venables' debut. There really wasn't much to complain about other than the 288 passing yards from Miners quarterback Gavin Hardison. |
 | 40-1 | C | The Utes were upset by Florida 29-26 in the Swamp in a thriller that concluded with an Amari Burney pick of Utes quarterback Cameron Rising in the end zone with 17 seconds left. This loss doesn't necessarily kill the Utes' playoff hopes, but it leaves essentially no margin for error the rest of the season. |
 | 50-1 | B- | It was a valiant effort from the Fighting Irish, but the offensive line did struggle against an Ohio State defense that was extremely inconsistent last year. The 21-10 loss to the Buckeyes was a moral victory, but the Irish can't lose again from here on out. |
 | 50-1 | A- | The Wolverines dismantled Colorado State 51-7 in a game that was essentially over the moment the two teams came out of the locker rooms. Cade McNamara threw for 136 yards and was 9-of-18 passing in his audition to be the starter. Sure, the completion percentage wasn't great, but he didn't have to do much considering his defense gave up just 219 yards. |
 | 50-1 | n/a | The Tigers play Florida State on Sunday night in New Orleans. |
 | 60-1 | B+ | This was one of the most "Wisconsin games" ever. Badgers running back Braelon Allen had 148 yards and two touchdowns, Graham Mertz was a wildly efficient 14 of 16 for 219 yards and a touchdown and the defense gave up just 243 yards in a 38-0 win over Illinois State. Per my own rule, any team that plays an FCS opponent can't get an "A". |
 | 75-1 | F | The Ducks saw their national title hopes dashed in the 49-3 loss to No. 3 Georgia in Atlanta. Sure, it's only one loss, but a blowout loss like that as a member of the Pac-12 means that the college football world would have to implode for Dan Lanning's crew to even be in the discussion. |
 | 75-1 | B+ | The Bears looked nice in the 69-10 win over Albany in Waco. Full-time starting quarterback Blake Shapen was 17 of 20 for 214 yards and two touchdowns. As mentioned above, per my own made up rules, any team that plays an FCS opponent can't get an "A". |
 | 75-1 | D+ | Things were going fine for the Cowboys until they gave up 22 points in the fourth quarter and let Central Michigan back into the game. The 58-44 win for Mike Gundy's crew got very, very sloppy. |
 | 75-1 | A+ | The Gators were long shots to win the national title before the game vs. Utah. Not anymore. Dual-threat quarterback Anthony Richardson lived up to the hype, the Gators defense held strong in the red zone in the closing minute and coach Billy Napier became the first Florida coach to beat a ranked opponent in his Gator debut. |
 | 75-1 | D- | The Wolfpack stumbled their way to a one-point win at East Carolina in a game that, in reality, they should have lost. East Carolina missed an extra point that would have tied the game late in the fourth quarter, and then Pirates kicker Owen Daffer missed a field goal with 4 seconds left that would have sent the Wolfpack packing. Style points matter in the ACC, and NC State didn't earn any on Saturday. |
 | 75-1 | C+ | The best way to describe Michigan State's 35-13 win over Western Michigan is that it was average, at best. It was a one-score game midway through the fourth quarter, and the Spartan offense didn't inspire much confidence. |
 | 75-1 | A- | The Nittany Lions topped Purdue 35-31 in one of the best games of opening weekend. Sean Clifford orchestrated a storybook, eight-play, 80-yard game-winning drive that culminated with a 10-yard touchdown to Keyvone Lee with 57 seconds left. |
 | 75-1 | B+ | The Hurricanes topped Bethune-Cookman 70-13, Tyler Van Dyke threw for 193 yards and two touchdowns and the defense gave up just 13 first downs. Per my arbitrary rules, a team can't earn an "A" unless it plays an FBS opponent. |
