College football Week 1 overreactions: It’s now or never for LSU, Ohio State made offseason’s biggest hire

If LSU coach Brian Kelly can’t get it done this year, he never will. Sure, he’s produced a Heisman Trophy winner and a litany of NFL Draft picks in three full seasons with the No. 4 Tigers, but he has not had a roster as complete as this year’s squad. 

In its Week 1 win on the road against No. 4 Clemson, LSU showed it is finally ready to return to the national stage. Downing the other Tigers was crucial for LSU. It wasn’t just because a résumé-padding win against a preseason top-five program, it also snapped a five-game losing streak for LSU in season openers and shifted the narrative for the purple and gold Tigers. 

They aren’t just fringe national title competitors anymore. They’re among the group of frontrunners, poised to take advantage of a wide-open SEC. 

The defense marks the difference. It looks like Kelly and second-year coordinator Blake Baker have finally figured out that side of the ball. LSU limited Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, a CBS Sports All-American and preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, to just 230 yards with a 50% completion percentage and one interception. 

The Tigers also limited Klubnik’s rushing ability, as rejuvenated linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. was a heat-seeking missile pointed in Klubnik’s direction all night. Virginia Tech cornerback transfer Mansoor Delane more than lived up to his top billing against a tough Clemson receiving corps. He got the pick off of Klubnik and broke up two other pass attempts. 

There’s no doubt the offense will put more points on the board as the year goes along. Clemson is about as tough as a Week 1 opponent can get — especially on defense — and LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier now has the inside track to be the top overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

It also helps LSU’s outlook that the rest of the SEC largely struggled in the first week of the season. Texas looked out of its depth against No. 3 Ohio State. The Longhorns are the first preseason No. 1 team to lose their season opener since Miami in 1990. 

No. 8 Alabama‘s second year under Kalen DeBoer got off to a disastrous start with a road loss to Florida State, which went 2-10 last season. The Crimson Tide are now 4-5 in their last nine games against FBS opponents. 

The stars are aligned for LSU to finally break through under Kelly. All that’s left is to actually get the job done. The Tigers are a +1000 bet to win the national title, according to DraftKings Sportsbook.  

Alabama isn’t Alabama anymore

Less than a year ago, Alabama spent almost the entire month of December politicking for a spot in the first 12-team College Football Playoff based entirely on the argument that it is Alabama. It doesn’t matter that the Crimson Tide dropped a game against Vanderbilt and lost by 21 points to an Oklahoma team that barely made a bowl game. Alabama should be in the playoff because it is Alabama; other teams that actually earned their chance on the field be damned. 

That argument, obviously, didn’t hold water when the committee actually set the final field. Though the Crimson Tide may have spent the offseason wrapped in the delusion that they’ll still get the benefit of the doubt, the first week of the 2025 season should serve as irrefutable proof that Alabama is not, in fact, Alabama anymore. 

At least not the version that we got used to under Nick Saban. That Alabama couldn’t countenance a loss to an unranked opponent. Current Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer is 9-5, with four of those losses coming against opponents outside of the top 25. That’s more unranked losses than Saban had in his last 16 seasons with the Crimson Tide. 

The talent may still be there, but the results and identity absolutely are not. Alabama can’t rest on Saban’s laurels anymore. It, just like any other team, has to prove it belongs now. 

College football grades: Alabama gets ‘F,’ Georgia and Oregon earn ‘A’ marks in Week 1 report card

David Cobb

Matt Patricia was the most offseason’s biggest hire 

Ohio State’s hire of Matt Patricia as defensive coordinator, replacing Jim Knowles after his move to Penn State, drew plenty of skepticism. Patricia had never coached at the Division I level, and his rocky stint as head coach of the Detroit Lions lingered as a mark against him.

One week in, the move looks shrewd. The three-time Super Bowl–winning coordinator put No. 3 Texas and hyped quarterback Arch Manning in a straitjacket during Saturday’s marquee matchup.

Manning completed just 57% of his passes, averaged 5.7 yards per attempt and threw a costly interception against Patricia’s layered schemes. Ohio State’s defensive backs disguised coverages effectively, while Patricia mixed in exotic pressures — including a coffee-house stunt that freed linebacker Arvell Reese for a sack — to keep the relatively inexperienced Manning off balance.

Ohio State’s defense will rank near the top of almost every major category once again. Patricia will be a huge reason why. 

Yes, that Utah. The one that could barely throw the ball past the line of scrimmage over the past couple of years. Not only can the Utes pass the ball now — thanks in large part to New Mexico quarterback transfer Devon Dampier — but the entire offense has undergone a facelift with new coordinator Jason Beck leading the charge. Meanwhile, the defense is playing with that same swagger and fire that we’re used to from Kyle Whittingham’s teams. 

For those on the East Coast that did not stay up until the early hours of Sunday morning watching Utah’s 43-10 beatdown of UCLA, you missed defensive back Smith Snowden rush for Utah’s second score of the year to cap one drive and Dampier complete a touchdown pass to linebacker Lander Barton to end another. 

No need to refresh the page or rub your eyes. You read that right. There are no positions with the 2025 Utah Utes. Just good vibes. 

Dampier is a breath of fresh air for what was a stagnant Utah offense. He flew under the radar as an electric playmaker with the Lobos and if he can stay consistent after his Utah debut — he completed 21 of his 25 pass attempts for 206 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for a game-high 88 yards and another touchdown — he’ll be in the Heisman Trophy conversation come November. 

The Group of Six’s playoff team will come from the American Conference 

A new name, new branding and an exciting new outlook for the American Conference. The league formerly known as the AAC really could not have asked for a better start to the 2025 season, as it has already positioned itself well to have at least a handful of schools in the mix for the Group of Six’s College Football Playoff spot. 

South Florida manhandled No. 24 Boise State — last year’s Group of Six playoff representative — on national television Thursday night. Tulane followed that up by downing the Big Ten’s Northwestern 23-3 Saturday afternoon. 

There are also programs like Navy and Memphis, which both won double-digit games last season and took care of overmatched opponents in Week 1. The American race should be heated. Whoever emerges after the dust settles will have as good a case as any program for the playoff.