How did Power 5 teams fare in week one of college football?
By: The Waco Kid
Photo: David K Purdy, Getty Images
As all of us rabid college football fans know, the Power Five consists of the ACC, Big Ten, Pac 12, SEC, and Sun Belt conferences. My apologies - when I typed “Big 12” it autocorrected to “Sun Belt.” For fans of the Big 12, it was a rough start to the college football season. Fans watched as 23rd ranked Iowa State fell to perennial powerhouse Louisiana Lafayette and Kansas State was slowly devoured by the Red Wolves of Arkansas State, who were down nine starters for the game.
The usual suspects emerged as the top programs in the Big 12 with Oklahoma and Texas easily laying waste to their week one opponents. Oklahoma saw another 6-foot nothing quarterback rise to new heights that he would need a ladder to see over. Spencer Rattler came out slinging and finished with 290 yards passing and four touchdowns, which bodes well for the program seeing as Missouri State probably has the best defense the Sooners will see during the regular season. There was no need to watch the second half of the Texas game after they went into the locker room with a 45-3 lead over UTEP. We should all expect Texas to be favored as the national champions when polls come out next week.
Another impressive game of the weekend came from West Virginia’s 56-10 win over Eastern Kentucky. Expect West Virginia to be like that one kid in dodgeball that hides in the back until almost everyone else is out, sneakily good. I guess Texas Tech and Kansas also played this weekend, but who really cares? Feel free to throw a virtual tortilla at me Tech fans, but again, no one cares. The only interesting bite here is that Kansas lost to make the Big 12 0-3 against the Sun Belt on opening week. Impressive.
The ACC opened the season with some strong performances. While many down in Coral Gables wondered if high school hero Tate Martell would ever touch a college football field, D’Eriq King took the reins at the University of Miami and seems to be riding that horse towards a potential Heisman Trophy. King looked good throwing the ball, completing 15 of 23 passes for 141 yards and a touchdown. His legs continued to dazzle with 83 yards and a TD en route to a 31-14 win over UAB. The graduate transfer showed quickness, and his ability to avoid sacks made fans wonder why on earth he ever played for the University of Houston.
In-conference competition began as Mack Brown’s Tar Heels squeezed the life out of the Syracuse Orange in a 31-6 win. If there were any lingering questions of whether it was The University of Texas or Mack Brown with the issues, we now know it was Texas. Tar Heel quarterback Sam Howell threw for 295 yards and a score, coupled with a pair of interceptions, looking very Mitchell Trubisky-esque. The real star of the game was running back Javonte Williams who ran for 57 yards and 3 touchdowns, and looks to compete with Clemson’s Travis Etienne and Notre Dame’s Kyren Williams as the top back in the ACC.
The action continued with the Duke v. Notre Dame showdown in South Bend. Duke unveiled Clemson graduate transfer Chase Brice as their starting quarterback. With a new savior and livin on a prayer, they took the field against the Catholics. Brice fought hard for his new team, racking up 259 yards on 37 attempts, but the passing game of Notre Dame’s Ian Book and the ground game of Kyren Williams proved too much for Duke. After a 27-13 battle, the Catholics sent the Blue Devils back to football purgatory to wait for basketball season, where they rightfully belong. For the second year in a row Florida State opened their season underwhelming fans across the Sunshine State’s panhandle. Florida State, using a trio of running backs, could not get the ground game going, rushing for only 96 yards between the three. This begs the question - where is Red Lightning when you need him the most? This year Georgia Tech was able to cruise to the winning side of the Florida Georgia Line, 16-13. It just wasn’t meant to be for Florida State, as Georgia Tech put them in the dirt.
Clemson did not lose a stride entering the 2020 football campaign. Led by the antichrist from American Horror Story: Apocalypse, the Tigers stomped the Demon Deacons of Wake Forest by a score of 37-13. Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne may be the best tandem in the nation. Lawrence threw for over 350 yards and a score, while Etienne secured another score rushing for over 100 yards. Clemson will look to sleep walk through the season until a November 7th matchup with Notre Dame. Louisville and Pitt both had victories but remain irrelevant until proven otherwise. The ACC will look to top contenders Clemson and Notre Dame to hopefully represent the conference in the playoffs, but don’t sleep on North Carolina. Mack Brown could use some magic to pull a rabbit out of a Tar Heel’s ass.
I would mention the other Power 5 Conferences but the recent cold front has the Pac 12 and Big Ten still refusing to play, acting like squirrels during the winter, hiding their nuts. It is still unknown how this season will play out, but football is back and that alone is enough to be thankful for. The only thing better will be the start of the SEC season.
See you on the couch next week.