College Football Week 1: Michigan Survives Controversy, Top Teams Make Early Statements
The first full weekend of the 2026 college football season featured several dominant performances, one outstanding Top 25 showdown and a finish at Michigan that will be debated for a long time. Here is a quick look at how every team in the Sportsvival Top 25 performed.
Sportsvival Top 25 Results
#1 Ohio State 56, Ball State 3
Julian Sayin completed 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns, while Jeremiah Smith caught eight passes for 151 yards and two scores. The Buckeyes looked every bit like the top-ranked team in the country before this weekend’s showdown at Texas. Ohio State-Ball State recap
#2 Texas 59, Texas State 7
Arch Manning opened his season by passing for 305 yards and four touchdowns, with Ryan Wingo producing 121 receiving yards. Texas will now welcome Ohio State for one of the biggest regular-season games of the year. Texas-Texas State recap
#3 Georgia 63, Tennessee State 3
Georgia took care of business without any drama, scoring 63 points while holding Tennessee State to a field goal. Gunner Stockton passed for 202 yards, while Nate Frazier led the Bulldogs with 72 rushing yards.
#4 Oregon 34, Boise State 27
Oregon received a much tougher challenge than expected from Boise State. Dante Moore passed for 378 yards, but the Ducks needed all four quarters to escape after Boise State receiver Jeremiah McClellan finished with 150 receiving yards.
#5 Indiana 52, North Texas 16
The defending national champions started fast behind Josh Hoover, who threw for 231 yards and four touchdowns. Turbo Richard added two rushing touchdowns as Indiana comfortably handled North Texas. Indiana-North Texas recap
#6 Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13
Notre Dame controlled its neutral-site matchup against Wisconsin behind CJ Carr’s 239 passing yards. Aneyas Williams added 90 rushing yards, while Jordan Faison led the Irish with 81 receiving yards.
#7 Miami 45, Stanford 6
Darian Mensah passed for 401 yards and five touchdowns in an outstanding Miami debut. Malachi Toney was nearly unstoppable, catching 12 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
#8 Oklahoma 51, UTEP 0
The Sooners produced one of the weekend’s most complete performances, shutting out UTEP while scoring 51 points. John Mateer passed for 225 yards, and Lloyd Avant rushed for 79 yards.
#9 Texas Tech 33, Abilene Christian 10
Texas Tech was not overwhelming, but it controlled the game and avoided an early-season scare. Will Hammond passed for 298 yards, while Cristian Driver finished with 93 receiving yards.
#10 Ole Miss 41, #22 Louisville 38
Trinidad Chambliss passed for 351 yards and three touchdowns while adding another score on the ground, but Ole Miss needed Lucas Carneiro’s 48-yard field goal as time expired to survive. Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz accounted for 376 total yards and three touchdowns while nearly completing the comeback. Ole Miss-Louisville recap
#11 Texas A&M 50, Missouri State 0
Texas A&M opened with a shutout as Marcel Reed passed for 233 yards. Rueben Owens II added 77 rushing yards, and the Aggies’ defense never allowed Missouri State to threaten.
#12 Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12
Michigan should have lost this game. Bryce Underwood’s first Hail Mary fell incomplete with :00 showing on the clock, but officials reviewed the play and controversially restored one second, giving Michigan another chance. Underwood then found JJ Buchanan for a 47-yard game-winning touchdown, allowing the Wolverines to escape despite committing three turnovers. Michigan-Western Michigan recap
#13 USC 39, Fresno State 0
USC followed its Week 0 victory with a shutout of Fresno State. Jayden Maiava passed for 349 yards, while Trent Mosley recorded 104 receiving yards.
#14 LSU 51, Clemson 10
Lane Kiffin’s LSU debut could not have gone much better. Sam Leavitt passed for 230 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 113 yards and two more scores, and the LSU defense limited Clemson to only 145 total yards. LSU-Clemson recap
#15 Alabama 48, East Carolina 10
Keelon Russell passed for 256 yards and also led Alabama with 86 rushing yards. Ryan Coleman-Williams added 130 receiving yards as the Crimson Tide pulled away comfortably.
#16 Washington 24, Washington State 10
Washington won the Apple Cup behind another strong all-around performance from Demond Williams Jr. Williams passed for 268 yards and led the Huskies with 61 rushing yards.
#17 BYU 63, Utah Tech 7
BYU rolled through its opener as Bear Bachmeier passed for 198 yards and Legend Glasker caught three passes for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
#18 Utah 66, Idaho 14
The Utes wasted no time making an early statement, scoring 66 points in their opener. Devon Dampier passed for 176 yards, while LaMarcus Bell rushed for 87 yards.
#19 Tennessee 56, Furman 9
Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon passed for 226 yards in his Tennessee debut. Isaiah Davis rushed for 113 yards, and Mike Matthews caught four passes for 132 yards and two touchdowns.
#20 Penn State 45, Marshall 0
Penn State opened the season with a shutout as Rocco Becht passed for 271 yards. Koby Howard was the biggest playmaker, finishing with 161 receiving yards.
#21 SMU 27, Florida State 24
A power outage at Doak Campbell Stadium delayed the scheduled 7:30 p.m. kickoff until 9:15, and the game was played without a functioning scoreboard, public-address system, sideline tablets or coach-to-player communication. Kevin Jennings threw for 430 yards as SMU overcame four turnovers and won on Nick Reed’s late field goal. Florida State-SMU report
#22 Louisville 38, #10 Ole Miss 41
Louisville rallied from a 38-24 deficit and tied the game with 1:28 remaining, but the Cardinals left enough time for Ole Miss to answer. Lincoln Kienholz showed plenty in his first start, including a 54-yard touchdown pass to Lawayne McCoy during the fourth-quarter comeback.
#23 Iowa 40, Northern Illinois 0
Iowa scored 40 points and posted a shutout, which is about as encouraging of an opening performance as Hawkeyes fans could have requested. Kamari Moulton was the star, rushing for 183 yards.
#24 South Carolina 57, Kent State 0
LaNorris Sellers passed for 270 yards as South Carolina dominated Kent State from beginning to end. Donovan Murph contributed 92 receiving yards, while the Gamecocks’ defense completed the shutout.
#25 Houston 33, Oregon State 20
Houston earned a solid opening victory behind quarterback Braden Atkinson, who passed for 376 yards. Jesse Legree recorded 136 receiving yards, while Makhi Hughes rushed for 98 yards.
The biggest Week 1 concerns belong to Michigan, which needed a controversial second chance to avoid a massive upset. Ohio State, Texas, Miami, LSU and Indiana delivered some of the most impressive performances, while Oregon and Ole Miss survived serious opening-week tests.
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