Week 1 of the College Football season is always exciting, but it’s especially thrilling when the opening week starts with a bang like it has this year.
Throughout the five-day slate of games from Thursday to Monday, we were treated to game after game that delivered major upsets, crazy endings, phenomenal plays, and interesting storylines.
Below is a full summary of the best highlights from a wild Week 1:
Florida State kicks off the 2025 season with a field storm at Doak Campbell Stadium following their upset victory over #8 Alabama.
The most significant result of the week came when 13.5-point underdog Florida State beat Top 10 Alabama by 14 points, 31-17. Seminoles’ quarterback Tommy Castellanos spent a portion of the offseason talking about this game, saying things like “Nick Saban’s not there to save them. I just don’t see them stopping me.”
Castellanos backed that talk up and then some on Saturday, when he accounted for 230 total yards and a touchdown and led FSU to one of their biggest home victories of the past decade. The Seminoles’ program has a revived energy around it, coming back to life after their 2-10 season in 2024, and they now have a high level of optimism for what they could be capable of this fall.
While the dominance of their victory came as a surprise to most people around the country, the idea that Florida State had a chance to win wasn’t foreign to everyone:
As much as Florida State’s program rose on Saturday, Alabama’s fell to depths unseen since the pre-Saban era, and in some cases it reached historic lows.
Alabama’s loss to Florida State (on August 30th) is its first loss EVER in the month of August.
Alabama lost a regular season non-conference game to an unranked opponent for the first time since 2007 (snapped a 54-game win streak).
Alabama is under .500 for the first time since 2006.
Alabama lost a season opener for the first time since 2001.
Alabama’s 87 rushing yards are their fewest in a season opener since 1975.
As bad as the 14-point loss as a double-digit favorite looked for the Tide, the way in which they lost looked even worse. Immediately after the game, social media was on fire with fans noticing severe lack of physicality and lack of effort from Alabama.
Clips circulated showing Alabama players even laughing as the Florida State offense was in victory formation kneeling out the clock.
During the TCU-North Carolina game on Monday night, ESPN’s Rece Davis brought up the game and said that he does not have Alabama ranked in the Top 25 in his official AP poll ballot this week.
“I didn’t rank them this week. 8 to out.” Kirk Herbstreit, also on the call, agreed, saying “I think that’s fair. I don’t think they should be ranked after that performance.”
The Crimson Tide still has a very talented roster and a coach who’s been to the National Championship game, but they do not look like the Alabama of old right now.
(Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)
Top 10 Clashes
Ohio State, LSU, and Miami all earned Top 10 victories to kick off their 2025 campaigns.
The defending champion #3 Buckeyes took down the #1 Longhorns in a low-scoring 14-7 slugfest. Texas has now lost to Ohio State each of the last two times they’ve taken the field, going back to their Cotton Bowl CFP Semifinal loss at the end of last season.
Arch Manning was the talk of the sport going into the game, and might have been even more discussed afterward — but not for the reasons Texas was hoping.
Manning went 17/30 for 170 yards, with one touchdown and one interception. That lone touchdown for the Longhorns didn’t come until there were 3 minutes and 28 seconds remaining in the game, as Ohio State’s defense was suffocating all day long.
Buckeyes’ quarterback Julian Sayin had an adequate day, going 13/20 for 126 yards, one touchdown, and zero interceptions in his first career start.
Ohio State solidifies their case as the No. 1 team in the country, where they should be ranked when the Week 2 AP poll releases. Texas still has everything in front of them, and if Manning gets more comfortable as the season progresses, the Longhorns can still be that title-contending team that most projected coming into the year.
LSU at Clemson on Saturday, August 30th, in Death Valley. View from my spot in the press box.
In a very similar matchup, and one that I had the pleasure of being credentialed for and attending, #9 LSU defeated #4 Clemson 17-10. In a tale of two halves, Clemson controlled most of the first 30 minutes and led 10-3 at halftime, but LSU outscored Clemson 14-0 in the second half.
LSU’s upgraded defense stifled Clemson’s rushing attack and harassed quarterback Cade Klubnik for most of the night.
LSU controlled the time of possession, holding the ball for nearly two thirds of the game, and Clemson’s offense was never able to find a rhythm.
The orange Tigers did have a chance to tie the game in the final minute, but came up just short after Klubnik was pressured and couldn’t get the ball to an open receiver, Tyler Brown, on both 3rd down and 4th down of their final drive.
Clemson was:
120-2 since 2010 when holding opponents under 23 points (now 120-3)
101-7 when winning the turnover margin under Dabo Swinney (now 101-8)
68-5 under Dabo Swinney when forcing multiple fumbles (now 68-6)
Despite the loss, Clemson still has one of the most talented teams in the country and, much like last year when they lost their season opener then went on to win the ACC and make the CFP, still has everything to play for.
LSU jumps to No. 2 in my personal Top 25 rankings behind only the defending champion Buckeyes. Brian Kelly and LSU snap their five-game losing streak in season openers dating back to 2020.
Clemson’s environment was one of the best I’ve ever seen in person and, even though they weren’t able to defend their home turf on Saturday night, from a noise level and atmosphere perspective, Death Valley was as elite as it gets.
Miami Hurricanes wide receiver CJ Daniels with a one handed touchdown catch over the visiting Notre Dame defense at Hard Rock Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025 (Keira Arimenta)
In a higher-scoring and more entertaining affair, #10 Miami defeated #6 Notre Dame 27-24 in a thriller at Hard Rock Stadium.
After an offseason of endless bashing from most of the College Football public, Carson Beck made a statement in his first game as a Miami Hurricane.
Beck went 20/31 for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns, and a lot of Beck’s success stemmed from having an elite receiving room — something he lacked at Georgia last season.
True freshman wide receiver Malachi Toney was Beck’s top target and, much like Alabama’s Ryan Williams last season, he is just 17 years old and should be a senior in high school right now. Toney had 6 receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown.
Wide receiver CJ Daniels was phenomenal as well, notably making the one-handed touchdown grab (pictured above) that instantly lit up social media and that will be shown on highlight reels for years to come.
Miami’s defense was much improved from the porous version we saw last season, and they held Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, who many consider to be the best running back in the country, to just 33 rushing yards.
Mario Cristobal earned a monstrous win, finally defeating a Top 10 team for the first time with the Canes, and has Miami in position to be a contender again for the ACC title and College Football Playoff this fall.
While Notre Dame lost the game, they found something in quarterback CJ Carr. In his first career start, Carr went on the road into a hostile crowd of nearly 70,000 people and accounted for 237 total yards and 3 total touchdowns.
As Carr gets more familiar playing at this level, and if the running back room assists him, the Irish could end up finding themselves in a similar position to last year: making a run in the College Football Playoff.
Lee Corso:
One of the best personalities in College Football, Lee Corso, said his goodbyes to College Gameday and made his final headgear selection on Saturday morning.
In a moment that had a grand buildup inside Ohio Stadium, Corso picked Ohio State to defeat Texas and put on the Brutus head. His very first headgear selection was Brutus back in 1996, and it was only right for his very last headgear selection to be Brutus as well.
In addition to picking Ohio State to beat Texas, Corso was also correct in every single other pick he made on Saturday morning.
During his final group of game predictions as a member of College Gameday, Corso went 6-for-6. He picked Tennessee to defeat Syracuse, Florida State to defeat Alabama, South Carolina to defeat Virginia Tech, LSU to defeat Clemson, and Miami to defeat Notre Dame. The G.O.A.T. went out as good as one can: perfect.
Another cool stat from the day was that every team Lee Corso ever played for or coached won their game (Florida State, Maryland, Navy, Louisville, Northern Illinois, and Indiana).
College Gameday will truly never be the same without Lee Corso, and the College Football world thanks him for everything he’s done for our great sport.
The State of Florida:
The state of Florida, home to the great Lee Corso, made a strong opening statement as the best in College Football.
#10 Miami defeated #6 Notre Dame 27-24
Florida State defeated #8 Alabama 31-17
USF defeated #25 Boise State 34-7
#15 Florida defeated FCS Long Island 55-0
FIU defeated FCS Bethune-Cookman 42-9
Teams from Florida had two Top 10 wins, three Top 25 wins, and outscored FCS opponents 92-9.
Scott Frost and UCF also won, defeating Jacksonville State 17-10.
In addition to racking up wins, their wide receivers produced two of the best one-handed catches of the week (by Florida’s Vernell Brown and Miami’s CJ Daniels), and Florida State’s Squirrel white had a diving grab for a 40-yard gain against Alabama.
This is the first time that Florida, Florida State, Miami, and USF all won their season opener since 2016.
Other notable results:
TCU nuked North Carolina 48-14 in Bill Belichick’s collegiate debut
Georgia Tech defeated Colorado 27-20 on the road
Utah destroyed Nico Iamaleava and UCLA 43-10 on the road
Nebraska finally won a one-score game, defeating Cincinnati 20-17
Cal and star true freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele defeated Oregon State 34-15 on the road
FCS Tarleton State defeated Army 30-27 in double overtime
Auburn beat Baylor 38-24 on the road
Kansas State continued their struggles from Week 0, nearly losing to FCS North Dakota (escaped 38-35 on a touchdown in the final minute)
#24 Tennessee defeated Syracuse 45-26 in Atlanta
#13 South Carolina defeated Virginia Tech 24-11 in Atlanta
USC annihilated Missouri State 73-13 in the Bears’ first game as an FBS program
Random Stats:
First time in AP poll history that four Top 10 teams lost in Week 1 (#1 Texas, #4 Clemson, #6 Notre Dame, #8 Alabama).
On Saturday of Week 1, Big 12 teams went 8-0, winning by an average of 38.5 points. It’s the only time in the last 40 years that any FBS conference has gone undefeated with an average margin of 35.0+ points on any single day (min. 8 games)
For the first time since 1999, the Big 12 defeated multiple Power 4 opponents by 30+ points in the same week (Utah def. UCLA 43-10, TCU def. North Carolina 48-14).
USF beat a ranked team in a season opener for the first time since 2011.
USF snapped their 19-game losing streak to ranked opponents.
Wisconsin earned their first shutout since 2022 (def. Miami OH 17-0).
Duke quarterback Darian Mensah completed his final 14 consecutive passes in the Blue Devils’ blowout victory over Elon.
Bowling Green ran the opening kickoff of their season back for a touchdown for a second consecutive year.
Kings of the Week (best performances):
Temple quarterback Evan Simon: 19/25 (76.0%), 248 yards, 6 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in the Owls’ 42-10 victory over UMass.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck: 20/31 (64.5%), 205 yards, 2 touchdowns, 0 interceptions in his first game back from injury and first game with the Canes. Beck led Miami to a 27-24 victory over #6 Notre Dame, their first Top 10 victory since 2017.
USC running game & offensive line: The Trojans had FIVE different players with a rushing touchdown (King Miller, Husan Longstreet, Waymond Jordan, Bryan Jackson, Jayden Maiava), totaling six rushing touchdowns as a team in their 73-13 destruction of Missouri State in the Bears’ first game the FBS level.
The ACC: This is just the second time in the last 45 years that a conference won two Top 10 non-conference games in Week 1 (Florida State def. #8 Alabama, Miami def. #10 Notre Dame).
CFBKings Top 25 heading into Week 2:
Ohio State
LSU
Miami
Penn State
Georgia
Florida State
Texas
Clemson
Notre Dame
Oregon
SMU
Florida
Georgia Tech
Texas Tech
Iowa State
Illinois
Arizona State
South Carolina
Michigan
Louisville
TCU
Oklahoma
Ole Miss
Utah
USF
Receiving consideration: Tennessee, USC, BYU, Auburn, Duke, Missouri, Tulane, Nebraska, Pitt, Indiana
Thank you for making it all the way to the end! Make sure you’re following CFBKings on Instagram and X for all things College Football. Onto week 2.