While online betting fans are recovering from this past weekend’s action, one thing is abundantly clear. Week 1 of college football is officially in the books. The opening week had its fair share of matchups that gave birth to some crushing performances, dramatic upsets, and even Navy’s surprising craftiness in the face of adversary. Here are Week 1’s biggest headlines.
Houston’s Playoff Bound
The Houston Huskies entered the season as the No. 15 team and they are making it their mission to climb the rankings. This past Saturday they made exceptional progress on that goal by overcoming the Oklahoma Sooners 33-23. Beating the nation’s No. 3 team is no walk in the park but Huskies made it seem easy. Houston was dominant the entire game, proving that they belong in this year’s playoff – even if the NCAA betting odds don’t agree.
Michigan steamrolls over Hawaii
The Wolverines faced their fare share of criticism over the past offseason but Michigan’s 63-3 victory over Hawaii should answer any lingering questions. Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines dominated offensively and defensively in front of a crowd that included the likes of Michael Jordan and Derek Jeter. The Wolverines finished the day with two pick-6s and managed to put a smile on Harbaugh’s face.
Alabama is as fearsome as ever
There weren’t too many people doubting the nation’s No. 1 team, but nevertheless Alabama’s 52-6 performance over USC does instill fear in the rest of the FBS. Their performance managed to prove the online betting odds were right, and added validity to the new playoff structure within the NCAA. There’s no denying Alabama rightfully deserved to be national champions in 2015, and with a performance like this it seems they’ll be claiming that title once again.
Navy pulls player from stands
While there were plenty of surprises this weekend, the move Navy pulled definitely classifies as ‘once in a lifetime’. Tiago Smith, Navy’s starting quarterback, suffered an injury during the second quarter of the Navy-Fordham contest. Navy, however, did not have a backup in uniform, so they resorted to the only option they had. Freshman Malcolm Perry was pulled from the stands, suited up, and eventually got some playing time in Navy’s 52-16 win over Fordham. You’d have to go back to the origin of Texas A&M’s ‘The 12th Man’ moniker in 1922 to see something like this again.
Badgers stuff Tigers full of cheese
The Wisconsin Badgers took on the nation’s No. 5 team at the historic Lambeau Field and were able to hold off the Tigers 16-14. There’s no doubting the passionate Lambeau fans played a big part in Wisconsin’s upset. Nonetheless, the Badgers overcame turnovers and a fearsome LSU defense in their latest effort to prove online betting odds wrong. A late hit by LSU’s linemen on a Wisconsin defensive back best summarizes the Tiger’s performance and attitude on Saturday.
Mark Stoops apology doesn’t spell ‘job security’
It’s not a college football secret that Mark Stoops is on the verge of losing his job. After one 2-10 season and a pair of 5-7 seasons there’s not too many coaches who could retain that position. Either way Stoops desperately needs to get this team above .500 and starting the season with a performance so inadequate that Stoops felt the need to apologize to the fans is certainly not a step in the right direction.
