TCU
Over at Frogs o'War, our mates seem to feel relatively proud of their performance in the loss. They do think, and I agree, that they may have a decision on their hands at quarterback following Travone Boykin's performance.
UAB
Tough loss for the Blazers against in-state rival Troy, 34-31 in OT. Subplot to watch for LSU's next opponent: UAB allowed Troy's Corey Robinson to complete THIRTY OF THIRTY-TWO passes.
Kent State
LSU's future foray into MACtion started off the year 1-0, but I'm not sure if beating Liberty 17-10 is something to be too proud of. But more damaging still, is the fact that star all-purpose back Dri Archer injured his ankle early on.
Auburn
Gus Malzahn era is 1-0 after a 31-24 win over Washington State. 295 yards rushing, but just 99 passing for new quarterback Nick Marshall. Lots of things for College and Magnolia to talk about, but they're just happy to be back on the positive side of the win/loss ledger.
Georgia
Fought valiantly at Clemson, but fell 38-35. Georgia managed to put up more than 500 yards of offense, but converted just 4 of 14 on third down. Over at Dawg Sports, concerns are centered on a young defense coming together an offensive line that allowed five sacks on Aaron Murray. Senator Blutarsky has similar thoughts, and also seems to have stumbled on a slightly embarrassing video.
Mississippi State
Stop me if this sounds familiar. Defense holds a dynamic offensive team relatively in check, but the offense squanders opportunities, fails to convert third-down and red-zone opportunities until the defense can no longer hold up. The Dawgs had just 333 total yards in a 21-3 loss against Mississippi State, converting just 2 of 16 third downs. Just four of State's 12 possessions lasted longer than five plays. Another failure in a big game for Dan Mullen's offense.
Florida
Defied Kirk Herbstreit's prediction to drum Toledo 24-6. The Gators held the Rockets to just 205 yards of offense, and quarterback Jeff Driskel was shockingly efficient in a game management roll with 17-22 completions for 153 yards and a touchdown. Afterwards, Will Muschamp had a bit of a Mike Gundy moment over the specifics of some reports on suspended players before the game. Alligator Army pokes a few holes in the argument. One thing is for sure -- Florida's identity on offense appears to be set. Question is, will they pull that act off better this season compared to last.
Ole Miss
The Rebels' wild, last-minute win over Vandy proved costly on the injury front, as Ole Miss lost starting offensive guard Aaron Morris for the year, AND star linebacker Denzel Nkemdiche for 4-6 weeks with a torn meniscus. That's no small blow on Nkemdiche, the only real proven playmaker in that front-seven, at least until little brother comes along.
Furman
The Paladins fell to Gardner-Webb in week one, 28-21, blowing a 14-point third quarter lead. Dillon Woodruff became the first freshman to start at quarterback for Furman since 1956, but completed just 7-16 passes and threw two picks.
Alabama
Alabama looked lackluster everywhere but on the scoreboard, blowing out Virginia Tech while somehow getting outgained by a team that had 212 yards of offense and completed five out of 26 passing attempts. Christion Jones did pretty much all of the heavy lifting with touchdowns on a long pass, punt and kick returns. The efforts earned him the Walter Camp Off. Player of the Week honor for week one, in addition to SEC special teams honors. Roll Bama Roll are wondering just how much to draw from the struggles.
Texas A&M
I would guess that the bigger Texas schools have hung 50 on Rice a bunch of times, but none with as much painstaking (and occasionally, pain causing) analysis as Aggie's 52-31 win over the Owls on Saturday. Over at Good Bull Hunting, there's a great breakdown of just what went wrong for the A&M defense on a couple of the plays. I am completely unaware of anything else related to this game.
Arkansas
Bret Bielema's tenure starts off with a bang, a 34-14 win over a solid UL-L squad that some had as a potential upset pick. The Hogs had more than 500 yards, including nearly 300 rushing, which is eye-grabbing when you consider that some thought the Piggies would struggle adapting to the power style Bielema prefers. Not surprisingly, the recently renamed Arkansas Fight is singing the praises of the running back combo of Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins.