College football is back.

And after one weekend, we already have teams looking like national championship contenders, teams looking like they forgot the season started, and Western Michigan fans who may never emotionally recover from the phrase “one second was added to the clock.”

That’s what makes this sport great.

Week 1 wasn’t loaded with marquee matchups, but it still gave us plenty to talk about. So, before we sprint headfirst into Week 2, let’s hand out some early winners and losers.

🏆 THE BIG WINNERS

LSU

Lane Kiffin’s debut in Baton Rouge couldn’t have gone much better.

LSU absolutely demolished Clemson, 51-10, in what was supposed to be one of the more intriguing games of the weekend. Instead, it turned into a statement game for the Tigers.

Sam Leavitt looked comfortable, the defense was nasty, and LSU suddenly looks like a team that belongs in the national championship conversation.

Clemson, meanwhile, looked like it would have preferred to stay home.

The 41-point loss was the worst of Dabo Swinney’s career. That’s not exactly the way you want to start September.

Sports Americana verdict: LSU is for real. And the SEC just got a little more interesting.

Ohio State

The one constant force of the Big Ten wasted absolutely no time reminding everyone why it entered the season No. 1.

Ohio State obliterated Ball State, 56-3, with Julian Sayin throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns while Jeremiah Smith looked like, well, Jeremiah Smith.

The Buckeyes were explosive, efficient and completely in control.

Of course, beating Ball State doesn’t answer every question.

But Ohio State did exactly what a championship favorite is supposed to do against an overmatched opponent: turn the game into a three-hour infomercial for why you should be afraid of them.

And now comes the fun part.

Ohio State vs. Texas.

Week 2 has arrived.

Indiana

The defending national champions picked up right where they left off.

Indiana rolled past North Texas, 52-16, extending its FBS-best winning streak to 17 games.

That’s not a typo.

Seventeen.

The Hoosiers may not get the same national attention as Ohio State, Texas or Georgia, but after Week 1, they’re still very much sitting at the grown-ups’ table.

Miami

The Hurricanes may have produced the most intriguing quarterback/receiver combination of the weekend.

Quarterback Darian Mensah threw five touchdown passes against Stanford, while receiver Malachi Toney exploded for 234 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

That’s the kind of opening weekend that gets people Googling your name on Sunday morning.

Miami looks like a team capable of making a lot of noise in the ACC — and potentially beyond it.

The SEC

The SEC went undefeated in Week 1, with all 16 teams winning their openers.

Yes, there were plenty of mismatches.

Yes, the SEC was expected to dominate.

But 16-0 is still 16-0.

The rest of college football may want to start preparing for another season of hearing about how the SEC is the greatest collection of football teams ever assembled.

And honestly?

After Week 1, it’s difficult to argue too loudly.

😬 THE BIG LOSERS

Clemson

There really isn’t another answer at No. 1.

Clemson wasn’t merely beaten by LSU.

It was introduced to LSU, politely escorted into a woodchipper and sent home.

A 51-10 loss raises serious questions about where this program stands nationally — particularly on offense.

For a program accustomed to playing on the biggest stage, this was a brutal opening statement.

Michigan

Michigan won.

That’s the important part.

But absolutely nobody in Ann Arbor should be putting “national championship contender” on a billboard after this one.

The Wolverines escaped Western Michigan, 13-12, on a last-second Hail Mary from Bryce Underwood to JJ Buchanan.

And yes, there was controversy.

Officials added one second to the clock after a replay review, giving Michigan the opportunity to run the final play.

Michigan won.

Western Michigan fans probably still haven’t stopped yelling at their televisions.

Sports Americana verdict: A win is a win.

But this one came with approximately 47 question marks attached to it.

Oregon

The Ducks survived Boise State, 34-27.

That’s the good news.

The bad news?

They were down double digits and looked vulnerable for long stretches.

Dante Moore was terrific, throwing for 378 yards and three touchdowns, but Oregon’s defense didn’t exactly scream “national championship favorite.”

Boise State deserves a ton of credit.

And Oregon deserves a reminder that surviving September is sometimes more important than looking pretty doing it.

Oklahoma State

Tulsa beat Oklahoma State, 24-10.

Let that sentence sit for a moment.

The Cowboys entered the season hoping to rebuild under Eric Morris. Instead, they opened with a loss to their in-state rival that immediately raises questions about how long this rebuild is going to take.

Week 1 has officially arrived.

And Oklahoma State would probably like to return it.

🤯 THE “WHAT JUST HAPPENED?” AWARD

Michigan’s Hail Mary

There were plenty of candidates, but this one wins.

Michigan was seconds away from a potentially disastrous opening-week loss.

Then Bryce Underwood launched one into the end zone.

JJ Buchanan caught it.

Pandemonium.

Controversy.

And somewhere, a Western Michigan fan is still standing in the same spot staring into the void.

That’s college football.

👀 THE TEAM WE’RE WATCHING

Ole Miss

The Rebels survived Louisville, 41-38, in one of the weekend’s best games.

Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns, immediately putting his name into the early Heisman conversation.

Ole Miss wasn’t perfect.

But if you can win a shootout like that on opening weekend, people tend to remember.

And Lane Kiffin may have left Oxford, but the Rebels apparently didn’t leave the drama behind.

🔮 WEEK 2: NOW IT GETS SERIOUS

Week 1 is about finding your footing.

Week 2 is where some teams find out whether the hype was real.

⭐ Ohio State vs. Texas

This is the one.

The No. 1 Buckeyes against No. 5 Texas.

Julian Sayin vs. Arch Manning.

Ohio State’s explosive offense against a Texas team that believes it belongs in the championship conversation.

This game could have major playoff implications before we’ve even gotten through September.

And that’s ridiculous.

Which is exactly why we love college football.

⭐ Oklahoma vs. Michigan

This one suddenly has a lot more intrigue after Michigan’s bizarre 13-12 escape against Western Michigan.

The Wolverines probably expected to enter Week 2 with a little more momentum. Instead, they’re answering questions about the offense, the defense and, yes, the decision to put one second back on the clock before their game-winning Hail Mary.

Now comes Oklahoma.

The Sooners head to Ann Arbor looking to make a statement in their SEC-to-Big Ten crossover matchup, while Michigan gets a chance to prove that Week 1 was nothing more than an extremely weird Saturday evening.

For Michigan, this is simple:

Win, and everybody forgets about Week 1.

Lose, and suddenly the Wolverines are dealing with serious questions before the leaves have even started changing.

And for Oklahoma?

Beat Michigan in Ann Arbor and you’ve got everybody’s attention.

Sports Americana prediction: This one feels like the kind of game where Michigan either looks like a completely different team — or gives us another four quarters of disorganization and the Sooners blow it open.

Either way, we’re watching.

Alabama vs. Kentucky

Alabama gets its first SEC test against Kentucky.

The Crimson Tide looked dominant in Week 1, but conference games have a funny way of exposing weaknesses.

Tennessee vs. Georgia Tech

Tennessee hits the road for its first real test against Georgia Tech.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off a disappointing loss to Colorado, so expect Brent Key’s team to be desperate to respond.

Welcome back, college football. We missed you.