The first Saturday of the season met our admittedly high expectations. There were a few significant upsets, a few very close calls, one game that will have ramifications through December, a handful of inspiring performances, freshmen living up to the hype, and of course more questions about the direction of Michigan’s program under Jim Harbaugh.
That’s where we start. This isn’t about one road game against what looked like a formidable defense. It’s not about one loss. And it isn’t about trying to suggest Michigan’s high hopes for the season are crushed because it fell to Notre Dame on Saturday night by a touchdown in a game there was no clear favorite.
Yet, in many ways, this loss was emblematic of the underwhelming Jim Harbaugh era in Ann Arbor. Plenty of hype, strong recruiting classes, yet few results — with a 1-6 record against rivals Ohio State, Michigan State and Notre Dame. The Wolverines entered the season with nine starters back from the third-ranked defense in the country, they finally had a legitimate quarterback for Harbaugh to mold in Ole Miss transfer Shea Patterson, and the ground attack was expected to be potent behind returning leading rushers Chris Evans and Karan Higdon.
Instead, it was a lot of the same from Michigan. A mediocre-at-best offense that couldn’t hold onto the ball — Patterson threw an interception and lost a fumble — a defense that played well, but not well enough, and a coach that doesn’t seem to be getting as much out of the talent he has as in his previous coaching stops with the 49ers and at Stanford. Michigan is now 9-9 in its past 18 games under Harbaugh and has yet to beat a ranked opponent on the road under his watch. He also has now lost four games in a row, which even his predecessor, Brady Hoke, never did, and is the longest Michigan skid since 2009.
It’s not hard to imagine this future, for Harbaugh and Michigan. With games remaining against Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Ohio State, the Wolverines go 8-4 again, a few big NFL openings arise, and Harbaugh takes his talents back to Sunday. Whether he succeeds or not at Michigan, it’s unlikely Harbaugh will feel it in his wallet — he’s not getting fired from his alma mater. But it seems just as unlikely right now he’s going to bring Michigan back to title contention.
Here are three other takeaways from an eventful start to the season:
One in the bank
You’ll remember Saturday afternoon in Atlanta come December. It could get Auburn into the playoff or be one of the reasons the Pac-12 is shut out again. The conference badly needed a win. Instead, Washington fell five points short, giving the Tigers the kind of early non-conference victory that is cherished. The conference’s other contenders have strong non-conference games — USC and Stanford each face Notre Dame, which could be a playoff factor after the Michigan victory — but nobody quite like Auburn, which has a monster schedule featuring trips to Mississippi State, Georgia and Alabama. Another note from this game: Don’t forget about the performance of Auburn quarterback Jarrett Stidham, who threw for 273 yards and a touchdown against arguably the best secondary in the country.
A change is gonna come
As youngsters Tua Tagovailoa (Alabama), Trevor Lawrence (Clemson) and Dwayne Haskins (Ohio State) lit it up in their respective openers, it made you wonder if the premier programs in the country are going to transition to more pass-happy attacks.
The three schools are known for bruising defenses and physical running games, but it’s hard to watch these quarterback throw the ball all over the field — they combined for 10 touchdowns and 677 yards through the air — and not think change is coming. It only seems like a matter of time before Tagovailoa and Lawrence are running the show for Alabama and Clemson — they are still splitting time with more experienced signal-callers Jalen Hurts and Kelly Bryant — and when that time does come, maybe there are alterations in the offensive style, then, too. If not, it would be like letting a Ferrari sit in your garage, only to drive it around the block a few times a week.
Hot seats, already?
Can you hear that? It’s Tom Herman and Chip Kelly grinding their teeth. Both coaches looking to get off to fast starts at marquee programs took the opposite route, raising the importance of difficult games on the horizon. After a 26-17 home loss to Cincinnati in his first game back in the college ranks, Kelly and UCLA go on the road to Oklahoma, likely looking at the program’s first 0-2 start in eight years. Herman, meanwhile, lost to scandal-embroiled Maryland for the second straight season, and after hosting Tulsa on Saturday, has back-to-back games against top-25 foes USC and TCU. A best-case scenario has the Longhorns 2-2, raising the heat on Herman in the football-mad state of Texas.
Top 10
1. Alabama (1-0)
Memo to high-major coaches: When Nick Saban calls, don’t answer. Power-conference teams that have started their seasons with Alabama have been outscored 271-94 the past seven years.
2. Clemson (1-0)
Kelly Bryant’s job only grew more tenuous on Saturday. Sure, the senior played well, throwing for a touchdown and running for another in a rout of Furman, but freshman Trevor Lawrence was even better, completing 9-of-15 passes for 137 yards and three scores.
3. Georgia (1-0)
Now that Saturday’s glorified scrimmage against FCS foe Austin Peay is out of the way, the Bulldogs get a real test, a trip to Columbia to face SEC rival South Carolina.
4. Auburn (1-0)
The schedule, which includes trips to Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi State, is brutal, making Saturday’s gritty 21-16 win over playoff-contender Washington all the more important.
5. Wisconsin (1-0)
A dominant running game (234 yards) backed by stout defense (three points allowed) carried Wisconsin in Week 1. Get used to that.
6. Ohio State (1-0)
The Zach Smith domestic violence scandal that led to a three-game suspension for Urban Meyer didn’t impact the Buckeyes on the field in a 77-31 demolition of Oregon State. Nor was it expected to. Facing No. 16 TCU in two weeks in Texas without Meyer could be a different story.
7. Oklahoma (1-0)
There is life after Baker Mayfield. Kyler Murray looked ready for the job, throwing for 209 yards and two scores, as the Sooners shellacked Florida Atlantic, 63-14, one of the more impressive results of the weekend.
8. Notre Dame (1-0)
The Irish were out-gained and lost the time-of-possession battle to Michigan, yet prevailed, 24-17, anyway. The preseason talk this group could be Brian Kelly’s best since the Manti Te’o days seems legit for one week.
9. Stanford (1-0)
Go ahead, Pac-12, make Stanford beat you through the air. K.J. Costello seems up to the task, throwing for 334 yards and four touchdowns, in a season-opening rout of San Diego State, which made a point of stacking the box against Bryce Love (29 yards on 18 carries).
10. Washington (0-1)
In defeat, the Huskies proved they’re a top-10 team, coming across the country to nearly knock off SEC-power Auburn.
Heisman Watch
(In alphabetical order)
QB Will Grier, West Virginia
The leader after one week, Grier threw for 429 yards and five touchdowns — he also had two others dropped — as West Virginia throttled Tennessee.
QB Dwayne Haskins, Ohio State
Buckeyes fans haven’t seen an arm like this since Cardale Jones. The sophomore set a program record for a first-time starter with five touchdown passes and 313 yards through the air.
DT Ed Oliver, Houston
The buzz is just beginning. The potential No. 1 pick in April’s NFL draft made an early case for that honor, notching an absurd 13 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback pressures in a win over Rice.
QB Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
His 12 completions averaged 18.9 yards per connection, he tossed for two scores and even ran for another in his first career start. Imagine if the sophomore from Hawaii, sharing time under center with junior Jalen Hurts, had more than six possessions to work with?
RB Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
The sophomore from New Jersey picked up where he left off as a freshman, rushing for 145 yards on 18 carries and two touchdowns.