NCAA Football 2021 Week 1 results

 Well, enough teams played FBS teams that I can produce a Top 25 list.  This will look different, and will likely change drastically in the next two weeks.  I will remind readers of some of my restrictions.  In order to be placed in my Top 25, teams must:  have a winning record (so this week's losing teams are not eligible yet), must have beaten ANY and ALL FCS opponents they met, and have a positive point differential (and remember, the point differentials of games against FCS opponents DO NOT COUNT).

Top 25

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (1-0)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (1-0)
3. Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0)
4. Cincinnati Bearcats (1-0)
5. UCLA Bruins (2-0)
6. Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0)
7. Tennessee Volunteers (1-0)
8. Auburn Tigers (1-0)
9. NC State Wolfpack (1-0)
10. Florida Gators (1-0)
11. Texas A&M Aggies (1-0)
12. Texas Longhorns (1-0)
13. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0)
14. Kansas State Wildcats (1-0)
15. USC Trojans (1-0)
16. Texas Tech Red Raiders (1-0)
17. Michigan State Spartans (1-0)
18. Michigan Wolverines (1-0)
19. Oregon Ducks (1-0)
20. Penn State Nittany Lions (1-0) : they would be ranked higher, but they only won because Wisconsin's offense could not hand off the ball well
21. Virginia Tech Hokies (1-0)
22. UCF Golden Knights (1-0)
23. Rutgers Scarlet Knights (1-0)
24. Oklahoma Sooners (1-0)
25. Appalachian State Mountaineers (1-0)

Big Ten report

Ohio State didn't really get going until midway through the second quarter, but that is not surprising for them.  I was surprised at how effective the Minnesota Golden Gophers offense was -- they will be a force to deal with in this conference. Northwestern's defense collapsed, while Michigan's offense shined.  The Badgers need to spend a full day's practice on the handoff of the ball between quarterback and running back -- come on, guys, three missed handoffs in one game!  That's atrocious!

Purdue surprised Oregon State and UTSA surprised Illinois.  Lastly, the Hoosiers dynamic offense did a disappearing act.  Let's see if it reappears for next week.

Upsets and surprises

FCS teams spanked several FBS teams.  Eastern Washington shocked UNLV, UC Davis knocked off Tulsa, South Dakota State upended Colorado State, East Tennessee State beat Vanderbilt, and Montana stopped Washington.  The most impactful FCS upset, though, was that by Holy Cross.  They beat UConn, and caused Coach Edsall to retire immediately, instead of at the conclusion of the season.

There were other surprises and upsets, including in the "early week" of Saturday, August 28th.  UTEP completely dominated New Mexico State, perhaps representing a resurgence of the program.  The state of Florida had a surprisingly good performance in UCF, and a completely pathetic performance in South Florida.  Wyoming barely held off Montana State, and Kansas State manhandled Stanford.