How was that for an opening weekend in the SEC?
SEC will begin 2015 a perfect 4-0 vs. Power 5 non-conference opponents, including 2-0 vs. Top 25 teams.
— Chuck Dunlap (@SEC_Chuck) September 6, 2015
Mississippi State’s late-night win at Southern Miss put the league at 12-1 overall, the only loss coming on Thursday night in Nashville. Unfortunately, LSU’s cupcake game against McNeese State was canceled due to lightning and won’t be made up.
That means quarterback Brandon Harris’ first start of the season will come next week at Mississippi State.
SEC (12-1, A)
Texas A&M’s win over Arizona State and Alabama’s dominant victory against Wisconsin highlighted an impressive first weekend for the SEC. There will likely be nine SEC teams ranked in Tuesday’s AP Top 25.
Notable results
- No. 3 Alabama 35, No. 20 Wisconsin 17
- Texas A&M 38, No. 15 Arizona State 17
- No. 6 Auburn 31, Louisville 24
- South Carolina 17, North Carolina 13 (Thursday)
Big 12 (8-2, B)
The top-heavy Big 12’s nationally-ranked teams avoid Week 1 upsets, but Texas posted a dreadful performance offensively in South Bend and Kansas lost to South Dakota State at home — meaning one of the FBS ranks’ worst teams could finish 0-12 this fall. TCU’s Thursday night victory at Minnesota was impressive considering the hostile environment.
Notable results
- No. 11 Notre Dame 38, Texas 3
- South Dakota State 41, Kansas 38
- No. 2 TCU 23, Minnesota 17
- No. 4 Baylor 56, SMU 21
- No. 19 Oklahoma 41, Akron 3
ACC (10-3, B-)
Ten wins with Virginia Tech’s tussle with No. 1 Ohio State pending sounds good for the ACC, but the league went 0-3 vs. Power 5 opponents including losses by Louisville, Virginia and North Carolina. Everett Golson’s debut at Florida State was a successful one and 16th-ranked Georgia Tech won by 63 points, but in nationally-relevant contests, the ACC struggled.
Notable results
- No. 6 Auburn 31, Louisville 24
- No. 13 UCLA 34, Virginia 17
- South Carolina 17, North Carolina 13 (Thursday)
- No. 12 Clemson 49, Wofford 10
Big Ten (7-5, C)
Did the Big Ten’s offseason momentum carry over into season? Fifth-ranked Michigan State handled Central Michigan on Friday and Northwestern upset No. 21 Stanford on Saturday, but that was it for notable wins. BYU spoiled Mike Riley’s debut at Nebraska with a Hail Mary as time expired and Penn State fell flat as a road favorite at Temple. Michigan took one on the chin Thursday at Utah, but showed promise to open the Jim Harbaugh era. Purdue takes on Marshall today at 3 p.m. EST and top-ranked Ohio State concludes the first week of the season with a Labor Day showdown at Virginia Tech.
Notable results
- Northwestern 16, No. 21 Stanford 6
- BYU 33, Nebraska 28
- Temple 27, Penn State 10
- Utah 24, Michigan 17 (Thursday)
Pac-12 (7-5, C-)
Vernon Adams was injured in his debut as Oregon’s quarterback post-Marcus Mariota, Arizona State struggled to block Texas A&M’s fierce front four and Stanford forgot to show up at Northwestern. Mike Leach had a horrific start to the season at Washington State, falling to Portland State at home. One bright spot was true freshman Josh Rosen’s first game at UCLA, a 34-16 win over Virginia highlighted by 351 yards through the air and three touchdowns.
Notable results
- Texas A&M 38, No. 15 Arizona State 17
- Northwestern 16, No. 21 Stanford 6
- Portland State 24, Washington State 17
- Utah 24, Michigan 17 (Thursday)
