WEEK 1

Life is a sequence of “firsts” and “lasts” - the former plentiful in our early years, the latter creeping in with age. On Saturday, we were treated to the beauty of each in their purest form.

It was the first true Saturday of college football. A new season afoot. Rebirth, and all the hope (even if often short-lived) that comes with it. There’s nothing like the anticipation that comes with seeing 0-0 next to your team’s name.

Saturday also marked the end of an era for college football fans, even the most casual among us. 90-year-old Lee Corso, arguably the most recognizable face (or oversized head) of the sport after 38 seasons on College Gameday, said farewell for the final time. And what a scene it was. After three hours of countless factoids (who knew he was 17-0 picking USC? Trojan fans really should’ve cut him an NIL check), at 11:55pm, ESPN cut to commercial.

When they returned, the Ohio State Marching Band, known fittingly as “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” had spelled out “CORSO,” sprawled across the hallowed field of Ohio Stadium, nearly 30 years after Coach had donned his first ever headgear pick. From the 50-yard line, Lee fired up one last quintessential head fake, hyping a stacked Longhorns team before donning the Brutus head for his 431st, and last, headgear pick. You never forget your first.

From there, the college football gods banded together and delivered a jaw-dropping finale. Coach ended up going a perfect 6-0 on his final slate, and the teams where he either played or coached mirrored the performance with a 6-0 record of their own. Cinematic.

If you didn’t shed a tear Saturday morning, AI might have already hijacked your brain. We’ll miss you Coach. Thanks for bringing so many Saturday morning smiles.

Speaking of those correct picks, the biggest came on the field where he made them, as Ohio State, the defending national champions, decimated by NFL departures, showed a revamped defensive grit, forcing Eli and Peyton to consider filing adoption papers on air just to preserve the family name. But for real, Arch did NOT look good.

Before we tackle the other Pick ‘Em games, let’s take a moment to collectively express our feigned sympathy to the poor folks of Alabama, the former #8 team in the country. The Crimson Tide were manhandled by a Florida State team that was out for vengeance coming off an embarrassingly disappointing season. Thoughts and prayers to Tuscaloosa. Can’t wait to see who your new coach will be.

Down in East Coast La La Land, the Hurricanes faltered late, letting last year’s national runners up tie it up with 3:21 to play. But, the Irish tease was just that, as Carter Davis drilled a 47-yard FG to propel the Canes to a 1-0 record to start the season.

Brian Kelly did something LSU hasn’t been able to do since 2019 and led the Louisianan Tigers to an opening weekend win (read that again). They did so against the 4th ranked South Carolinian Tigers, on the road nonetheless. Either this LSU team is the real deal, or we’ll be shaking our heads at an inexplicable loss to Vanderbilt in October (no offense intended to the surging Commodores).

Rapid fire time. Tulane took issue with Northwestern’s rebuttal of their request to wear white on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, leaving the Wildcats drowned in their wake. Cal walloped the Beavers in Corvallis. Shane Beamer let dad know it’s all business, nothing personal, as the Gamecocks took it to the Hokies. Utah made UCLA look JV. Arizona and Fresno State made their respective opponents, Hawaii and GA Southern, look middle school. And Utah State buried UTEP’s Paydirt Pete, who likely just made his first - and last - appearance in this recap. Ah yes, firsts and lasts.

The Buckeye dominance translated to OTC, with KingBrutus topping Week One with 47 points. Ironically, one of his only two misses was backing Texas in Columbus. An emotional hedge, or an early crack in the armor? You can decide. Three points behind, both posting a 7-3 record, rylaw247 and Mitchd03.

And just like that, we’ve wrapped the first week of the 2025 college football season. Stay focused, and don’t lose your head this year. The Oregon Duck already handled that (please look up the video if you haven’t seen it already). 

Until next week…

 

                VEGAS

#1 Texas @ #3 Ohio State (-1.5)

Northwestern @ Tulane (-6.5)

California (-2.5) @ Oregon State

Virginia Tech @ #13 South Carolina (-6.5)

#9 LSU @ #4 Clemson (-5)

UTEP @ Utah State (-5.5)

#6 Notre Dame (-3) @ #10 Miami (FL)

Hawaii @ Arizona (-15.5)

Georgia Southern @ Fresno State (-1.5)

Utah (-6.5) @ UCLA