For those of you that don't watch every game on 12 screens at the same time:
TCU loses shoot out to Colorado 42-45
The national media is going to be saying that the Deion era has started at Colorado, but I want to focus on the other side of this game. And let's be clear, Deion era or not: this is a CU team that's wasn't just the worst in P5 last year; they were likely the worst team in all of FBS. Deion might make CU good this year in the sense that they make a bowl, but they aren't going to threaten nationally relevant teams, which is what TCU hoped to be this year. TCU's Big XII darkhorse dream might be over much earlier in the season than any expected.
Texas Tech loses in OT to Wyoming
The other team many had pegged as a Big XII darkhorse lost in OT to Wyoming. The Wyoming program has been up and down over the years, but they are currently thought to be a bottom dweller with major offensive struggles and a middling defense. It was already a bad sign for Tech to struggle in this game, but losing outright is going to be unforgivable for many in Lubbock.
Baylor falls to Texas State
If you are noticing a trend, it's because the real Week 1 headline is how the Big XII got rocked. This is my third game (these are in order of importance), only because Baylor didn't have any reasonable national expectations going into the season. But this is Texas State. It's a high school team.
Illinois scrapes by Toledo 30-28
Illinois kicked a game winning FG with seconds remaining to avoid a devastating upset. Illinois is just outside national relevance but has been playing a bit of an upset team in the B1G. They are thought to be reloading a very stingy defense and were favored by many to win the West. This is a massively disappointing win. But, unlike the guys above, they did manage to win.
Iowa 24 Utah State 14
Iowa jumped out to an early lead, so this was a more comfortable victory than the Illini had. But the Hawkeyes are right to be confused about whether they can threaten to win the West and crack the top 25 this year after a lackluster start.
Oklahoma dominates some team
This is the first positive headline a team is getting from me. They are a borderline-ranked team that I expected to "receiving votes" at the end of season. The team that they dominated was Central Arkansas, so it's not a season-defining win. but that is still better than what a lot of teams can say today. Combined with some really bad performances from their competition, the Sooners are feeling much better about their final season with the Big XII. I'm honestly not sure how to root this season. A Texas-OU rematch in Dallas for their final seasons in the Big XII would be incredible for a variety of reasons, but also fuck OU.
Louisville comes back against Georgia Tech
I'm not sure which team to make this about. Louisville is an "other receiving votes" team and is obviously disappointed with too exciting of a win over a school that hasn't really supported its program lately. But it's also about GT trying to turn that around and the start of Brent Key as head coach. I'm kind of excited as a current Atlanta resident. I watched this entire game and it's worth seeing if you find it on replay.
Minnesota defends against Nebraska 13-10
This boards loves their Nebraska tears, but Minnesota is the other team in the B1G West expected to have a shot. Not a great start, but it is a win over a conference opponent. This makes the West division wide open.
Washington 56 - Boise State 19
This isn't the Boise of years past, but I've been a bit of a Husky doubter this preseason. This is a good start to their season, and the PAC is going to have an exciting final season.
UCF 56 - Kent State 6
This is my last headline, and it might mean nothing at the end of the season, but it did pique and peak my interest for this new addition that I still don't expect much from. However, they have my eye for at least another week.