Will Alabama fire Kalen DeBoer after this season?
We'll know the moment there was no turning back if they do eventually decide to move on from DeBoer after two years - or less.
On a fourth-and-1 with 9:09 remaining, Florida State opted to go for it on their own 34-yard line in a one-score game.
Then, Roydell Williams – an Alabama transfer – ran through Crimson Tide linebacker Deontae Lawson for the first down. The Seminoles then drove for the put-away touchdown in a 31-17 victory.
Florida State, a two-win team from last season and two-TD underdog to start this season, dropped the Crimson Tide back to the Mike Shula era.
MORE: Will Alabama fire Kalen DeBoer?
The Seminoles stormed the field and not because Alabama was No. 1. The Crimson Tide were ranked No. 8.
Will DeBoer get fired, following in the footsteps of a legend?
This is the monumental task DeBoer took on when he left Washington after leading the Huskies 25-3 record and CFP championship appearance in two seasons. Nick Saban cast a massive, massive shadow, and there is nothing DeBoer can do about it.
Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson was inconsistent, barely completing 50 percent of his passes and fleeing from the pocket much of the day.
Dating back to last season, Alabama has lost four of its last five road regular-season games, averaging just 18 points per game in those losses. Saban had six road losses total in the CFP era from 2014-23.
The Tide will face No. 5 Georgia, a potent Missouri team, No. 13 South Carolina and Auburn in SEC play.
Will DeBoer have six road losses by the end of his second season? It certainly looks possible.
Lastly, ask yourself a question. Thomas Castellanos, turned "Tommy" Castellanos – a Boston College transfer – called out Alabama this summer, then "ate the W" afterward.
Would that have ever happened with Saban on the sidelines?
Then again, there is a buyout.
Future reference: Kalen DeBoer buyout is $70 million.
— Matt Hayes (@MattHayesCFB) August 30, 2025
Here is a look at the other classic overreactions from Week 1. Need perspective? Look at the same thoughts from last season.
Arch Manning is overrated!
There is no sugar-coating Manning had a rough day at No. 3 Ohio State on Saturday in a 14-7 loss. Manning was 17 of 30 for 170 yards, a TD and an interception in a disjointed full-time debut.
The good news? He knows it was bad. If you want to compare him to uncles Peyton and Eli, then listen to his press conference. Manning held himself accountable, didn't blame anybody but himself and promised improvement. Will the Longhorns bounce back?
MORE: Arch Manning debut grades
"They're a good team, but I thought we beat ourselves a lot and that starts with me," Manning said.
Lets just be honest. Manning is a victim of our media and social-media hype. The five-star quarterback is expected to win the Heisman Trophy, SEC championship and national championship based on his last name for our pleasure. Peyton went through that at Tennessee from 1994-97.
Manning's first start against a top-10 team was against No. 10 Alabama on Oct. 15, 1994. Manning finished 10 of 18 for 138 yards and two interceptions in a 17-13 loss. He probably heard the same things Arch is hearing now.
The good news? Texas displayed a nasty defense that limited Ohio State to 203 yards, and the Longhorns did have a chance to tie the game in the final minutes. Manning's lone TD pass – a 32-yard dime to Parker Livingstone, offered a hint of that true talent.
Brian Kelly is the savior of the SEC!
On a day where Alabama and Texas lost, No. 9 LSU pulled out a 17-10 victory at No. 4 Clemson in the Battle of Death Valley. That should take a considerable amount of heat off Brian Kelly knowing LSU had not won an opener since 2019.
LSU still had moments of frustration, including two first-half fumbles – the second coming on a botched sequence near the end of the first half.
Clemson led 10-3 at halftime.
Garrett Nussmeier (28 of 38, 230 yards, TD) outdueled Cade Klubnik (19 of 38, 230 yards, INT), but the new headline with LSU is the defense. LSU's All-American linebackers Harold Perkins and Whit Weeks were amazing.
Second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker has a legit defense infused by transfers, and it shows. Clemson had two drives of more than three plays in the second half. He will be a name to watch this offseason as head coach openings emerge.
It ended with a fourth-and-4 with 1:04 remaining with Clemson on the LSU 11-yard line, and Perkins pressured Klubnik into an incompletion.
Give Kelly credit. LSU was 4-8 against ranked teams coming into a game against Clemson where it would have been easy to tee off on the embattled coach in his fourth season. Now, LSU will be at minimum the third highest-ranked team behind No. 5 Georgia and Texas, depending on where the Longhorns fall. LSU will play six ranked teams in SEC play, so there is a long way to go.
Michigan is a playoff team with Bryce Underwood!
It looked like it for a quarter. Michigan ranked 131st in the FBS in pass offense with 129.1 yards per game last season. Five-star freshman Bryce Underwood had 147 yards and a TD by halftime in a 34-17 victory against New Mexico.
He finished 21 of 31 for 251 yards and one TD in a mostly-impressive debut. Justice Haynes, an Alabama transfer, added 159 rushing yards and three TDs.
Michigan looks different on offense under second-year coach Sherrone Moore. It looked like the Jim Harbaugh era with tempo under new offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey. Pair that with second-year coordinator Wink Martindale, and the Wolverines might have something.
Underwood is the key. He hit 5 of 6 passes for 55 yards in his first two drives, and went 5 of 5 for 68 yards and a TD in the two-minute drill to end the half. There will be ups-and-down with the freshman quarterback, but the arm talent is real. Will the decision-making follow?
Bryce Underwood with his first touchdown pass as a Michigan Wolverine! pic.twitter.com/VB2iCzKGDf
— uofmcoverage (@uofmcoverage) August 31, 2025
New Mexico trimmed the lead to 17-10 in the first half. This still felt different than a sloppy opener against Fresno State last season. Michigan won eight games and closed last season with victories against Ohio State and Michigan State without a collegiate level passing game. The Wolverines might just be the fourth wheel in the Big Ten with the Buckeyes, No. 2 Penn State and No. 7 Oregon. That could be the strongest four-team combination in the Power 4 – and Michigan does not play the Nittany Lions or Ducks this season.
MORE: Ohio State shows defense still dominates Big Ten
Michigan's trip to Oklahoma will be a huge challenge. The Sooners have a new quarterback, too, in John Mateer. The Washington State transfer had 392 passing yards, 24 rushing yards and four total TDs in a 35-3 blowout against Illinois State.
The winner there will be a top-10 team.
'The U' is back and ready to win the ACC!
No. 10 Miami beat No. 6 Notre Dame 27-24 on Sunday in a statement victory for Mario Cristobal and quarterback Carson Beck – the Georgia transfer who hit 20 of 31 passes for 205 yards and a TD. The Hurricanes flashed first-round talent on both sides of the ball in the trenches – including tackle Francis Mauigoa and edge rusher Reuben Bain Jr.
For Cristobal, this is his best victory as a head coach since leading No. 12 Oregon to a 35-28 victory at No. 3 Ohio State on Sept. 11, 2021. The Ducks hung around in the top-10 before two losses to Utah in the Pac-12. Miami will at minimum do the same in the ACC.
Beck – a sixth-year transfer who is now 25-3 as a starter – fits in the Miami fit offense. Beck was 14 of 17 on passes of less than 20 yards and 2 of 6 on passes of 20 yards or more. Both of those deep passes were end-zone shots that resulted in TDs.
Does this mean we can make that declaration again? Miami won 10 games just missed the CFP last season. Miami plays Bethune-Cookman in Week 2 before an in-state tour that includes South Florida (Sept. 13), No. 15 Florida (Sept. 20) and a resurgent Florida State (Oct. 4). Then, the ACC schedules heat up. We have maintained that the stance that we will believe 'The U' is back when they win their first ACC championship. This could be the year.
The Bill Belichick era at UNC is a disaster!
The debut qualifies as a disaster. TCU routed North Carolina 48-14 in Belichick's long-awaited debut, which strayed from the script after the Tar Heels scored on the opening drive.
TCU rushed for 258 yards on 7.7 yards per carry, North Carolina committed three turnovers and Sonny Dykes said afterward the Horned Frogs felt "disrespected." This was the difference between a team that will compete for the Big 12 championship and another that might need more than half a season to figure it out with 70 transfers.
MORE: Bill Belichick fails first college exam
Belichick will need to start at quarterback. Gio Lopez (4 of 10, 69 yards, 1 INT) struggled, and backup Max Johnson (9 of 11, 103 yards, TD) played well in the fourth quarter. This isn’t exactly Drew Bledsoe-Tom Brady by any stretch, but it could help in games against Charlotte and Richmond. Anything to help a poor 1 of 10 conversion rate on third down.
Belichick has created excitement, and a star-studded crowd that featured Michael Jordan, Lawrence Taylor, Mia Hamm and Roy Williams was cool to see. That said, there is a lot of work to be done in Chapel Hill, and the 73-year-old Belichick faces a huge uphill climb toward ACC contention this season.
Quick hits
Adding to Alabama's misery, a look at former Crimson Tide quarterbacks in Week 1:
Julian Sayin, Ohio State: 13-20, 126 yards, TD in 14-7 win against No. 1 Texas.
Eli Holstein, Pitt: 15 of 23, 215 yards, 4 TDs in 61-9 victory against Duquesne.
Dylan Lonergan, Boston College: 26 of 34, 268 yards, 4 TDs in 66-10 win against Fordham.
-Georgia's Gunner Stockton did his best Stetson Bennett impersonation with 190 passing yards and two TDs and 73 rushing yards and two TDs in a 45-7 victory against Marshall.
-Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green had 322 yards and six TDs in a 52-7 victory against Alabama A&M. The Razorbacks face Arkansas State before a date with No. 21 Ole Miss on Sept. 13.
-Tulane beat Northwestern 23-3. BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff had 152 passing yards, 113 rushing yards and two total TDs.
-Navy beat VMI 52-7. The Green Wave and Midshipmen are the leading CFP candidates from the CFP after Week 1, but keep an eye on South Florida, too, after a 34-7 win against No. 25 Boise State. The American conference race will be fun.
-West Virginia beat Robert Morris 45-3 in Rich Rodriguez's return. The Mountaineers travel to Ohio in Week 2 before the Backyard Brawl.