College Football Week 1: Michigan Escapes Controversy as Chaos Arrives Early

College football did not need long to remind everyone why trying to predict this sport is usually a dangerous exercise.

The first full Saturday of the 2026 season gave us blowouts, breakout performances, a heavyweight humiliation, an underdog that came within inches of victory, another underdog that actually pulled one off — and an ending in Ann Arbor that may be debated for the rest of the season.

And technically, Week 1 still is not finished.

Three ranked teams take the field Sunday before No. 19 SMU visits Florida State on Monday night. But after what unfolded Saturday, the bar for drama has already been set remarkably high.

Michigan Wins — But Nobody Is Going to Stop Talking About How

There may not be a more unbelievable ending all season than the one we witnessed in Ann Arbor.

No. 16 Michigan survived Western Michigan, 13-12, in Kyle Whittingham's first game as Wolverines head coach. Calling it a survival might actually be generous.

For several moments, Western Michigan thought it had won the game.

With the Broncos leading 12-7, Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood launched a desperation Hail Mary toward the end zone. The pass fell incomplete and the clock appeared to hit 0:00.

Western Michigan celebrated. Michigan appeared defeated. The Broncos seemed to have completed one of the biggest wins in program history.

Then everything changed.

Officials reviewed the play and restored one second to the clock. Michigan was given another snap.

Underwood threw another Hail Mary.

This time, JJ Buchanan came down with it.

Forty-seven yards. Touchdown. Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12. Game over — again.

The controversy centers on why Michigan received that second opportunity.

The Big Ten later explained that Western Michigan safety Micah Davis had established himself out of bounds before making contact with Michigan's first Hail Mary attempt. Because an out-of-bounds player touching the football immediately makes the ball dead, officials determined that Davis touched it with one second remaining.

The conference said the replay center used a direct camera view of the stadium clock alongside the play and noted that replay cameras are synchronized before the game using a strobe system.

That is the official explanation.

The problem is what millions of people thought they saw.

On the NBC broadcast, the television clock appeared to reach zero while the football was still in the air. NBC rules analyst Terry McAulay questioned the ruling on the broadcast, saying the available television view did not appear to support restoring the second. Western Michigan coach Lance Taylor also said afterward that when he looked at the clock, he believed time had already expired.

The Mid-American Conference ultimately accepted the Big Ten's explanation of the ruling, but that will not stop the debate.

Was Michigan correctly awarded another play based upon replay technology viewers did not have access to?

Or did Western Michigan watch a historic upset disappear because of a clock decision that contradicted what appeared on television?

That debate is going nowhere.

What should concern Michigan even more, however, is everything that happened before the final second.

The Wolverines turned the football over three times. Western Michigan possessed it for more than 40 minutes compared with less than 20 for Michigan. The Broncos held the Wolverines to 276 yards and methodically controlled much of the second half.

Underwood finished 12-of-22 for 170 yards with a touchdown and an interception while adding a rushing score. Buchanan's final reception gave him six catches for 126 yards, but without that miraculous final throw, Michigan would be discussing one of the most stunning home losses in program history.

Michigan is 1-0.

That is about the nicest thing anyone in Ann Arbor can say about the performance.

And Oklahoma comes to the Big House next Saturday.

Lane Kiffin's LSU Debut Wasn't Close — It Was a Statement

While Michigan escaped catastrophe, LSU announced itself.

After weather delayed kickoff in Baton Rouge, No. 11 LSU absolutely dismantled Clemson, 51-10, in Lane Kiffin's first game leading the Tigers.

This was not a late pull-away. It was destruction.

LSU accumulated 644 yards of offense and ran 94 plays while holding Clemson to just 145 total yards. Sam Leavitt threw for 230 yards and a touchdown while rushing for another 113 yards and two scores. Dilin Jones added 113 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Clemson managed just three points until the closing minutes. The 41-point defeat was the largest loss of Dabo Swinney's tenure.

Kiffin arrived at LSU surrounded by expectations, roster questions and the usual attention that follows one of college football's most prominent coaches.

One game does not make a championship team.

But hanging 51 on Clemson while allowing 145 yards?

That will get everyone's attention.

LSU may make one of the largest jumps when the next rankings are released.

Oregon Gets Tested Immediately

No. 2 Oregon received no such comfortable introduction.

Boise State walked into Autzen Stadium and took a 17-14 halftime lead, pushing one of the nation's championship favorites deep into the fourth quarter.

Oregon finally escaped 34-27 behind an outstanding performance from quarterback Dante Moore, who threw for 378 yards and three touchdowns.

With the game tied at 27, Moore found Dakorien Moore for a 62-yard touchdown with just over eight minutes remaining. That became the difference.

Oregon finished with 497 yards compared with Boise State's 274, so there were plenty of encouraging signs for Dan Lanning.

But there were also 10 penalties, a turnover and long stretches where the Ducks looked vulnerable.

Sometimes championship seasons include games you simply find a way to survive.

Oregon already has one.

Ohio State Looked Exactly Like No. 1

There was significantly less stress in Columbus.

No. 1 Ohio State dismantled Ball State 56-3, piling up 671 yards of offense.

Julian Sayin looked like a quarterback ready for a massive season, completing 21 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns.

And then there is Jeremiah Smith.

Eight catches.

151 yards.

Two touchdowns.

The best wide receiver in college football wasted no time reminding everyone why defensive coordinators will spend the next several months trying to find some way to slow him down.

The schedule becomes dramatically more interesting next weekend when Ohio State travels to face No. 5 Texas.

That is when we begin finding out just how good both teams really are.

Miami May Have Produced the Weekend's Best Individual Performance

Before Saturday even arrived, Miami delivered one of Week 1's most impressive performances.

No. 7 Miami traveled across the country and demolished Stanford 45-6 Friday night.

New Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah completed an absurd 27 of 30 passes for 401 yards and five touchdowns.

His favorite target was even better.

Malachi Toney caught 12 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns, breaking Miami's single-game receiving-yardage record that had stood since Eddie Brown recorded 220 yards against Boston College in 1984.

Miami reached the College Football Playoff championship game last season.

The Hurricanes looked Friday night like they have every intention of going back.

Alabama's New Quarterback Passes His First Test

No. 13 Alabama opened with a convincing 48-10 victory over East Carolina.

Keelon Russell, making his first start, accounted for 342 total yards — 256 through the air and another 86 rushing — while Alabama finished with 487 yards compared with only 162 for ECU.

The Crimson Tide rushed for five touchdowns and scored 28 points during the second quarter to effectively end the game before halftime.

There will be much tougher tests ahead.

But for a program entering the season with plenty of questions, it was exactly the kind of opener Alabama needed.

The Defending Champions Haven't Gone Anywhere

Indiana entered the afternoon not simply as a ranked team anymore, but as the defending national champion.

The Hoosiers looked comfortable carrying the title.

No. 6 Indiana defeated North Texas 52-16, with transfer quarterback Josh Hoover completing 13 of 16 passes for 231 yards and four touchdowns.

North Texas actually possessed the football for more than 37 minutes and finished with 367 yards compared with Indiana's 365, but the Hoosiers were far more explosive and turned the game into a rout during the fourth quarter.

Indiana's title defense is officially underway.

Auburn Survives by Inches

Michigan was not the only team living dangerously.

Auburn held off Baylor 17-16 after the Bears scored a touchdown with nine seconds remaining and decided to go for two and the victory.

DJ Lagway completed the conversion attempt to tight end Matthew Klopfenstein in the flat.

He just didn't get far enough.

Auburn safety Eric Winters stopped Klopfenstein inches short of the goal line, preserving Alex Golesh's first victory as Auburn head coach.

Baylor had 436 yards. Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown threw three interceptions.

But when the final nine seconds arrived, the Tigers made the one defensive play they absolutely had to make.

That is college football.

Sometimes an entire afternoon comes down to a few inches.

Rutgers Suffers One of Week 1's Worst Losses

One of the biggest actual upsets came Thursday night in Piscataway.

UMass entered the season riding a 16-game losing streak.

It left New Jersey with a 37-21 victory over Rutgers.

Pop Watson III threw three touchdown passes as the Minutemen built a 24-7 halftime lead and ended what had been the longest active losing streak in the FBS.

For Greg Schiano and Rutgers, there is no way to dress that one up.

It is a disastrous opening-night loss.

Elsewhere, Tulsa added another notable upset by defeating Oklahoma State 24-10 in Stillwater, giving new Cowboys coach Eric Morris an ugly beginning to his tenure.

The Heavyweights Mostly Handled Business

Georgia looked like Georgia.

The No. 3 Bulldogs hammered Tennessee State 63-3, producing 660 yards while allowing only 109. Gunner Stockton completed 15 of 16 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns, while Nate Frazier somehow scored three rushing touchdowns on only four carries.

No. 5 Texas crushed Texas State 59-7 behind Arch Manning's 305 passing yards and four touchdowns.

No. 10 Oklahoma shut out UTEP 51-0 Friday night.

No. 14 USC blanked Fresno State 39-0.

No. 21 Utah destroyed Idaho 66-14.

No. 25 Missouri beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 54-14.

There were plenty of mismatches on the Week 1 schedule.

Most of the contenders treated them accordingly.

Michigan nearly became the glaring exception.

And Week 1 Still Isn't Finished

After everything that happened Saturday, college football still has more to give us.

No. 17 Washington hosts Washington State Sunday afternoon in the latest chapter of the Apple Cup rivalry.

Then the evening features two ranked showcases.

No. 4 Notre Dame opens its season against Wisconsin at Lambeau Field, while No. 9 Ole Miss faces No. 24 Louisville in Nashville.

Finally, Labor Day Monday brings No. 19 SMU to Tallahassee for a prime-time matchup with Florida State.

So maybe calling this a Week 1 wrap is premature.

Consider it the halftime report.

Because if the rest of the opening weekend is anything like Saturday, college football may still have another surprise waiting.

CrossTalk's Week 1 Takeaway

We spend eight months debating recruiting rankings, transfer classes, preseason polls, coaching changes, playoff projections and Heisman candidates.

Then the football gets kicked off.

And within a few hours, Western Michigan nearly beats Michigan, UMass beats Rutgers, Boise State pushes Oregon to the final minutes, Auburn survives Baylor by inches, LSU hangs 51 on Clemson and Michigan needs a replay review plus two Hail Mary attempts to survive its home opener.

That's why the sport remains impossible to script.

Michigan will keep the victory.

Western Michigan will keep wondering what might have been.

The Big Ten will stand by the replay decision.

Everyone else will keep arguing about that final second.

And college football?

College football is officially back.