CFB Blitz: Lane train, Michigan miracle headline Week 1 takeaways

College football is officially back! The weekly CFB Blitz is the spot to catch up on the most important developments from the day's action and examine their significance moving forward.

Lane DOES NOT need pros

You can call Lane Kiffin many things, but you can't say the man isn't funny. Take his halftime comments to ESPN's Holly Rowe after LSU put an absolute beatdown on Clemson to lead 31-3, for example.

Kiffin has essentially dominated the college football news cycle for the better part of a year, first with his move to LSU, and recently with court battles as the Tigers attempted to add a number of recent NFL cuts to their roster. In the end, the former pros weren't part of the roster against Clemson, which was probably a good thing given how Saturday unfolded.

Sam Leavitt's second pass of the night was a tipped interception to give Clemson a short field goal. That charity is the only thing that kept the visiting Tigers from being shut out. The numbers were downright terrifying. Leavitt threw for 230 and a score and added 113 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The offense piled up 644 total yards, but it was the defense that will be the talking point from Death Valley.

The Tigers held Clemson to only 145 yards ... for the entire game. The first-down battle of 38-8 looks like a parent-versus-child contest, not a matchup between two powerhouses. LSU posted an absurd 11 tackles for loss and held Clemson to 40 yards rushing.

Kiffin clearly wasn't content just to win the contest, he wanted to embarrass the opposition, perhaps in retaliation for Dabo Swinney's "We stay in our lane" comment earlier this week. The former Ole Miss coach even went for a two-point conversion while leading 44-3 in the second half.

Saturday served as a reminder that there's a reason schools are willing to put up with the circus that comes to town with Kiffin: He's a damn good football coach.

Dabo wasn't kidding

We all laughed when Dabo Swinney told everybody that this Clemson team was a "bunch of nobodies" during fall camp, but the longtime coach might have been dead serious with his assessment. That certainly looked to be the case in Saturday's dismal showing against LSU. It's Swinney's 19th season with Clemson and he's never walked off the field having lost by the 41 points he did versus the Tigers.

A road loss at LSU is nothing to sneer at; it's one of the toughest environments in the sport. However, the performance highlighted the ugly truth that's been staring at everybody for a few years now: Clemson is no longer among the nation's elite. In fact, it might not even be among the ACC's top teams.

Offensive line play has been a major issue for Clemson in recent years and that's clearly nowhere near fixed for 2026. LSU posting four sacks and 11 tackles for loss on the night explain how the offense could only muster 145 yards and eight first downs. Chris Vizzina is far from the answer at quarterback, but unless the line gets fixed, it won't matter who Swinney puts back there to take the snap.

While Saturday was an extreme performance, it's not really a surprise to see Clemson struggle mightily in the season opener. The last four years have been an abomination for the Tigers in Week 1, leaving a serious question as to whay exactly Swinney has the team doing in fall camp.

• 2023: Duke 28, Clemson 7
• 2024: Georgia 34, Clemson 3
• 2025: LSU 17, Clemson 10
• 2026: LSU 51, Clemson 10

There will surely be a trademark Dabo press conference this week where he scolds the media for daring to count him out or question whether Clemson can rebound. However, not even the most ardent Tigers fan can believe it this time around.

Michigan Hail Mary puts Band-Aid on awful showing

We're going to give Michigan and its fan base a moment to celebrate one of the most outrageous finishes in recent college football history before they have to deal with reality.

Whether you agree with the officials' decision to put one second back on the clock or not - and if you aren't wearing maize and blue, you probably don't - we can all admit that Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary to JJ Buchanan is an all-time moment in the sport.

Now that we've covered the magical finish, let's talk about how poorly Michigan played in the other 59:59 of the 60-minute game. The Wolverines weren't just losing to Western Michigan; they were getting pushed around at times. At one point, the Broncos ripped off a 20-play drive lasting 13:40 across the third and fourth quarters. That shouldn't happen to Michigan in Big Ten play, let alone against a MAC team - a conference it holds an all-time 38-1 record against.

The Wolverines have been one of the more dominant rushing attacks in the country over the past decade, and Whittingham's Utah led the country in rushing last year. On paper, that should have been a perfect fit, but the Wolverines barely topped 100 yards rushing Saturday. Offensive coordinator Jason Beck was supposed to immediately improve Underwood as a passer, though outside of the Hail Mary, he completed just 11-of-21 passes for 123 yards with an interception.

Still, none of that matters right now, with Mr. Brightside likely ringing in the streets of Ann Arbor on an epic Saturday night.

Pump the brakes on Oregon's defense

One of the most consistent opinions across all college football preview content was that Oregon's defense would be one of the best in the country, and perhaps the best in Dan Lanning's time with the Ducks. NFL talent is littered across the front, and new coordinator Chris Hampton made no bones about what he expects.

"We want to be feared when we play football games," Hampton told Aaron Fentress of OregonLive. "When an opponent watches us, we hope that they fear us."

That fear didn't exist in a 24.5-point-under Boise State team on Saturday, as the Broncos gave the No. 2 Ducks everything they could handle on the road. Maddux Madsen threw three touchdown passes, while Boise State actually finished with more tackles for loss than Oregon. The Ducks' defensive performance suggests the loss of coordinator Tosh Lupoi will have more of an impact than we expected, at least early in the season.

However, college football is all about winning your clunkers, and at the end of the day, one team had Dante Moore on its side. The star quarterback looked like a top-five NFL draft pick, throwing for 378 yards and three touchdowns.

While Boise State ultimately fell short, the Broncos showed they should arguably be the favorite among Group of 6 programs to grab that coveted playoff spot.

Not everyone can pull an Indiana

Despite a combined 4-20 record across the past two seasons - including 1-11 last year - Oklahoma State entered the 2026 campaign with a season win total of 6.5 on the board. The main reason for the optimism was the program's hiring of Eric Morris from North Texas and the addition of his quarterback, Drew Mestemaker, after he led the nation in passing. Morris brought a number of other North Texas players with him to Stillwater, leaving plenty to wonder if another Indiana was in the making. Turns out, not everyone is Curt Cignetti.

This new-look Oklahoma State team did an excellent job impersonating last year's Cowboys squad, losing on the road at Tulsa on Saturday. The vaunted offense scored just 10 points - two fewer than last season's output against the Golden Hurricane - and Mestemaker was intercepted twice by a defense that ranked 99th in passer rating allowed in 2025. His 241-yard total was also well below the 312 yards per game he put up with North Texas.

Life won't get easier for Oklahoma State with an inspired Oregon coming to Stillwater next week. The Cowboys could rebound once Big 12 play kicks off and reach seven wins, but nothing we saw Saturday suggests that's coming.

Auburn, Baylor are 2026 chaos agents

"I don't know where I'm going from here, but I promise it won't be boring."

Legendary British musician David Bowie wasn't talking about Auburn or Baylor when he dropped that quote, but it sure seems appropriate after Saturday. In the most chaotic game of the day, the two teams combined for four interceptions, a lost fumble, two missed field goals, and three turnovers on downs. And in a contest marred by missed assignments and mind-boggling decisions, the sides went a full quarter and a half without anyone scoring.

However, those who stuck around through the sloppiness were rewarded with an incredible finish, as Auburn stopped a possible game-winning two-point conversion by inches.

DJ Lagway's transfer from Florida to Baylor made headlines, and the talented passer remains an enigma, mixing outrageous ability with highly questionable decision-making. Meanwhile, with Alex Golesh coaching and Byrum Brown at quarterback, the new-look Tigers look a lot like the old Auburn outfit: an all-world defense paired with an offense that'll drive the fan base mad.

Lagway and Brown can make any throw on the field, and they often aren't afraid to try. That'll make both Baylor and Auburn must-watch TV as chaos agents this season.

New star QB, Tennessee edition

Old guys trying to get back into college football have dominated the news cycle over the past few weeks, but in Tennessee, the story is one of youth. While true freshman Faizon Brandon may have become the youngest starting quarterback ever for the Volunteers on Saturday, he looked like a seasoned veteran in Josh Heupel's offense. Sure, the opposition was FCS Furman, but Brandon's performance was historic, going 13-of-17 for 226 yards and three touchdowns while adding 68 yards and two scores on the ground. According to Chris Hummer of CBS Sports, Brandon's five touchdowns are tied for the most this century by a freshman in a season opener. The competition ramps up next week with Georgia Tech on the slate, but Brandon's early performance shows that Tennessee's offense will be just fine with a youngster at the helm.

New star QB, Alabama edition

So that's why Keelon Russell got the starting job at Alabama. Austin Mack's been with Kalen DeBoer since Washington, but the Crimson Tide coach handed the starting quarterback job to the redshirt freshman ahead of the East Carolina opener. It took Russell just one half to show why his coach is paid over $12 million annually to make such decisions. The dual-threat passer went 11-for-17 for 182 yards in the air and added 54 yards and a touchdown on nine carries as the Tide raced to a 38-7 lead at the half. Now, the Pirates defense isn't exactly last year's Indiana, but it's refreshing for Tide fans to see an effortless offense after the team scored just three points in the bowl game last year.

Russell's 335 total yards ended up being the second-most for a quarterback in an Alabama debut since 1998, trailing only Bryce Young.

DeBoer's offense certainly works with a pocket-passer at quarterback - see Michael Penix at Washington - but Russell's legs add an element that should make life tough for SEC opponents.

Heisman receiver battle is on

The Heisman Trophy is largely a quarterback award at this point, but this might be the year of the receiver.

Friday night was Malachi Toney's time to shine, with the Miami star breaking the school record for single-game receiving yards and scoring three touchdowns versus Stanford. The sophomore clearly already has the award race on his mind, hitting the Heisman pose three times in the win. Saturday was Jeremiah Smith's turn.

The only thing stopping Smith from dominating the NFL right now is that he's not old enough to turn pro until next April's draft. Smith played just the opening half against Ball State with Texas on deck, but he still put up 151 yards and two touchdowns on eight catches. And yes, he might have watched Toney's showing on Friday since he also hit a Heisman pose of sorts after his second touchdown.

Sign us up for a season-long Heisman battle between these two cheat codes.

Hoover stars, but Indiana's defense has questions

New year, new quarterback, same explosive Indiana offense in the defending champions' 52-16 win over North Texas. TCU transfer Josh Hoover was better than advertised, throwing more touchdowns than incompletions in a brilliant debut with the Hoosiers. A bloodied Hoover put up a final line of 13-for-16, 231 yards, and four touchdowns to give him an absurd efficiency rating of 285. However, it wasn't exactly vintage Indiana overall.

"I didn't think we played real well on defense," Curt Cignetti said postgame.

Cignetti admitted the team was off-balance trying to stop a North Texas offense that was entirely new compared to last year, following coach Eric Morris' departure to Oklahoma State. Indiana allowed 5.5 yards per play and posted just one sack after finishing 19th nationally in that stat last season.

The good news for Hoosiers fans is that the runway to sort out the defense is about as long as any team in the country. Indiana doesn't face a ranked opponent until Oct. 17, when Ohio State comes to Bloomington.

Friday's games

Mensah + Malachi = Magnificent Miami

A sensible sedan and a Lamborghini can both get up to 90 miles per hour on the highway, but it's certainly a much easier and more enjoyable experience to hit that number in the sports car. That's essentially the difference between Carson Beck and Darian Mensah playing quarterback for Miami. The Hurricanes nearly won the national title last year with Beck under center, but the offense wasn't always the most enjoyable watch. It took Mensah one game to show why Miami went through the trouble of plucking him from Duke in the transfer portal.

The junior passer completed an outrageous 27-of-30 passes for 401 yards and five touchdowns on a Stanford defense that was shook the entire night. Cooper Barkate followed Mensah to Miami from Duke, but the quarterback appears to have a new best friend in Toney. The 18-year-old - yep, you read that right - torched the Cardinal for a Miami-record 234 yards on 12 catches with three touchdowns. Toney's feat carries even further weight when you consider the elite talent that has come through the Hurricanes' program.

It's only one game - and Stanford's defense ain't exactly the 2000 Baltimore Ravens - but Mensah's addition already looks like the best in the entire sport for the 2026 season.

Patterson might have USC fixed

The book on Lincoln Riley's teams is well known: elite offense and a questionable defense you can be physical with. Poor tackling and other defensive issues have long been the culprit keeping Riley from national title contention at both Oklahoma and now USC. Enter 66-year-old Gary Patterson, five years removed from his 21-year tenure as head coach at TCU, to run the defense. The hire may have been slightly unconventional, but Friday night's result showed that sometimes crazy just might work.

The Trojans shut out Fresno State at home, holding the Bulldogs to just nine total first downs and keeping them to only 54 total yards through three quarters of the 39-0 win. The swarming defense posted five sacks and seven tackles-for-loss and put two safeties on the board.

There's no question the USC offense will be cooking at a national championship level - it's a guarantee under Riley's watch. However, a lights-out defense will push them from a Big Ten threat to a serious playoff team.