College football winners and losers of day one of the NCAA football season
NCAA Division I football is finally here and we take a look at all of the matchups, who has pulled off the unlikely and who will start the season with a win
Where I grew up in Baton Rouge, we say that there are four distinct seasons. Crawfish season, hunting season, hurricane season, and football season. And while the Saints are supported all over the state, real passion is reserved for our beloved LSU Tigers. For millions of people all over the country, inserting your local NFL and college team in those two spots may change the syntax, but not the sentiment. Saturdays down south are a religious experience.
September brings out the best in all of us. Tailgate barbecues give way to gumbo weather, and Lee Corso will don a mascot head as we attend the weekly pep rallies either in person on college campuses nationwide or watching ESPN from our homes. Between Thursday and Monday this week, all the action gets underway, with five super-charged days of college football, offering a little bit of something for everyone.
Number 12 Oklahoma State kicked off with a bang, romping to a 58-44 win over Central Michigan in an aerial shootout with Spencer Sanders carves throwing for 406 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Seventeenth-ranked Pitt took the win 38-31 against West Virginia in a come-from-behind thriller that saw the Panthers break a three-game losing streak to the Mountaineers.
Saturday will see the season start properly with some giant matchups, as number 11 Oregon will travel to number 3 Georgia and number 5 Notre Dame will square off against number 2 Ohio State, before Sunday sees the LSU facing Florida State in the Superdome. Tasty competitions will be happening all over the country as well with Stanford welcoming Colgate, Mississippi State hosting Memphis, number 7 Utah travelling to Florida, and capping it all on Monday as fourth-ranked Clemson meets ACC rival Georgia Tech.
Scores through Friday
| TEAMS | FINAL SCORE |
|---|---|
| Central Michigan | 44 |
| Oklahoma State | 58 |
| West Virginia | 31 |
| Pittsburgh | 38 |
| VMI | 10 |
| Wake Forest | 44 |
| St. Francis (PA) | 23 |
| Akron | 30 |
| Ball State | 10 |
| Tennessee | 59 |
| South Carolina State | 10 |
| UCF | 56 |
| Bryant | 37 |
| Florida International | 38 |
| Long Island University | 0 |
| Toledo | 37 |
| Penn State | 35 |
| Purdue | 31 |
| Eastern Illinois | 27 |
| Northern Illinois | 34 |
| Alabama A&M | 0 |
| UAB | 59 |
| Louisiana Tech | 24 |
| Missouri | 52 |
| New Mexico State | 0 |
| Minnesota | 38 |
| Northern Arizona | 3 |
| Arizona State | 40 |
| Cal Poly | 7 |
| Fresno State | 35 |
| Portland State | 17 |
| San José State | 21 |
| The Citadel | 10 |
| Campbell | 29 |
| North Ala. | 14 |
| Indiana St. | 17 |
| Fordham | 48 |
| Wagner 31 | 31 |
| North Greenville | 0 |
| Furman | 52 |
| Limestone | 21 |
| Gardner-Webb | 56 |
| Monmouth | 21 |
| New Hampshire | 31 |
| Kennesaw St. | 17 |
| Samford | 27 |
| Rhode Island | 35 |
| Stony Brook | 14 |
| Mars Hill | 7 |
| ETSU | 44 |
| Western Ill. | 25 |
| UT Martin | 42 |
| Lamar University | 14 |
| Abilene Christian | 28 |
| Missouri St. | 27 |
| Central Ark. | 14 |
| St. Thomas (MN) | 13 |
| Southern Utah | 44 |
| Mississippi Val. | 13 |
| Tarleton St. | 29 |
| Lincoln (CA) | 7 |
| Tex. A&M-Commerce | 52 |
| Western Ore. | 5 |
| Weber St. | 41 |