This past weekend, the 2025 college football season started off with a bang by showcasing one of the greatest slates of season-opening matchups the sport has ever seen. Viewers alike were glued to the couch over the entirety of the weekend, enthralled by the sheer volume of heavyweight matchups unfolding in front of their very eyes. The best thing is that it was only week one. Without further ado, you know the drill — here are week one’s biggest upsets and top performances, along with a preview of this week’s game of the week.
Biggest Upsets
No. 3. Ohio State 14, No.1 Texas 7
Although it’s tough to call it an upset, the matchup between the top-ranked Texas Longhorns and the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes was one of the most anticipated games of the 2025 season. Why? Not only was it a duel between No. 1 and No. 3 in the nation and a rematch of last year’s College Football Playoff semifinal, but also because of Arch Manning, who had finally earned the role of starting quarterback for the Longhorns after two years backing up now-Miami Dolphins signal-caller Quinn Ewers.
The nephew of NFL Hall of Fame quarterbacks Peyton and Eli Manning, Arch entered college football as the top recruit in the class of 2023, with many touting him as the best quarterback prospect of all time.
Now, insert the Ohio State Buckeyes into the equation.
Led by redshirt freshman quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes combined timely offense with a stout defensive effort, including a massive goal-line stand in the third quarter, to oust Manning and the Longhorns by a score of 14-7. Although star wideout Jeremiah Smith was held at bay, Carnell Tate came up huge, hauling in a spectacular 40-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter that ultimately won the game for Ohio State. Sayin finished his first career start completing 13 of 20 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Not too shabby for a freshman debut in arguably the biggest game of his life.
No. 10 Miami 27, No. 6 Notre Dame 24
A rematch of the famous 1988 “Catholics vs. Convicts” game had college football junkies drooling when they saw this week one matchup between tenth-ranked Miami and 2024 CFP runner-up Notre Dame on the schedule.
Miami quarterback Carson Beck, a Georgia transfer, entered the game as a major question mark after a subpar 2024 season with the Bulldogs. He struggled with accuracy throughout the year, most notably in a stunning 41–34 loss to Alabama in week five.
This time, however, Beck showed why he’s still considered one of the nation’s best. The redshirt senior led the No. 10 Hurricanes past the No. 6 Fighting Irish in a 27–24 slugfest, completing 20 of 31 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns. Kicker Carter Davis sealed the win with a 47-yard field goal with 2 minutes and 17 seconds left in the fourth quarter, propelling the Canes past the Irish.
Florida State 31, No. 8 Alabama 17
The unranked Florida State Seminoles were among college football’s worst last season, stumbling to a 2–10 finish after opening the year ranked in the top ten. With his job on the line, Head Coach Mike Norvell made some moves over the offseason, hiring longtime coach Gus Malzahn as offensive coordinator and landing former Boston College quarterback Thomas Castellanos from the transfer portal.
Norvell’s heroics couldn’t have worked out better, as the Seminoles stunned No. 8 Alabama with a 31–17 victory in front of nearly 70,000 fans at Doak Campbell Stadium in Tallahassee, Fla. Castellanos led Malzahn’s offense with 230 all-purpose yards — including 152 through the air and 78 on the ground — and a touchdown. On defense, Eric Little Jr. recorded a career performance with nine total tackles, leading a defensive unit that held the Crimson Tide to just 17 points the whole game.
Top Performances
John Mateer, QB (Oklahoma)
John Mateer accounted for 416 yards of total offense, including four touchdowns, in Oklahoma’s week one 35-3 victory over Illinois State.
Justice Haynes, RB (Michigan)
In his Michigan debut, Justice Haynes rushed for 159 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries to oust the New Mexico Lobos 34-17 at home.
Dani-Dennis Sutton, DE (Penn State)
During No. 2 Penn State’s 46-11 rout of Nevada, defensive end Dani Dennis-Sutton led the Nittany Lions’ defense with two forced fumbles and a sack, spending much of the day in the opposing backfield.
Game of the Week
No. 15 Michigan (1-0) at No. 18 Oklahoma (1-0): Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
The SEC–Big Ten debate is as polarized as it gets right now, and there’s no better way to settle it than with a matchup between No. 15 Michigan and No. 18 Oklahoma. As I mentioned earlier — and throughout much of last season — Sooners quarterback John Mateer is no joke, dangerous both on the ground and through the air. On the other side, Michigan true freshman Bryce Underwood, a five-star quarterback recruit in the class of 2025, has become the talk of the Big Ten after torching New Mexico for 251 passing yards last week. I believe this matchup is everything as advertised, solidifying its spot as the ‘Game of the Week.’
Lato’s pick: Michigan