Except for No. 11 LSU's highly anticipated showdown with Clemson, Saturday of Week 1 for the presumptive title contenders was about taking care of overmatched opponents. LSU quickly shoved Clemson into the "overmatched" tier as well, resulting in a mostly dominant start for the nation's highest-ranked teams. No. 2 Oregon was an outlier, as the Ducks got pushed until the end by Boise State in a 34-27 win.
The Ducks entered as 24-point favorites but had to saddle up to avoid a catastrophic home loss. The drama surrounding Oregon stood in contrast to the easy victories earned by the teams sandwiching the Ducks in the AP poll, as No. 1 Ohio State and No. 3 Georgia won their openers by a combined total of 119-9. We didn't learn too much about the Buckeyes or Bulldogs.
But they seemed to confirm what we always believed about them: They possess superior talent and the sort of dominant gear that suggests a potential for greatness. We are handing out grades evaluating every team that started or ended Saturday with national championship odds of +3000 or better. 2026 national championship odds listed below courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook. Teams listed in order of their AP Top 25 ranking.
Grade: B+ Result: 56-3 win vs. Ball State Title odds: +600It was harder than it should have been for the Buckeyes to find early success in the running game, and the Buckeyes also surrendered a couple of first-half sacks. But when it was all said and done, this was the sort of drama-free beatdown you would expect from Ohio State against a MAC opponent.
Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith looked like stars, and the Buckeyes limited Ball State to fewer than 3 yards per play. Grade: C+ Result: 34-27 win vs. Boise State Title odds: +900Oregon committed too many costly defensive penalties, Evan Stewart botched a couple of punt returns, and the Ducks struggled to convert on third and fourth downs.
Against that backdrop, they were fortunate to survive an impressive challenge from Boise State. As head coach Dan Lanning said afterward, "There's a lot that we can do a lot better." But a win is a win, and unlike many of their peers, Oregon actually played a team with a pulse. Grade: A Result: 63-3 win vs.
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