Colorado vs. Georgia Tech
Summary
College Football’s Week 1 slate got kicked off with several Thursday night games. One of the most significant was the Big 12’s Colorado facing off against the ACC’s Georgia Tech.
The Buffalo’s 2025-26 season left a lot to be desired, and they only claimed three wins. The Yellow Jackets on the other hand put up a standout performance last season, winning nine regular season games and a postseason appearance in the now famed Pop-Tarts Bowl.
In a pretty competitive season opener, Colorado started things off in a good direction and walked away with a 14-23 victory.
Both teams were shutout in the first quarter and Georgia Tech led scoring 10-7 in the second quarter. The game’s third quarter was scoreless and Colorado outscored Georgia Tech 7-3 to close things out.
Major Stat Lines
The Buffalo’s outearned the Yellow Jackets 307-288 in total yards.
Georgia Tech had the advantage through the air, putting up 237 passing yards compared with Colorado’s 124 passing yards. Tech made 24 pass attempts with a 70.1% accuracy rate, while Colorado logged 27 pass attempts with a 51.8% accuracy rate.
The Buffalo’s real advantage was the run game. They outearned the Yellow Jackets 183 yards to 51 yards on the ground. Neither squad were particularly efficient running the ball. Colorado finished the game averaging 3.7 yards per rush attempt and Georgia Tech averaged 1.7 yards per rush attempt.
| Colorado | Georgia Tech | |
| Total Yards | 307 | 288 |
| Passing Yards | 124 | 237 |
| Rushing Yards | 183 | 51 |
Impact Players
Colorado’s sophomore quarterback Julian Lewis didn’t have the best statistical game but showed up where it counted by throwing the games only touchdown pass. Alberto Mendoza tallied up 237 passing yards, averaging 10.3 yards per reception but none of it converted into points.
The Buffalo’s had a collective of rushers t\who pushed them towards the win.
- Senior running back, Damian Henderson: 12 carries, 65 yards
- Junior running back, Micah Welch: 13 carries, 58 yards, 1 touchdown
- Sophomore running back, Jaquail Smith: 10 carries, 42 yards
Jordan Allen, a sophomore wide receiver for Georgia Tech, put on an exceptional performance. The home state kid finished the game with eight catches for 113 yards.
All of the Yellow Jackets points came from special teams. Their senior kicker, Aidan Birr, hails from the Fort Worth area and tallied up seven of Tech’s 13 points. Senior wide receiver Rahkeem Smith was responsible for the remaining six points, earned on a 100-yard kickoff return in the second quarter.
Nerd Profile
| Colorado | Georgia Tech | |
| Region | Boulder | Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell |
| Regional Population | 328,560 | 6,482,182 |
| County | Boulder | Fulton |
| County GDP | $33,422,982 | $201,157,288 |
Miami (FL) vs. Stanford
Summary
The ACC had its first big in-conference game on Friday night. It was Miami (FL)’s first game of the season while Stanford was coming off a Week Zero win over Hawaii.
The Hurricanes won the game in dominant fashion, and the final score was 45-6. The Cardinal knocked through single field goals in the first and second quarters but were shutout in the games second half.
Major Stat Lines
Miami (FL) earned 549 total yards while Stanford only put up 299 total yards. The Hurricanes were +207 in passing yards and +43 in rushing yards.
| Miami (FL) | Stanford | |
| Total Yards | 549 | 299 |
| Passing Yards | 428 | 221 |
| Rushing Yards | 121 | 78 |
Impact Players
Miami’s junior quarterback Daian Mensah put up incredible stats. He went 27 for 30 through the air and converted that into 401 yards and five touchdown passes.
Mensah had a strong connection with standout sophomore receiver Malachi Toney. Toney finished his 2026-27 season opener with 12 catches for 234 yards and three of the team’s five touchdown catches. Caden High, a senior wide receiver for Stanford, closed out the game with six catches for 95 yards.
Nerd Profile
| Miami (FL) | Stanford | |
| Region | Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach | San Jose–Sunnyvale–Santa Clara |
| Regional Population | 6,391,072 | 1,984,473 |
| County | Miami-Dade | Santa Clara |
| County GDP | $203,059,107 | $399,159,581 |
Clemson vs. LSU
Summary
The Clemson vs. LSU matchup was the undisputed fan favorite game heading into Week 1.
Midway through the 2025-26 season, the LSU Tigers shed head coach Brian Kelly and managed to finish things out with a 3-7 overall record and 3-5 record against SEC opponents. The Clemson Tigers didn’t fare much better during their 2025-26 outing. They closed out the season with a 7-6 overall record and 4-4 record against ACC opponents.
But LSU, now under the control of Lane Kiffin and surrounded by offseason shenanigans came out of Week 1 with a resounding win. The final score was 51-10 in favor of the Tigers out of Baton Rouge. Clemson managed to knock through a field goal in the first quarter and a touchdown with around three minutes left in the fourth quarter but never really demonstrated anything of worth.
Major Stat Lines
LSU outearned Clemon 644-145 in total yards. Kiffin’s new squad was +230 in passing yards and +269 and rushing yards. Clemson only tallied up 105 passing yards and a pedestrian 40 rushing yards.
LSU finished the game with a total of 38 first downs while Clemson’s offense only played eight first downs. Dabo Swinney’s team converted only one of their 13 third down conversions.
| Clemson | LSU | |
| Total Yards | 145 | 644 |
| Passing Yards | 105 | 335 |
| Rushing Yards | 40 | 309 |
Impact Players
LSU’s junior transfer quarterback Sam Leavitt put up a mixed bag numbers in his first start for the Tigers. He finished the game with 230 passing yards and one passing touchdown but only completed 57% of his attempts and threw one touchdown. On the rushing side of things he racked up 113 yards, averaging 9.4 yards per carry and two touchdowns.
LSU’s sophomore running back Dilin Jones recorded 113 yards on 23 rush attempts and also logged two rushing touchdowns.
Another sophomore skill player from LSU had a standout performance to kick off the 2026-27 season. Wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. finished the game seven catches for 110 yards and one touchdown.
Nerd Profile
| Clemson | LSU | |
| Region | Greenville-Anderson-Greer | Baton Rouge |
| Regional Population | 1,014,101 | 888,699 |
| County | Pickens | East Baton Rouge |
| County GDP | $4,671,169 | $37,162,731 |
California vs. UCLA
Summary
Former Pac-12 rivals California and UCLA met up to kick off Week 1 of the 2026-27 season. UCLS, who made the shift to the Big Ten, pulled off a sizeable +21 win over California who is now a member of the ACC. Things were somewhat even for most of the game until UCLA shutout California 21-0 in the fourth quarter.
Major Stat Lines
The UCLA Bruins were only +51 in total yards, tallying up 461 yads compared with California’s 410 yards. The Golden Bears had a significant, +107, advantage in passing yards, while UCLA had the +158 rushing yard advantage.
Neither team played a particularly clean game. UCLA closed out with 12 penalties for 110 yards and California turned the ball over three times, two interceptions and one fumble.
| California | UCLA | |
| Total Yards | 410 | 461 |
| Passing Yards | 291 | 184 |
| Rushing Yards | 119 | 277 |
Impact Players
Despite the loss, California’s sophomore quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele put up solid numbers. Sagapolutele recorded 271 yards through the air and two passing touchdowns, although the two interceptions were big blemishes.
UCLA’s senior running back, Anthony Woods, was a major reason for the Bruins’ victory. He had eight carries for 118 yards, averaged 14.8 yards per carry and claimed two rushing touchdowns. Fellow senior running back, Wayne Knight, had eight attempts for 71 yards and logged three touchdowns on the ground. California’s junior running back, Adam Mohammed, closed out the Week 1 matchup with 28 carries for 120 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Nerd Profile
| California | UCLA | |
| Region | San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim |
| Regional Population | 4,630,041 | 12,844,441 |
| County | Alameda | Los Angeles |
| County GDP | $149,073,515 | $810,842,127 |
Prairie View A&M vs. Texas Southern
Summary
Prairie View A&M lined up against Texas Southern for one of the biggest SWAC football games of the 2026-27 season. The Prairie View Panthers walked out of their stadium with a dominating 52-14 win.
Major Stat Lines
Prairie View out earned Texas Southern 398-318 in total yards. Much of the Panthers success was on the passing side of things. They were +136 in passing yards, tallying up 238 yards through the air compared with 102 yards for Texas Southern. As a team, Prairie View had 28 pass attempts and completed 71% of them. Texas Southern finished with 27 pass attempts as a team, but only completed 52% of their attempts.
The Texas Southern Tigers had a notable rushing advantage in their Week 1 game against Prairie View. Texas Southern was +56, logging 216 yards on the ground compared with Prairie View’s 160 rushing yards. The Tigers ended the game with 50 rush attempts and an average of 4.3 yards per attempt, while the Panthers only had 26 carries with 6.2 yards averaged per carry.
| Prairie View A&M | Texas Southern | |
| Total Yards | 398 | 318 |
| Passing Yards | 238 | 102 |
| Rushing Yards | 160 | 216 |
Impact Players
Prairie View’s senior quarterback Tevin Carter put up very strong numbers in his second game of the season. Carter, a Memphis, Tennessee native, closed out things with 217 passing yards, a 73% accuracy rate and four passing touchdowns.
Much of the Panther’s offensive success was tied to a strong group of wide receivers.
- Rodny Ojo (Junior – Houston, Texas): 3 catches, 68 yards
- Chase Bingmon (Sophomore – Terrell, Texas): 4 catches, 59 yards, 1 touchdown
- Travon Jones (Senior – Miami, Florida): 3 catches, 36 yards, 2 touchdowns
- Damien McDaniel (Sophomore – Hitchcock, Texas): 4 catches, 25 yards, 1 touchdown
Nerd Profile
| Prairie View A&M | Texas Southern | |
| Region | Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands | Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands |
| Regional Population | 7,904,627 | 7,904,627 |
| County | Waller | Harris |
| County GDP | $4,367,085 | $458,701,746 |
Nerd's Guide to College Football 