NCAA Football Week 0 Reactions: Biggest Takeaways from Opening Weekend
Written by: Nate Hornung
Published: Mon Aug 31, 2026, 3:45 pm ET
Read Time: 5 minutes
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The first official week of college football is behind us, as we saw eight contests on Saturday in Week 0. As we get ready for Week 1 that kicks off with 11 matchups on Thursday evening, let's recap what we saw in Week 0 by taking a look at our reactions and biggest takeaways from the first weekend of NCAA Football.
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NCAA Football Week 0 Biggest Takeaways
Bill Belichick Gets a Big Win
Obviously all eyes were on Belichick and the Tar Heels over in Dublin, and the touchdown underdogs came away with a five point win. A hard nosed Belichick defense was clearly on display. After allowing 10 points to the Horned Frogs in the first quarter, North Carolina successfully shut them out the remainder of the game.
Great start for the Heels, not so much for the Frogs, we'll see how they both adjust going forward.
Lincoln Riley's defense allowed 26 points to San Jose State this week. What is that number going to be when they face Oregon, Ohio State, or Indiana?
Should We Be Worried About USC's Defense?
The Trojans offense was out in full force on Saturday, putting up 42 points against the San Jose State Spartans. But we knew this. They were a high powered offense last year, the questions rely on the defensive side of the ball. And after Saturday's showing, the questions remain for me.
The Spartans scored 23 points on the Trojans in the fourth quarter alone, scoring 26 total in the game. Sure, they were playing some USC reserves at that point, but you cannot give up over 330 yards and three touchdowns to SJSU without forcing a single turnover. USC dominated, duh. But Lincoln Riley's defense has some serious issues to work out, and I am worried about this team's depth overall.
Beau Pribula Doesn't Miss a Beat
The new Virginia Cavaliers quarterback stepped right into the spotlight against NC State at home in an ACC battle to start the year, and the young man showed out. Pribula only threw 11 passes, but completed nine of them for 155 yards, and added 110 on the ground on 15 carries. Despite his rushing yards prop being inflated next time he takes the field, I'll be looking to back this guy.
He took just one sack on Saturday against a tough defensive line. Virginia has a bunch of veteran offensive line starters, and I bet they are very protective of him this season. Look for Pribula to lean on his legs early in the year, and I'll be looking to exploit that market until they fix things.
Bison Rolling in FBS
Sure, North Dakota State didn't face that tough of an opponent, but they showed they are ready to make the jump to the FBS. The Bison beat Jacksonville State 33-7 in their first FBS win at the Fargodome. Our hosts scored in every quarter, moved the ball for 373 yards of offense with just one turnover. Defensively, they held the Gamecocks to less than 175 total yards of offense, forced two turnovers, and allowed just two third down conversions on 10 attempts.
The Bison also scored 26 unanswered points after Caden Creel tied things up at seven a piece late in the first quarter.
Dan Mullen lost just his third season opener in 15 years as a head coach
Does Dan Mullen Have a QB Issue?
UNLV quarterback Alex Orji, former Michigan stud, lost the starting job last year to Anthony Colandrea, who transferred to Nebraska. But Dan Mullen brought in Jackson Arnold, former Oklahoma and Auburn QB, to compete for the job. Well, on Saturday we saw Arnold with a sprinkle of Orji in some Wildcat packages, but ultimately the Rebels lost at home to Memphis.
There's the age old saying… "If you have two quarterbacks, you have none"… and I am worried that might be the case in Sin City.
Regardless, Mullen lost just his third season opener in 15 years as a Head Coach. Did the Rebels just lose any hope of sneaking into the College Football Playoff? It's very possible.
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Nate has been a recreational sports bettor for about 5 years. In that time, he has grown to love the pursuit of winners and sticking it to The Man. Nate loves data and uses his understanding of numbers to help him be a more profitable sports gambler, however he will be the first to tell you this game is about more than just stats.
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