Welcome to Glass Slipper! Give me TCU tonight; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from Week 1 of the college football season.

1. Farewell to an icon.

I could never hold a Ticonderoga without thinking of Lee Corso. His voice served as the indicator that a lazy Saturday afternoon with your family was around the corner. The man is a foundational piece of our sport, and I’ll sorely miss seeing him don the Brutus headgear.

2. Not so fast, my friend.

Oh, Arch Manning. Thanks for the secondhand embarrassment.

Everyone has their own theory for what happened. To me, it was a guy trying desperately to convince the world - and himself - that he didn’t have a serious case of the jitters. The pregame dancing, flipping off a camera, that random sidearm stuff. His antics only exacerbated the nerves, and Arch ended up submitting a performance that was far worse than even the box score indicated.

Look, he’s going to be totally fine. Texas faces three straight home cupcakes before heading to the Swamp on October 4th; Manning might have already regained his perch atop the Heisman odds list by then. I just hope Longhorn Nation exercises a bit of humility moving forward. Keep in mind that most freshmen at your school weren’t alive when Vince Young hoisted that trophy.

3. Solidified.

Jermaine Mathews was impressive in his reserve role throughout these last two years, and glittered in the spotlight here in Week 1. He fell victim to a beautiful throw and a subtle jersey tug on Texas’s lone touchdown, but still did much more good than bad on the afternoon. The Buckeyes haven’t had a corner drafted in the first four rounds since 2020, which is a downright unacceptable statistic. I think Mr. Mathews will kindly end the drought.

4. Quiet, please.

Thomas Castellanos took a carton of eggs out of his apartment fridge, and pelted them at my face. I was so ready to posterize him for embarking on such a cocky summer. 19 interceptions in 21 contests at Boston College? This is the dude claiming that Alabama doesn’t have an answer?

He backed up every single syllable. Castellanos was brilliant, and his Seminoles are about to vault into the top-20 as a result.

5. Troubled waters.

Kalen DeBoer seems like quite the nice human. What we witnessed on Saturday was flat-out humiliating.

The Tide do not play hard. It’s that simple. Justin Jefferson was going through the motions. Zabien Brown had it on cruise control. Bray Hubbard didn’t bother getting on the plane. There were spots of bad effort in 2024, and DeBoer had a full offseason to weed out those habits. Not even close. Things will get incredibly ugly if Bama’s trip to Athens in Week 5 ends poorly.

6. A Garrett Riley conversation.

I… I don’t think he’s a competent playcaller. Like, at all. Clemson is up 10-3 to start the third quarter, with possession. Adam Randall takes a handoff six yards on the first play from scrimmage. No Tigers running back ever got a carry again. That’s actually a real thing that happened.

It’s Cade Klubnik’s third campaign in Riley’s system. He just missed on half of his pass attempts, threw a gross pick, and then essentially shrugged everything off after the game. There’s far too much nonchalance in that partnership right now, and Clemson’s not going anywhere without a shift in urgency.

7. Scary sight.

Bryce Underwood looked awesome, unfortunately. He needs to chill out with the 97-mph fastballs on simple in-breaking routes, but I didn’t see a whole lot of negatives otherwise. That special athleticism hasn’t been unleashed yet, either; I hope Matt Patricia is developing a good plan.

8. Utah’s new superstar.

Devon Dampier. Sheesh.

The Utes barely snuck into my list of 32 realistic playoff contenders. Now that I’ve witnessed that 5-foot-11 ball of electricity feast in the Rose Bowl, I’m beginning to like their chances to get there. The best head coach in America deserves one more joyride.

9. Red carpet.

Suddenly, Miami’s formula to secure a spot in the 12-team bracket is extremely straightforward. The ‘Canes should be favored in every contest the rest of the way. Win 10 of 11, and they’ll have a berth locked down prior to conference championship weekend. Let’s see if Mario Cristobal can get the job done.

10. Time to peek ahead.

All eyes are on one Week 2 matchup. Michigan and Oklahoma, in Norman. Sherrone Moore against his alma mater. Brent Venables trying to fan off his seat. The first big stage for both Bryce Underwood and John Mateer. Primetime on ABC. I expect an evening of high drama.

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“Shining Star” by Earth, Wind & Fire. Enjoy.