College football week 0 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 0.
Related: 5 Things to watch in college football week 0
Iowa State won the first game of the season, which just happened to be a conference game against Kansas State in Dublin, Ireland. It was a sloppy game with plenty of missed passes and fumbles, but the Cyclones were able to hang on tight and run the clock out to win 24-21. They handled the conditions better and outrushed Kansas State by 20 yards.
The Cyclones and Wildcats are two of the favorites in the Big 12, but now Iowa State has a big win under their belt. While they have a tough game against Arizona State, it will be at home. Even if they lose that, if they take care of business against the rest of their schedule, which includes no other ranked games, they will more than likely be in the Big 12 Championship Game. The stakes were high early in the season in Dublin.
UNLV lost head coach Barry Odom and plenty of players from last year’s team. They hired Dan Mullen and got plenty of big name transfers that had expectations at a level where they could compete in the Mountain West again this year. Things did not start out well in week 1 for UNLV.
The Rebels took on Idaho State, a team in the FCS who is not ranked in the top 25. Idaho State took control of the game early and UNLV had to come back to win it. Getting a win is important, but there are more doubts on what they can do against a team at the FBS level. They’ll be tested against Sam Houston State in week 1.
Kansas had a great first game against Fresno State, winning 31-7. They were impressive on both sides of the ball and dominated the game. The defense allowed just seven points and forced two fumbles. Offensively, they had an efficient game that is worth looking at a bit more closely.
Jalon Daniels has been a good quarterback when healthy during his Kansas career and it looks like he is poised for a great season. He was 18/20 passing for 176 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Daniel Hishaw has waited his turn before becoming the starter this season and impressed with 13 carries for 69 yards. Wide receiver Cam Pickett had six catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns. The Big 12 is wide open and Kansas’s offense could make things a little more interesting.
Western Kentucky played Sam Houston State in a game between two of the better teams in the C-USA. The Hilltoppers were able to come out victorius, as they won the game 41-24. Scoring 40 points isn’t easy, especially against decent competition, but it could be a sign of things to come for Western Kentucky.
Quarterback Maverick McIvor transferred in from Abilene Christian and played well in his first game as a Hilltopper. He passed for 401 yards and three touchdowns against SHSU. Matthew Henry led the team with 148 yards, but McIvor spread the ball around with nine different receivers catching passes. Expect some big numbers from Western Kentucky this season.
Stanford traveled to Hawaii to take on the Warriors in week 0. The Cardinal weren’t favored in the game, which rarely happens for a power conference team taking on a group of five conference team. Hawaii was able to win on a last second field goal, which was a big win for their program.
After losing their first game of the season, Stanford has a lot of work on their plates. Andrew Luck is their new general manager and he brought Frank Reich in on an interim basis to be the head coach. Reich has NFL experience, but the roster has an uphill battle to make a bowl game, especially with the travel in the ACC. A bad season could be ahead and there is some uncertainty with the future of the program.
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