College Football's Week 1 Upsets: Fleeting Moments or Lasting Impacts?

As the 2025 college football season kicks off, the article cautions against putting too much stock in the results of Week 1 games. According to the analysis, history has shown that early-season performances often prove to be unreliable indicators of a team's eventual success or failure.

The article provides several examples to illustrate this point. In 2022, Clemson's lopsided loss to Georgia in the season opener had many pundits ready to hand the national championship to the Bulldogs. However, by December, Clemson had won the ACC and exceeded expectations, while Georgia suffered a disappointing quarterfinal loss to Notre Dame.

Similarly, Deion Sanders' coaching debut with Colorado in 2023 led some to believe the Buffaloes would be a force to be reckoned with, given that their opening-week opponent, TCU, was a highly ranked team that had played for the national title the previous season. But in the end, TCU finished 5-7, and Colorado went 4-8.

The article also highlights other instances where Week 1 results proved to be misleading, such as Nebraska's narrow win over Cincinnati and Florida's upset of Utah, which did not accurately foreshadow the rest of those teams' seasons.

The author emphasizes that the lack of an NFL-style preseason and the difficulty of building cohesion in college football programs from year to year contribute to the unreliability of early-season games. Additionally, the fact that many of these contests are played at neutral sites further complicates the ability to draw meaningful conclusions.

As the 2025 season progresses, the article advises readers to avoid getting too caught up in the hype and overreactions that often surround Week 1 games. Instead, it suggests taking a more measured approach and waiting to see how the season unfolds before making definitive judgments about the various teams and their prospects.