Ranking the best finishes from College Football’s first weekend

The third game of Week 1, featuring a matchup of top ten teams, saw Miami fend off a late-surging Notre Dame to start the season 1-0. The Hurricanes held a two-score lead with under ten minutes left in the game, but first-year Notre Dame starting quarterback CJ Carr started to find his groove and orchestrated two fourth-quarter scoring drives to tie the game at 24.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck, who transferred from Georgia in the off-season, responded with his own drive to set up a 47-yard Carter Davis go-ahead field goal with just over a minute remaining in the game. Notre Dame’s last gasp failed, as Miami defensive ends Akheem Mesidor and Ruben Bain Jr. sacked Carr on consecutive plays to end the contest and seal the Hurricane win.

2. LSU 17, Clemson 10

There were several storylines accompanying this matchup of top-ten teams, including the Heisman Trophy candidacy of Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik and LSU looking to avoid their sixth straight opening-game loss since winning the National Championship in 2019. Defense was the story for much of the game; however, neither offense proved capable of converting on its opportunities.

Down 17-10 with two minutes left in the game, Clemson would get an opportunity to go for the win or tie. Klubnik quickly moved his team into LSU territory, but facing fourth-and-four, 15 yards away from the end zone, he threw an errant pass in the face of heavy pressure from LSU linebacker Harold Perkins Jr., and LSU was able to run out the game’s final minute.

3. Kansas State 38, North Dakota 35

Looking to avoid their first 0-2 start since 1989, Kansas State needed a touchdown in the final minute to avoid a massive upset at the hands of North Dakota of the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Following their Week 0 loss to Big 12 foe Iowa State in Ireland, the Wildcats looked sluggish after returning stateside.

North Dakota took a 35-31 lead with just over four minutes to go in the game on a Sawyer Seidl 20-yard touchdown run. Kansas State would ultimately get the ball back with 1:45 on the clock and let junior quarterback Avery Johnson go to work. Johnson connected on 5-of-8 passes for 51 yards in the final drive, including the game-winning touchdown throw to Joe Jackson with 47 seconds left on the clock.

4. Tarleton State 30, Army 27

The only game to go to overtime in Week 1 that involved a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program was actually an FCS program pulling out the victory. Tarleton State of the Western Athletic Conference came back from a two-touchdown deficit in the second half to force overtime against Army with a 28-yard field goal from senior kicker Brad Larson as time expired in regulation. After the two teams traded field goals in the first overtime, Larson’s 37-yard field goal in the second overtime clinched the win for the Texans after Army was unable to score in their half of that frame.

5. Georgia Tech 27, Colorado 20

Georgia Tech senior quarterback Haynes King broke open a tie game with his 45-yard touchdown scamper late in the fourth quarter, but Colorado head coach Deion Sanders’ use, or lack thereof, of his team’s timeouts in the game’s final minutes drew the most conversation after the Yellowjackets prevailed.

Colorado would receive the ball with just over a minute to play and possessing two timeouts. It took the Buffaloes nearly 50 seconds to run just three plays, as Sanders did not call either of his timeouts while time continued to tick down. The clock would eventually run out on Colorado, having never used either timeout or crossing midfield.