CFB Week 1 winners and losers: Vanderbilt's stunner, Florida's bummer and more

Pavia was named Conference USA Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 after throwing for 2,973 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions while adding 176 rushing attempts for 923 yards and seven rushing touchdowns.

Vanderbilt entered Saturday's game a 13.5-point underdog but left with its quarterback establishing himself as one of college football's most exciting players.

Loser: Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney

An ugly 34-3 loss to Associated Press No. 1 Georgia should reignite questions about Clemson's direction under Swinney while cementing Georgia as the team to beat this season.

Swinney's refusal to improve the Tigers via the transfer portal has set the program back. Unless he catches up with the times, Saturday's result could be a glimpse into Clemson's future.

Winner: Miami Hurricanes

The Hurricanes established themselves as the team to beat in the ACC with an impressive 41-17 win over Florida. Quarterback Cam Ward weathered an early interception to have a strong debut, finishing 26-of-35 for 385 yards, three touchdowns and an interception while adding 33 yards on three carries.

On Ward's best throw, he escaped pressure by rolling to his left, kept his eyes downfield and delivered a strike to wide receiver Jacolby George in the back of the end zone.

Loser: Florida Gators

Florida's 41-17 blowout loss to Miami snapped the Gators' 34-game home-opener win streak, which dated back to the 1990 season. The Gators have a brutal schedule in the months ahead and falling by multiple scores to the Hurricanes is as rough a start as head coach Billy Napier could imagine.

Winner: Nick Saban

Here's how Saban used to spend his Saturdays:

And here's Saban at the end of his first episode of ESPN's "College GameDay" as an analyst on a college campus:

Saban is living his best life following his January retirement. After years of exploding in anger on the sidelines, Saban can finally relax and enjoy himself. Based on his legendary coaching career, he deserves it.

Loser: Ball security in Penn State-WVU

Penn State handily defeated West Virginia 34-12 in a game that featured a two-hour rain delay. Prior to the stoppage, the Nittany Lions and Mountaineers exchanged fumbles in a sequence that will make neither teams' greatest hits of the 2024 season.

Penn State QB Drew Allar muffed the snap early in the first quarter, setting up West Virginia with excellent field position in a scoreless game.

Instead of taking advantage of their situation, West Virginia QB Garrett Greene couldn't handle the snap on the next play and the Mountaineers turned the ball right back over to the Nittany Lions. 

Winner: Nebraska

The Cornhuskers found a quarterback. 

Nebraska freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola, a five-star recruit out of high school, had an excellent collegiate debut. He finished the 40-7 win over UTEP 19-of-27 for 238 yards and two touchdowns.

Early in the game, Raiola stepped up into the pocket and delivered a sharp side-armed throw to wide receiver Isaiah Neyor for a first down on third-and-11.

At the end of the second quarter, he threw an outstanding back-shoulder pass to wideout Jahmal Banks for a touchdown with two seconds remaining before the half.

Nebraska hosts Colorado next Saturday in a rematch of last year's 36-14 loss in Boulder. With his stellar debut putting him on the college football map in earnest, Raiola's matchup with Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders will be appointment viewing.

Loser: Oregon

While most teams that scheduled FCS opponents had easy wins in Week 1, Oregon sweated out a 24-14 win over Idaho. The Ducks were stopped twice on fourth down in the third quarter as the Vandals kept things more interesting than they should have been. 

No. 3 Oregon is a leading contender to win the Big Ten in its first season in the conference, but its lackadaisical start is concerning. 

Winner: Freshman wide receivers in their debuts

Ohio State five-star freshman Jeremiah Smith lived up to his billing in his debut. He finished a 52-6 win over Akron with six receptions, 92 yards and two touchdowns.

Later in the day, though, Smith was one-upped by Alabama freshman Ryan Williams in a 63-0 romp over Western Kentucky. 

The 17-year-old Williams was sensational, totaling 139 yards and scoring two touchdowns on only two receptions.

Loser: Texas A&M

The Aggies fell 23-13 in the day's most competitive game. While their defense played well enough to win, they followed a familiar blueprint in the loss.

The offense struggled just as it did under former head coach Jimbo Fisher. This could have been an early signature win of the Mike Elko era. Instead, it was the same song and dance as in previous seasons. 

Winner: Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty

One of the top contenders for the Group of Five automatic bid in the College Football Playoff, Boise State had all it could handle in a back-and-forth affair with Georgia Southern on Saturday.

Jeanty put the Broncos on his back in a 56-45 win. He had 20 carries, 267 and six touchdowns to help Boise State avoid a major upset.