CFB Week 1 winners, losers: LSU dominates in Lane Kiffin's debut, controversial Michigan win causes uproar

Winner: Lane Kiffin's LSU debut

After all the uproar, the Lane Kiffin era at LSU began Saturday with a resounding win over the Clemson Tigers.

Associated Press No. 11 LSU's stout returning defense was phenomenal, holding Clemson to 54 total yards in the first half, including minus-four rushing. Per ESPN Insights, Clemson's 54 first-half yards was its fewest ever under coach Dabo Swinney.

But the biggest revelation was LSU's rushing attack. Quarterback Sam Leavitt had 100 yards on the ground at halftime, and transfer running back Dilin Jones added 91 yards as LSU gained 213 rushing yards as a team over the first two quarters, more than it had at any time a season ago.

It was only one game, but for those questioning how Kiffin could leave Ole Miss on the doorstep of the College Football Playoff, Saturday explained why.

Loser: Michigan's fraudulent win

Let the record state Michigan lost to Western Michigan on Saturday, 12-7, only for officials to steal the game away with an appalling replay review.

After Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood's Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete with triple zeros on the clock, referees huddled and inexplicably added a second back. This gave the Wolverines another chance, which they turned into a miraculous touchdown for a "13-12 win." 

While some may blame Western Michigan for not finishing the game, they actually did. All blame for the infuriating result goes to the Big Ten officiating crew. It was outrageous for Michigan to even have the extra down. While the Wolverines may officially be 1-0, we all know they're 0-1. Ball doesn't lie. Big Ten refs do.

Winner: Boise State's playoff odds

The Broncos came up short against the No. 2 Oregon Ducks, falling at Autzen Stadium, 34-27. But even in defeat, Boise State may have boosted its odds of making the College Football Playoff.

The Broncos gave the Ducks everything they could handle, taking a 17-14 lead into halftime and tying the game at 27 midway through the fourth quarter. After last year's CFP blowouts featuring the Group of Six representatives, Boise State's ability to keep things close in a tough road environment could linger in committer members' minds later this year as they determine the country's best mid-major.

Loser: Storming the field over a Western Michigan game

If Michigan needing help from referees wasn't bad enough, Wolverines fans made things worse by actually storming the field after playing Western Michigan. As The Athletic's Stewart Mandel noted plainly, it's wild to see a program go from winning a national title to celebrating a buy-game win in three years.

Winner: Absurd catches

Some pass-catchers are already in mid-season form.

Indiana Hoosiers transfer wideout Nick Marsh began the day with an excellent one-handed grab on a 15-yard touchdown, which led to an early 7-0 lead in an eventual 56-14 blowout win over North Texas.

During the mid-afternoon window, Boise State true freshman receiver Resean Jones had a sensational catch on a back-shoulder throw as the Broncos attempted to tie the game late.

Loser: Tulane head coach Will Hall

While the transfer portal era makes it harder to keep teams together, it was still jarring to see how far Tulane fell from last year's trip to the CFP under Jon Sumrall to its 17-3 Week 1 loss to Duke. The offense was inept, defense struggled to tackle and special teams had a missed field goal. The Green Wave were a shell of their 2025 selves, and it took Hall less than a year to dismantle them.

Winner: Penn State's rebuild

First-year Penn State Nittany Lions coach Matt Campbell made an excellent first impression in a 45-0 win over Marshall, which the FS1 broadcast noted marked the first shutout win in a Penn State coach's debut since Dick Harlow (1915).

Loser: Oklahoma State's rebuild

First-year Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Eric Morris, meanwhile, will need more time to make friends in Stillwater. The Cowboys dropped their 2026 opener on the road to Tulsa, 24-10. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker, the 2025 American Offensive Player of the Year, finished 29-of-49 for 241 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.

As The Athletic's Chris Vannini noted, following Massachusetts' stunning win over Rutgers on Thursday, Oklahoma State has the longest active FBS losing streak (12 games). With Oregon on deck, that record will soon grow.

Winner: Tarleton State, The Citadel, Idaho State

The FCS roars.

College football's second-highest subdivision recorded three upset wins, beginning with Tarleton State, which ESPN's Pete Thamel noted after a 20-13 win over Bowling Green has "been ... aggressive in attempting to climb up the college sports food chain."

The Citadel won a thriller over Charlotte, 43-41 in triple overtime, thanks to a clever two-point conversion when running back Gavin Garcia took a direct snap and handed it to quarterback Nick Billoups, who completed a pass to tight end Whit Hobgood.

The Idaho State Bengals added another win — their first against the FBS since 2017 — while handing 11.5-point pre-game favorite Utah State a 29-17 loss.

Loser: Baylor Bears-Auburn Tigers

In an era of players getting paid, it's refreshing to see Baylor and Auburn still adhere to college football's foundation as an amateur sport.

Oh, what's that? The two schools actually paid for this? Yeesh.

The Bears and Tigers played the sloppiest game of Week 1, a 17-16 Auburn win. They combined for 10 possessions ending in either a fumble, interception, turnover on downs or missed field goal compared to six scoring drives.

Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway gritted through a lower body injury to lead his team a two-point conversion away from a last-second win but only completed 50 percent of his passes and turned the ball over on his first two series. Auburn quarterback Byrum Brown threw three interceptions, and first-year coach Alex Golesh called a horrible fake punt late in the third quarter that was easily stopped by Baylor.

"It wasn't pretty," Golesh acknowledged afterward, "but we finished." And we're thankful for that. Based on the uninspiring performances, either team would be lucky to finish the season bowl-eligible.