Everything We Learned in Week 0 of College Football

Another college football season is officially underway, and with it comes the anxiety-tinged anticipation every fan feels each weekend throughout autumn. Because football seasons feature fewer games than any other major team sport, stakes are heightened with every contest, adding gravity no competition can match.

Ultimately, however, these are still just games and in Week 0 came a tragic reminder that some things are much bigger than football.

Moments after rushing for a rushing touchdown, the Associated Press reports that running back MicahJo Barnett of William Jewell College “experienc[ed] a medical emergency on the sideline” and was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

The circumstances of Barnett’s death have not been publicized as of this writing. What is known is that a young man, just 20 years old, leaves family — including six siblings — friends and teammates.

Thoughts go out to the William Jewell community and everyone impacted by Barnett’s passing.

There is no easy way to transition, as nothing else that occurred across the sport bears as much importance as Saturday’s tragedy in Liberty, Missouri. Thus, consider all analysis of Week 0 with its proportionate significance.

Even on a less somber day, the narratives to be taken from the week-before-the-first week of the season are inherently hyperbolic. No season is won or lost in Week 0.

Certainly, that’s the message Sonny Dykes could consider repeating when TCU returns to Fort Worth from Dublin, Ireland.

The Horned Frogs’ 15-10 loss to North Carolina on the rain-soaked turf of Aviva Stadium felt less like the Tar Heels winning than it did TCU beating itself.

Now, second-year North Carolina head coach Bill Belichick built his Pro Football Hall of Fame career on forcing opponents to beat themselves. His Patriots teams excelled at awaiting for the opposition to make a mistake then pouncing, which makes Saturday’s result the closest the Tar Heels have come to New England in Belichick’s thus far trying tenure in Chapel Hill.

Still, a pair of drives to and within the North Carolina 10-yard line producing zero points must haunt Dykes and his team on the long flight back to Texas. The what-ifs are boundless, particularly pondering if the Horned Frogs may have fared better offensively with wide receiver Jordan Dwyer available.

However, with the rainy conditions in Ireland and quarterback Jaden Craig unable to pass as effectively as a Dykes team’s offense likes, even a receiver as talented as Dwyer may not have made the difference.

The degree of difficulty climbs for an offense predicated on attacking the boundaries once the ball moves into the red zone. Having the ability to go at a defense between the hashmarks once inside the 20 separates good offenses and those capable of competing for championships — as evidenced by seven of the nation’s top 12 teams for touchdowns scored on red-zone opportunities last season reaching the Playoff.

Red goes bust in Vegas

Late Saturday night in Las Vegas, UNLV’s hopes of representing the Group of Six conferences in the postseason likely went bust as a byproduct of red-zone failure.

Trailing Memphis 27-21 in the fourth quarter, the Rebels drove deep into Tigers territory. UNLV needed badly to convert after having two red-zone opportunities earlier in the game produce zero points.

The Rebels again broke through the Memphis 20, and again came away empty when the Tigers flexed their dominance on the interior. Jaden McKinney and Taylor Burton teamed up on a sack of UNLV quarterback Jackson Arnold on fourth down, putting a fitting cap on a drive that saw Memphis stymie the Rebels’ previous attempts to scrape together yardage with limited space.

Like TCU missing Dwyer, things may have gone differently for UNLV had offensive lineman Austin Boyd not gone out with an apparent leg injury earlier in the possession. Or maybe the drive stalls out in similar fashion.

Either way is moot, because Memphis leaves Las Vegas with a significant win to start building its postseason case, and a building block for a high-profile visit to Boise State on Sept. 12.

Jayden Maiava starts strong — even if few were there to see it

A former UNLV quarterback, Jayden Maiava, opened 2026 in impressive fashion: 25-of-29 passing for 286 yards, two touchdowns, and another 63 yards with a score rushing in USC’s 42-26 defeat of San Jose State.

The third-year Trojans starter was hot, but evidently not as hot as the exposed seating of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Kicking off at noon local time amid what southern California meteorologists have labeled a “heat dome,” USC played before a paltry crowd. Temperatures approaching triple digits and little, if any shelter from the oppressive summer sun were apparently enough to keep a sizable portion of the would-be audience tuned in via NBC.

Lopsided loss leaves NC State at a crossroads

The only heat around college football more unbearable than a sun-cooked Coliseum may emanate from the seat of North Carolina State’s Dave Doeren.

Doeren’s 14th season as Wolfpack head coach opened with a thud in Week 0, as Virginia cruised to a 34-8 win. NC State gained just 168 total yards of offense, with starting quarterback CJ Bailey throwing for only 84.

The Pack have been pictures of stability in Doeren’s tenure — and that may be the problem. NC State has run up against a hard cap of nine wins as its ceiling in the last decade-and-a-half, never quite breaking through to compete for ACC championships.

Saturday’s loss coming against the opponent it did provides some interesting reflection for the state of State. Virginia is coming off of an 11-win season and appearance in the ACC Championship Game under Tony Elliott, now in his fifth season heading up the Cavaliers.

Dual-threat quarterback Beau Pribula, a transfer from Missouri, further underscores the contrast. He almost matched NC State’s total offensive output on his own with both his passing (155 yards on just nine completions) and rushing (110 yards).

The good news for Doeren and the Pack is that they have Week 1 off before hosting FCS opponent Richmond, thus have some opportunity to regroup before facing last season’s breakout surprise, Vanderbilt. Doeren also benefits from not having the ACC’s hottest seat, so long as Mike Norvell’s Florida State team fails to improve from its 34-17, Week 0 defeat of New Mexico State.