College football is back, which almost makes working on Labor Day worth it.
Almost.
Unfortunately, Rotoballer College Sports HQ is a non-union shop. Oh well, one week down and 12, 13, 14 or... more to go, and what have we learned? Other than the fact that Alabama is better than Florida State? Not much.
Here's our Top 10 after Week One, as of September 4, 2017 (with won-loss records in parentheses).
NCAA College Football (CBB) Rankings
1. Alabama, (1-0)
Crimson Tide QB Jalen Hurts didn't have a big game but, as usual, Nick Saban's team didn't need him to. It might be unfair to say that Saban's staff out-coached their counterparts from Tallahassee, or that they even out-recruited them, but the early returns speak volumes. Shaun-Dion Hamilton (8 tackles, 1 sack) is a stat-machine at linebacker for the Tide.
2. Penn State, (1-0)
We're going all-in on James Franklin's team, which sadly would have an entirely different meaning were he still coaching at Vanderbilt. Nonetheless, running back Saquon Barkley (14 carries, 172 yards, 2 TDs) got his season off to a fine start.
3. Oklahoma, (1-0)
Will this be the season QB in Baker Mayfield finally wins the Heisman? We don't know, obviously, but his team's rematch with Ohio State this weekend will tell us more than the performance against UTEP (19-20, 329 yards, 3 TDs). Last season's visit by the Buckeyes to Norman didn't go so well, so how likely is it that Mayfield and the Sooners will perform better in Columbus?
4. Florida State, (0-1)
We're not going to punish the Seminoles too much for losing in Week One to a title contender. But with QB Deondre Francois going down toward the end of the game against the Tide, things are suddenly looking grim in Tallahassee. Just how much the injury will affect Francois' future draft status remains to be seen, too.
5. Ohio State, (1-0)
"Chicks and ducks and Sooners better scurry..." That's from "Oklahoma!"--the musical. No, we don't like musicals. But we're going to guess that Sooners coach Lincoln Riley didn't like what he saw on tape from the Buckeyes in the second half of their game in Week One either--against a Big 10 foe, no less.
6. Washington, (1-0)
Want to get your season off to a good start? Schedule Rutgers. Seriously, the Huskies have an EASY early-season slate, and QB Jake Browning and company won't get tested until October. Outside of class anyway. Class... as if. The Huskies didn't look dominant against RU, though--and neither did Browning. Both may be red flags.
7. Wisconsin, (1-0)
Utah State is no cupcake--in Utah, anyway. At Camp-Randall, the Badgers could have beaten them on a bad day, and--really--they did. UW looked sluggish in the first half, but came out guns blazing in the second. Sound familiar? TE Troy Fumagalli has a great name--and he had 105 receiving yards on Saturday.
8. USC, (1-0)
"Suck for Sam" took on a whole new meaning on Saturday. Okay, that's a bit harsh, but Trojans QB Sam Darnold struggled a bit against Western Michigan--a bonafide opponent, we admit. And he may not even be the best QB prospect playing college ball in LA. His place as the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft in April may already be in jeopardy.
9. Oklahoma State, (1-0)
QB Mason Rudolph still has James Washington (6 catches, 145 yards, 2 TDs)--and a lucky NFL team will have him soon enough. But the Cowboys can coast until Week Three, when they visit Pitt.
10. Clemson, (1-0)
A couple of seasons ago, we heard Clemson radio analyst Rodney Williams proclaim that the only day he likes better than opening day of Tigers football is "Christmas, the birthday of our lord and savior Jesus Christ." Yikes. Even after the Tigers' performance against Kent State, we think Williams will still prefer Christmas to Week Two, when Clemson hosts a much tougher opponent in Auburn. Having said that, the QB Kelly Bryant Era (16-22, 236, 1 TD) got off to a pretty good start.