For the first time since 2019, the LSU Tigers are 1-0. LSU had dropped five consecutive season openers, but Brian Kelly's squad was able to get over the hump with an impressive 17-10 win at No. 4 Clemson on Saturday night. The win has Tiger fans rejoicing, and it signals to the college football world that LSU is ready for a big 2025 campaign.
LSU's win over Clemson saves SEC from rough Saturday
The win gives LSU a top-five road win before the calendar flips to September. In addition to ending LSU's five-game losing streak in season openers, the dominating defensive play of LSU gives this team legitimate National Championship hopes. The win was not only big for LSU, but it saved the SEC from a brutal Saturday.
Texas falls flat against Ohio State
The Texas Longhorns entered the season as the No. 1 team in the country according to the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. Steve Sarkisian's Longhorns had a great opportunity to prove that the poll was correct on Saturday afternoon as they traveled to Columbus to take on No. 3 Ohio State.
Instead, Texas got embarrassed. Former No. 1 recruit Arch Manning never got comfortable, and the Longhorns managed to score just seven points in a 14-7 loss to the Buckeyes. Manning threw for a modest 170 yards while completing 17 of his 30 pass attempts. He threw for one touchdown and one interception. He wasn't accurate, didn't take many shots down the field, and looked overwhelmed for most of the game.
The loss exposed a lot of Texas' red flags, as a lack of explosive plays made Sarkisian's offense look lost. Manning didn't live up to the hype, and while there's still a long season ahead, the soon-to-be former No. 1 Longhorns have some serious issues to correct.
Alabama get embarrassed by Florida State
The Alabama Crimson Tide entered the season as the No. 8 team in the country. Like Texas, they suffered a disappointing loss on the road on Saturday. But unlike Texas, Alabama's loss came to an unranked opponent. The Crimson Tide fell to the Florida State Seminoles by a score of 31-17 in Tallahassee.
Kalen DeBoer's team was unprepared for Thomas Castellanos and Florida State's offense as a whole, and the Tide quickly fell behind 17-7 at halftime. They tried to play catch-up the rest of the game, but nothing seemed to click. Ty Simpson completed just 54 percent of his passes, and Florida State out-rushed Alabama 236-87. The Tide entered the matchup favored by 14 points, but ended up losing by 14.
In Kalen DeBoer's second season in Tuscaloosa, it already seems that Alabama's air of invincibility has faded away. Alabama is now 1-5 in its last five games played away from Tuscaloosa. Furthermore, DeBoer has now lost four games to unranked opponents in 14 games at Alabama, which is the same amount that Nick Saban lost in 230 games at Alabama.