10 Takeaways: Week One

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1. Miami makes a statement against Florida, and the Gators are already in crisis mode

If you didn't watch the Miami-Florida game, these 15 seconds will tell you all you need to know:

Miami went into The Swamp, kicked their feet up, and made themselves at home in a 44-17 statement win. Regardless of what you think about the Gators this year, beating the breaks off an in-state rival in their building to this degree gives me confidence that the preseason hype on Miami was justified.

New Hurricanes QB Cam Ward was near-flawless –26 of 35 passing for 385 yards and 3 TD– leading scoring drives on six of Miami's first eight possessions. They averaged 7.6 yards per play, and rarely looked like they were pressed to make things happen. Their defense was just as dominant.

71 of Florida's 261 total yards (27%) came on one play (Montrell Johnson Jr's. second quarter TD run to make it 17-10) and the Gators were just 1-9 on third down. This was a beatdown in its purest form, and one that Miami needed as proof of concept for what their ceiling could be. More important than the blowout itself, Miami made Florida quit - which means things are officially ugly for Billy Napier.

Is it bad when your in-state rival walks off your field and tells the recruits you're hosting to not go to your school?

Is it bad when the opposing head coach does this after the game?

Is it bad when your head coach insults his own fanbase in the Monday presser afterwards?

Reminder that Florida already has the hardest schedule in the country. If Napier wants to see that through, he and his staff better come up with some answers before a crucial game vs. Texas A&M in two weeks.

2. A lot of meh from the top of the Big Ten

It's important to remember that no team in the country is a finished product in week one. This isn't the best (or worst) these teams will look like. You probably won't even remember these games happened by week three! Still, that doesn't mean you can't raise an eyebrow at the opening performances we saw from Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon.

• The defending-champion Wolverines grinded out a 30-13 win over Fresno State in a game that was 16-10 with less than 10 minutes to play before scoring two late touchdowns. Their run defense was stifling –they held Fresno to just 9 yards– and it never really felt like they could actually lose. The concern here is at QB. Davis Warren won starting honors over Alex Orji, and went 15-25 for 118 yards, one TD and an interception. He wasn't horrendous, but it's not like he locked up the job, either. Orji threw a three-yard TD of his own on one of his two attempts, but was mostly used as a runner. Michigan still has a defense that can help them compete with anyone, but they're in for a long day vs. Texas if that's what they get at QB.
• There was nothing overly alarming about Ohio State's 52-6 win over Akron, but the Buckeyes did look sloppy in the first half. My biggest concern here is the Buckeyes' run game - particularly an offensive line that already came into the season as a question mark. Ohio State never got a sustained push, and didn't dominate what should have been an overwhelmed Akron front. QB Will Howard and WR Jeremiah Smith looked fantastic in their debuts, and the defense was stellar, but their are things to work on here. If you want my full thoughts on this game, check out the Bulletpoints column I posted here.
• Oregon got all they could handle from a feisty Idaho, eeking out a 24-14 win that realistically could've gone the other way. The Ducks dominated on the stat sheet, but had trouble running the ball and generating explosive plays. A 12-yard Tez Johnson TD with 5:36 left salted the game, but it was an odd showing from a team that a lot of people think is national-title quality. The Vandals aren't a pushover –they made it to the quarterfinals of the FCS Playoffs last season– but the Ducks' matchup with Boise State in primetime this week just got a little more interesting.

3. Travis Hunter already walks among the greats in college football history

Whatever your opinion was on Colorado before they played North Dakota State, I'm sure their 31-26 win on Thursday night didn't change it. But one thing about the Buffs is crystal clear (if it wasn't already):

Travis Hunter is among the most special players we've seen in the sport in quite some time.

Hunter played 124 total snaps (55 offensively, 69 defensively) catching seven passes for 132 yards and three touchdowns, while recording three tackles:

He capped off the performance by scoring the eventual game-winning TD on a stunning, contorted pylon fade:

NDSU didn't test him much defensively, but the fact that he can go out for over 120 total plays and still be the best player on any field he steps on in the fourth quarter is mind-boggling. Is it sustainable for the whole season? Which position is he better suited to play in the NFL? I don't know, and quite frankly I don't care. I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy the greatness in front of us.