Week 1 was full of big winners and even bigger outcomes as college football got fully underway this past week.
Deion Sanders and Colorado began Saturday with an upset of then-No. 17 TCU, emerging from a four-quarter battle victorious 45-42 and knocking the Horned Frogs out of this week’s Associated Press Top 25.
Riley Leonard and Duke pulled off one of the bigger upsets of Week 1. The Blue Devils tangoed with Clemson during the first half and pulled away in the second, thanks in large part to their defense forcing three turnovers.
Caleb Williams maintained his footing in this season’s early Heisman Trophy race. He has some contenders to compete against, and this week will feature several Heisman hopefuls play one another including in a showdown between Quinn Ewers and No. 11 Texas and the No. 3 Crimson Tide and Jalen Milroe.
Here are several players and notes to keep a tab on in this week’s Big Board.
Emory Jones, Cincinnati
Jones had one of the more prolific performances in all of college football against Eastern Kentucky on Saturday.
Jones collected Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors after being responsible for seven touchdowns, throwing for five and rushing for two. He broke a Cincinnati program record in the process.
The Arizona State transfer welcomed himself to Cincinnati well in his first game as a Bearcat. Jones willed Cincinnati to touchdown scores during each of its first six drives, and the Bearcats comfortably held a 42-7 halftime lead thanks in large part to Jones.
Jones completed passes to 10 different receivers. He looked for no one more than receiver Xzavier Henderson to whom Jones found seven times for 149 yards.
Cincinnati played more than well enough in its first game as a member of the Big 12. Jones should have the Bearcats involved in competitive matchups as the season continues whether he’s making 40-plus yard touchdown passes or diving across the goal line for a score on 4th and goal.
Jalen Milroe, Alabama
Milroe and the Crimson Tide have a tall task ahead of them when they host future Southeastern Conference member Texas on Saturday.
Not to be overlooked is Milroe’s first performance as Alabama’s starting quarterback. Milroe had his hand involved in five touchdowns on the day, throwing three through the air and rushing for two more.
Milroe threw for 194 yards and completed 72% of his passing attempts. He also was Alabama’s leading rusher and ran for 48 yards on seven carries.
Milroe went on to earn SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors as his 217.8 passing efficiency rating ranked No. 9 among quarterbacks.
Alabama appears to have found its successor to Bryce Young from a season ago. Young kept opponents off balance with his ability to sling the ball down the field and take off and run to make plays, and Milroe showed he can step up and do similarly for Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide program.
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
The journey for Michael Penix Jr. has been a thorough one.
Since suffering a torn ACL and transferring from Indiana, Penix appears to have found his home at Washington — and he helped the Huskies to a big 56-19 win over Boise State in the season opener.
Penix threw for an eye-popping 450 yards against the Broncos, and he had a balanced game in which he threw for over 200 yards in each half.
He had three touchdown passes of 20 yards or more in the victory. A veteran of six seasons, Penix displayed both his grasp on Washington’s playbook and his ability to be a dangerous passer, somethings that could help him go far in a possible Heisman Trophy-caliber campaign.
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Sanders and his father who doubles as his head coach Deion Sanders could have their own places on this week’s Big Board, and it would be worthwhile to include cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter in addition to other Buffaloes as well.
Shedeur Sanders, who played quarterback at Jackson State each of the past two seasons, embraced the challenge of competing with a new team on a new stage.
And he thrived.
Colorado fueled itself off the arm of Shedeur Sanders, who ended up throwing for a program-record 510 yards in the Buffaloes’ 45-42 victory over then-No. 17 TCU. He completed 81% of his passes and four of which went for touchdowns.
The former Southwest Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year went 38-for-47 on the football field and came through with the go-ahead touchdown pass to Dylan Edwards late in the fourth quarter. Shedeur Sanders also landed a spot on the rise in CBS Sports 2024 NFL Draft quarterback rankings, and his stock is on the rise.
Caleb Williams, USC
Williams returns to the Big Board after another strong week in defense of his Heisman Trophy that he earned a season ago.
A week removed from throwing four touchdowns in the season-opener against San Jose State, Williams upper the ante and threw for five this time around as No. 6 USC moved past Nevada 66-14.
Williams’ nine passing touchdowns are three more than the next closest quarterback in the NCAA. His 236.42 passing efficiency rating is fourth-best among quarterbacks, and Williams has shown every bit of his ability across the first two games.
Williams found freshman standout Zachariah Branch, who had two touchdowns including a 96-yard kickoff return during his collegiate debut in Week 0, on a 22-yard score in the first quarter against the Wolfpack.
He had three more touchdown passes in the first half and finished 18-for-24 with 319 passing yards. Williams is just warming up to play this season, and his dynamic ability to create a play — he had three carries for 42 yards — makes him a constant threat week after week.
