CFB Week 1: Calamaties Aplenty

Even before college football's Week One kicked off, LSU coachLane Kiffinled a blitz Thursday that forced East Baton Rouge Parish Judge William Jorden to expose a deep, systemic fragmentation of modern roster management. That was just the tip of the iceberg for this Titanic, five-day holiday weekend of outrageous action. But the sport managed to navigate even more controversy during some of the most remarkable Week One action in memory. It included Kiffin adding even more fuel to the fire with a hot-mic remark on national television. Seems like only yesterday when Al Davis was complaining to me aboutLane Kiffin. I metKiffinin 2007 during the second day of the Raiders' training camp at lunch, and the stuff he said right out of the gate, as a 31-year-old rookie NFL coach, was shocking at the time, but obviously a precursor of what would follow. He was openly talking about moves he would make and ranting about the Raiders—which is to say Al Davis—drafting quarterback JaMarcus Russell (ironically, a former LSU quarterback). I knew Kiffin was given some slack because his father was the great Monte Kiffin. I also knew that Lane became head coach—replacing Art Shell—almost accidentally. Davis really wanted another USC assistant, Assistant Head Coach/Quarterbacks coach Steve Sarkisian. ButSarkisianstopped returning calls, so Davis deployed a Raider executive (a loose title) to fly down to Los Angeles and find him. However, while looking for Sarkisian, the Raider rep bumped into Lane Kiffin. One thing led to another and Kiffin was asked if he would be interested in coaching the Raiders. The rest is history and, oh boy, what history. We will retrace that history later. Meantime we will talk about recent events with his 10th college team, not counting his stay as quarterback with Fresno State, where he left when the Bulldogs recruited David Carr. As soon as Al Davis heard some of Kiffin's plans, he couldn't get rid of him fast enough. Davis famously fired Kiffin four games into the 2008 season with an overhead projector, refusing to pay him a dime, and dragging him through an arbitration battle that shrank his disputed money to a measly $333,000. How times change. Jogging off the field at halftime on Saturday, with his newly minted LSU Tigers absolutely dismantling Clemson31-3, Kiffin gave the sporting world a masterclass in peak, unadulterated cockiness. Finishing up his quick sideline interview with ESPN's Holly Rowe, Kiffin turned his back, thinking his microphone was clear. Instead, the broadcast picked up a legendary hot-mic smirk as he jogged toward the tunnel:'It took everything in me not to say, 'Imagine if we had pro players.'' The punchline, of course, was that Kiffindidn'thave his pro players. Despite spending the week inside an East Baton Rouge parish courthouse securing a temporary injunction to clear former NFLers Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, LSU ultimately blinked. Facing a federal lawsuit from the SEC and the looming threat of immediate forfeits, Kiffin couldn't actually suit them up. But the sheer audacity to drop a hot-mic flex while your hands are legally tied? That is the modern Lane Kiffin experience. He essentially told the NCAA, the SEC, and the rest of the world, 'We are destroying Dabo Swinney with basic college kids; imagine what happens when my lawyers win.' When asked after the game about his halftime hot-mic comment, a relaxed Kiffin casually told reporters, 'It's just my personality. It is what it is. What's the difference? Everybody hates you. They can't hate you that much more.' He may have something there. If Al Davis could see that ledger today—and realize that the $333,000 he denied Kiffin wouldn't even cover the private jet fuel used to ferry his family out of Oxford to land this$84 million LSU contract—he would roll over in his crypt. We will get back to Kiffin and take you into our wayback machine to remember how none of this should be surprising based on his many previous stops. First, let's try to capture some of the insanity from 2026 Week One: 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈 The 'Wait, What?' Ending:#16 Michigan's13-12 escapeagainst Western Michigan was completely dead in the water. The Wolverines trailed 12-7 with time expiring when five-star freshmanBryce Underwoodthrew an incomplete desperation pass on what should have been the game's final play. The Replay Inception:The Big Ten Conference released an official breakdown clarifying the madness. According to the command center, Western Michigan DB Micah Davis (#18) jumped with his left foot established out of bounds. Per NCAA Rule 4-2-3-a, the second he touched the ball, the play was dead and the clock officially froze. Clock vs. Camera:While the NBC television graphic read 0:00, the stadium's internally synced strobe-clock system verified exactly one tick remained. That single second allowed Bryce Underwood's final 47-yard walk-off heave to stand, rescuing Kyle Whittingham's Michigan debut from a historical MAC disaster. MAC commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher issued the following statement: 'Upon the conclusion of the Western Michigan–Michigan football game, the Mid-American Conference and Western Michigan contacted the Big Ten office to seek clarification regarding the replay review and the placement of time back on the game clock. The Big Ten explained that the ball touched a player who was out of bounds before the clock reached 00:00, resulting in one additional play being awarded. The Big Ten subsequently provided video and audio of the replay, which confirmed the explanation provided to us. I commend Western Michigan for an outstanding effort and a well-played game, and I offer my congratulations to Michigan. I also appreciate the collaborative efforts of the Big Ten office and its prompt response in reviewing the play and providing the requested clarification.' Flawless Foot. …Note:Western Michigan kickerDieter Kellyaccounted for 100% of his team's points against Michigan, hitting a perfect4-for-4 on field goalsincluding absolute bombs from52 and 45 yards. He outscored the entire Michigan offense until the untimed clock error gave the Wolverines a second life. 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈 The Tug of War:The Alex Golesh era at Auburn began with a breathless17-16 winover Baylor. Despite throwing three interceptions, Byrum Brown found a way to drag the Tigers across the finish line by a single point. My Favorite Week 1 Defensive Play:Auburn defensive backEric Winters(#5)was erased by a pick that allowed wide receiver Gavin Freeman to get wide open to catch a touchdown that put Baylor only one point behind, 17-16. Baylor went for two and once again tried to pick Winters, but he wasn't having it. The Goal-Line Stop:Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway rolled right and threw a quick out to 248-pound tight end Matthew Klopfenstein. Winters triggered downhill instantly, lowering his shoulder to absorb the massive tight end right at the catch point. He wrapped Klopfenstein up seamlessly, pinning his arms to ensure he couldn't extend the football to break the plane, stuffing the conversion centimeters short of the goal line to seal the 17-16 Auburn victory. See Video of Key Tackle A Warrior's Stat Line:That was only part of a great day for Winters. He flew all over the field, leading the entire Auburn defense with11 total tackles, including10 solo stopsand2 tackles for loss (TFLs). 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈 The Second-Half Execution:Notre Dame completely choked the life out of Wisconsin41-13in a spectacular Shamrock Series showdown at Lambeau Field. Marcus Freeman's squad turned a tight contest into a complete runaway with a brutal28-3 second-half explosion. The Prototypical Porath:Fighting Irish kickerSpencer Porathput on an absolute masterclass under the NFL lights, drilling a pure52-yard field goalthat cleared the crossbar with room to spare. He finished a flawless2-for-2 on the dayalongside five clean extra points. The Legacy Connection:Highly touted freshman quarterbackCJ Carr—grandson of legendary Michigan coach Lloyd Carr—looked entirely unfazed by the historic setting. Stepping in for his first massive workload, he sliced through the Badgers with surgical precision, throwing for239 yards, 2 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈 The Walk-Off Icebox:Over in Nashville,#9 Ole Missproved there is plenty of high-flying circus left in Oxford after Lane Kiffin's midnight flight. In Pete Golding's regular-season head coaching debut, the Rebels survived a breathless, chaotic41-38 track-meet thrillerover #24 Louisville. KickerLucas Carneirostepped up as time expired and drilled a clutch48-yard walk-off game-winnerto trigger total pandemonium. The Deuce is Loose:Ole Miss wideoutDeuce Alexanderplayed completely out of his mind, roasting the Louisville secondary for159 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns—including a spectacular62-yard house callwhere he flashed absolute top-end burner speed the microsecond he hit space. The Ohio State Transplant:Louisville almost pulled off the neutral-site heist behind former Ohio State transfer quarterbackLincoln Kienholz. Making his first major collegiate start, Kienholz lit up Nissan Stadium with307 passing yards, 69 rushing yards, and 3 total touchdowns—proving the Cardinals are going to be an absolute nightmare in the ACC this year. 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈 The FBS Era Dawns with a Bang:Sacramento Statemade history, dominating their first-ever home game since officially executing their realignment leap up to the Division I FBS level. Under newly minted head coachAlonzo Carter, the Hornets played absolute complementary football to hand FCS member Mississippi Valley State a brutal52-0 execution. A Star-Studded Sideline Convention:The atmosphere at Hornet Stadium felt less like a Week 1 opener and more like a high-profile 1990s pop-culture summit. Sideline guests included rap iconMC Hammer, who showed up to support his former lead choreographer and dancer, Coach Carter. On the opposite sideline stood Pro Football Hall of FamerJerry Rice, serving as the honorary game captain for his alma mater, the Delta Devils. Sharman and Coleman Shred the Script:Making his very first collegiate start in place of an injured Carson Conklin, junior quarterbackJackson Sharmanperformed like a seasoned veteran. He shredded the secondary, throwing for247 passing yards and 4 touchdowns. Three of those house calls landed beautifully in the hands of senior wideoutMatthew Coleman, who finished the evening with141 receiving yards. One Snap, One House Call:True freshman running backJaylen Pattersondidn't even see his first snap until the fourth quarter. On hisliteral first touchin a college football uniform, he took a basic zone-read handoff43 yards to the houseto put the ultimate exclamation point on the blowout. The $450,000 Shutout:Mississippi Valley State's athletic department took home a hefty$450,000 guarantee checkto serve as the sacrificial lamb for Sac State's big FBS launch party. The Delta Devils paid for it on the field, with the Hornets' swarming defensive front choking them out to the tune of just147 total yardsand a miserable43 net passing yardson the night. 🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈🏈 OK, now back to Week One's man of the hour. Here is his trail before LSU. . . . Early Life & High School (Through 1994):Son of longtime NFL defensive mastermind Monte Kiffin. Lane grew up in film rooms and graduated from Bloomington Jefferson High School in 1994 with modest recruiting buzz but an advanced coach's eye. Fresno State QB (1994–1997):Spent four seasons on the roster before losing the starting quarterback job to David Carr. He pivoted immediately to coaching—the first major fork on a road that would take him everywhere. USC Wunderkind (2001–2006):Rocketed up Pete Carroll's legendary staff from graduate assistant to offensive coordinator. Oakland Raiders Implosion (2007–2008):Fired four games into Year Two after the aforementioned clash with Al Davis, creating a blueprint for the high-drama exits that would define his career. Tennessee (2009):One combustible season, one midnight departure to Southern California, and a campus riot etched forever into SEC lore. USC Tarmac Firing (2010–2013):Inherited crushing NCAA sanctions. By the end, he frequently carried that unforgettable, deer-in-the-headlights look—a young coach completely smothered by circumstance. It culminated in him being famously fired on the airport tarmac after a blowout loss to Arizona State. Alabama Resurrection (2014–2016):Nick Saban revived his career. Kiffin modernized the Crimson Tide offense, went 40–3, and rebuilt his reputation as the premier play-caller in the country before being shoved out mid-playoff run. Florida Atlantic (2017–2019):Two C-USA titles and a clean administrative reboot that proved his offensive genius was entirely real. Ole Miss (2020–2025):Engineered a 55-19 renaissance in Oxford, culminating in a historic 2025 campaign that guided the Rebels to the doorstep of their first College Football Playoff. Then, true to form, he slow-played a dramatic bidding war and left before the postseason ever began. When Kiffin took the LSU job, he expected the resource-rich environment of a program that has captured three national championships since 2003. What he probably didn't expect was stepping directly into a federal battleground. The 'deer-in-the-headlights' coach from the USC tarmac is completely gone. In his place is a bold provocateur operating a program heavily backed by local Louisiana politics and an insatiable fanbase. The SEC claims LSU is executing a 'deliberate and coordinated campaign' to bypass rules, while Kiffin calmly counters that he's just standing up for his players' rights to earn a living. On Saturday night, none of the court drama or the sidelined pros seemed to matter. Backed by elite transfer portal additions like quarterback Sam Leavitt, Kiffin's Tigers finished the job, dismantling Clemson51-10. Kiffin officially survived every tarmac, every bridge he ever burned, and the wrath of Al Davis. He adapted seamlessly to a world of endless NIL cash and administrative chaos. The only remaining question is whether his highly litigated, hyper-expensive LSU experiment will bring Baton Rouge a national championship, or if the circus will eventually catch up to the ringmaster. Hall of Football is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support our work, , become a paid subscriber.