Florida State quarterback Thomas Castellanos backed up his preseason trash talk, leading the Seminoles to an upset victory over Alabama.
Lee Corso correctly predicted the outcomes of three marquee games in his final appearance on ‘College GameDay.’
Preseason hype proved to be misleading, as highly touted teams like Alabama and Texas struggled in Week 1.
Everyone knows talking trash can get you in some hot water. Not only does it cause a stir, but failing to back it up could lead to plenty of criticism.
But turning that trash talk from a prediction to a spoiler? That’s some legendary stuff.
It only took one game for Thomas Castellanos to cement himself in Florida State lore. He couldn’t be stopped by Alabama in the 31-17 upset the Seminoles quarterback said would happen two months ago.
There was a collective groan when Castellanos declared Alabama didn’t ‘have Nick Saban to save them’ and ‘I just don’t see them stopping me.” It was bulletin board material for the Crimson Tide. Even more, Castellanos doubled-down on his words. You wouldn’t blame anyone for expecting a blowout Alabama win and Castellanos to become the meme of the season.
Instead, Castellanos proved Alabama needed Saban to stop him from running for a game-high 78 yards and a touchdown along with 152 yards in the air on just 14 attempts, leading a physical domination over a supposed College Football Playoff contender.
It took guts for Castellanos to back up his trash talk, and he leads the best and worst things we saw in Week 1 of the 2025 season.
Best: Lee Corso goes out with a bang
College football fans rejoiced their beloved game was back, but they also poured love to the retirement of Lee Corso after 38 memorable years on ‘College GameDay.’ There’s no debating his contributions to the sport, and while he has given us several iconic moments, it was clear Corso was reaching the end of his remarkable career.
But he left proving he still got it.
It’s not often greats end their careers with such a high note, but in his final act, Corso reminded everyone he knows ball.
Worst: Preseason hype
It’s practically a guarantee a team with preseason hype will get smacked by reality in Week 1. It’s just a matter of who.
In 2025, that belongs to Arch Manning and Alabama. The Heisman Trophy favorite, Manning struggled against Ohio State with just 38 passing yards through three quarters. He finished with 170 yards in the air but it wasn’t a performance that looked like the next great college quarterback.
Meanwhile, Alabama was believed to be ready to return to the title picture after an up-and-down first year with Kalen DeBoer. Instead, the Crimson Tide didn’t look anything close to a contender, beaten by Florida State team coming off a two-win season. Now, people in Tuscaloosa are already wondering if Saban’s successor was a mistake.
Reality hits you fast.
Best: Tulane makes New Orleans proud
Tulane wanted to recognize the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina by wearing blank green helmets and white jerseys in its home opener, what the team wore in its first game after the devastating hurricane. However, they weren’t able to because Northwestern declined the decision as the road team.
What was supposed to be a nice tribute to their city was denied. The Green Wave responded by dismantling the Wildcats, 23-3, and coach Jon Sumrall made sure everyone knew it fueled the dominant win.
‘When you disrespect the city of New Orleans, that’s what’s going to happen to you. You’re going to run into a team like this that had a chip on their shoulder,’ he said. ‘We might’ve used that for a little motivation to represent the city.’
‘Don’t disrespect the City of New Orleans, ever.’
Worst: Poorly planned ‘neutral’ games
Neutral site games to start the season are pretty good ideas. They provide excitement for teams and fans to travel to fun cities and stadiums while increasing national exposure.
Unless it’s pretty much a road game.
Cincinnati and Syracuse signed themselves up for complete hostility; the Bearcats had to deal with Nebraska fans taking over Arrowhead Stadium − even though it was a ‘home’ game − and the Orange were taken over by Tennessee orange in Atlanta.
Essentially playing true road games, Cincinnati and Syracuse came up short and will probably rethink their future non-conference scheduling strategy.
Worst: The Oregon Duck loses his head
Even the greats have to shake off the offseason rust.
The Oregon Duck is one of the best mascots in sports, but his 2025 debut was rocky. Its head fell off as it made its way onto the field, resulting in a full sprint back to the locker room to protect the identity. A really tough moment from the person in the costume.
It could’ve been a bad omen, but luckily, the football team wasn’t affected with a 59-13 win over Montana State.
Best: Kent State snaps losing streak
The nation’s longest losing streak is no more as Kent State snapped its run of 21 consecutive defeats with a win against Merrimack.
It’s easy to forget how miserable the Golden Flashes have been. The last time they won a game was Sept. 16, 2023. That’s 714 days of waiting. Since Kent State’s last victory, Oregon has won a nation-high 23 games.
The cobwebs of the victory bell finally got to be shaken off. Enjoy it Kent State.
Sure it was a win over an Championship Subdivision team, but not every FBS team can say they won their game against one.
Worst: Losing to FCS teams
Case in point.
Army and Middle Tennessee State, congratulations on paying for a loss. The Black Knights were the first FBS team in 2025 to lose to an FCS team in Tarleton State. A missed field goal stopped them from winning in regulation, and another failed kick doomed them in overtime for a 30-27 loss. Army paid the Texans $250,000 for the game, and it doesn’t look like a great use of government funds.
Middle Tennessee suffered a worse fate. Austin Peay jumped out to a 21-0 lead over the Blue Raiders and won 34-14 for its first win over an FBS team since 1987. It hasn’t been revealed how much Middle Tennessee paid, but getting completing outplayed already cost too much.
At least Kansas State avoided being on this list, barely getting past North Dakota in a game it paid $475,000 for.