Ten Takeaways: Week Zero

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1. The theme of week zero: Play smarter than your opponent!

I'm fascinated by the dynasty-era New England Patriots. Not because I like them, but rather by the idea of a team winning that much for that long in a league as competitive as the NFL. I've watched and listened to enough podcasts, interviews, mic'd up segments, etc. from former Patriots players who played under Bill Belichick to grasp that one of the things he pounded into their minds constantly was his belief that football games are more often lost than they are won.

Sure, your best chance of winning is by having someone like Tom Brady and a roster filled with other talented players. That'll only get you so far if they can't stay out of their own way, though. Week zero was a great representation of teams who won playing cleaner than their opponents - starting with Belichick's current squad.

TCU-North Carolina

TCU won the turnover battle (2-1), but sloppy play and a confusing offensive gameplan cost them. The Horned Frogs hammered the Tar Heels early on outside runs, then bizarrely went away from them as the game progressed. Even worse, they handed UNC free points late in the first half on a botched punt snap ending in a safety. They committed 11 penalties for 89 yards, compared to UNC's 3-20 mark. Five of those infractions were procedural/personal foul calls, capped by an offsides that killed any slim hopes they had of a comeback:

North Carolina didn't exactly play the cleanest game either, but they at least stayed out of their own way enough to let TCU hand them a win.

Hawai'i-Stanford

I was at this game, and couldn't believe Hawai'i nearly came back and won after trailing 23-7 heading into the fourth quarter. They never would've had to climb out of that hole if they didn't make so many mistakes in the first three quarters, though. Their special teams were ugly all game, highlighted by a crucial missed extra point after taking a 27-23 lead, plus a blocked punt resulting in a safety:

They also had five false starts, the last of which came on their potential game-winning drive. Guard Lipe Moala jumped, turning a second-and-ten from the Hawai'i 37 into second-and-15 at the 32. The very next play, the 'Bows committed the game's only turnover:

Jacksonville State-North Dakota State

North Dakota State came in with a 27-game win streak in home openers. It's 28 now because of plays like this:

New Mexico State-Florida State

We might be having a much larger discussion about Mike Norvell today had New Mexico State completed this trick play:

They settled for a field goal three plays later and lost 34-17.

I think I've sufficiently made my point. The talent gap among college teams is much larger than it is in the NFL. The value of playing a cleaner game than your opponent remains the same, however. It's probably even more important now, given how drastically teams flip their roster through the portal and have entire units who've never played live games together! That's definitely something to keep an eye out for in week one as every team finally takes the field.

2. North Carolina: Competent football team???

Like I said above: North Carolina didn't play error-free by any means - they just played cleaner than TCU. That's undeniable progress for a team who looked as lost and hapless as any major program for the vast majority of 2025.

I'm wary of taking too much away from a rain-soaked game on a slippery field in Ireland, but I feel confident in saying that Bill Belichick finally has some guys he can lean on to make plays. Defensive lineman Xavier Lewis was my week zero Player of the Week (see takeaway No. 4), racking up 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks. He made life hell for the TCU front all day. UNC can't rely solely on Lewis to make plays, but he looks like a good one.

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The offense is still a mystery - albeit one that at least might have a standout playmaker. Ohio State transfer TE Jelani Thurman had 94 yards on four catches, plus was a positive factor in the run game as a blocker:

Do I love Billy Edwards Jr. being their solution at QB? Absolutely not! It's a little more palatable if Thurman can be a reliable security blanket for him, though.

The most important thing for North Carolina here was that they fought through the moments where it looked like it was about to go left, and still managed to win. That's progress, especially when it's at the expense of a team who beat them by 34 last year.

3. Memphis and Charles Huff make an early statement

Forgive me for not leading with what will probably go down as the most important –and impactful– game of week zero. With 71 new players on their roster, Memphis and first-year coach Charles Huff picked up a crucial road win at UNLV. The Tigers' 27-21 W immediately puts them in the driver seat among G6 teams, and gives their week two showdown at Boise State even more juice.

I was bullish on Memphis heading into the season because of Huff's recent track record –he flipped Southern Miss from 1-11 to 7-6 last year– his ability to collect talent, and his mentality. He was a stone-cold killer after this one:

The Tigers played better as the game progressed, which I think will be how their season goes. Their defense gave up some big plays, but whupped UNLV's front to the tune of six sacks and 11 tackles for loss. Their d-line could end up being the biggest ace any G6 team has this season. Huff is right to be fired up after that one:

4. Player of the Week: North Carolina DL Xavier Lewis