College Football risers & fallers after Week 0

It’s time for a college football tradition unlike any other: overreacting to a massively small sample size of games and making conclusions with massive implications! It’s overreaction “SZN!” There may have been only eight FBS vs FBS games this weekend, but there are some massive conclusions we can draw from them! Here are the Week Zero risers and fallers!

MORE: College Football conference power rankings ahead of 2026 Week 0

Riser: North Carolina

Sep 20, 2025; Orlando, Florida, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Bill Belichick walks into the field before the game against the UCF Knights at the Bounce House Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mike Watters-Imagn Images Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels just flew across the pond without their defensive coordinator and their GM and proceeded to eke out a 15-10 win over a quality program. That has to massively raise the expectations in year 2 of the “Chapel Bill” era.

New QB Billy Edwards Jr looked competent and took care of the football, and new OC Bobby Petrino called a solid game. Perhaps the most notable aspect of the Tar Heels’ game, however, was that they dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball.

Faller: TCU

After an offseason where he roasted Josh Hoover and lauded Jaden Craig as an NFL prospect, Sonny Dykes has to be massively disappointed with his offense’s 10-point output against North Carolina. I suppose the good news is that the Big 12 actually doesn’t have a whole lot of defenses that are better than North Carolina, which is a sad commentary.

But TCU has to get things figured out on the offensive side of the ball if they want to be a contender in conference play.

Riser: USC Freshman WRs

In a game that had the vibes of an NFL preseason game, USC was without their top-two receiving options and rolled out an all-freshman receiving corps against San Jose State. Remember the names now, because Trent Mosley, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, and Mark Bowman all looked fantastic and appear set to be the offensive weapons of the future for USC.

Thanks to a prolonged period where USC’s backups played on both sides of the ball,  the final score looked much closer than the game actually was. USC’s offense has a bright future.

Faller: Florida State

Florida State Seminoles quarterback Ashton Daniels (14) passes to his teammate. The Florida State Seminoles defeated the New Mexico State Aggies 34-17 at Doak Campbell Stadium on Saturday, Aug. 29, 2026. Sometimes, a win can feel like a loss. Florida State beat New Mexico State 34-17, but it was a 10-point ball game halfway through the fourth quarter. Yikes. Ashton Daniels underwhelmed at QB, and the defense failed to generate a pass rush.

If not for a few game-breaking runs from Ousmane Kromah, this could have gotten real dicey. The Seminoles MUST improve in a week if they want to beat SMU on Labor Day night. Mike Norvell’s seat isn’t getting any cooler.

MORE: College Football top 25 power rankings ahead of 2026 Week 0

Riser: North Dakota State

Welcome to the FBS, North Dakota State Bison! After years of dominating the FCS, we always wondered what the Bison would look like at college football’s highest level. Against Jacksonville State, they looked great.

Nathan Hayes managed the game well, the offensive line plowed open some running lanes, and the defense was stifling. The biggest question mark of any team that transitions upward has to be quality of play on the line of scrimmage, and the Bison dominated both sides of the trenches on Saturday.

Faller: Sacramento State

Welcome to the FBS, Sacramento State Hornets! For all of the tests that North Dakota State passed, Sacramento State failed. This is not how you want to make an FBS transition — with a new coaching staff, mass exodus of returning production, new QB, and subpar line play.

The Hornets generated no run game, and Carson Conklin gave me little to get excited about on 46 pass attempts. They’re going to have some long flights home playing in the MAC this season.

Riser: Beau Pribula

Aug 29, 2026; Charlottesville, Virginia, USA; Virginia Cavaliers quarterback Beau Pribula (7) exits the field following the game against the North Carolina State Wolfpack at Scott Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Greg Atkins-Imagn Images Honestly, the Virginia Cavaliers should be a top-25 team. Beau Pribula looked as good as he ever has as a starter, racking up over 100 yards on the ground and showcasing his dual-threat abilities. If the Heisman Trophy was awarded after Week Zero, it would go to Beau Pribula! The offensive and defensive lines dominated, and NC State’s receivers simply could not get open.

This was total domination over a team in NC State that I believed to be in the top half of the ACC. The ‘Hoos can certainly begin thinking about a return trip to Charlotte for the ACC Championship game this season, and Pribula may earn himself a trip to New York if he can keep this pace up.

Faller: UNLV

The Memphis/UNLV game, much like last year’s Boise/USF opener, could carry a lot of weight in determining which Group of 6 team will make the College Football Playoff. UNLV lost a golden opportunity to separate themselves from the pack.

I actually thought that Jackson Arnold didn’t look bad for most of the game at quarterback. But the coaching staff clearly got out-adjusted as Memphis scored the last 13 points of the game and held UNLV scoreless in the game’s last 25 minutes. A Mountain West Championship is still within reach, but the defense has some questions that need to be answered.