2026 College Football Season - Week 0 Recap and Top 10 Performers

There’s nothing quite like the start of the college football season.

After an offseason packed with controversy, court rulings, and sweeping changes, we finally get to return to the sport that defines fall Saturdays.

Week 0 gave us only eight games, but they were the perfect appetizer before the real feast arrives in Week 1. With that in mind, here’s a quick look at what we learned from the opening weekend.

What Did We Learn In Week 0

• In a fumble‑filled matchup between two teams nowhere near the College Football Playoff conversation, Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels slogged their way to an ugly win over TCU—and did it without a single passing touchdown. It wasn’t pretty, but it was enough.

For Sonny Dykes, the outlook is far less encouraging. If the Horned Frogs keep playing like this, simply reaching a bowl game will be a challenge.

As the saying goes, a win is a win. And North Carolina will gladly take it.

• The only good thing we can say about San Jose State is that they looked good in their uniforms on this day. Aside from that, they were completely manhandled by Jayden Maiava and the USC Trojans. We’ll find out how this team performs on the road as the season goes on, but with players like running back King Miller and receiver Trent Mosley on their offense, the potential is there to do great things this year.

• Quarterback Beau Pribula may have found the right home at Virginia. He and the Cavaliers’ offense were firing on all cylinders in their impressive win over NC State. His performance will certainly draw Heisman‑like attention, but the season is still young.

• For North Dakota State, their first game in the Mountain West was a resounding success, as they made quick work of Jacksonville State. Considering how many NFL players this program has produced over the last five years, it’s fitting that they made the transition from FCS to FBS. Expect big things from them going forward.

• Stanford has a star in running back Micah Ford, and if they use him correctly, he can carry the Cardinal to victory just as he did against Hawai‘i this week. Their defense also deserves recognition after registering two sacks, seven tackles for loss, and five pass deflections. It was an impressive showing for a team looking to make waves this season.

• It didn’t look pretty at first, but Mike Norvell’s squad settled in before halftime and delivered an impressive showing against New Mexico State. If anything stands out about this group, it’s the defense — fierce, fast, and capable of carrying them through the conference race.

Then again, we’ve seen this before. Just last season they opened 3‑0 before everything unraveled. We’ll have to wait and see if this Seminoles team is truly for real.

Week 0 Top Performers -

1. Virginia QB Beau Pribula

2. USC QB Jayden Maiava

3. USC WR Trent Mosley

4. North Carolina DL Xavier Lewis

5. TCU DL Ansel Din-Mbuh

6. Stanford RB Micah Ford

7. Memphis DL Elijah Kinsler

8. Standford QB Davis Warren

9. UNLV QB Jackson Arnold

10. Stanford LB Gabe Kaminski

    
    

Notable mentions: RB Jeremy Payne (TCU), RB Ousmane Kromah (Florida State), DE Kelton McCaslin (NDSU), DL Melkart Abou Jaoude (North Carolina), DB Tre Fulton (UNLV), S Ronnie Royal III (NC State), QB Micah Alejado (Hawai'i), QB Noah Kim (Eastern Michigan), and DB Kona Moore (Hawai'i).