Before the season has truly begun, college football's opening week has already done what it always does — turned small cracks into chasms in the public imagination. Florida State survived when it should have thrived, UNLV's new era stumbled at home, and USC's vast Coliseum echoed with absence rather than anticipation. These are the early tremors that remind us how fragile expectation is, and how quickly a fanbase's faith can curdle into doubt.
Week Zero Overreactions: FSU Struggles, Mullen Under Fire, USC Fans No-Show
Attendance follows winning; it doesn't precede it.
Mark
So Florida State barely beat a 31-point underdog at home. How bad is that actually?
Mimi
It's bad enough to worry FSU fans, but maybe not as bad as the immediate reaction suggests. They won by 17. The game got close, but they didn't lose.
Luke
Right, but the margin was half what it should have been. And the line of scrimmage issues—that's a structural problem, not just a bad day.
Mark
What about the quarterback? Is Ashton Daniels the problem?
Mimi
He had a mixed debut. Some good moments, some rough ones. It's one game against New Mexico State, so it's hard to know yet.
Luke
One game is exactly why this is an overreaction. But it's also why FSU fans are nervous—they've had enough rough seasons that one sloppy win feels like a pattern.
Mark
Now Dan Mullen at UNLV—he complained about fan noise instead of addressing his defense getting shredded. That seems like a real issue.
Mimi
It does suggest where his priorities are. He's been loyal to coordinators before, even when it cost him.
Luke
But Guenther is in year one. We don't actually know if he's the problem or if it was just a bad game against Memphis.
Mark
And USC's empty stadium—is that about Riley or just Los Angeles?
Mimi
Probably just Los Angeles. It's a fair-weather market. Fans show up when you're winning.
Luke
Though the student section was full, which is interesting. That's the core fanbase, and they were there.
Il Polso
- Florida State, a 31.5-point favorite, nearly let New Mexico State steal the moment — and the margin of 17 points felt like an indictment rather than a victory.
- New quarterback Ashton Daniels looked uncertain in his debut, and an offensive line bullied by a smaller opponent raised urgent questions about whether FSU's foundation is as solid as advertised.
- At UNLV, Dan Mullen deflected postgame scrutiny onto his own fans' noise rather than confronting a defense that was carved apart by a Division II transfer — a familiar pattern for a coach known for protecting his coordinators too long.
- USC's Coliseum sat visibly half-empty during their opener, a striking image for a program with playoff ambitions, though the packed student section offered a quieter counterargument.
- Analysts point to Los Angeles's well-documented fair-weather fandom as the likeliest explanation for the sparse crowd — a structural reality, not a verdict on Lincoln Riley's tenure.
- The consensus landing point: most of these alarms will fade by next Saturday, unless the teams involved keep stumbling and turn overreactions into legitimate reckoning.
Before the season has truly begun, college football's opening week has already done what it always does — turned small cracks into chasms in the public imagination. Florida State survived when it should have thrived, UNLV's new era stumbled at home, and USC's vast Coliseum echoed with absence rather than anticipation. These are the early tremors that remind us how fragile expectation is, and how quickly a fanbase's faith can curdle into doubt.
College football's Week Zero arrived with the usual early-season chaos — a handful of games that feel enormous in the moment and fuel a weekend of heated social media takes before the real season has even begun.
Florida State was supposed to cruise. Entering as 31.5-point favorites over a New Mexico State team that went 4-8 in 2025, the Seminoles instead won by 17 in a game that tightened to within 10 in the fourth quarter. Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels looked uncertain in his debut, the offensive line was pushed around, and a red-zone interception and a dropped end-zone pass nearly changed the outcome entirely. Fans immediately called for Mike Norvell's job — though his buyout makes that unlikely mid-season. The real question is whether this was a sloppy opener that will look forgettable in October, or an early signal of something more troubling in Tallahassee.
At UNLV, Dan Mullen's team had been a trendy Group of Five playoff contender heading into the year. Memphis ended that narrative with a 27-21 home victory. What stung most wasn't the loss itself but Mullen's postgame press conference, where he spent notable time complaining about his own fans making too much noise during offensive possessions rather than addressing why his defense had been dismantled. UNLV fans have been vocal about wanting defensive coordinator Paul Guenther replaced, but Mullen's history — he kept Todd Grantham at Florida well past the point of reason — suggests those calls will go unheeded. Guenther is only in his first year, so improvement is possible. Getting carved up in game one, though, is not the start anyone envisioned.
USC's opener against San Jose State produced the week's most visible symbol of fan discontent: a Coliseum that looked generously half-full. For a program Lincoln Riley has built into a legitimate playoff contender over five years, the empty seats were a striking image. Some blamed the Los Angeles heat wave or the fact that classes hadn't started. Others noted that USC fans had packed the same stadium in similar heat just years before. The simpler truth may be the most accurate one — Los Angeles is a fair-weather sports town, and attendance follows winning rather than preceding it. The student section was packed and loud, which offered at least one encouraging sign. If the Trojans reach 4-0 and crack the top ten before hosting Oregon, the Coliseum will fill. It always does.
Week Zero delivered exactly what it always does: a few games that feel significant, a wave of pronouncements ranging from premature to absurd, and a reminder that early September is more about appetite than judgment. By next Saturday, when the full slate arrives, most of this will be forgotten — unless these teams keep stumbling and turn this weekend's overreactions into something that actually matters.
College football's opening week arrived on Saturday with the kind of early-season chaos that sends fans spiraling into overreaction before the real season even begins. Three programs stumbled into the national conversation—not because they won decisively, but because something about their performances felt wrong, or at least wrong enough to fuel a weekend of heated takes across social media.
Florida State was supposed to demolish New Mexico State. The Seminoles entered as 31.5-point favorites against a team that had limped through 2025 with a 4-8 record. Instead, they won by 17, and the game tightened to within 10 points midway through the fourth quarter. The margin should have been comfortable. It wasn't. FSU's offensive line got pushed around by a smaller opponent. The new quarterback, Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels, looked uncertain in his debut. A bad interception in the red zone early on and a dropped pass in the end zone late—either could have shifted the outcome. Fans immediately called for head coach Mike Norvell's job, though his buyout makes that unlikely before the season ends. The real question hanging over Tallahassee is whether this narrow escape signals a program in genuine trouble, or just a sloppy first game that will look forgettable in October.
At UNLV, Dan Mullen's team had been positioned as a trendy Group of Five playoff contender heading into the season. Memphis, another G5 hopeful, ended that narrative with a 27-21 home victory. What made the loss sting wasn't just the result—it was what Mullen chose to emphasize afterward. During his postgame press conference, he spent considerable time complaining about his own fans making too much noise while the Rebels were on offense, rather than addressing why his defense had been carved up by a Division II transfer playing quarterback. UNLV fans have been vocal about wanting defensive coordinator Paul Guenther fired, but those pleas appear to fall on deaf ears. Mullen's track record suggests he will stick with his coordinators through thick and thin, a loyalty that cost him at Florida when he kept defensive coordinator Todd Grantham around while the Gators' championship hopes deteriorated in 2020. Guenther is only in his first year at UNLV, so perhaps the defense improves. Getting dismantled in game one, though, is not the foundation anyone hoped for.
USC's opener against San Jose State produced the week's most visible symbol of fan discontent: an empty Coliseum. Shots of the stadium showed what could generously be called half capacity, a stark sight for a program that Lincoln Riley has built into a legitimate College Football Playoff contender in his five years as head coach. The Trojans arguably have their most talented roster since Riley arrived. Yet the fans didn't show. Some blamed the heat wave sweeping Los Angeles or the fact that classes hadn't started yet. Others countered with evidence that USC fans had packed the stadium in similarly hot conditions just a few years prior, suggesting something deeper was wrong.
The simpler explanation may be the truest one: Los Angeles is a fair-weather sports town. The Dolphins and Hurricanes in Miami play to half-empty stadiums unless they're legitimate championship contenders. It's not unique to the Trojans, and it's not necessarily a referendum on Riley's job security. What did stand out was the student section, which was packed and loud, suggesting that at least one segment of the fanbase remained invested. The real test will come in a few weeks. If USC reaches 4-0 and cracks the top 10 before hosting Oregon, the Coliseum will fill up. Attendance follows winning; it doesn't precede it.
Week zero delivered exactly what early-season college football always does: a handful of games that feel significant in the moment, a wave of social media pronouncements that range from premature to absurd, and a reminder that the first week of September is more about appetite than judgment. Some of these overreactions will age poorly. Others might carry real weight. The only certainty is that by next Saturday, when the full slate of games arrives, most of this will be forgotten—unless the teams involved keep stumbling.
Citazioni salienti
Dan Mullen spent the majority of the news conference complaining that his fans were making too much noise while the Rebs were on offense instead of worrying about other things like why his defense was getting torched— Analysis of Mullen's postgame priorities
Vuoi la storia completa?
Leggi l'originale su Fox News ↗
Crime & Justice