Week 1 winners and losers

There are 120 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in the NCAA. Roughly half of them were winners and half of them were losers in Week 1, but some were bigger winners, and some were bigger losers. Here's a recap:

WINNERS

1. LSU - The Tigers took advantage of a distracted UNC squad, beating the Tar Heels 30-24 in the Chick Fil-A game in Atlanta. The point spread on this game moved wildly, but LSU got out to an early 30-10 lead. Though UNC nearly completed the comeback, the Tigers held on and escaped with a much-needed win.
   
2. Oklahoma State - Though the Cowboys were favored to beat visiting Washington State by a couple of touchdowns, Oklahoma State pummeled the Cougars by nearly 50 points. An impressive margin that nobody had expected, even if the overall outcome was predictable.
3. Utah - The Utes really benefited from playing on Thursday night. Not only do they get a long week to prepare for UNLV, but Utah also won 27-24 in an overtime game that was essentially a coinflip. They beat a ranked Pitt team that could still challenge for a Big East title.
   
4. Arizona - The Wildcats beat an overmatched Toledo team on the road in Week 1. It wasn't the toughest test, but Arizona certainly could have looked rusty in its first game action in more than nine months. Yet the Wildcats took care of business in a 41-2 romp.
   
5. Michigan - The seat under head coach Rich Rodriguez is undeniably warm, but the Wolverines' 30-10 Week 1 win over UConn has silenced critics -- for this week, anyway. Next, Michigan travels to rival Notre Dame. A lopsided loss would get that seat nice and toasty again.
   

LOSERS

1. Ole Miss - Entering the game as 27-point favorites, Mississippi barely had to worry about Jacksonville State. At the half, the Rebels led 31-10, but they eased up in the second half and let Jacksonville State get back in it. Two overtimes later, the Gamecocks went for the two-point conversion and made it, and Jacksonville State left with a 49-48 double overtime win.
   
2. Oklahoma - The Sooners are the only losers this week who actually won their game. Many expected Oklahoma to blow Utah State out, but instead it was a dangerously close 31-24 win. For a team that many (including myself) thought would be competing for a National Championship this year, that's not a good way to start the season.
   
3. Navy - Navy gambled and lost on what could have been an amazing last-second win for the Midshipmen against Maryland in Baltimore. On 4th-and-1, Navy went for it from the Maryland 1-yard line and were held out of the end zone. It was a long drive back to Annapolis, Maryland for the Mids that night.
   
4. Washington - The Huskies led BYU 17-13 at halftime on the road, but sputtered in the second half. Considered a darkhorse heading into the season, Washington could have used a nice, high-profile win for their resume, but instead left a 23-17 loser.
   
5. New Mexico - No team in FBS looked worse than New Mexico, who lost 72-0 to Oregon. The Lobos were outgained 720-107 total, including 365-29 on the ground. New Mexico also allowed two punts to be returned for touchdowns to the same specialist. Ouch.