Hey Team 👋

This weekend delivered everything we could’ve wanted from Week 1 of college football: Huge upsets, great matchups, a packed schedule and one final College Gameday as we know it. As bittersweet as it was, Lee Corso’s farewell show was nothing short of perfect. He had his full-circle moment with Brutus the Buckeye, picked every single game correctly and reminded us all why he’s been the heartbeat of Saturday mornings for decades. 

But as great as the weekend was, the hot takes have already started. I’ve heard people writing off whole conferences, crowning champions and deciding playoff fates after just one game. As Coach Corso would say: Not so fast, my friend.

Letter Rip!

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Week 1 Overreactions & The New Reality

Why the 12-Team Playoff Means One Bad Week Won’t Kill You

It’s a tale as old as time. Week 1 comes and goes, and panic sets in. Under the 4-team playoff format, those concerns were valid because a Week 1 loss could very well be a death sentence. But with the new 12-team format? There’s some breathing room.

Yes, Alabama and Texas went down, but hearing that the SEC was dead before Saturday was over was too far. So, let’s pump the brakes and do a little reality check. Are you really writing those teams off? And if you’re an FSU or Ohio State fan, are you really booking airfare to Miami for the Natty? It can be easy to overreact and think your season is over after a bad Week 1 performance. But with the new 12-team playoff format, one game doesn’t define the course of the season anymore. With that in mind, here are three takeaways from the first weekend of college football:

1. FSU’s win wasn’t a fluke

If you’re a UCF fan, you’re probably pretty upset right now. Gus Malzahn has managed to make last year’s 2-10 Seminoles look like legitimate contenders after leaving a dumpster fire. As frustrating as that may be, it’s reality. If you’re an FSU fan, you probably have your sights set on redemption from your perfect season with Jordan Travis. A Week 1 win against Bama was a huge step toward that. The Noles put on a great showing against the Crimson Tide, and no part of it looked flukey. The defense was airtight, the offense rolled and most importantly, they won due to their talent – not Alabama’s mistakes. With the 12-team playoff in place, the “weak ACC schedule” narrative doesn’t sting as much anymore, but I still need to see more before we start the Natty conversation.

2. The SEC will be just fine

Yes, Alabama and Texas took losses. No, that doesn’t mean the SEC is dead. Let’s look closer: Texas fell to the defending national champs, and Alabama lost to a Florida State team that had plenty of preseason buzz even without a ranking. Meanwhile, LSU upset Clemson, Georgia looked like Georgia, and the rest of the league handled business. The SEC might not look invincible in 2025, but it’s far from collapsing. Depth across the conference is still unmatched. Two bruises in Week 1 won’t erase more than a decade of dominance.

3. Everyone still has hope

Like I said, the 12-team playoff has changed everything about Week 1 and the way we view losses. And that’s good news for pretty much everyone. If you have a bad week, you can still make it. If you had a big win, that’s great – just don’t get too comfortable. It’s no longer “survive September or die.” Think about it: Would you rather peak now (and show everything on film) or in November just in time for the playoff?