To celebrate the much-anticipated start of the college football season, I'm doing something a little different this week - for the first time ever, A to Z is all from one sport. It's all college football, all the time:

A - Alabama. The Tide need to work on kickoff coverage and improving their discipline, but their defense is just as good as advertised. They essentially shut down the Virginia Tech offense all night - especially through the air. As impressively, the Tide looked very good on offense as well. They were breaking in a new QB, but that didn't slow them down on their way to a win that was more dominating than the 10-point margin would indicate.

B - BYU. Well, it didn't take long for us to have our first major upset of the season. In a stunning blow, BYU waltzed into the brand new Cowboys' stadium in Dallas and beat Heisman winner Sam Bradford and Oklahoma. They did by playing stifling defense and just enough offense, including the winning TD in the 14-13 game with three minutes remaining. Almost as bad as the loss for Oklahoma is that Bradford sprained his throwing shoulder at the end of the first half and could be forced to miss time. Between this loss and the Fiesta Bowl loss to Boise State, Oklahoma may want to rethink playing strong non-BCS teams anymore.

C - Cowboys. Oklahoma State had never been ranked higher than their season-opening No. 9 spot. That's a milestone that shouldn't last long if they keep playing like this, though. They were reasonably effective offensively against a tough Georgia defense, and that was enough to give them a huge win to start their season. Oklahoma State still seems to be talked about as the other Big 12 team, but this game shows that they could be a serious contender for the conference title.

D - Dud. There was growing talk recently that Illinois could be an upstart contender in the Big Ten. Based on their debut you can ice those expectations. Missouri isn't supposed to be a good team after losing a couple of great offensive pieces, but they looked like superstars at Illinois on Saturday. New QB Blaine Gabbert was efficient and effective - 300+ yards and three touchdowns - and the defense totally shut down the Illini on the ground.

E - Entirely meaningless. Florida proved absolutely nothing in beating up Charleston Southern on Saturday. Well, there is one thing - they are a cowardly in their scheduling and they deserve to get more grief for rarely playing anyone of note outside the SEC. Lots of teams schedule an easy game on their schedule, but Florida makes a practice of it - they have three non-conference games this year that will be less challenging than their average no-pads scrimmage. If it came down to breaking a tie between Florida and USC for team of the decade I'd take the Trojans just because they aren't afraid to play real games.

F - Freshmen. Apparently starting a true freshman is no big deal at all. Two high-profile teams played raw starters, and both looked like veterans. Matt Barkley was calm and efficient in his debut against a totally outclassed San Jose State team. Tate Forcier was fantastic for Michigan, throwing three touchdown passes and managing the game like no one ever did last year at Michigan. Another true freshman QB, Denard Robinson, had a 43-yard TD run on a broken play as well. Add the start these guys had to the play of Robert Griffin last year and maybe teams will quit worrying so much about rushing their young stars into action.

G - Greg Paulus. Paulus didn't have a perfect day at quarterback for Syracuse, but if you consider that the guy has spent the last four years playing point guard at Duke and hasn't played football since high school then his performance was remarkable. He had a touchdown and an interception while completing 61 percent of his passes in a 23-20 overtime loss to Minnesota. What was incredibly impressive, though, was how comfortable Paulus looked, and the command he had in the huddle and on the line. It can only get better from here, and it was already better than Syracuse has looked in a long while.

H - Huskies. Washington lost yet again to extend their losing streak to 15 games, but the Steve Sarkisian era is already infinitely more promising than the Ty Willingham one ever was. Washington gave a good team in LSU a hard time, and even outgained them significantly offensivly. QB Jake Locker threw one bad interception that was returned for a TD, but he also threw for more than 300 yards and added two TDs of his own. Washington lost now, but they will win this year - more than once.

I - Irish. I'm still highly skeptical of Notre Dame's rankings and their chances of having a really meaningful season, but they sure started the season with a bang against Nevada. Jimmy Clausen was ruthlessly efficient, and he clearly established Michael Floyd as his favorite target - 189 yards and three touchdowns. It will be interesting to see in the next couple of weeks if Notre Dame was really good, or if Nevada was really bad. The Wolf Pack were a big wise guy pick as a strong ATS team this year, but they sure didn't look like it here.

J - Just barely. The ranked Iowa Hawkeyes avoided some serious embarrassment by the slimmest of margins on Saturday. They were outplayed by lowly Northern Iowa on the day, and the Panthers had a chance to win it with a field goal as time expired. In one of the stranger endings a football game can have, Iowa blocked not one but two field goals in the final seconds to win, 17-16, and at least temporarily maintain the already battered reputation of the Big Ten.

K - Kentucky. Not many outside of Lexington are talking about Kentucky as a serious SEC contender this year, but if they keep playing like they did on Saturday then people may have to reconsider. They traveled to play a solid Miami of Ohio team, and they absolutely demolished them. Kentucky was virtually without fault as they cruised to a 42-0 win. They were favored by more than two touchdowns, so a win was expected, but nothing this dominant.

L - Lane Kiffin. The Crazy Kiffin era is off to a good start in Tennessee, though they weren't exactly tested in a 63-7 shellacking of Western Kentucky. Bryce Brown proved early that he was worthy of the hype when the freshman running back scored a touchdown in the second minute. He had 104 yards in his debut. QB Jonathan Crompton threw for five touchdowns, but his two interceptions against an essentially incompetent defense raises some real concerns heading into real action for the Vols.

M - Mississippi. If the Jevan Snead we saw in the fourth quarter against Memphis on Sunday is the real Jevan Snead then it could be a very good year for an Ole Miss team that I still can't help but think is over-ranked. If the Rebels are really like the team we saw for the first three quarters, though, then t could be a long, disappointing year. Snead woke up from a coma in the fourth quarter, passing for two touchdowns and setting up two more on the ground to help his team put away the Tigers.

N - Navy. We all knew that Navy could run and run and run and run, but what I really didn't see coming is that they can also pass. Ohio State almost learned that the Midshipmen could pass the hard way. Navy scored two second half passing touchdowns to outscore the Buckeyes, 20-11, in the second half and fall just four points short of pulling the massive upset in Columbus. The difference was a two-point conversion - Navy tried to score one to tie it up, but Ohio State intercepted the attempt and returned it to their end zone to score the two points themselves.

O - Oregon. A week ago at this time the Ducks were a buzz team - they had an explosive offense and were seen as legitimate Pac-10 contenders. Now - not so much. They couldn't manage a first down until halfway through the third quarter at Boise State, and they showed barely a spark of the offense that was so good last year. If they play like that again then I'm not sure they could win the Sun Belt, never mind the Pac-10.

P - Penn State. The Nittany Lions didn't cover the massive spread they were facing against Akron, but only because they took the second half off. The team cruised to an impressive 31-0 lead by the half, then they didn't score again. Joe Paterno was back on the sidelines where he belongs instead of in the press box like last year, and he looked not at all concerned by the approach to the game - no point risking injury or showing off more than you have to to your later opponents. Penn State certainly still looks like a serious Big Ten threat.

Q - Quite decisive. I don't really think of Air Force as an explosive offense, but they gave us 72 reasons to think otherwise on Saturday. They were playing sorely outmatched Nicholls State, and it got really, really ugly - like 72-0 ugly. Air Force excelled at the game plan they, and all service academies, prefer - relentless running. They amassed 474 yards rushing and a ridiculous eight rushing TDs. Of course, it's hard to think that a team has proven anything when their opening game is considerably easier than their scrimmages.

R - Robert Griffin. Given all the hype the Baylor sophomore has gotten recently you might have expected him to walk on water today. That didn't happen, but he had a solid start to his season as the Bears avenged last year's loss to Wake Forest. Griffin completed 63 percent of his passes for 136 yards and a TD, and he rushed for 41. That won' put him into early Heisman consideration, but it was certainly something to build on.

S - Streak. Utah has probably forgotten what losing feels like at this point. The Utes took advantage of an outmatched Utah State team on Thursday to win their 15th consecutive game. Not surprisingly, that run of success that covers parts of three seasons now is the longest in the country. It wasn't a perfect performance - they didn't cover the three-TD spread - but considering they were breaking in a new QB there was more than enough to build on.

T - Texas. The Longhorns didn't prove much in beating up on Louisiana-Monroe that we didn't already know, but unlike Florida at least their opponent was a Division 1-A team. The Texas defense probably gave up a couple more big plays than they should have to the Warhawks, but Colt McCoy had the offense clicking on all cylinders en route to the dominating win. The five touchdowns on the ground had to be especially pleasing for a team that gets far more attention paid to their passing than their running.

U - USC. The Trojans had almost exactly the first game they would have hoped to have, but it took them a while to get going. Down 3-0 after the first quarter the team woke up as Matt Barkley got a bit more comfortable at QB, and the team shifted into overdrive en rout to the dominating win. Joe McKnight looked like he was supposed to all along as he rushed for a pair of touchdowns and 145 yards. Any concerns about USC heading into their big game in Columbus next weekend are unnecessary.

V - Virginia Tech. The Hokies need to go back to the drawing board. They kept it surprisingly close against Alabama, even leading after three quarters, and they took advantage of opponent's mistakes like Beamer-led teams always do. But then the fourth quarter started and the bottom fully fell out of things. Whether the lack of offensive confidence got to them or they lack the stamina to compete with a team as good as Alabama, the team in the fourth quarter was really, really bad. That's going to be a problem going forward if it happens again.

W - Wolverines. Holy crap. You can't even imagine the relief I feel as a Michigan fan. The huge win over Western Michigan wasn't perfect, but there was far more competence exhibited in that one game than there was in all of last year. The defense was moving, jumping, and tackling far better than before, and the it showed athleticism and blinding sparks of brilliance. Everyone who said stupid things about there being divisions in the locker room with this team, or about Rich Rodriguez being well on his way to getting fired, can choke on that performance. Go Blue!

X - eXplosion. It wasn't quite a Ron Artest-level meltdown, but it was way too close. Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount had talked a lot of trash before the Boise State game, but his team didn't cash his mouth's check. Blount was taunted by an opponent, didn't like it, and turned around and decked the guy. Then he fought with a couple teammates. Then he tried to climb a fence and kill a fan or two. Blount will have a long time to think of just how classy his actions were - he has been suspended for the rest of his senior season. So much for his Heisman campaign.

Y - Yikes. Coming into the season Troy was being touted as both the class of the Sun Belt and a wise guy betting choice that was going to cover more than their share of spreads. That may still be the case, but they sure didn't look like it in their first game. They were favored at Bowling Green, but pretty much nothing went right on either side of the ball, and they lost by 17. The most concerning issue for the Trojans is that they were tied heading into the fourth quarter before a total collapse.

Z - Zzzzzz. NC State supposedly has the best quarterback in the ACC in Russell Wilson, and a team with real potential on both sides of the ball. None of that was evident in their opening game. They lost, 7-3, at home to South Carolina in quite possibly the most boring, sloppy, generally hopeless game of football ever played. Neither team showed much of anything despite having some tools to play with. Steve Spurrier has an undefeated seasn going, but he won't win a single SEC game if he plays like that again.