The first full Saturday of the college football season is behind us, and we have already had a massive weather delay, an explanation from a power conference on the end-of-game clock and plenty of nail-biters. Here are four takeaways from Week 1:Finally, our offseason controversies have given way to our in-season controversiesWestern Michigan appeared to have a win at Michigan ... until officials added a final second to the clock, giving the Wolverines time for a Hail Mary. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe first full Saturday of college football began, Lane Kiffin stood down on playing the former NFL preseason players at LSU (for now) and we finally got a full Saturday of football.Of course, this being college football, we were bound to get worked up over something on the field, and that came from a very unexpected source: No. 16 Michigan’s home date with Western Michigan.The Broncos defense dominated the game throughout, while coach Lance Taylor milked the clock on offense about as thoroughly as possible. All 12 of WMU’s points came on field goals, the last of which split the uprights with 35 seconds left. That wasn’t enough time for Bryce Underwood and the Wolverines. He needed 36. After his first Hail Mary attempt sailed through the end zone and the clock struck zeroes, officials added a second back to the game, giving Michigan one last chance which the Wolverines, of course, capitalized on with a successful heave to JJ Buchanan.Based on all visual evidence that the public has been given, the decision to add a second is pretty unconscionable. The Big Ten issued a statement and video in an attempt to show that the added time was the correct call, but it is unlikely to sway those who saw it live, as well as the screenshots showing the ball in the air with the clock striking zeroes. But in a way … isn’t it nice to be mad about this—an apparent officiating gaffe—instead of the intersecting existential crises facing the sport that dominated the headlines all summer? We’ll choose to look on the bright side: At least this was actually about football. In a twisted way, it’s actually refreshing. —D.L.There were some growing pains, but Keelon Russell might be the real deal His first game wasn’t perfect, but Keelon Russell gives Alabama a dynamic presence at quarterback. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters ConnectThe Crimson Tide went with the upside of dual-threat and former five-star recruit Keelon Russell over the familiarity of Austin Mack, and the former immediately rewarded the coaching staff with a strong performance in the season-opening, 48–10 win over East Carolina. Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat though. Despite what the score suggests, this was far from a perfect performance for the Crimson Tide, who had a breakdown in the secondary early in the game, had multiple dropped passes, shot themselves in the foot with a few pre-snap penalties and poorly managed the play clock. At times, Russell held onto the ball too long. Other times, he failed to get down and avoid contact while on the run. The latter issue could come back to bite him and the Tide if it’s not corrected. That’s the bad. But now that we’ve got our nit picking out of the way, let’s get to the good. Russell is a tremendous athlete, one who thrives when the play goes off-schedule and he’s forced to make chicken salad out of chicken you-know-what. The Tide offensive line had a solid day from a run-blocking standpoint, perhaps a little less so from a pass-blocking one. But Russell’s mobility, in addition to keeping the defense honest and opening up running lanes for the Tide halfbacks, saved several negative plays that looked like surefire sacks.After one game, the Crimson Tide’s running game already looks leaps and bounds better than last year’s putrid unit. And the offense, with Russell at the controls, looks to be far more dynamic and balanced. There’s still plenty for the first-year starter to clean up, and the schedule will get considerably more difficult. But Russell gave Crimson Tide fans a tantalizing glimpse at what the ceiling of this offense could look like down the road with a convincing debut. —Tim CapursoBuild an entire team via the transfer portal? Your mileage may vary.New Oklahoma State coach Eric Morris has his work cut out for him after a stunning upset loss to Tulsa. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectWe’ve seen large-scale transfer rebuilds over the last few years. Indiana obviously won a national title importing a lot of veterans, many of whom came with coach Curt Cignetti from his previous stop, James Madison. Eric Morris’s efforts to reshape Oklahoma State followed that blueprint to an extent, but were even more drastic; yes, he brought a number of players from North Texas, but they were a fraction of the 92 incoming transfers joining the Cowboys program this season. The full microwaving of a roster raised questions about chemistry, even with the Mean Green backbone of the roster, and those questions look prescient on Saturday after Morris lost his Oklahoma State debut to Tulsa, 24–10—the same Group of 6 program that effectively ended Mike Gundy’s tenure by beating the Pokes last season. It’s just one game, but for a program that some thought could compete near the top of the Big 12 right away, with North Texas superstars like quarterback Drew Mestemaker and running back Caleb Hawkins, the loss recalibrates those expectations in a significant way.It also proves that there is truly no blueprint in the transfer portal era. Some teams can build a roster on the fly, immediately post one of the best seasons in program history and win an unprecedented national title in Year 2. Others, like Rich Rodriguez at West Virginia, may have to follow a giant transfer haul with another after a 4–8 season. North Carolina went in the other direction under Bill Belichick, and doubled down on high school recruiting after his poor college coaching debut. We’ll see how a program like Penn State, after importing a large chunk of coach Matt Campbell’s Iowa State roster, looks in Year 1, but after a 45–0 blanking of Marshall Saturday, so far, so good. —Dan LyonsOregon got the win, but Boise State might’ve scored some CFP-important style pointsBoise State’s Maddux Madsen had three touchdown passes in a gutsy losing effort at Oregon. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters ConnectTwo seasons ago, the Broncos fell on the road to Oregon in Week 2, 37–34. It was an early setback for Boise State, but did nothing to dissuade fans—or, more importantly, College Football Playoff voters—from the notion that the Broncos were the best Group of 5 program and worthy of a playoff berth.Today’s 34–27 loss will absolutely sting for Spencer Danielson’s Boise State program, but they could find themselves in a very similar position.The Broncos built a double-digit lead in the first half, but couldn’t quite hold on against a red-hot Dante Moore, who finished with 378 yards and three scores in his opening salvo of the Heisman race. Boise State was ultimately outgained 497–274 and took advantage of some Ducks miscues along the way to take their early lead, but did not look completely outmatched by the No. 2 team in the country, and what some believe is the most talented roster in the sport.In 2024, the Broncos’ near miss in Eugene, Ore., was almost treated like a positive point on the résumé at times. If Oregon proves to be an elite unit, that may be the case again, though Boise State now has to avoid allowing this loss snowball. That begins with arguably their biggest game of the year next Saturday, with fellow G6 CFP contender Memphis coming to town. —D.L.College football Week 1 updates, scores and highlightsSaturday’s notable Week 1 scoresNo. 1 Ohio State 56, Ball State 3No. 2 Oregon 34, Boise State 27 No. 5 Texas 59, Texas State 7No. 6 Indiana 52, North Texas 16No. 11 LSU 51, Clemson 10No. 13 Alabama 48, East Carolina 10No. 16 Michigan 13, Western Michigan 12No. 23 Houston 33, Oregon State 20Nebraska 49, Ohio 21Auburn 17, Baylor 16Tulsa 24, Oklahoma State 10PODCAST: Listen to SI’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, below or on Apple and Spotify. Watch the show on SI’s college YouTube channel or on SI TV.Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow