The Georgia Bulldogs dominated their season opener, scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions to secure a 63-3 victory over Tennessee State.
The blowout stood in stark contrast to the struggles of other national championship hopefuls during the opening week of play.
The Oregon Ducks, entering as 24-point favorites, narrowly escaped with a 34-27 home win against Boise State.
Oregon suffered from defensive penalties and failed conversions before finally securing the victory.
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning acknowledged the sloppy performance during his postgame comments.
“There’s a lot that we can do a lot better,” Lanning said.
Meanwhile, top-ranked Ohio State cruised to a drama-free 56-3 beatdown of Ball State despite some early offensive line issues.
The Buckeyes limited their opponents to under three yards per play behind strong showings from freshman stars.
In the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, the LSU Tigers passed their first test under coach Lane Kiffin with flying colors.
The Tigers rolled to a 51-10 blowout of Clemson behind an improved running game and a relentless defense.
LSU quickly established itself as a premier title contender with the most impressive performance of the weekend.
Other contenders had mixed results, as Texas Tech struggled to find a dominant gear in a 33-10 victory over Abilene Christian.
The Red Raiders defense did not surrender a touchdown until a late kickoff return, but their offense stalled in the red zone.
Texas won comfortably 59-7 against Texas State, while Alabama recorded a mixed-bag 48-10 victory over East Carolina.
Miami showcased an unstoppable passing attack during a 45-6 win over Stanford, where transfer quarterback Darian Mensah threw for 401 yards and five touchdowns.
Oklahoma also dominated in a 51-0 shutout of UTEP, scoring on every possession through the first three quarters despite missing multiple offensive line starters.
Defending national champion Indiana also secured a victory, defeating North Texas 52-16 behind a strong performance from quarterback Josh Hoover.