From FSU to Dan Mullen, here are three 'overreactions' from week zero of the college football season
The college football appetizer known as week zero has come and gone, and although it wasn't quite as robust as the real opening week that is still to come, it did more than enough to keep football fans satisfied while they wait for the main course this coming Saturday.
Yesterday felt like a return to normalcy for college football fanatics after months of court dates and NIL doomsday prophecies, and it was nice to just sit back and watch some glorious pigskin action without worrying about any of that extracurricular garbage that has been plaguing the news cycle.
One of the telltale signs that the season is underway is the myriad overreactions you will see up and down your social media timeline, and Saturday evening/Sunday morning was no different.
As you'll see, it's never too early to overreact to your team's performance in the first week of the year, even with an expanded College Football Playoff affording teams more regular-season Mulligans than ever before.
Here are three overreactions you'll see all over your phone screen as you do your Sunday afternoon scroll, and some carry more weight than others.
If I could sum up Florida State's 2026 opener against New Mexico State on Saturday night in one word, it would be "woof."
And I'm not alone in that assessment, FSU fans took to social media for the majority of the past 16 hours and absolutely trashed their beloved Noles.
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It wasn't without merit, either.
The Seminoles were 31.5-point favorites heading into the contest, with New Mexico State coming off a 4-8 season in 2025.
Florida State ended up only winning by 17, and the game got as close as 10 midway through the fourth quarter.
If it wasn't for a bad pick in the red zone to open the game and a drop by a wide open receiver in the end zone, the Aggies might have actually pulled the upset in Tallahassee.
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The Noles got bullied on the lines of scrimmage by a team much smaller than them and their new quarterback, Auburn transfer Ashton Daniels, was a mixed bag in his debut in garnet and gold.
Fans are already calling for head coach Mike Norvell's firing, but the odds of that happening before the season are slim given his exorbitant buyout.
The truth is, FSU supporters might be in for another long season, and this overreaction might carry some weight.
The UNLV Rebels were a trendy pick to make the College Football Playoff this season as a Group of 6 representative, and while that might still happen, those dreams took a big hit with a 27-21 home loss to fellow G6 Playoff hopefuls Memphis on Saturday.
Head coach Dan Mullen spent the majority of the news conference complaining that his fans were making too much noise while the Rebs were on offense instead of worrying about other things like why his defense was getting torched by a Division II transfer at quarterback.
I've seen a ton of UNLV fans making impassioned pleas to Mullen asking him to fire defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, but plenty of them have come to the realization that it won't be happening.
As a Florida Gator fan, I can confirm Mullen is prepared to go down with the ship as his embattled DC sits right alongside him in the captain's quarters.
This is the fatal flaw of Mullen: he's stubborn and loyal to a fault.
He had a ton of chances to fire Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham as he harpooned any chances the Gators had of winning a championship in 2020, and I fear he will do much of the same in Vegas.
Now, the part that makes this an overreaction is the fact that Guenther is in year one as the UNLV defensive coordinator.
Perhaps he turns it around, but getting dissected by a quarterback and head coach (Charles Huff) in their very first game with the program is not exactly a good sign.
File this one under "something to keep an eye on."
If you were on social media at all in the last 24 hours, you are probably aware of USC's attendance problem during their opening game against San Jose State.
The Trojans have arguably their most talented team since head coach Lincoln Riley arrived five seasons ago and have a legitimate shot at making the CFP, but the fans weren't convinced.
Several shots of the Coliseum showed what could, generously, be described as a half empty stadium. So what gives?
Defenders of the program will blame the empty seats on things like a heat wave, or classes not starting yet. Others fire back with screenshots of a home venue packed to the gills with USC fans during similarly hot temperatures just a few short years ago.
Are fans punting on Riley right as he's about to turn things around?
I think the truth is probably a lot more simple and less sinister than that.
Los Angeles isn't a huge sports town, and I think fans need to see proof of concept before they show up to a game and support their team.
I say this as someone who is from a similarly fair-weather sports town in Miami; the Dolphins and Hurricanes will play to a stadium that is barely half full unless they are legitimate championship contenders.
It's just the way it is.
I will say this, for as empty as the Coliseum was on Saturday, the students did their part, as their section of the stadium was packed to the gills and screaming full throat for their Trojans.
This is absolutely an "overreaction," and the minute USC is 4-0 and ranked in the top 10 when they play Oregon, I guarantee you that the building will be rocking.