The biggest upset of college football's first Saturday did not occur in Houston.
That one _ the Cougars racing past Oklahoma _ was the attention-grabber, but although the Sooners were a healthy favorite, the game at NRG Stadium matched two ranked teams.
South Alabama and Mississippi State were unranked, but the Bulldogs were a 28-point favorite. The Jaguars sealed the stunner when Mississippi State doinked a 28-yard field goal in the final seconds. Dak Prescott never seemed so valuable.
But Houston's triumph created the biggest stir for a few reasons.
The Cougars cleared the biggest obstacle for a perfect season and defeated not only the nation's third-ranked team but a College Football Playoff semifinalist from last season. No flying under the radar for Houston this season. As long as the Cougars remain undefeated, they'll be part of every CFP conversation and many projections.
Also, the outcome and the atmosphere could only have boosted Houston's candidacy for the Big 12, while confirming the fears of league football coaches. A Cougars uniform with a Big 12 logo stitched on the sleeve will add to the recruiting challenges of the rest of the conference in prospect-rich Houston.
So be it. No attractive candidate has been an argument against expansion. Houston provided grand theater and took down the Big 12 favorite in front of commissioner Bob Bowlsby and a Sooners administration that is influential in league matters.
Later Saturday, a second Big 12 hopeful went the high drama route to pull out a neutral field game when Brigham Young got a 33-yard field goal from a kicker making his debut, freshman Jake Oldroyd, with 4 seconds remaining to beat Arizona in Glendale, Ariz.
All Cougars that want in the Big 12 had a good weekend.
But it wasn't necessarily a terrible weekend for the Sooners or LSU, which fell to Wisconsin in a wonderful spectacle at Lambeau Field.
The beauty of college football's blockbuster opening weekend is it came with little risk and no future reward off the table.
The CFP committee has sent a clear message that ambitious nonconference schedules go to the top of the inbox when evaluating teams. And a group consisting mostly of athletic directors and former coaches understands the difference between a one-loss team that took scheduling risks and a 13-0 team that did not.
Oklahoma didn't have to schedule Houston and Ohio State _ which visits Norman in two weeks _ this season. Years ago, this type of scheduling wasn't uncommon. As schools learned they could add home games, fill their stadiums and not be hurt in rankings by playing lesser competition they softened up.
The game benefits when its marquee programs face off. We can debate if those games should be played on campus or at neutral sites mostly in NFL stadiums, but populating the schedule with them is the first step.
If the neutral-site trend continues, here's a request for Arrowhead Stadium to reenter the action. The Chiefs' home was site to several such games for a decade starting in 1998. Could Missouri and Nebraska be enticed for a season-opener? Or Kansas State-Iowa? A Chiefs official recently said the team is all for such a game.
Whatever the matchup, Alabama is not to be invited. No team kills season-opening buzz like the Crimson Tide. On Saturday, they lulled Southern California into a false sense of confidence, posting a scoreless first quarter. Then Alabama didn't stop scoring on its way to a 52-6 embarrassment.
That's five straight neutral-site opening game victories for Alabama, all by double digits. In two of the previous four, Nick Saban's group went on to win the national championship.
After Saturday, it appears everybody is chasing Alabama. But the playoff window didn't close for anybody. And Houston and BYU may end up winning twice.
