| Now that was a sports weekend.
Those of you who are longtime readers of our fine publication know that we don't shy away from the intersection of sports and societal issues, from vaccine mandates to social justice protests, questions of law and questions of morality. But every so often, it's fun just reveling in the reason why we all became sports fans in the first place — the anticipation of a great matchup, the tension of a back-and-forth game, the thrill of a last-second upset.
This long weekend had exactly that. Bookended by the dramatic U.S. Open losses of a pair of legends — Serena Williams and Rafael Nadal — and stuffed end-to-end with magnificent games in between, this was one of those weekends that gives September a strong claim to being the finest sports month of the year. (October still rules, and April's way up there, but September makes the podium.)
Where to even begin with college football? The sheer vast array of glorious madness on display deserves thousands of words, dozens of hours, and maybe — if you happen to be a fan of Utah, Virginia Tech or LSU — some quiet time in a dark room.
Over the course of this weekend:
• Iowa won 7-3 without scoring a touchdown. (I'll let you figure that one out for yourself.)
• Appalachian State lost to North Carolina while scoring 40 — yes, 40 — points in the fourth quarter. And UNC scored 22 in the same quarter! (No, I can't figure out how that's even possible within the accepted bounds of time and physics, either.)
• East Carolina's kicker really could use a hug. Or two.
• Alabama and Georgia defeated their opponents by a combined 437 points. Ohio State let Notre Dame get a bit of hope before smothering the Irish. Same as it ever was at the top of the rankings.
• Like those SEC-rules-all homers needed any more excuse to parade around, unranked Florida knocked off No. 7 Utah, carving a potential challenger out of the College Football Playoff picture in Week 1.
• In the Sunday evening marquee slot, Florida State and LSU offered each other chance after chance at victory, with FSU finally hanging on for a win that had more self-inflicted drama than three seasons of "Love Island." The "Fire Brian Kelly" chants haven't started up yet on the bayou, but instruments are getting tuned.
Here's a full rundown of the weekend's winners and losers. (Also, a reminder to all college football fans: if you're not already subscribed to The College Football Enquirer podcast starring our own Dan Wetzel, you're missing out. It's all you need to know, both before and after every week of the season.)
Fall's off to a fine start. Beyond college football, baseball's pennant races are starting to heat up, and the WNBA playoffs are nearing their conclusion. Hell, even the LIV Golf tournament had some drama to it, if you're into that sort of thing. And the NFL hasn't even started yet!
What was your favorite moment of the weekend? Let us know, and we'll see you right back here tomorrow.
—Follow Jay Busbee on Twitter
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