Has National Championship picture in college football already changed after a stunning first week?

Week one of the 2026 college football season isn't fully in the books, and already the playoff and National Championship picture has already been turned upside down. And the balance of power within the two top conferences might have shifted, unexpectedly, after some shocking performances, both good and bad.

While the Indiana Hoosiers are defending national champions, finished off a 16-0 season, and brought in another impressive transfer portal class under Curt Cignetti, most have expected that the Big Ten Championship will run through two other programs: the Ohio State Buckeyes and Oregon Ducks.

Ohio State lived up to the billing, with an overwhelmingly dominant win over Ball State. Far from a top opponent, sure, but the Buckeyes did exactly what they needed to as the country's number one team in their opening game. Oregon though? Not exactly.

OREGON RALLIES FROM SLOW START, THWARTS BOISE STATE'S UPSET BID IN SEASON OPENER

The Ducks struggled for most of the first half against Boise State, then found themselves tied with just over eight minutes to go in the game after a Broncos field goal. But after a quick touchdown drive to take a 34-27 lead, the Oregon defense stiffened, and closed out the win with back-to-back stops. That said, the Ducks dominated more than the scoreline indicated. They averaged nearly eight yards per play, allowing just 4.2 to Boise State. They had 10 yards per attempt passing, with 28 completions on 38 attempts for 378 yards, while adding three sacks and four tackles for loss on defense. The scoreline was close, but Ducks fans can be encouraged that they "deserved" a more decisive outcome.

Then there's the "second tier" of the Big Ten, teams that have hoped coaching staff changes and another year of development for start quarterbacks will make the difference: Michigan and USC. SC brought in defensive coordinator Gary Patterson to finally make the Trojans defensive unit championship quality. Michigan, after a year of turmoil after the firing of Sherrone Moore, hired Kyle Whittingham away from Utah, a head coach known for his consistency and steadiness.

Their outcomes on Saturday couldn't have been more different.

Nobody who watched Michigan, outside fans of the program, thinks they escaped Western Michigan with a last-second win. They were outplayed, couldn't get the Broncos offense off the field, frequently benefited from questionable officiating, then required a miraculous Hail Mary, that should never have happened, to escape with the win. Even including that 47-yard pass, the Wolverines had just 276 yards of offense. At home. Against Western Michigan as a 28-point favorite.

CLOCK CONTROVERSY ALLOWS MICHIGAN WOLVERINES TO AVOID MASSIVE UPSET AGAINST WESTERN MICHIGAN

They averaged 5.8 yards per play, again, with that 47-yard pass included. Bryce Underwood, making an enormous amount of money after a high-profile recruiting war, looked awful. Excluding the Hail Mary, Underwood had 11 completions on 21 pass attem