The ten most important things to happen in the history of our great planet – at least this weekend. How will Week 1 of your college football season be remembered in the history books? And so it is written …

10 Things That Matter In College Football From Week

1. BYU’s Save The Game Play: Part 2

SMU – with the backfield of Eric Dickerson and future failed Senatorial candidate Craig James – was rolling by BYU in the 1980 Holiday Bowl up 45-24 with under three minutes to play. The Cougars managed to come up with 21 points, highlighted by the historic – at least by college football standards – Jim McMahon bomb to Clay Brown to end one of the greatest bowl games of all-time. The BYU coaches called it the “Save the Game” play – instead of a Hail Mary – but any name it was still BYU football’s signature play.

Saturday, the 2015 Cougars came up with signature play No. 1A.

Like almost all miraculous college football finishes, it took a set of weird circumstances just to set up the opportunity for BYU to get one final desperation heave into the end zone against Nebraska.

Up 28-27, Nebraska had the ball 3rd-and-3 on the BYU 22 with a chance to seal the win. Had the Huskers been able to power the ball at all for three yards, it’s drive home safely time and Husker fans have a happy week. Instead, Jamal Turner was stuffed, Nebraska tried a field goal, whiffed, and BYU got the ball back on its own 24.

Yes, a made field goal would’ve only put Nebraska up by four, but it also would’ve means BYU would’ve had to press harder for a field goal, rather than try to get into field goal range – which it wasn’t able to do, anyway.

With star quarterback Taysom Hill out with a foot injury that would knock him out for the season, in steps Tanner Mangum, who was a big deal recruit back in 2011, but hadn’t done anything on the football field thanks to an LDS church mission in Chile. With just 48 seconds to play and no time outs, Mangum missed a few passes and went on a few runs to get just past midfield before Nebraska head coach Mike Riley decided to call a time out to settle things down for a key third down play. With just six seconds left, Mangum misfired on his pass to the sidelines in an attempt to get into field goal range. Had the pass clicked, BYU goes for the field goal, but instead, with one second barley on the clock – Nebraska fans had cheered thinking time had run out – BYU had to heave it into the end zone.

BYU receiver ran all the way across the field in front of what seemed like the entire state of Nebraska camped out in the end zone, Mangum rolled to his right, heaved it up in the air just short of the end zone, and then this happened …

2. The Rosen One

UCLA has everything in place to come up with a huge season. It has the talent, it has the experience, it has the coaching staff, and it has the athleticism. What it doesn’t have is a veteran quarterback, but superstar recruit Josh Rosen was rumored all offseason to be just that good to step in and take over for current Green Bay Packer Brett Hundley. Head coach Jim Mora didn’t name the starter until late in the summer, but no one dealing with UCLA really thought anyone other than Rosen would end up getting the call when Virginia visited the Rose Bowl on the opening Saturday. One 28-of-35, 351-yard, three touchdown performance later, Rosen is now the crown prince of Los Angeles and everyone is jumping on the bandwagon – I’ve been telling everyone who’ll listen all offseason that UCLA is a playoff team – in a wee bit of a Week One overreaction. At the very least, considering USC’s Cody Kessler’s 19-of-26, 236-yard, four touchdown tree-falling-in-forest performance against Arkansas State, the L.A. quarterback spotlight is on.

3. Malik Zaire is apparently worth it

Everett Golson led Notre Dame to a 12-0 regular season and an appearance in a BCS championship. Last year, he would’ve been everyone’s midseason Heisman pick had the official not thrown the flag late in the loss to Florida State. But because Malik Zaire is very, very good, and the writing was on the wall that he was going to be the main man to lead a loaded Irish team, Golson bolted for Florida State, where he now might be front-and-center in the Heisman chase – it’s coming, just wait – if he builds off a terrific first week performance.

It wasn’t just that Zaire had a big game against Texas; it’s that he was throwing darts. He wasn’t just making safe, easy throws on the way to a 19-of-22, 313-yard, three touchdown day against Texas that would turn out to be among the most efficient in Notre Dame history, he was driving the ball. He was moving around making things happen. He was looking like the type of quarterback who could lead the Irish to a massive season.

Either that, or Texas just sucks.

Speaking of Golson …

4. Golson, Adams, Coker, Mayfield, Kelly: The free agent quarterbacks

You don’t transfer to a big-time program from a big-time program unless you’re a big-time player looking to do big-time things.

Sometimes a player leaves because he’s pushed out of a gig by a better player, sometimes the situation isn’t right, and sometimes a guy just wants a chance to do something bigger and better. Since there’s only one quarterback on the field, there will always be more high-profile quarterback transfers than any other position – a No. 2 receiver or defensive back will get on the field. This is the first year the free agent/transfer quarterback world has ramped up to another level with several true playoff contenders dancing with someone else’s ex.

Former Clemson Tiger Chad Kelly averaged over 14 yards per pass in the Ole Miss win over UT Martin, hitting 9-of-15 throws for 211 yards and two score with an interception. Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield was done with Texas Tech, proving he’s ready for the new Air Raid style completing 23-of-33 passes for 388 yards and three touchdowns in the blowout win over Akron.

Before getting hit in the head, Oregon’s Vernon Adams completed a sharp 19-of-25 passes for 246 yards and two touchdowns, while running for 94 yards, in the win over his former Eastern Washington Eagles, while Florida State’s new main man Everett Golson was brilliant against Texas State, completing 19-of-25 passes for 302 yards and four scores.

But the real question mark was at Alabama, where former Florida State option Jake Coker finally got his shot on the big stage, and he came through against Wisconsin. It helped to have nine days to throw, but he did his part throwing for 213 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly for his role within the Crimson Tide world, he didn’t throw a pick.

Speaking of free agent quarterbacks …

5. The Jim Harbaugh era was fun while it lasted

Former Iowa starter Jake Rudock wasn’t nearly as horrible as he’s getting hammered for, but the three interceptions against Utah turned out to be a disaster. He threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns, and he had his moments, but Michigan needed him to be sharp, and he wasn’t in the 24-17 loss to Utah.

It’s all about the long haul for Michigan under Jim Harbaugh, but considering the defense in place – it did a good job against Devontae Booker and the Utah ground game – and the need for any sort of offensive punch, this wasn’t the opening the Maize and Blue fans were waiting for. Utah might be really good, and Michigan will end up going to a college football bowl game, but the hope was for an instant miracle. That’ll have to wait.

6. You want to pick against Alabama?

Wisconsin might go 11-1, and at the very least, it’s going to be favored in almost every game the rest of the way. This is a terrific team that’s going to do big things this year, and Alabama just outclassed it at a whole other level.

The Badgers have defined what the college football power running game is supposed to be, and they just stop trying against a brick wall of a Crimson Tide defensive front finishing with 40 yards on 21 carries – and 25 of those were on one run from receiver Alex Erickson.

Every other play there was another NFL prospect making a play for the Crimson Tide, from Derrick Henry and Kenyan Drake in the backfield, to linebacker Reggie Ragland, to tight end O.J. Howard, to center Ryan Kelly, and on and on and on. The final score might not have been out of hand, but it was a dominant effort by a team that looks like it might have just the right makeup and just the right mix to get right back into the playoff. The Crimson Tide’s 35-17 win put a capper on a terrific first week for the SEC going 12-1, which all but ended the Best Conference debate because of …

7. The Pac-12’s issues

UCLA, USC, and Oregon might have been strong, and Utah might have come through with everyone watching, but from Arizona struggling with UTSA for a second year in a row, Arizona State’s offensive power outage in the loss to Texas A&M, Washington’s failed comeback in the loss to Boise State, Colorado’s late night loss to Hawaii, Washington State’s puzzler to Portland State, and the total clunker from Stanford against Northwestern, it was a lousy weekend for the Pac-12. It doesn’t really matter overall considering a 12-1 conference champ will get into the playoff, but fans like to have the Best Conference debate, and there really isn’t one. Also not showing up for the party …

8. Really Big Ten? Again?

The Big Ten was a disaster to start the 2014 season, but the perception that the league finished strong wasn’t reality. Ohio State was amazing. Michigan State and Wisconsin won their respective bowl games by the skin of their teeth. Almost everyone else stunk. So to kick off the 2015 campaign, there was a big chance make a statement right away. Unfortunately, that statement was that the Big Ten just isn’t that good.

Michigan’s loss at Utah and Minnesota’s home loss to TCU were expected, but they still weren’t a positive. The same goes for Wisconsin’s stuffing from Alabama. Those were okay, but Nebraska’s heartbreaking loss to BYU didn’t help, Purdue’s problems with Marshall hurt the overall cause, and worst of all, Penn State’s decades-old winning streak to Temple came to a screeching halt.

9. Mountain West’s moment

It seems like every year the Mountain West plays a slew of tough college football games in the opening weekend, and every year the league gets whacked around. Not this time. There wasn’t anything too splashy, but Hawaii’s win over Colorado was a huge moment for Norm Chow’s program, and Boise State’s win over Washington was the one the conference needed to have. Wyoming’s home loss to North Dakota wasn’t good, but UNLV – possibly the MW’s worst team – gave Northern Illinois – possibly the MAC’s best team – all it could handle. The 10-2 opening weekend was a big deal.

10. Three really cool things that you missed because you were doing something else with your life that you think were slightly more important than watching college football on a Saturday you silly, silly person

– There won’t be a better defensive performance this season than the one from Marshall safety Tiquan Lang in the 41-31 win over Purdue. The junior started out the scoring with a pick six from 30 yards out, and he snuffed out a late Purdue drive with a 55-yard interception return for a touchdown. On the day he came up with a team-leading 17 tackles with the two picks.

– San Diego State’s Damontae Kazee only made three tackles in the win over San Diego, but he managed to come up with three interceptions with one in each quarter. Calvin Munson had an even better overall day with 11 tackles with two interceptions and a sack, taking those two picks for touchdowns.

– In one of the best games of the weekend, Old Dominion’s Raw Lawry ripped through Eastern Michigan in the 38-34 win with 223 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries, highlighted by a 45-yard scoring dash in the final two minutes for the win.