College football is back, and it did not take long for Week 0 to give us something to talk about.

The first three major games of Saturday produced three very different statements. No. 14 USC handled San Jose State 42-26, Virginia surprisingly dismantled NC State 34-8, and North Carolina opened Bill Belichick's second season by upsetting TCU 15-10 in Dublin.

The biggest early takeaway may be that some of the assumptions we carried into the season already need adjusting.

USC 42, San Jose State 26: The Trojans Looked Like a Contender for Three Quarters

For most of the afternoon, this looked exactly like the kind of opening performance USC wanted.

The Trojans led 28-0 at halftime and 35-3 entering the fourth quarter, ultimately piling up 505 yards of offense in a 42-26 victory. Quarterback Jayden Maiava was excellent, completing 25 of 29 passes for 286 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions while also running for a score.

Perhaps even more encouraging was the emergence of Trent Mosley, who caught seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown. With USC replacing significant receiving production, finding another explosive target for Maiava was one of the questions entering the season. Mosley provided an immediate answer.

The running game also looked deep. King Miller, Waymond Jordan, Shahn Alston and Riley Wormley all contributed, and USC controlled possession for more than 37 minutes.

For Lincoln Riley, there was plenty to like.

But Gary Patterson will have something to discuss.

San Jose State scored 23 fourth-quarter points, turning what had been a 35-3 demolition into a more ordinary-looking 42-26 final. That should not overshadow how thoroughly USC controlled the meaningful portion of the game, but for a team whose championship aspirations are based partly on becoming better defensively, finishing games cleanly matters.

Still, the important score was probably the one at the end of the third quarter: USC 35, San Jose State 3.

That looked like a Top 15 team.

The Trojans are 1-0, Maiava looked extremely comfortable, and USC's offense appears to have plenty of weapons.

Virginia 34, NC State 8: Maybe We Underestimated the Cavaliers

If USC's victory was expected, this was not.

Virginia did not merely beat NC State.

The Cavaliers overwhelmed the Wolfpack.

Virginia outgained NC State 413-168, controlled the football for more than 38 minutes and rushed for 258 yards. NC State managed only 92 passing yards and 76 net rushing yards.

The star was new Virginia quarterback Beau Pribula.

The Penn State and Missouri transfer completed 9 of 11 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, but his biggest contribution came with his legs. Pribula rushed 15 times for 110 yards, averaging more than seven yards per carry.

That changes the way Virginia can attack defenses.

Rather than asking Pribula to throw 35 or 40 times, Tony Elliott used him as part of a punishing ground attack. Virginia ran the football 57 times, repeatedly shortening the game and wearing down NC State.

And the Cavaliers were relentless.

One fourth-quarter possession lasted 23 plays, an extraordinary drive that demonstrated exactly how physically dominant Virginia was up front.

For Virginia, this is the type of performance that immediately changes expectations.

The Cavaliers received almost no preseason AP attention. But after winning 11 games last season, perhaps the assumption that they would fall significantly because of roster turnover was premature.

For NC State, the result is considerably more concerning.

Quarterback CJ Bailey completed just 12 of 23 passes for 84 yards with an interception, and the Wolfpack offense never established any consistent threat. NC State was shut out in the first half and finished with only eight points.

One game does not define a season.

But 34-8 is not the type of opening loss NC State can simply dismiss.

Virginia looked physical, organized and significantly better than expected.

NC State looked like a team with major problems to solve.

North Carolina 15, TCU 10: Bill Belichick Gets Exactly the Kind of Win He Needed

The most interesting result of the early games came an ocean away.

North Carolina beat TCU 15-10 at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, turning what appeared to be a difficult opener into one of the first notable upsets of the 2026 season.

And the way the Tar Heels won may have mattered even more than the score.

Defense.

TCU led 10-3 during the first quarter and then did not score again.

North Carolina held the Horned Frogs scoreless for the final 49 minutes, forced three turnovers on downs and recovered a fumble. The Tar Heels also ended a remarkable TCU streak of 30 consecutive nonconference regular-season games scoring at least 28 points.

Sophomore defender Xavier Lewis was particularly disruptive, recording seven tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and two sacks.

That is significant for Bill Belichick.

North Carolina's first season under Belichick was a disappointment, beginning with a 48-14 loss to this same TCU program and eventually ending 4-8. Saturday's game offered an immediate opportunity to demonstrate that Year 2 would be different.

North Carolina did exactly that.

New quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was not spectacular, but he did what North Carolina needed. The Wisconsin transfer completed 16 of 28 passes for 232 yards without an interception.

The Tar Heels did not win because their quarterback threw four touchdowns.

They won because they played disciplined, situational football and their defense refused to break.

TCU helped.

The Horned Frogs committed 11 penalties for 89 yards, and a late defensive offsides essentially allowed North Carolina to finish the game. TCU also suffered a disastrous special-teams sequence that produced a North Carolina safety.

Running back Jeremy Payne gave TCU something to build around, rushing for 142 yards, but new quarterback Jaden Craig managed only 175 passing yards and could not generate the late drive TCU needed.

For a team with Big 12 aspirations, this is an ugly way to begin.

For North Carolina, it could be exactly the opposite.

Three Games, Three Very Different Messages

It is dangerous to make sweeping conclusions after one Saturday.

But first impressions matter.

USC looked explosive and deep offensively. Jayden Maiava looked like a veteran quarterback capable of putting together a major season. The late defensive leakage is something Gary Patterson will want corrected, but the Trojans controlled this game long before the final whistle.

Virginia produced the most impressive performance of the three. Winning was one thing. Holding NC State to 168 yards and physically dominating the line of scrimmage was something else entirely. The Cavaliers suddenly look like a team that should be taken very seriously in the ACC.

And North Carolina produced perhaps the most important win.

Belichick did not need a 45-42 shootout.

He needed evidence that North Carolina is becoming tougher, more disciplined and harder to beat.

Holding TCU to 10 points in Dublin qualifies.

Week 0 is only a few hours old, and already three narratives have changed.

USC looks dangerous. Virginia looks underrated. And Bill Belichick's second North Carolina team already looks considerably different from his first.