Week 0 knee-jerk reactions: FSU's revenge tour hits an early roadblock

Week 0 of the 2024 college football season kicked off on Saturday. Georgia Tech opened play with an upset of No. 10 Florida State, 24-21, in Dublin, Ireland, while Montana State took down New Mexico, 35-31. and SMU came back to beat Nevada, 29-24.

Here are a few knee-jerk reactions to the action:

FSU's revenge tour could be over before it starts

Last season, despite posting an undefeated record in a Power Five conference, FSU was denied a spot in the College Football Playoff, which led to ACC commissioner Jim Phillips publicly calling into question the selection process . If the slight wasn't enough motivation for the Seminoles, a standout recruiting class bolstered their odds of improving. After dropping their opener, though, Florida State's dreams of retribution may have already faded.

Georgia Tech may have exposed FSU's front four

The vaunted Florida State defensive line looked anything but on Saturday, allowing 190 rushing yards (5.3 YPA). Georgia Tech's O-line did pretty much whatever they wanted, opening huge holes for running back Jamal Haynes (11 carries, 75 yards, two touchdowns) and quarterback Haynes King (15 carries, 54 yards). The Seminoles can improve, but their lackluster start against a largely one-dimensional attack isn't promising.

DJ Uiagalelei played as advertised (that's not a good thing)

Uiagelelei struggled in his FSU debut against Georgia Tech, mainly because of his inability to stretch the field through the air. That shouldn't come as a surprise, considering the former five-star recruit recorded 7.1 yards per attempt in the loss — equal to his career average over four collegiate seasons. First-game jitters and poor offensive line play aside, the fifth-year senior played as expected, which may not be the best sign for the Seminoles.

Georgia Tech HC Brent Key should get more credit

Most of the talk surrounding Georgia Tech's upset of FSU will revolve around how the No. 10 ranked Seminoles perhaps fumbled their season after one game. But, lost in the shuffle is Key, who has turned a 10-28 team under former head coach Geoff Collins into an ACC contender in a little under two years.

Nick Saban could be right about Georgia Tech

During a recent appearance on " The Pat McAfee Show, " Saban described FSU as one of the best teams in the nation, which may still prove true. Just as notably, though, he called Georgia Tech a "sleeper," placing them among the ACC's top contenders. Following a massive win in Dublin as a double-digit underdog, it's hard to argue.

Montana State's win over New Mexico was no upset

What Montana State accomplished on Saturday wasn't quite what it seemed. The Bobcats entered as 13.5-point favorites but still needed 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to win. Nevertheless, it's a huge accomplishment for the program, earning its first victory over an FBS opponent since 2006.

Bronco Mendenhall era begins with a thud, but there's hope

After two years away, Mendenhall returned to the sidelines on Saturday, though things didn't go well. After New Mexico built a 31-14 lead, he watched it crumble in the fourth quarter. Not all is lost, as an overhauled Lobos roster should expect growing pains, which Mendenhall hinted at, telling Sean Reider of the Albuquerque Journal that there was " [l]ots to improve on. "

SMU survived Nevada but might still be a fraud

SMU won its first game of the 2024 season, but didn't make it easy. Trailing a Nevada team that had won only four of its last 24 games, 20-7 at halftime, the Mustangs needed to score 16 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to avoid an upset, which isn't a great look for one of the newest members of the ACC.