First week of college football ...

How about UCLA? Admittedly, I wondered if there might be a transition period when the Bruins' top two starters were injured. And then Kevin Craft went out in the first half and did his best impersonation of former Washington quarterback Casey Paus with four interceptions in the first half. But UCLA's defense was tough throughout, and Craft settled down with an outstanding second half. It reminded me a lot of Rick Neuheisel at Washington — his teams always seemed to will themselves to victory if the game was close in the fourth quarter.

Here's some thoughts on the other games I watched this weekend:
Colorado vs. Colorado State: It's always fun to catch a rivalry game, but this one is a little different than most because Colorado is able to recruit better talent as a BCS school. Unlike other in-state rivalries, where recruits are divided, there's just about no one in the Centennial State that would choose an offer from CSU over CU. The Rams did a good job of staying in the game for a while, but the Buffaloes' superior talent ultimately won out.

Washington at Oregon: "Only Believe" ... in second-half meltdowns? Unlike Neuheisel, the Huskies always seem to struggle in the second half. Oregon outscored them 30-0 in the second half en route to a 44-10 win. It's difficult to imagine a worse start for a young team or Willingham, who likely needs to reach a bowl to retain his job. Jake Locker only completed 12-of-28 passes, but was under pressure throughout the game. UW's offensive line, supposedly the strength of the team before the season, looked anemic. It doesn't get a lot easier for the Huskies, who have two teams ranked higher than Oregon — Brigham Young and Oklahoma — the next two weeks. The Ducks looked impressive in just about every aspect of the game. Their defense allowed just 242 yards and the secondary was impressive. Offensively, Oregon is fine with Jeremiah Johnson replacing Jonathan Stewart as the No. 1 running back.

Oklahoma State vs. Washington State: Atrocious special teams play prevented the Cougars from any shot at winning this game. It probably was unlikely anyway after a tumultuous offseason greeted the new coaching that with several arrests and scholarship losses because of academic issues. WSU's defense provided some hope — OSU was limited to 367 yards — and should improve if cornerbacks Markus Dawes and Alfonso Jackson get healthy. The Cougars will need continued strong play on that side of the ball to help compensate depth, experience and talent issues — particularly on offense and special teams. OSU seems to have fixed some of its issues on the defensive side of the ball from last season. With their talent on offense, the Cowboys should reach at least a mid-level bowl. I don't know if they're strong enough to get past Oklahoma and Texas, though.

Michigan State at California: Admittedly, I didn't see much of this game. But I know this much — Jeff Tedford needs to forget about Nate "Interception" Longshore and stick with Kevin Riley. Longshore's two interceptions made this 38-31 win closer than it needed to be.

Oregon State at Stanford: This technically wasn't a weekend game, but I was able to see a lot of it Thursday. The rest of the Pac-10 should hope that Jim Harbaugh ends up in the NFL soon because the Cardinal will be a bowl team before long. That's pretty impressive considering Stanford was 1-11 just two years ago. Stanford doesn't have the talent of many teams in the Pac-10, and it showed when they were outgained 490 to 301 by the Beavers. But they're well coached — OS had three turnovers to none by the Cardinal. If Mike Riley ever wants to reach a BCS bowl, his teams need to find a way to play as well in the first month as they do in October and November.