College football scores, rankings, highlights: Notre Dame, USC flex muscles to open 2023 season

The Fighting Irish and Trojans took care of overmatched opponents in Week 0

The first Saturday of college football is in the books after a slate of seven games brought a taste of what's in store for the months ahead. Just two ranked teams were in action and there were no marquee matchups, but the day provided insights of what to expect from teams like No. 6 USC and No. 13 Notre Dame in 2023.

Notre Dame began the day with a 42-3 drubbing of Navy in Dublin, Ireland. In his first game as a member of the Fighting Irish, quarterback Sam Hartman completed 19 of 23 passes for 251 yards and four touchdowns. The Wake Forest transfer surpassed 13,000 career passing yards in the contest and looked comfortable in command of a new offensive scheme.

Hartman wasn't the only star quarterback in action. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams started his season with an impressive four-touchdown performance in the Trojans' 56-28 win over San Jose State. While the junior was excellent as usual, it was freshman receiver Zachariah Branch who stole the show with a pair of touchdowns as both a receiver and kick returner.

The only other game involving a Power Five team wound up as a wonky affair delayed by lightning as Vanderbilt outlasted the weather and a resilient Hawai'i team to win 35-28 in Nashville. 

Here is the full list of scores from college football's Week 0 action.

College football scores, schedule: Week 0

No. 13 Notre Dame 42, Navy 3 (Dublin, Ireland) -- Recap, takeaways
Jacksonville State 17, UTEP 14 -- Recap
San Diego State 20, Ohio 13 -- Recap
UMass 41, New Mexico State 30 -- Recap
Vanderbilt 35, Hawaii 28 -- Recap
No. 6 USC 56, San Jose State 28 -- Recap, takeaways
Louisiana Tech 22, FIU 17 -- Recap
Check out the entire Week 0 scoreboard

Check these out ... 

• Embarrassment of riches: USC's freshman WR steals spotlight from Caleb Williams
• Future of Pac-12: Oregon State, Washington State could decide fates by Labor Day
• Boomer Sooner: Oklahoma lands five-star DL for 2024

[Aug 27, 2023 at 12:49 am ET · Ben Kercheval]

Williams, Branch lift No. 6 USC past San Jose State

Final: USC 56, San Jose State 28

No. 6 USC struggled on both sides of the ball early, but used an explosive second half to pull away from San Jose State for a 56-28 win in Week 0. The Trojans scored 35 points in the final 30 minutes, highlighted by individual efforts from quarterback Caleb Williams and freshman receiver Zachariah Branch, to coast to victory after a tense first half that saw Lincoln Riley's team up just seven points over the Spartans at the break. 

But Williams, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, was not to be denied. The junior finished 18 of 25 passing, completing nine of his final 10 attempts, for 278 yards and four touchdowns. Branch had four catches for 58 yards and a score plus a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in a breakout performance. Read more here.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 11:14 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

UMass pulls Week 0 upset

Final: UMass 41, New Mexico State 30

The Minutemen don't typically make an appearance among college football's biggest stories of the day, but their Week 0 win over New Mexico State was a significant moment for the program during an otherwise light slate. UMass won its first season opener against an FBS team since 1984 when it was a member of the FCS. In fact, the victory snapped a 15-game losing streak to FBS opponents and 24-game road skid, which was the longest active among FBS schools. It was also UMass' highest points output in its last 43 games. 

[Aug 26, 2023 at 10:48 pm ET · David Cobb]

Zachariah Branch shining

True freshman Zachariah Branch is making his presence felt in his collegiate debut. The former five-star receiver has four receptions for 58 yards and a TD plus a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown in the books. He's also proved particularly elusive on punt returns. The man can do a bit of everything and apparently has had no trouble finding a role within USC's loaded WR group.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 9:37 pm ET · David Cobb]

Halftime in LA

USC 21, San Jose State 14

The first half was a mixed bag for No. 6 USC as the Trojans opened the 2023 season against a respectable Mountain West foe. Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams completed 8 of 11 passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, but he was also sacked twice and pressured often as a revamped offensive line struggled with protection. Defensively, the Trojans improved as the half progressed until suffering a major lapse in the final minute as the Spartans pulled within 21-14 on a 28-yard touchdown connection between Cordeiro and Nick Nash with eight seconds remaining.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 9:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Highlight at USC

USC just surged ahead of San Jose State 14-7 in the second quarter on a 76-yard bomb from Caleb Williams to Tahj Washington. The play began with a fumble and ended up as a much-needed explosive play to jolt the Trojans back to life. San Jose State has moved the football into USC territory on two of its first three possessions. USC scored on its first possession but went three-and-out on its second before the Williams-Washington connection.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 8:57 pm ET · Chip Patterson]

Jacksonville State knocks off UTEP in FBS debut 

FINAL: Jacksonville State 17, UTEP 14 

Game 1 of the Conference USA doubleheader on CBS Sports Network was an absolute thriller, coming down to the final drive in the final minutes as Jacksonville State came up with a defensive stop to hang on for a 17-14 win against UTEP. The Miners were driving looking for a game-tying or go-ahead score, but failed conversions on both third and fourth down in scoring range allowed Jacksonville State to secure its first victory in its first game as an FBS and Conference USA member. 

On third-and-1 with 1:22 remaining UTEP opted to take a shot at the end zone that ended up incomplete, and then on fourth-and-1 quarterback Gavin Hardison went to the air again only to be intercepted by Jacksonville State defensive back Jeremiah Harris. That allowed the coach Rich Rodriguez and his Gamecocks squad to run out the clock and celebrate, in front of their home crowd, a 12th straight win in the program's home opener. 

[Aug 26, 2023 at 8:48 pm ET · David Cobb]

San Diego State on top

Halftime: SDSU 10, Ohio 6

Ohio out-gained San Diego State 204-135 in the first half but trails entering the break after Ohio backup QB CJ Harris threw two picks. Starting QB Kurtis Rourke was injured for the Bobcats in the half, which was a brutal blow as he's considered one of the best in the MAC. Jalen Mayden threw a 13-yard touchdown to Mark Redman on the final play of the first half to put the Aztecs ahead.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 8:31 pm ET · David Cobb]

Another delay

New Mexico State-UMass hit a delay for an unusual reason in the second quarter.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 7:49 pm ET · David Cobb]

Weather delay in Nashville

The start of Vanderbilt vs. Hawaii in Nashville has been delayed because of bad weather. From Vanderbilt: "Per game management policy, when lightning is detected within eight miles of FirstBank Stadium, competition will be suspended. Competition may be resumed after 30 minutes of no detected lightning strikes within an eight-mile radius." A look at the radar shows rain will be a factor for quite a while, even if the lightning subsides.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 7:45 pm ET · David Cobb]

Pac-12 preview

We are just 15 minutes away from the beginning of USC's 2023 season as the Trojans host San Jose State at the Coliseum. USC has College Football Playoff aspirations under second-year coach Lincoln Riley, especially considering that Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams is back at quarterback. USC is among a handful of intriguing squads in the Pac-12 this season as the league prepares to split apart following the season. Here's the full preview of what's in store for the league on the field this season.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 7:24 pm ET · Chip Patterson]

Jacksonville State defense shining in FBS debut

Halftime: Jacksonville State 10, UTEP 7 

Jacksonville State is making its Conference USA and FBS debut with a closely contested conference game against UTEP, and so far the Gamecocks have come up with enough big stops to hold a lead at halftime. UTEP has a turnover on downs, a missed field goal and a fumble across five first-half possessions, only finally reaching the end zone on the final play of the first half. Jacksonville State, meanwhile, needs to find a spark on offense after turtling up a bit once it gained a 10-point first half lead. 

[Aug 26, 2023 at 5:53 pm ET · Ben Kercheval]

Hartman shines in debut as Notre Dame crushes Navy 

Final: Notre Dame 42, Navy 3

No. 13 Notre Dame could've spent much of the second half of its season opener against Navy at a local Dublin pub and it probably wouldn't have made a difference. The Fighting Irish cruised to a 42-3 win over Navy to start the 2023 season, scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions and marking an impressive debut for new quarterback Sam Hartman. Read more here. 

[Aug 26, 2023 at 4:02 pm ET · David Cobb]

Irish cruising in Dublin

Halftime: Notre Dame 28, Navy 0

Notre Dame began the 2023 college football season by marching 81 yards on 13 plays to score an early touchdown on Navy. The dominant drive set the tone for the first half as Wake Forest transfer QB Sam Hartman looked comfortable early. He surpassed 13,000 career passing yards while completing 14 of 17 passes for 200 yards and two touchdowns in the opening two quarters. He capped the half with a 14-yard touchdown strike to Jayden Thomas with 13 seconds left. Audric Estime and Gi'Bran Payne split the rushing load for the Fighting Irish, but Jadarian Price also made some noise with a 19-yard TD on his only carry.

Navy moved the football well, reaching Notre Dame territory on two of its three full possessions. But the Midshipmen's first series ended in a turnover on downs and its second trip into Fighting Irish territory resulted in a missed field goal. Navy will get the football to start the second half as it tries to find some positives to take from Brian Newberry's head coaching debut.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 3:11 pm ET · Marcus Nelson]

Picks for Saturday's games

Check out predictions from our experts for the key Week 0 games with their picks both straight-up and against the spread.

[Aug 26, 2023 at 2:00 pm ET · Marcus Nelson]

College football is back!

Week 0 gets the 2023 college football season started with a limited schedule. Barrett Sallee breaks down the action and has your Viewer's Guide for today's games.