Grading the NNBE schools for week 1:
Boise State: B+/A- - replaced a ton of starters and had a lead against a Top 15 team on the road despite having previously turned the ball over on MSU's goal line. Boise is going to be very good again.
SDSU: B - not sure how a FBS program doesn't have a kicker at the end of training camp, but despite that handicap, SDSU put up a good fight against a Pac 12 team on the road. I was a little harsh on Washington earlier too, they should be middle of the pack in the Pac 12.
SMU: I - a win against Baylor would really help the perception battle.
Navy: D- - Navy looked like a high school team against Notre Dame, and Notre Dame isn't Alabama. The problem with a program like Navy is that it's upside is years where it can beat lower level BCS teams, and its downside is years like this one where it will get blown out by every decent team it plays.
Memphis: F - lost to a bad Tennessee-Martin team at home, including a late game collapse. This team just sucks in every way measurable. 0-12 is on the table for Memphis.
Houston: F- - sometimes you know from the first game or two a guy coaches that he is not cut out for the top spot. I could tell immediately with GRob, and it took Kragthorpe's first game against Kentucky for me to see he was not a big time coach. Levine has used all his mulligans for the next 3 years. Either he turns this around immediately or Houston may be better served firing him after one season and hiring Franchione. This wasn't supposed to be a rebuilding job.