We normally don’t get that many data points at the start of a football season. That’s because when a top-ranked team plays a Group of Five or FCS opponent, it’s hard to know what is real and what’s exacerbated by playing a generally weaker opponent.
By way of example, Texas A&M shut out Sam Houston State, 31-0. We know absolutely nothing about how the Aggies stack up against the rest of the Top-10 in the AP Poll. Similarly, though Utah State won the Mountain West last season, it’s hard to gauge what Alabama’s 55-0 win over the (other) Aggies says about the Crimson Tide.