Week 1 Report Card: Houston takes top of the class

School is officially back in session across the country, and nothing signals that more than the return of college football.

Each Saturday during the 2016 season, grades will be given out to teams and individuals around the country.

Here's who is top of the class after Saturday's action, and who needs to put in some extra work in the classroom to improve their grade.

A

James Conner

There were many great performances across college football on Saturday, but none more inspirational than the one put forth by Pitt running back James Conner. The Panthers standout missed almost all of last season after being diagnosed with cancer, but just one year later was back on the field and free of the disease. He finished with two touchdowns on the day in a win over Villanova, but those were just gravy in what is the best comeback story in recent memory.

Nick Chubb

Through the first 18 games of his college career, Nick Chubb was arguably the best running back in the country. After sustaining an extremely graphic knee injury in his 19th career game, there were questions as to whether the Georgia standout would ever be the same. He put those concerns to bed Saturday against North Carolina, ripping off an astonishing 222 yards and two touchdowns on the ground in the Bulldogs' 33-24 victory.

Houston

Houston is currently on the short list for Big 12 expansion, but it's likely that after Saturday, Oklahoma will do all it can to keep the Cougars out of their conference. Tom Herman's club followed up their massive success against Florida State in last year's Peach Bowl by throttling the No. 3-ranked Sooners 33-23. The scoreline was actually flattering to Oklahoma (who came in as 12-point favorites), as Houston fumbled once on the goal line and allowed a garbage-time touchdown. The Cougars are now legitimate playoff contenders and could become the first school outside of a Power 5 conference to crash the final four.

B

J.T. Barrett

Ohio State's roster was ravaged by losses to the NFL, with a ridiculous 12 players getting drafted to the pros. But the Buckeyes will be just fine in 2016, thanks to one player who stayed. Quarterback J.T. Barrett showed he can carry the offense without all his weapons from last season, tying his own school record with six touchdown passes in a 77-10 win over Bowling Green. The junior also added one score on the ground and showed he should be near the top of everyone's Heisman list after one week. Through no fault of his own, Barrett finds himself with a 'B' grade due to his opponent's lack of strength.

C

Bob Stoops

Calling Oklahoma's coach "Big Game Bob" is quickly becoming similar to nicknaming a fat person "Skinny." Bob Stoops gained the nickname for big wins early in his coaching career with the Sooners, but that has shifted drastically in recent years.

Oklahoma was hammered by Clemson in last year's Orange Bowl to end the season, and looked even worse in its opener against Houston on Saturday. The 15th-ranked Cougars are certainly a quality team, but Stoops' bunch looked overwhelmed from the second quarter on. With No. 6 Ohio State coming to Norman in two weeks, the Sooners must right the ship quickly or find themselves out of the playoff picture by Oct. 1.

D

USC

Nobody really expected USC to beat No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, but most of us likely didn't see a 52-6 beatdown in the cards. USC fired Lane Kiffin at the airport in 2013, and the Alabama offensive coordinator finally got his revenge, hanging 465 total yards on his former employer. The Trojans removed the interim tag from Clay Helton's title and signed him to a five-year contract prior to the season. His first game at the helm couldn't have gone worse. It could be a long year for the Pac-12 program.

F

Mississippi State and Virginia

Mississippi State began life without star quarterback Dak Prescott Saturday as 28-point favorites against South Alabama. The Bulldogs struggled throughout the day, but managed to line up a chip-shot field goal in the last second to secure an ugly win. Here's how that one went:

That loss seemed like the biggest disaster of the day, but then Virginia took the field for its first game under new coach Bronco Mendenhall. The Cavaliers hosted FCS-opponent Richmond as 14-point favorites, and proceeded to get run off their own field in a 37-20 loss. Looks like the brown bags might be getting some use in Virginia again this season.