September review: Awards for CFB's opening month

College football season is officially in its second month.

Before Week 6 action starts on Thursday, it's time to look back at September and hand out some awards recognizing those who starred - and those who didn't.

Best team: Texas

Ohio State's schedule is heavily backloaded and featured a weak opening month, so this race is between three SEC teams right now. Each program has a fair argument to claim this award, but Texas gets the nod thanks to its dominant Week 2 win at Michigan. The 31-12 thumping ended both the Wolverines' 16-game overall winning streak and their 29-game unbeaten run at home. Steve Sarkisian's program gets the slight edge here, but things could look different by October's end with both Oklahoma and Georgia due up on its schedule.

Finalists: Alabama, Tennessee

Best coach: Curt Cignetti, Indiana

"I win. Google me."

Turns out, Curt Cignetti was bang on when he dropped that epic bar to the media at his Indiana introduction in December. Sure, it's impressive on its own that Cignetti and the Hoosiers are a perfect 5-0 for the first time since 1967. But it's the way they handle business that wins them this award. Indiana isn't just beating opponents, it's pounding them into oblivion. The Hoosiers own the nation's eighth-best scoring margin at 26 points per game and are putting up over 41 a week - just one year after ranking 108th in the nation in scoring.

Finalists: Kalen DeBoer (Alabama), Barry Odom (UNLV)

Best player: Travis Hunter, Colorado

Both Jalen Milroe and Ashton Jeanty have piled up some insane stats - while playing half of the game. Travis Hunter doesn't have the luxury of rest, but the Colorado star continues his dominance as a two-way player. Hunter sits third in the nation in catches, touchdown catches and fifth in receiving yards - and it's his second-best position. Add two interceptions, 16 tackles, a game-saving forced fumble on the goal line and the fact he averages 130 snaps per game, and the award is clearly Hunter's.

Finalists: Jalen Milroe (Alabama), Ashton Jeanty (Boise State)

Best play: Ryan Williams vs. Georgia

Two plays after Alabama blew a 28-point lead at home to Georgia in the dying minutes of last Saturday's game, Ryan Williams restored order in Tuscaloosa.

Oh yeah, and the 17-year-old breaking all the Alabama state records should still be in high school. He did tell everyone what he'd do upon reclassifying, though, offering this to Hayes Fawcett of On3 before the season.

"When you see what I'm about to do this year, you'll understand why I reclassified."

Finalists: Colorado Hail Mary vs. Baylor, Daniel Jackson touchdown vs. Michigan

Best freshman: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

We could easily give both Jeremiah Smith and Williams trophies here but, since Williams already received some hardware, the Ohio State star gets the honor. Smith is the latest from the incredible wide receiver factory in Columbus and might be the best yet. The five-star prospect has 19 catches for 364 yards and five touchdowns - some of which required just one hand.

Finalists: Ryan Williams (Alabama), Dylan Raiola (Nebraska)

Wildest finish: Miami vs. Virginia Tech

The call was probably correct, but what a journey it was to the end. The Virginia Tech Hail Mary attempt versus Miami last Friday had:

• Seven players leaping for the ball
• The ball disappearing in the pack
• A scramble on the ground digging for the ball
• A Miami defender emerging with the ball and running in celebration
• The Stadium light show going off to celebrate
• Officials somehow signaling a ... Virginia Tech touchdown
• Replay making it difficult to see because Virginia Tech's gloves and pants are similar color to the football
• Multiple clips suggesting it probably wasn't a catch, but aren't conclusive
• Officials overturning the call giving Miami the win

The ACC issued a statement the next day clarifying that the loose ball was touched by an out-of-bounds player, rendering the pass incomplete. While that's probably the most accurate representation of what happened, it didn't ease the pain for the Virginia Tech faithful in one of the wildest plays in recent college football memory.

Finalists: Monmouth beats FIU, Georgia Tech beats Florida State

Biggest disappointment - Florida State

There are some raging fires in numerous places across the country (ahem, Hugh Freeze and Auburn), but nobody's had a more disappointing season than Florida State. After being snubbed by the CFP last year, many figured the Seminoles would enter the season with a chip on their shoulder. Despite a large amount of roster turnover, the AP voters still held the program in high enough regard to label it as the country's No. 10 team in the preseason poll.

Florida State rewarded that trust by losing in Ireland to Georgia Tech to start the season. That setback stung, but it was far from being its toughest moment in the opening month. Subsequent home losses to Boston College and Memphis made the Seminoles the first AP preseason top-10 team to start 0-3 with all three losses to unranked opponents. After a home win over Cal briefly calmed things down, the Seminoles were run off the field 42-16 by SMU in the Mustangs' first-ever ACC game.

Finalists: Auburn, Kansas