As Tennessee and UCLA finished up late Monday night, the first week of college football was in the books. And if you’re like me, trying to digest the five-day stretch of action could take until the next round of games begins.

Obviously, we knew some guesses proved true. Michigan has a long way to go under Rich Rodriguez. The ACC is by far the worst BCS conference. Freshmen, like Alabama receiver Julio Jones, are having big impacts on their teams. And if the Gamecocks can find stability at quarterback, the team could be pretty good.

But, with 13 more weeks to go, here’s a look at few lessons that stood out:

n If there were no “preseason” polls and college football waited until today to come out with rankings, Southern Cal would top the field. In a 52-7 route at Virginia, all questions were answered about quarterback Mark Sanchez’s injury and the Trojans look primed for a national title berth. The rest of the top 5 wouldn’t be as easy to decipher. Georgia, Ohio State and Oklahoma all destroyed FCS schools, while Florida crushed Hawaii, a team that lost its quarterback and coach from 2007.

n South Carolina might have a long way to go if it hopes to compete for a division crown this year. However, the depth of this team, which is usually far behind the rest of the SEC, could actually be close this year. Running backs Mike Davis and Taylor Rank performed admirably against N.C. State, and that was without seeing much of former T.L. Hanna standout Brian Maddox and none of senior speedster Bobby Wallace. And on defense, redshirt freshman Byron McKnight, who I’ve only seen in the media guide, stepped up and recorded a big sack.

n We learned that no matter how good Clemson’s talent is, the formula for beating Tommy Bowden’s team is still the same. Alabama coach Nick Saban decided to punch the Tigers right in the mouth and see how they responded. Being tough up front usually has the Tigers rolling over. It’s worked for Boston College the last three seasons.

n When it comes to No. 1 Georgia, it’s clear the injury bug will be more difficult to beat than any team on the schedule. I thought playing Arizona State, Florida, Alabama, Auburn and Tennessee would be the Bulldogs’ downfall. Instead, after losing defensive tackle Jeff Owens for the season, I’m wondering how many more hits UGA can take before heading to the doghouse.

n Maybe last year was a fluke. Clemson, Pitt and Virginia Tech were the only ranked teams to lose to an opponent outside the top 25, and just one FCS school beat a FBS (Cal Poly over San Diego State). In fact, 65 percent of the favorites won and covered the spread. Things could be getting back to normal in the college football world.