Player of the Week: ACC

There were some pretty standout performances in the ACC games we saw over the weekend.

Miami running back Duke Johnson, North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard, Duke receiver Conner Vernon and Florida State defensive end Bjoern Werner all come to mind, as Heather noted with her helmet stickers.

But the one that stood out the most: Clemson running back Andre Ellington, my choice for ACC player of the week for what he did against Auburn in a 26-19 win Saturday night. Ellington was not just good. He was the best in the country.

Ellington racked up a career-high 231 yards rushing to put him squarely atop the NCAA rushing leaders list after Week 1. I can guarantee you that nobody would have guessed that headed into the season because, quite frankly, he sometimes gets overshadowed in this offense with playmakers like Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and DeAndre Hopkins.

But there is no question he is just as valuable to this team as they are, and he proved it with some of his incredible feats of balance against Auburn. Not once, but twice, he somehow stayed on his feet after getting oh-so-close to having his knees hit the ground. He broke through tackles, and he showed an incredible second burst. He showed what a healthy Ellington looks like, and that has got to make Clemson fans smile today.

Of course, everybody in the ACC knows just how good Ellington can be because they have seen him play. Last season, he also had a 200-yard rushing game against Maryland. But he took his game to another level on Saturday night. Ellington now has three straight 100-yard rushing games, dating back to last season.

In all, he has 10 career 100-yard rushing games -- tops in the ACC.

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Player of the Week: SEC

It was hard to find a better performer in the SEC than Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson this weekend.

He entered the year as arguably the SEC's top quarterback and showed us exactly why when he threw for conference-high 367 yards and three touchdowns in Arkansas' 49-24 win over Jacksonville State. Wilson not only outdid the SEC, but he outdid every other opening-day Arkansas quarterback to come through Fayetteville, as his 367 passing yards set a new school record for passing yards in an opener. The previous high was 318 by Casey Dick against Western Illinois in 2008.

Wilson also tied the Arkansas record for touchdown passes in a season opener, becoming the third Arkansas quarterback to throw for three touchdowns in the first game of the season. He's now fifth on Arkansas’ list for career touchdown passes with 34.

His quarterback rating for the weekend also topped the SEC at 221.2.

Wilson might have been down his three NFL receivers from a year ago, but he did an excellent job of spreading the ball around Saturday. Two of his receiving targets -- wide receiver Brandon Mitchell and tight end Chris Gragg -- both eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark. Gragg caught a game-high seven catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns and Mitchell, who moved from quarterback, caught four passes for a game-high 122 yards.

Wilson has what it takes to be a real Heisman candidate this season and he's off to a great start.

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Player of the Week: Big 12

This isn't a game ball or a helmet sticker. This isn't a mention in the weekend rewind.

This space is reserved for the single best player in the Big 12 this week.

In Week 1, that goes to Geno Smith. He was picked as the league's preseason Offensive Player of the Year before he'd even played a snap in the league, but took a major step toward proving himself in his new league on Saturday.

The Mountaineers rolled easily in their 69-34 win over Marshall, earning a nod as the only team to score 60 points against an FBS opponent in Week 1.

Smith had plenty of help -- especially on his first of four touchdown passes. Stedman Bailey elevated and grabbed the 32-yard touchdown pass in the back of the end zone over a defender, but Smith was still the key for the Mountaineers.

He finished 32-of-36 for 323 yards and four touchdowns, adding 65 yards rushing. That included a 28-yard touchdown run on a busted running play that should have gone for a loss when Smith turned the wrong way on a handoff.

In the process, Smith became the school's all-time leader in completions and touchdown passes, and if he keeps it up, he'll earn a much bigger spot in West Virginia's history.

How's the man who led the Mountaineers to a Big 12 title in their first year in the league sound? West Virginia's got a long way to go to make that happen, but it looked the most impressive of any Big 12 team in Week 1.

The offensive line, receivers and 123 yards from bruising back Shawne Alston helped, but the Big 12's best player in Week 1 is very clear.

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Player of the Week: Pac-12

Lots of great choices this week, but one stood out in the mind of the Pac-12 blog: Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

What makes Mariota's debut so impressive wasn't the three touchdown passes or the 200 yards on 18 of 22 passing. Or even the fact that his Ducks dropped 50 in the first half on Arkansas State.

Most impressive was the way he handled his business; cool, patient and collected. There was almost no indication that it was his first collegiate start. He was poised and dangerously efficient with no interceptions and a sparkling 81.8 completion percentage.

As we all know, Mariota was involved in a very private, very intense quarterback competition with Bryan Bennett -- last year's backup and a lot of people's pick as the presumptive starter following the departure of Darron Thomas.

But Mariota won the job and showed why he's Chip Kelly's guy Saturday night, carving up Arkansas State (with a little help from his friends) and calling it a night before the halftime festivities. For anyone who might have been on the fence following Kelly's decision, it's time to get off. Mariota's performance left little room for second guessing.

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NCAA player claims sexual assault by teammates

A former freshman football player at Saginaw Valley State University told police that he was sexually assaulted by older, veteran teammates.

MLive.com obtained a 25-page report with interviews from the victim and 14 other witnesses through the Michigan Freedom of Information Act. The report, which had three interviews with the victim, detailed an investigation into his claim that after he refused to engage in a team tradition (singing in front of the team), he was surrounded by teammates, and two naked players rubbed their private parts up against him.

The 17-year-old player with the claims has not been named.

All names in the report are redacted, but SVSU coach Jim Collins suspended offensive lineman Tevon Conrad, Kaleb Forr, Jack Raymond and Jesse Somsel and defensive end Nate Snyder from the team's season-opening game for a violation of team rules. It later was reported that those individuals were under a criminal investigation that has been characterized as a fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct.

"They broke team rules, and we have a high standard on our team," Collins told the Midland Daily News. "When you violate a team rule, there's going to be consequences. That's where we stand on it."

The incident has not been described as hazing, but the victim's mother, according to the report, referred to the incident as "rape" when talking to Collins over the phone after the player alerted his mother following the incident.

The report shows that the victim's story was inconsistent in the three different interviews, while all of the suspects have denied physical contact and witnesses were unsure if there was physical contact.

According to the report, the victim told Detective Jamie Teddy that "20 or more naked men cornered me" and that one of the players "rubbed his penis on his right hip area for approximately 10 seconds" while another player "slid down (the teen's) right shoulder with his buttocks."