Bill Belichick is still looking for his first victory against a Power Four team after the Tar Heels were defeated 17-16 by No. On Saturday, No. 16 Virginia lost 17-16 in overtime. North Carolina dropped to 2-5 (0-3 ACC) after the loss. The wins were against FCS programs Richmond and Charlotte, both of which had a 1-7 record. North Carolina’s offense and defense showed signs of life in the second-half. But Belichick’s gamble in his first collegiate overtime backfired. UNC chose to convert a two-point conversion after a Cavaliers touchdown. Tar Heels quarterback Gio Lopez hit Benjamin Hall on the flat. Hall was able to reach for the pylon and stopped short. UNC lost 17-16.
Bama won its seventh consecutive game since losing to Florida State in the season opener. The win improved Alabama’s record this season from 0-3 when it comes to games decided by a single possession. DeBoer’s team has made clutch plays on multiple occasions during its 5-0 SEC start. This is the complete list of Week 9 college football winners and losers.
The No. 10 Vanderbilt team was facing a great deal of pressure after reaching the top 10 in the AP poll, for the first since 1947. Vanderbilt, ranked 10th in the AP poll for the first time since 1947, hosted No. 17 Missouri. The Commodores, who were in the spotlight for the first since 2008 with ESPN’s College Gameday, needed a win in order to validate their CFP bid. It was anything but easy, but Vandy pulled it off in a 17-10 victory. The Commodores had to rely on a goal line stand, a Missouri chip-shot missed field goal and a review of the last play in the game. After all of that, the Commodores managed to escape with another impressive victory and reach 7-1 (3-1 SEC). This is the best start for the program since 1941.
South Carolina falls apart. This is the story of a team that was ranked number one at the beginning of this season. It has been a painful 13 years. The 29-22 defeat to No. It was more painful than the 29-22 loss against No. It was agonizing. With 10 minutes left, the Gamecocks (3-5-1-5) had a 22-14 advantage. South Carolina’s defensive unit folded when the game was on the line, after forcing three three-and outs in a row during the third quarter. Gamecocks offense played a part in the collapse as well. A fumble by the Gamecocks at 1:39 gave Alabama great field position to score the winning goal.
North Carolina loses the end zone. Bill Belichick, North Carolina’s first-year head coach, is having a difficult time getting the ball into the endzone. The scene was repeated Saturday, a week after UNC’s loss at Cal due to a crushing goal-line fumble. 16 Virginia. North Carolina had just taken a 7 -0 lead, when Kobe Paysour made a mistake while reaching for the pole. The result was an unintentional touchback that spelled out what was to come. The UNC quarterback Gio López was intercepted two times inside Virginia’s 10 yard line in the second-half, when the score was tied at 10. The Cavaliers then stopped North Carolina from converting a 2-point attempt to win the game in overtime by just inches.
Memphis wins after roaring back Memphis was trailing No. In a crucial American battle, 18 South Florida won 31-17. Tigers fans can look back on a memorable fourth quarter. Memphis racked up 221 yards and outscored the Bulls by 17-0 in the fourth quarter, en route to an exciting 34-31 victory. After a devastating loss at UAB last week, the Tigers (7-1 AAC and 3-1 AAC), desperately needed to win this game in order to keep their hopes for a conference title alive. Nico Gramatica, a USF kicker, missed a potential game-tying goal as the clock expired. The Tigers have won 11 straight games at home in the last two seasons, and are 2-1 so far this season when they trailed 14 points or more. South Florida (6-2-3-1) isn’t finished yet. But the Bulls face stiff competition within the Group of Six to win the CFP.
Mississippi State’s fans were probably the only ones in more pain than South Carolina’s Saturday. The Bulldogs had a 38-21 lead over No. Texas led 38-21 by the end of quarter one, before falling apart late in the game and losing 45-38 to Georgia in overtime. The Bulldogs have not won an SEC game since 2023. A win would’ve ended a 15-game losing streak. This would have been their second league victory since the passing of Mike Leach, in 2022. What’s worse, it was Mississippi State’s second overtime loss at home this season against a league-ranked opponent after the Bulldogs lost in similar fashion to Tennessee last month. The Bulldogs made a heart-wrenching mistake last week while driving to a potentially game-winning field-goal at Florida. The team has become more competitive under Jeff Lebby in his second season. They also won a thrilling thriller against the reigning Big 12 champion Arizona State during Week 2. When it comes to beating SEC opponents, the lid remains on.
Winner: Iowa explodes…sort of. Iowa is among the teams that are able to score 40+ points with just 13 first-downs and 274 yards. This is exactly what the Hawkeyes accomplished in a 41-3 win over Minnesota. Hawkeyes score touchdowns in special teams (punt returns), defense (pick-six) and yes, even on offense. The Hawkeyes put on a classic performance, which has quietly helped them reach 6-2 (4-1 Big Ten), ahead of the visit next week from No. 6 Oregon.
Nebraska wins the right to play in the bowlBowl eligibility was once a given at Nebraska. It’s still a great achievement after seven consecutive seasons of losing from 2017-23. Saturday’s win against Northwestern, 28-21, was no masterpiece. But it made the Cornhuskers eligible for their second straight bowl season. Matt Rhule, a third-year head coach at Penn State, is facing a bleak future due to the vacant position of head coach. Rhule’s presence or absence has brought Nebraska (6-2, 3-3) back to the respectability it had been missing for a decade. Cornhuskers used to find a way of losing close games such as this one.
Haynes King’s Heisman trophy campaign gained momentum in Georgia Tech’s 41-16 win over Syracuse. The No. 7 Georgia Tech team’s 41-16 victory over Syracuse. So did the No. It was the same for the No. King completed fourteen straight passes (at one point), totaled a total of 395 yards, and finished with 5 touchdowns. Sixth-year senior King leads the ACC with 12 rushing touchdowns and captains one of only two ACC teams that have not yet suffered a loss in the league. Tech’s chances to reach the CFP keep increasing as it is 8-0 and 5-0 in the ACC.
Wake Forest wins the game! You could hear Connor Calvert’s kick hitting the ball as he launched his 50-yard field-goal attempt. Wake Forest was trailing SMU by 12-10 with seconds left in the game. The Demon Deacons were depending on their redshirt freshman kicker to deliver a heroic performance. His kick was a legend, bouncing off the hands of defenders at SMU and clearing the crossbar just inches before the goal. It was a wild end to what could be considered the ugly game of the day.
Calvert’s unforgettable kick allowed the Demon Deacons to win by 13-12, despite committing five turnovers. Wake Forest, which is now 5-2 (2-2 ACC) has surpassed its preseason win total assigned by Las Vegas before coach Jake Dickert’s first season. This is not bad, especially with five games remaining.
Oklahoma’s murderer row startsNo. Oklahoma faced No. 13 in its SEC showdown. Ole Miss is the number eight team in the country for total defense. They allow just 213 yards a game. The Sooners were ranked No. The Sooners were ranked No.2 in scoring defense as well as No.3 in third-down defensive. The third-down defense was ranked at No. However, the Rebels offense was significantly better than that of the Sooners in their first 7 games. OU suffered a 34 to 26 loss. The Rebels (7-1 SEC), dominated the time of play by over 10 minutes, and allowed only one sack. The Sooners (7-1, 4-1 SEC) produced 14 tackles, but never forced a turn. From here, things will only get more difficult. OU has four more top-20 SEC teams to face before the end of the season.
Winner: Cincinnati’s defense deliversNo. 21 Cincinnati’s passing defense isn’t well-known, so Baylor’s visit was particularly intriguing. Sawyer Robertson was the Bears’ quarterback when he entered, leading the country in passing yards allowed per game with 339.4. Robertson probably was licking his lips when he faced a Bearcats defense that ranked 93rd for passing yards allowed. Cincy came through by limiting Robertson’s passing yardage to a season low 137 in a win of 41-20. The Bearcats dominated the time of possession by gaining 265 yards of ground on offense.
Mason Heintschel is a Pitt freshman who was ranked as the No. 247Sports ranked him the 43rd quarterback in the class of 2025. He selected the Panthers above programs such as Akron Bowling Green and Coastal Carolina. His past four games may indicate that a bidding competition is soon to begin for this once-unheralded prospect. Heintschel broke the Pitt freshman record for passing yards with 423 in Pitt’s 53-34 win over NC State. According to the ACC Network, Heintschel is the first ACC freshmen in 30 years to throw 400 yards with three touchdowns. Heintschel has now taken over as the starter for the Panthers (6-1, 4-1).
Kansas rivalry woes persistKansas was a 3-point favorite in its Sunflower Showdown game with Kansas State. The Jayhawks had the advantage of playing at home, and they were in a perfect position to break a 16 game losing streak. But it wasn’t meant to be. Kansas State dominated KU 42-17. KU’s chances of claiming Governor’s Cup, for the first since 2008, were dashed by four turnovers. The Wildcats’ season (4-4, 3-3 Big 12) hasn’t been one of the most exciting in recent memory. However, K-State is quietly winning three of its four games going into a home game against Texas Tech on Nov. 1.
Loser: UCLA’s joyride crashed hardFollowing a 0-4 and the firing coach DeShaun foster, UCLA went on a quite a ride. The Bruins beat Michigan State then stunned Penn State. The Bruins’ feel-good streak came to an abrupt end on Saturday when they lost 56-6 to No. The Bruins suffered a 56-6 defeat to No. This was the Bruins worst defeat since 2011. It also tied the Bruins for their second-largest defeat margin since 1936. The Hoosiers (8-1, 5-0 Big Ten), who won their 14th consecutive home win, showed no mercy towards their outmatched West Coast guests. Alberto Mendoza rushed for a touchdown, adding to IU’s excitement.
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