An epic Prime Time performance ushered in a classic Week 1 of college football
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David Hale, ESPN Staff Writer
There were games before Saturday, but for all intents and purposes, this was the day college football finally returned to us — and not a moment too soon.
Think of all we’ve endured over the past nine months. Realignment, tampering, NIL proposals from the federal government, the 2023 Yankees. It’s been rough.
But then Week 1 kicked off, and all was right with the world once more.
Yes, Colorado stole the show with an Eras Tour-level performance, but Saturday had everything we’ve been missing since the last time TCU was embarrassed on a national stage.
We opened the day with a grown man in Charlotte, North Carolina, covering himself in mayonnaise, which would seem to fly in the face of the narrative that the ACC isn’t a great TV product.
0:24
Fan gets pumped for CFB kickoff with mayo bath
Ahead of the Duke’s Mayo Classic, a fan decides to take to a mayonnaise bath at College Gameday.
TCU fans gave us our first epic reaction shot of the season, and a Liberty player gave us — honestly, we’re not sure what this is, but we’re pretty sure the Liberty student code of conduct doesn’t allow it.
Why so serious? ?
cc: @nocontextcfb pic.twitter.com/SEhUjNyIkV
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) September 2, 2023
Iowa threw a passing touchdown on its opening drive of the season for the first time since 1991. Think about that. There have been more President Bushes since then than season-opening Iowa passing TDs. And then, of course, offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz’s offense did so little in the second half against Utah State that the quest for 25 points per game is already behind schedule.
Oregon, meanwhile, had so much offense it nearly killed its mascot. Not since the KFC Double Down sandwich has a bird been so battered.
Oregon breaking their modern era record for points in a game (81) resulted in A LOT of push-ups for their mascot ? pic.twitter.com/DYXJ1omuhi
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 3, 2023
As has become tradition, Georgia toyed with an obviously overmatched opponent like a cat batting a mouse around before delivering the fatal blow. The Bulldogs led just 17-0 at the half but ultimately beat Tennessee-Martin 48-7.
We saw a man driving a motorized garbage can.
What’s going on in Bozeman? ? pic.twitter.com/8Ut0jiAyjY
— Big Sky Conference (@BigSkyConf) September 3, 2023
We’d note that, had Butch Jones only thought to attach a lawnmower engine to his famed turnover trash can, his time at Tennessee might’ve turned out entirely different. But we’re not here to pile on. Jones had a rough enough day already.
Justin Parks consoling his head coach Butch Jones during a tough afternoon ❤️ pic.twitter.com/88TZvgmywl
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 2, 2023
Sure, it was a little disappointing that Texas A&M won a game without Jimbo Fisher and Bobby Petrino coming to blows on the sideline, but there’s a genuine Chekhov’s gun scenario here. There will be a payoff before the show’s over.
The wheels came off the Texas Tech bandwagon, as Wyoming stunned the Red Raiders in walk-off style. Though we wouldn’t recommend walking far in Wyoming. There are coyotes out there.
1:24
Fans rush the field after Wyoming secures thrilling 2OT victory
Wyoming takes home an exciting 35-33 win in double overtime against Texas Tech.
We saw upsets — Fresno State over Purdue, Northern Illinois over Boston College and, most shockingly, Texas State over Baylor.
We saw blowouts — Ole Miss, Washington and USC all cruised.
We saw vintage Alabama, another impressive performance from Tulane, and a Quinn Ewers performance just good enough to pronounce that Texas … is … back!
It wasn’t the best Saturday of football we’re likely to see this year, but that’s beside the point. It was college football — back at long last after a joyless offseason of arguments over all the things that threaten the sport’s future.
But Saturday — this one, every one — reminds us that, for all the supposed enemies at the gates, the game itself never wavers.
Welcome to Prime Time
We doubted.
Who wouldn’t have doubted this Colorado team. All the hoopla and hype in the world couldn’t erase the utter catastrophe of 2022, when the Buffaloes were 1-11 with seven losses by at least 30 points.
We lectured.
Of course we lectured. Deion Sanders essentially upended every lofty, moral (and, yes, utterly ridiculous) notion of genuine amateurism by effectively cutting two-thirds of his team upon arrival. If Coach Prime had a constant megaphone to tout his new approach to roster building, we could at least use our soapbox to argue against it.
We learned.
Oh, yes, we learned so much Saturday, and we came away looking like fools after Colorado beat TCU, last year’s national runner-up, 45-42 in Sanders’ first game as the Buffaloes’ head coach.
For months, the great college football punditry laughed off Prime’s rollicking hype machine, knowing that, once the games began, a hard truth would be revealed. Instead, Colorado pulled back the curtain on an offense that was nothing short of miraculous, a college football reveal that was something akin to Michael Jackson’s moonwalk, JR getting shot on “Dallas” and UConn making a bowl game all wrapped together.
If aliens had landed at midfield wearing cowboy hats, it wouldn’t have been any more shocking.
Sanders’ quarterback son, Shedeur, threw for 510 yards and four touchdowns.
Four different Colorado receivers hauled in 100 yards’ worth of catches.
Travis Hunter was a superstar playing both receiver and corner and probably drove the team bus, too.
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Shedeur Sanders throws for school-record 510 yards, 4 TDs in debut
Shedeur Sanders gets Colorado off to a winning start by throwing for 510 yards in his debut.
In a time when every new action movie, tech invention or Netflix college football documentary is hyped endlessly only to fizzle out into mediocrity, Deion Sanders and his Buffaloes delivered something truly remarkable on Saturday.
Sure, this wasn’t last year’s TCU. That team was like the guitar solo in “Free Bird” — chaotic, rollicking, lasting far longer than it had any right to, but never truly earning the respect of the cultured class of critics. But those Frogs had a host of NFL-caliber players. This year’s team — well, it’s a little like seeing Skynyrd today. There’s no one from the original band left.
So yes, TCU’s defense was a mess and couldn’t get off the field despite having Colorado backed up repeatedly in the second half. But can that really explain 565 yards of Buffaloes offense?
And it’s true, the Colorado defense had its own issues. TCU rushed for 262 yards in the game, including three touchdowns from the one Sanders — Trey Sanders — who wasn’t playing for Coach Prime, but when the Buffs absolutely needed a stop in the final two minutes of action, they stuffed the Frogs at the line on back-to-back plays, setting up a turnover on downs that effectively sealed the game.
Nitpick all you want. This was a genuinely epic performance by Colorado, one that assures the Buffs’ bandwagon will be replaced with a 1979 Trans Am with a big, gold Ralphie painted on the hood.
Oh, we could try to tamp down the now outsized expectations, because this was, after all, just one game. But to do that is to miss the point. In a sport that routinely churns out the same great teams year after year, this was a genuine surprise. In a week with relatively few marquee matchups, Colorado and TCU delivered the highest of drama, a game with seven lead changes and constant fireworks. And after an offseason marred by endlessly frustrating intrusions of business and economics into college football, Coach Prime gave us something we so desperately needed: fun.
So keep doubting if you must. We’re done with all that. We’re buying whatever Deion is selling.
After Saturday’s win, he suggested Colorado has “a couple of Heisman” contenders. Hey, why stop there? Maybe three or four.
There’s film on Colorado now, so its next game should only get tougher. Oh, but Colorado gets Nebraska? Buffs by a million.
The future of college football will be written by Sanders, his sons (Shilo Sanders is a safety for the Buffs), Hunter and a host of other sudden superstars who followed their coach out to Boulder?
Bring it on. If every week looks even close to this one, the future can’t come soon enough.
Heisman Five
The Pac-12 might be on life support, but after Colorado’s stellar start, it has command of the early Heisman race. Much will change over the next three months, but for now, the West Coast is the best coast.
1. Colorado WR/CB Travis Hunter
You know what college football needed? Its own Shohei Ohtani. Hunter played 129 snaps, caught 11 passes, had 3 tackles, picked off a pass and broke up another. The only difference between Hunter and Ohtani is Colorado actually won a game in which he did something historic.
2. Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
He opened the week with 100-to-1 odds to win the Heisman and finished it by throwing for 510 yards and four touchdowns. The only downside to his game is autocorrect keeps trying to change his name to Shedder.
3. USC QB Caleb Williams
In the 2023 calendar year, Williams has thrown for 1,059 yards with 14 touchdown passes and one interception. For comparison, 22 FBS teams, including four of USC’s future conferencemates in the Big Ten, failed to throw for 14 total touchdowns in all of 2022.
2:32
Caleb Williams shines with 5-TD performance vs. Nevada
Caleb Williams continues his red-hot start to the season with a five-touchdown performance vs. Nevada.
4. Washington QB Michael Penix Jr.
Boise State ranked fourth nationally in defensive success rate last season. Penix torched the Broncos to the tune of 450 yards and five touchdowns on Saturday.
5. All three Alabama QBs
Nick Saban isn’t into depth charts these days, which was just as well against MTSU. It didn’t matter which QB was in the game. The three contenders for the starting job — Jalen Milroe, who actually started, along with Tyler Buchner and Ty Simpson — combined for 295 yards of offense and seven touchdowns.
Buckeyes start slow
Should we be worried about Ohio State?
The Buckeyes beat Indiana handily but scored just 23 points in the process. New starting QB Kyle McCord threw for 239 yards but no touchdowns and one pick. It was just the third time since 2018 the Buckeyes didn’t throw a touchdown pass — and both of the others came against Northwestern. Less than 10 months ago, Ohio State hung 56 on the Hoosiers.
Frankly, this was a performance Michigan was expecting Ohio State to save for late November.
Still, it’s probably far from time for anyone in Columbus, Ohio, to panic. Ohio State was a woeful 2-for-12 on third down, which stunted any sustained drives. Marvin Harrison Jr. missed some time after a minor arm injury. He and Emeka Egbuka combined for just 34 yards, which they’d typically rack up before the coin toss.
After all, it was just a year ago when Ohio State — complete with star QB CJ Stroud — struggled to score 10 points in the first half of its opener against Notre Dame before ambling to a 21-10 win. The rest of the 2022 season turned out OK.
So no, let’s not fill the message board with doomsday (or “Fire Day”) scenarios just yet.
Freeze and others nab win No. 1
A year ago, Hugh Freeze’s team managed to lose to both UConn and New Mexico State, so it was fair to have a few worries as he began his tenure at Auburn against perennial Bottom 10 stalwart UMass.
Turns out, Auburn’s win was as comfortable as a press-box hospital bed, with the Tigers rushing for six touchdowns and racking 491 yards of offense — their most against an FBS opponent since the 2021 opener against Akron.
It was a strong start for the bulk of the other 23 first-year head coaches, too.
G.J. Kinne scored the second-biggest shocker of the day, leading Texas State past Baylor 42-31. Former Auburn QB TJ Finley led the way, throwing for 298 yards and three touchdowns, rushing for a fourth. In 11 starts for LSU and Auburn over the past three years, Finley had never thrown for three touchdowns or racked up as many passing yards in a game.
Jeff Brohm’s homecoming to Louisville started brilliantly with a win over Georgia Tech. Former Louisville coach Scott Satterfield proved he knows how to get the most out of dual-threat QBs, as Emory Jones threw for five touchdowns and ran for two more in Cincinnati‘s win over Eastern Kentucky. And Charlotte‘s Biff Poggi led the 49ers to a 24-3 win over South Carolina State while, we assume, smoking a cigar, complaining about the concession lines and using the headset exclusively to tell “Yo Mama” jokes about the opposing offensive linemen.
In all, the 22 new coaches in action Saturday posted a solid 16-7 record, with Northwestern still on the docket.
Michigan played its first of three games without head coach Jim Harbaugh, who is serving a self-imposed suspension, and his players let it be known they didn’t agree with it.
A @UMichFootball tribute to HC Jim Harbaugh. #GoBlue
?: @Peacock pic.twitter.com/4X5VSXUeDy
— NBC Sports (@NBCSports) September 2, 2023
On the first offensive possession of the game, the players lined up in his infamous train formation and held up four fingers — Harbaugh’s jersey number as a player. J.J. McCarthy even donned a “Free Harbaugh” shirt before and after the game (despite the far more emphatic message that would’ve been sent by simply playing the game wearing a pair of Dockers khakis), then told reporters after the win that he was eager to support his coach.
But while Harbaugh was secluded from the action and (we assume) either calling recruits or researching crop circles on YouTube, his team thumped East Carolina 30-3 behind three passing TDs from McCarthy.
With UNLV and Bowling Green on the docket before Harbaugh returns to the sideline, there’s a good chance Michigan would start 3-0 even with a magic eight ball calling plays, but the high-profile show of support certainly keeps the suspension — and the long saga with the NCAA that preceded it — front and center.
No Hendon Hooker, no problem for Tennessee.
Joe Milton III opened the 2023 season proving last year’s late-season highlights weren’t a fluke, as Tennessee dominated Virginia 49-13.
The box score says Milton threw for just 201 yards, but we’re going to assume that’s only because he actually threw the ball so far so often that the yardage counter hit its max and circled back to zero at some point early in the third quarter.
Tennessee’s ground game offered ample support, accounting for 287 yards and five touchdowns, too.
Since Hooker went down with a season-ending injury in the Vols’ shocking loss to South Carolina in November, Tennessee’s offense has put up 56, 31 and 49 points.
Thursday was supposed to represent the start of a new, better era at Nebraska. Instead, it was more like subsequent chapters in the John Wick series — bloody, brutal and essentially just a continuation of the previous films.
Daniel Jackson‘s gorgeous 13-yard touchdown grab erased a late Cornhuskers lead, and Jeff Sims‘ third interception of the game handed Minnesota a short field for a game-winning field goal and, for the 26th time since the start of the 2018 season, Nebraska lost a one-possession game 13-10.
For the record, that’s seven more one-possession losses than any other team in the country over the same span.
For the record, Nebraska’s .212 winning percentage in one-possession games since 2018 is also by far the worst in the nation.
For the record, Matt Rhule had one of the worst one-possession records in the NFL during his stint with the Carolina Panthers, so perhaps none of Week 1’s loss should come as a surprise.
But fear not, Nebraska fans. No matter how cursed the team appears to be, we fundamentally believe in the law of averages that eventually everyone regresses to the mean, and over a long enough timeline, even the Huskers’ close-game luck has to even out.
So, see your glass as, well, 21% full, and know that, buried deep below the 19-38 record Nebraska has posted over the past five-plus seasons, there’s an entirely mediocre program just destined for a date with the Quick Lane Bowl.
Changes in latitudes
For the first time since 1991, Florida left its own state for a nonconference game, and it did not go well.
Utah was without its star QB and a host of other key players, and yet the Utes had no trouble demolishing Florida 24-11 on Thursday.
It was a reminder that Kyle Whittingham is arguably the most underappreciated head coach in the country.
It was also a reminder that Billy Napier inherited a huge job at Florida.
Over the Gators’ past 30 games, they’re just 12-18. Worse, a quarter of those wins came by just a field goal, two more came vs. FCS teams, and two others came vs. a USF program that is 4-29 over the past three seasons. Indeed, Florida has lost 17 of its last 24 games vs. Power 5 opponents — in line with the production of Missouri, Cal and Syracuse over the same span.
Under-the-radar game of the week
There was a time in the mid-1990s when our country was flush with cultural doppelgängers, from the 1996 Canadian Football League season that featured both the Ottawa and Saskatchewan Roughriders to the 1997 hit songs by The Verve and The Verve Pipe to 1998’s release of “Deep Impact” and “Armageddon” in the same summer.
But if those glory days of hilarious glitches in the matrix are long over, Friday gave us another confusing plot overlap for the ages when Miami (the Ohio one) faced off against Miami (the Florida one).
The matchup came with its share of smack talk, as Miami (Ohio)’s QB, Brett Gabbert, announced the “real Miami” was in Oxford, Ohio — an assertion that must’ve shaken Pitbull to his core.
But it turned out Miami (Florida)’s players weren’t worried about geography lessons and instead inflicted a physical pounding against that other Miami.
Final score: Miami 38, Miami 3.
Miami couldn’t have asked for a better start to the season. Meanwhile, Miami will be left to lick its wounds on the sandy shores of Miami … or maybe amid the leafy trees of another cool, colorful fall in Miami.
Under-the-radar play of the week
There wasn’t much drama in Oklahoma‘s opener, with the Sooners stomping Arkansas State 73-0, but the blowout didn’t mean Jayden Gibson was taking any plays off. The Sooners receiver used the defender to keep the ball alive and hauled in a 21-yard touchdown pass before tumbling out of bounds.
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Jayden Gibson makes an unbelievable catch for an Oklahoma TD
Jayden Gibson somehow comes away with an unbelievable touchdown reception to pad the Sooners’ lead.
There are about a half-dozen amazing parts to the play, but our favorite is the reaction from defensive back Leon Jones, who made an exceptional play on the ball but offered up the most half-hearted wave off after the grab possible. Come on, Jones. You’ve got to sell it to the ref!
Best bets and bad beats
Colorado closed as a 20.5-point underdog but pulled out the 3-point win. That’s some prime cash for at least one bettor.
A bettor in Nevada placed a $12K bet on the Colorado ML (+600) on 8/17 and won $72K ?pic.twitter.com/llRn9Gp4Fo
— Caesars Sportsbook & Casino (@CaesarsSports) September 2, 2023
Kentucky bettors owe the gambling gods a serious offering this week. Not only did the Wildcats enjoy a nice 69-yard scoop-and-score, but tailback Ray Davis racked up one of the all-time great backdoor covers with an otherwise meaningless 30-yard touchdown run with just six seconds left on the clock.
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Kentucky covers the spread on TD with 6 seconds remaining
Re’mahn Davis rushes in for a 30-yard touchdown with six seconds left in the game for Kentucky.
The Wildcats were 24.5-point favorites over Ball State. Thanks to Davis’ late score, they won by 30.
Northern Illinois pulled the upset over Boston College in overtime, and the OT rules added another insult to any Eagles backers who had the over, too. NIU’s OT touchdown secured the 27-21 win, but since no PAT was required, the final tally of 48 points came up exactly one point shy of the total.
Good teams win, and Penn State has been good for a while. But great teams? Great teams cover, which is exactly what the Nittany Lions did when second-string QB Beau Pribula waltzed into the end zone from 5 yards out with six seconds to play to give Penn State — a 21-point favorite against West Virginia — a 38-15 win.
Pribula was the star for the betting community, but it was Drew Allar who led the way for Penn State. The Lions have had a long line of effective QBs, including Sean Clifford, who manned the position admirably for the past 23 years. But Clifford was a bit like Paul Giamatti — an effective leading man who churned out solid performances for years without ever once being considered a sex symbol.
Allar, on the other hand, offers Penn State hope for something more. His Saturday performance — 325 passing yards and three touchdowns without an interception and a win — is something Clifford did just once in his career.
HONOLULU — Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, moved to dismiss a lawsuit filed last month accusing them of causing a Hawaii real estate investor and broker to be fired from a $240 million luxury housing development on the Big Island’s Hapuna Coast.
Ohtani and Balelo were sued Aug. 8 in Hawaii Circuit Court for the First Circuit by developer Kevin J. Hayes Sr. and real estate broker Tomoko Matsumoto, West Point Investment Corp. and Hapuna Estates Property Owners, who accused them of “abuse of power” that allegedly resulted in tortious interference and unjust enrichment.
Hayes and Matsumoto had been dropped from the development deal by Kingsbarn Realty Capital, the joint venture’s majority owner.
In papers filed Sunday, lawyers for Ohtani and Balelo said Hayes and Matsumoto in 2023 acquired rights for a joint venture in which they owned a minority percentage to use Ohtani’s name, image and likeness under an endorsement agreement to market the venture’s real estate development at the Mauna Kea Resort. The lawyers said Ohtani was a “victim of NIL violations.”
“Unbeknownst to Ohtani and his agent Nez Balelo, plaintiffs exploited Ohtani’s name and photograph to drum up traffic to a website that marketed plaintiffs’ own side project development,” the lawyers wrote. “They engaged in this self-dealing without authorization, and without paying Ohtani for that use, in a selfish and wrongful effort to take advantage of their proximity to the most famous baseball player in the world.”
The lawyers claimed Hayes and Matsumoto sued after “Balelo did his job and protected his client by expressing justifiable concern about this misuse and threatening to take legal action against this clear misappropriation.” They called Balelo’s actions “clearly protected speech “
In a statement issued after the suit was filed last month, Kingsbarn called the allegations “completely frivolous and without merit.”
Ohtani is a three-time MVP on the defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers.
“Nez Balelo has always prioritized Shohei Ohtani’s best interests, including protecting his name, image, and likeness from unauthorized use,” a lawyer for Ohtani and Balelo, said in a statement. “This frivolous lawsuit is a desperate attempt by plaintiffs to distract from their myriad of failures and blatant misappropriation of Mr. Ohtani’s rights.”
Lawyers for Hayes and Matsumoto did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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Bill Connelly
What’s the old Guy Fieri line from “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives”? “Slow down and take a look around”? College football’s superpower is its absolute enormity, and if you search, you’ll always find a wild game worth watching.
Some weeks, however, you don’t have to try very hard to find them. Week 3 of the 2025 season basically smacked us in the face with them.
Whether you considered Texas A&M-Notre Dame or Georgia-Tennessee the biggest game of the week, it didn’t matter — they both went down to the wire with quarterback heroics and special teams heartbreaks. And two of the sport’s wildest rivalries, Pitt-West Virginia and Ole Miss-Arkansas, both gave us classics too. Throw in a Division III Hail Mary and a pair of stunning HBCU endings, and just about the only thing we were missing Saturday was a late-night thriller.
After two straight wild weekends, 39 FBS teams remain unbeaten. Obviously some of those teams have more blemishes and weaknesses than others, but until you lose, you haven’t lost! SP+ projects an average of 0.95 of these teams reaching 12-0 — it might as well be your team!
All 39 of these teams are playoff contenders as long as their loss column zeros remain. As has become tradition at this point, let’s rank all the remaining unbeaten teams three weeks into the season.
Ranking all 39 unbeaten teams
SP+ and FPI rankings: second and first, respectively
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 10.4%
What the Ducks did in Week 3: def. Northwestern 34-14
It took Dan Lanning’s Ducks a little while to put Northwestern away early Saturday, primarily because their opponents were embarking on a series of lengthy (and eventually scoreless) drives. But they were never in danger, and they’ve spent most of three games in kick-butt-and-take-names mode.
SP+ and FPI rankings: third and second
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 11.5%
What the Buckeyes did in Week 3: def. Ohio, 37-9
Ohio is good enough that I expected the Bobcats to force the Buckeyes to put in a shift, but I can’t say I expected “one-score game with 22 minutes left.” Ohio State hit the gas and put this one to bed, but this team clearly hasn’t reached its final form yet.
SP+ and FPI rankings: first and seventh
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 11.2%
What the Nittany Lions did in Week 3: def. Villanova, 52-6
Penn State pulled a Penn State on Saturday, starting slowly against a lesser opponent before eventually steamrolling them. The Nittany Lions have yet to face a team ranked better than 112th in SP+, but that changes very soon: After a Week 4 bye, they’ll host Oregon in a loaded Week 5.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 20th and 15th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.6%
What the Aggies did in Week 3: def. No. 8 Notre Dame, 41-40
Even as someone who leans heavily on stats, I’m allowed to listen to my gut sometimes, and my gut has been telling me A&M is for real since the preseason. If I believed that before the Aggies’ late rally in South Bend on Saturday night, I’m certainly going to keep believing it afterward.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 10th and 11th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 10.3%
What the Hurricanes did in Week 3: def. South Florida, 49-12
Miami treated upstart USF as an elite team is supposed to. The Hurricanes’ defense was a bit more bend-don’t-break than I would like to see, but a ruthless offense rolled up 576 yards and didn’t allow the Bulls to ever feel as though they had a foot in the game.
SP+ and FPI rankings: eighth and fourth
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 2.5%
What the Bulldogs did in Week 3: def. No. 15 Tennessee, 44-41 (OT)
In their past three wins against power-conference opponents, Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs have had to go to overtime each time. Is that sustainable? No. Has Georgia shown signs of slippage over the past two seasons? Absolutely. Do I ever feel particularly good picking against them? Absolutely not.
SP+ and FPI rankings: fifth and eighth
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 6.5%
What the Rebels did in Week 3: def. Arkansas, 41-35
Forced to face a prolific Arkansas team without their starting quarterback, the Rebels laced up their track shoes and won a wild one all the same. Trinidad Chambliss enjoyed an epic star turn, and after three tight losses kept Ole Miss out of the CFP last season, they’ve nabbed a pair of tight wins early in 2025.
8. USC (3-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: ninth and fifth
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.3%
What the Trojans did in Week 3: def. Purdue, 33-17
The poll voters have been slow to trust USC this season. The computers? Not so much. The Trojans blew out two cupcakes to start the season, then survived a tricky, storm-delayed test at Purdue with defensive playmaking. That’s right! I said defensive playmaking! USC!
9. LSU (3-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 17th and 19th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.3%
What the Tigers did in Week 3: def. Florida, 20-10
On one hand, they’re 3-0, and they’ve already beaten two teams ranked 31st or higher in SP+ (Clemson and Florida). On the other hand, the offense has been a painful disappointment, and the Tigers needed five interceptions to put away a 20-10 win over the Gators. Surviving and advancing is what’s important, but that will get harder if LSU can’t top 24 points.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 33rd and 27th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.9%
What the Seminoles did in Week 3: bye week
Metrics are programmed to avoid overreacting to small samples as much as possible, so last year’s 2-10 campaign is still pretty large in the rearview mirror for SP+ and FPI. The eyeballs, however, think the Noles are just dandy. That Week 6 matchup with Miami looks awfully intriguing, doesn’t it?
SP+ and FPI rankings: 11th and 12th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.1%
What the Tigers did in Week 3: def. Louisiana, 52-10
Mizzou has overachieved against SP+ projections by an average of 12.6 points per game, and after Saturday’s steamrolling of Louisiana, the Tigers are averaging 302.3 rushing yards per game. Handle South Carolina as projected next week, and they should be unbeaten when Bama comes to town in Week 7.
SP+ and FPI rankings: seventh and 13th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.1%
What the Sooners did in Week 3: def. Temple, 42-3
The offense went into cruise control a hair early at Temple on Saturday, but the Sooners’ defense has allowed just 19 total points in three games. This is what a Brent Venables team was supposed to look like; now they have a chance to score another ranked win next week when Auburn comes to town.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 12th and 26th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 5.9%
What the Red Raiders did in Week 3: def. Oregon State, 45-14
Joey McGuire’s Red Raiders have played just about the softest set of opponents in FBS. They’ve also beaten those soft opponents by a combined 174-35. That’s still pretty telling. Behren Morton is putting up Air Raid-style passing numbers, and the defense hasn’t allowed a non-garbage-time point. Hard to top that.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 16th and 23rd
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.5%
What the Illini did in Week 3: def. Western Michigan, 38-0
The offense took its time shifting into gear against WMU on Saturday, but the defense has allowed 22 points in three games. The next time you think something in your life feels impossible, just step back and realize that unbeaten Illinois is playing unbeaten Indiana this Saturday in an enormous game with playoff implications, and that the two teams are a combined 27-5 since the start of 2024. If that’s possible, anything is.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 13th and 16th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.0%
What the Hoosiers did in Week 3: def. Indiana State, 73-0
My favorite tidbit from the weekend: Not only did IU’s Omar Cooper Jr. go off for 10 catches and 207 yards against poor, outmatched Indiana State on Friday night, he also caught TD passes from two different Mendozas (Fernando and Alberto).
SP+ and FPI rankings: 27th and 21st
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.1%
What they did in Week 3: def. No. 11 South Carolina, 31-7
Yes, the Commodores’ surprising blowout of the Gamecocks was impacted by an injury to South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers (which came from a hit deemed targeting). But Vandy was winning when Sellers got hurt and has outscored two power-conference opponents by a combined 65-7 in its past six quarters.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 38th and 33rd
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.4%
What the Yellow Jackets did in Week 3: def. No. 12 Clemson, 24-21
Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets against ranked opponents: 7-1.
Brent Key’s Yellow Jackets against unranked opponents: 14-15.
Does this make sense? No. Is it utterly delightful? Yes. (And has Tech overachieved against SP+ projections in all three games thus far? Also yes.)
18. Utah (3-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 15th and 18th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 4.7%
What the Utes did in Week 3: def. Wyoming, 31-6
Missed field goals and a turnover kept Utah from pulling away from Wyoming until well into the second half Saturday, but instead of getting Laramie’d, the Utes kept their heads and laid the hammer down. It’s probably pretty easy to keep your head when you know you have a defense as good as Utah’s on your side.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 26th and 43rd
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.2%
What the Cardinals did in Week 3: bye week
Jeff Brohm’s Cardinals have played almost precisely to SP+ projections thus far. If they keep that up, it’s going to be an awfully fun fall in Louisville considering they’re projected favorites in nine of their final 10 games.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 23rd and 34th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 2.7%
What the Cyclones did in Week 3: def. Arkansas State, 24-16
ISU’s Saturday trip to Jonesboro was … strange. The Cyclones averaged 7.7 yards per play with a robust 52.5% success rate, and they held ASU to 16 points. But they still had to make two fourth-quarter stops to secure a win thanks to a couple of missed opportunities and a pretty slow tempo. Regardless, they’re 4-0, and they finally get a welcome week off.
21. TCU (2-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 24th and 25th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.9%
What the Horned Frogs did in Week 3: def. Abilene Christian, 42-21
The Frogs only beat ACU by 21 despite being projected as 39-point favorites. A major letdown? Not really. They were up 28-0 at half and outgained the Wildcats 444-157 before garbage time set in. Sonny Dykes’ squad is taking care of business quickly in 2025.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 19th and 20th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.3%
What the Tigers did in Week 3: def. South Alabama, 31-15
Against a tricky and athletic South Alabama team, Auburn raced to an early lead, and while the Tigers never quite landed the knockout blow, they should be able to close out an unbeaten nonconference slate for the first time in six years. (Only Mercer remains.) That’s what we call progress.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 21st and 17th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.7%
What the Cornhuskers did in Week 3: def. Houston Christian, 59-7
Since an entirely unconvincing Week 1 win over Cincinnati, the Huskers have mauled two outmatched opponents (Akron and HCU) by a combined 127-7. Is that a sign of improvement or simply a sign that they can maul outmatched opponents? We’ll find out soon enough: Michigan comes to Lincoln this Saturday.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 51st and 47th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.7%
What the Green Wave did in Week 3: def. Duke, 34-27
Jon Sumrall’s Green Wave nearly let things get messy Saturday night, watching an 18-point lead shrink to seven in the final minute. But they still got the job done, and they still have a pair of power-conference victories on the résumé. No one else in the Group of 5 can say that. Quarterback Jake Retzlaff was one hell of a summer pickup.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 32nd and 29th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.1%
What the Huskies did in Week 3: bye week
Few teams have backfields with more dynamic combos than Washington with Demond Williams Jr. and Jonah Coleman. The Huskies get to face one more sketchy defense (Washington State’s) before the grind really begins. So far so good, however, in Jedd Fisch’s second season.
26. BYU (2-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 28th and 22nd
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.2%
What the Cougars did in Week 3: bye week
True freshman quarterback Bear Bachmeier has looked like a true freshman, and that will probably catch up to the Cougars in a Big 12 loaded with even matchups and close games. But their defense has been downright mean thus far, and few teams are more physical in the trenches.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 29th and 36th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 8.7%
What the Tigers did in Week 3: def. Troy, 28-7
The Tigers haven’t had the marquee opportunities that conference mates Tulane and USF have seen thus far, but they’re the top-ranked Group of 5 team in both SP+ and FPI, and they get their shot this weekend. With maybe their best defense in more than a decade, they’ll try to slow down a torrid Arkansas attack in Fayetteville.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 39th and 38th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.3%
What the Wildcats did in Week 3: def. Kansas State, 23-17
Good news for Arizona fans: Your team is pretty good again! Bad news: Of the Wildcats’ nine remaining games, eight are projected as one-score affairs, per SP+. Anxiety potential is off the charts. They have a puncher’s chance at 11-1 or 12-0, but 4-8 or 5-7 are still on the table too.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 43rd and 60th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.03%
What the Terrapins did in Week 3: def. Towson, 44-17
Freshman quarterback Malik Washington is holding up, and the defense has overachieved against projections in two of three games. I don’t know where Maryland is going to end up this season, but this team’s ceiling is quite a bit higher than it seemed a few weeks ago.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 50th and 49th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.2%
What the Cougars did in Week 3: def. Colorado, 36-20
The defense hasn’t fallen off at all under new coordinator Austin Armstrong, and while the offense isn’t amazing, quarterback Conner Weigman (222 passing yards, 83 rushing yards) was awfully solid against Colorado on Friday night.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 45th and 42nd
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: <0.01%
What the Bulldogs did in Week 3: def. Alcorn State, 63-0
The Bulldogs probably aren’t going to win many more games this season — after this week’s matchup with Northern Illinois, they’ll face eight straight opponents ranked in the SP+ top 30 — but after a dismal first season under Jeff Lebby, they’re decidedly decent, and they’ll have a shot at eking out bowl eligibility.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 46th and 44th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: <0.01%
What the Scarlet Knights did in Week 3: def. Norfolk State, 60-10
An offense that ranks ninth in points per possession and a defense that ranks 83rd? What in the name of Greg Schiano is going on here? The Scarlet Knights, unrecognizable as they may be, will have a chance to stay on this list for a while with close upcoming games against Iowa, Minnesota and Washington.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 53rd and 58th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.1%
What the Golden Bears did in Week 3: def. Minnesota, 27-14
It will take an upset to knock freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele and the Golden Bears off this list: After Saturday night’s upset-that-didn’t-look-like-an-upset over Minnesota, they’re projected favorites in each of their next six games.
34. Navy (3-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 49th and 68th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.5%
What the Midshipmen did in Week 3: def. Tulsa, 42-23
Quarterback Blake Horvath and the Midshipmen just continue to cruise right along. They’re now 13-3 since the start of 2024, and while trips to North Texas, Notre Dame and Memphis loom late in the season, they’re projected favorites in their next five games.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 56th and 53rd
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.04%
What the Wolfpack did in Week 3: def. Wake Forest, 34-24
Dave Doeren’s resilient Wolfpack trailed both Virginia and Wake Forest midway through the third quarter but allowed a combined seven second-half points in the two games and eventually pulled off wins. The pass defense scares me, and the offense is pretty all-or-nothing, but this is a confident, 60-minute team.
36. UCF (2-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 59th and 48th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 0.01%
What the Knights did in Week 3: bye week
Scott Frost has won 15 straight games as UCF’s head coach, dating back to his first tenure. The offense scored only 17 points against Jacksonville State in Week 1, but the defense has been legit thus far, and Frost could become the second collegiate head coach to hand Bill Belichick a loss this Saturday.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 66th and 67th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 1.7%
What the Mean Green did in Week 3: def. Washington State, 59-10
On Saturday, North Texas laid down maybe the best performance of any G5 team this season. The Mean Green were about 7-point favorites against Washington State and won by seven touchdowns instead. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker‘s next poor performance will be his first in college.
38. UNLV (3-0)
SP+ and FPI rankings: 76th and 65th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: 2.2%
What the Rebels did in Week 3: bye week
Dan Mullen’s first UNLV team is learning and growing, from a narrow defeat of Idaho State in Week 0 to a win over UCLA in Week 2. (Granted, New Mexico’s Week 3 pummeling of the Bruins made that look less impressive.) Now come tricky trips to Miami (Ohio) and Wyoming.
SP+ and FPI rankings: 58th and 69th
Odds of reaching 12-0, per SP+: <0.01%
What the Spartans did in Week 3: def. Youngstown State, 41-24
Like Louisville, Jonathan Smith’s Spartans have basically played precisely to projections in 2025. Unlike Louisville, it won’t be great if that continues: They’re projected underdogs against eight of nine Big Ten opponents.
This week in SP+
The SP+ rankings have been updated for the week. Let’s take a look at the teams that saw the biggest change in their overall ratings. (Note: We’re looking at ratings, not rankings.)
Moving up
Here are the five teams that saw their ratings rise the most this week:
• Marshall (up 7.0 adjusted points per game, ranking rose from 123rd to 99th)
• Penn State (up 6.3 points, rose from seventh to first)
• UTSA (up 6.0 points, rose from 90th to 67th)
• Stanford (up 5.8 points, rose from 103rd to 86th)
• Miami (up 5.5 points, rose from 27th to 10th)
It’s been a really funky year in FBS-versus-FCS games. We’ve seen enough strangely unimpressive performances — Georgia vs. Austin Peay, for example — that teams seem to be getting extra credit for dominating decent FCS opponents. This week’s top three movers, for instance, beat three top-40 FCS teams by a combined 138-33 and charged upward. It is what it is, I guess.
The other two teams on the list, however, surprised in different ways. Miami handled its business against everyone’s favorite Group of 5 team (USF), while Stanford shut out a decent Boston College team in the second half to win with shocking comfort, 30-20.
Moving down
Here are the five teams whose ratings fell the most:
• South Carolina (down 8.9 adjusted points per game, ranking fell from 12th to 48th)
• Central Michigan (down 8.3 points, fell from 119th to 132nd)
• Washington State (down 8.0 points, fell from 76th to 103rd)
• New Mexico State (down 6.9 points, fell from 109th to 125th)
• Appalachian State (down 6.1 points, fell from 84th to 100th)
There’s no “your quarterback got hurt in the second quarter” adjustment in the SP+ formula, so South Carolina’s jarring 31-7 loss to Vanderbilt as a projected 9.5-point favorite resulted in an absolute plummet. It’s probably not a surprise that Washington State fell by a similar amount after a 59-10 no-show at North Texas.
Who won the Heisman this week?
I am once again awarding the Heisman every single week of the season and doling out weekly points, F1-style (in this case, 10 points for first place, 9 for second, and so on). How will this Heisman race play out, and how different will the result be from the actual Heisman voting?
For the third straight week, we have an almost completely new top 10:
1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (21-for-29 passing for 353 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 64 non-sack rushing yards and 2 TDs against Arkansas).
2. Gunner Stockton, Georgia (23-for-31 passing for 304 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 48 non-sack rushing yards and a TD against Tennessee).
3. Taylen Green, Arkansas (22-for-35 passing for 305 yards and 1 touchdown, plus 115 non-sack rushing yards and a TD against Ole Miss).
4. Ty Simpson, Alabama (24-for-29 passing for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus 39 non-sack rushing yards against Wisconsin).
5. Jake Retzlaff, Tulane (15-for-23 passing for 245 yards, plus 113 non-sack rushing yards and 4 TDs against Duke).
6. Ahmad Hardy, Missouri (22 carries for 250 yards and 3 TDs against Louisiana).
7. Behren Morton, Texas Tech (23-for-35 passing for 464 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT against Oregon State).
8. Eric Gentry, USC (8 tackles, 3 TFLs, 2 sacks and 2 forced fumbles against Purdue).
9. Mario Craver, Texas A&M (7 catches for 207 yards and 1 TD against Notre Dame).
10. Colton Joseph, Old Dominion (16-for-22 passing for 276 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 63 non-sack rushing yards and a TD against Virginia Tech).
Considering how many SEC quarterbacks have played disappointing ball this season – Texas’ Arch Manning, LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier, Florida’s DJ Lagway, South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers – it’s pretty incredible that four other SEC QBs were no-brainers for the top five this week. All of them had a case for No. 1 (as did Tulane’s Jake Retzlaff, honestly), but I went with the sentimental choice. You know I love the smaller-school guys, and watching former Division II star Trinidad Chambliss, a Ferris State transfer, light up Arkansas with deep ball after deep ball (and a few nice runs) made me very happy.
Honorable mention:
• Damon Bankston, New Mexico (15 carries for 154 yards and a TD, plus 49 receiving yards and another TD against UCLA).
• Carson Beck, Miami (23-for-28 passing for 340 yards, 3 TDs and 2 INTs, plus 32 non-sack rushing yards and a TD against USF)
• Chris Brazzell, Tennessee (6 catches for 177 yards and 3 TDs against Georgia).
• Omar Cooper, Indiana (10 catches for 207 yards and 4 TDs against Indiana State).
• John Henry Dailey, Utah (six tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup against Wyoming).
• Josh Hoover, TCU (21-for-27 passing for 337 yards and 4 touchdowns against Abilene Christian).
• Ismail Mahdi, Arizona (22 carries for 189 yards, plus 32 receiving yards against Kansas State).
• E. Jai Mason, Charlotte (10 catches for 228 yards and 2 TDs against Monmouth).
• Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (19-for-20 passing for 270 yards and 5 touchdowns, plus a rushing touchdown against Indiana State).
• Bryce Underwood, Michigan (16-for-25 passing for 235 yards, 1 TD and 1 INT, plus 114 non-sack rushing yards and 2 TDs against Central Michigan).
Through three weeks, here are your points leaders:
1T. QB Taylen Green, Arkansas (15 points)
1T. QB Ty Simpson, Alabama (15 points)
3T. QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (10 points)
3T. RB Jonah Coleman, Washington (10 points)
3T. QB Sawyer Robertson, Baylor (10 points)
6T. QB Rocco Becht, Iowa State (nine points)
6T. QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia (nine points)
6T. DB Vicari Swain, South Carolina (nine points)
10. QB Parker Navarro, Ohio (eight points)
Three weeks in, and this list still makes no sense. This has been a very unusual season thus far. The only two players to show up on this list twice so far are Green and Simpson, and that certainly isn’t something I would have guessed when the season began (or after Simpson struggled so much in Week 1 against Florida State). On we go, into the back half of September, and the Heisman race hasn’t even really begun yet.
My 20 favorite games of the weekend
Once again, I couldn’t hold my 10 Favorite Games list to 10 games. Saturday was absolutely glorious. You could have had about a six-way tie at No. 1.
1-2. No. 16 Texas A&M 41, No. 8 Notre Dame 40 and No. 17 Ole Miss 41, Arkansas 35. These were basically the same games, only Texas A&M actually scored at the end, while Arkansas lost a fumble and came up 25 yards short. Regardless, both games topped 900 total yards, and each had about 38 plot twists. Absolutely delightful.
3. No. 6 Georgia 44, No. 15 Tennessee 41 (OT). A surefire No. 1 in a normal week. This one had 998 total yards and what felt like a couple of different knockout blows. And crowd reaction shots. So many great crowd reaction shots.
4. Georgia Tech 24, No. 12 Clemson 21. Now I’m mad at myself. How is this one not No. 1?? It only had the smoothest game-winning, 55-yard fire-drill field goal you’ll ever see …
0:27
Aidan Birr kicks 55-yard field goal
Aidan Birr kicks 55-yard field goal
5. Division III: Plymouth State 47, Worcester State 46. Up in Plymouth, New Hampshire, we got a D-III classic. Worcester State scored twice in the fourth quarter to take a 39-32 lead into the final minute, but Jacob Morris snagged a 52-yard Hail Mary at the buzzer, and after both teams traded overtime TDs, Greg Walker’s rush gave the Panthers a thrilling win.
Hail Mary alert!!!!! Jacob Morris hauled in a 52 yard heave from Braden Lynn to help force OT in a game the Panthers would eventually win 47-46!! #d3fb #SCTop10 #d3playbook @mascacsports pic.twitter.com/5I0D8KWvqe
— Plymouth St. Sports (@PSUPanthers) September 13, 2025
6. West Virginia 31, Pitt 24 (OT). A Backyard Brawl featuring a 10-point comeback in the final 10 minutes, overtime and an exultant Rich Rodriguez? And it was sixth? What a week.
7-8. FCS: NC A&T 33, Hampton 30 (2OT) and Grambling 37, Kentucky State 31 (OT). The HBCU universe always delivers. North Carolina A&T trailed Hampton by 10 with one minute left and was all but assured of a 13th straight loss, but a patented touchdown-onside kick-field goal combo forced overtime, and Wesley Graves‘ second-OT touchdown finished an absolute heist.
Grambling, meanwhile, spotted D-II opponent Kentucky State leads of 14-0 early and 31-24 late, but C’zavian Teasett forced overtime with a TD run with 10 seconds left, and overtime gave us one of the best phrases in the sport: walk-off fumble return.
TYRELL RABY!!! FORCES THE FUMBLE AND RETURNS IT FOR THE GAME WINNING TOUCHDOWN!!!
TIGERS WIN!!!#GramFam | #ThisIsTheG🐯 pic.twitter.com/xUkY7x6hQR
— Grambling State Football 🐯 (@GSUFootball01) September 14, 2025
The poor cameraman had no idea.
9. Delaware 44, UConn 41 (OT). It seemed like UConn had finally taken control after falling into an early 21-10 hole, but a big Nick Minicucci-to-Kyre Duplessis pass set up a game-tying 43-yard field goal for Delaware at the buzzer. And after UConn opened overtime with a field goal, the Blue Hens secured a lovely upset with a 13-yard Minicucci run up the middle.
10. NAIA: Louisiana Christian 43, Wayland Baptist 37. It isn’t just that the teams combined for 36 fourth-quarter points. It’s that basically all the points came from fireworks. Wayland Baptist turned a 30-17 deficit into a 37-30 lead with touchdown passes of 79 and 27 yards and an 83-yard fumble return, but Louisiana Christian turned right around and tied the game on a 24-yard touchdown pass, then won it on a 31-yard Jaterrius Johns run with 1:33 left. It was almost surprising that WBU couldn’t squeeze in one more score at the end.
11. Middle Tennessee 14, Nevada 13. After a hopeless 0-2 start, MTSU found itself down 13-0 midway through the fourth quarter in Reno. But Nicholas Vattiato threw a touchdown pass to Nahzae Cox, then scored the winning touchdown run with 21 seconds left to create a hockey stick of a win probability chart.
12. Buffalo 31, Kent State 28. A game of runs: 14-0 Kent State, then 24-0 Buffalo, then 14-0 Kent State. Dru DeShields gave Kent State — a huge home underdog — a 28-24 lead with just 2:38 left, but Buffalo saved itself with a Ta’Quan Roberson-to-Victor Snow TD pass and a pair of late stops.
13-15. FCS: No. 19 Northern Arizona 52, Southern Utah 49; No. 7 Montana 24, No. 17 North Dakota 23; Weber State 42, McNeese State 41. The Big Sky delivered a trio of thrillers. Weber State nearly blew a 42-21 lead in the final 10 minutes of a big-play festival but stopped a last-minute 2-point conversion to survive. Montana, meanwhile, had to dig out of a 23-14 hole in the last five minutes to win with a 28-yard Keali’i Ah Yat-to-Brooks Davis TD pass. And in Cedar City, Utah, Ty Pennington‘s 2-point conversion pass to Jayson Raines with 29 seconds left gave NAU a Grand Canyon Trophy win over host Southern Utah.
16. Charlotte 42, Monmouth 35. A tossup game on paper, this one saw five ties and wasn’t decided until Conner Harrell plunged into the end zone with 90 seconds left and Charlotte’s defense made a late stop.
17. Ball State 34, New Hampshire 29. Ball State was actually a home underdog in this one and gave up a blocked punt touchdown 67 seconds into the game. But running back Qua Ashley keyed a 27-7 Cardinals run, and the defense stopped UNH near midfield on its final possession.
18. Division III: No. 6 Hardin-Simmons 24, McMurry 19. In the battle for the Wilford Moore Trophy, these Abilene rivals went down to the wire. Hardin-Simmons took a 24-6 lead into halftime, but McMurry charged back and had a chance to win until Caden Sampson-Stuckey’s fourth-down sack of Dylan Plake with 49 seconds left.
19-20. Division II: No. 25 Minnesota Duluth 17, No. 7 Minnesota State 14 and No. 24 Pittsburg State 17, No. 3 Grand Valley State 14. Two top-10 teams in Division II fell by the same score almost simultaneously Saturday evening. First, Minnesota-Duluth’s Jadon Apgar hit a 25-yard field goal at the buzzer to beat Minnesota State in Duluth; a few minutes later, GVSU imploded, throwing an interception with 5:04 left, then committing two fourth-down penalties to allow host Pitt State to run out the clock. Ouch.
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