Welcome back to the college football weekly recap! Oh, boy, this is arguably the most important edition yet. Significant coaches were fired, plenty of upsets happened, and many teams were on thin ice. Enough said, let’s get to it!
Penn State fires head coach James Franklin following 3-3 start, 22-21 loss to Northwestern at home
This week’s top headline is quite arguably the most significant thus far, as Penn State has fired head coach James Franklin following a 22-21 loss at home. Franklin ends his Nittany Lions tenure with a 104-45 win-loss record as head coach, one College Football Playoff appearance, and the second-most wins in PSU football history, behind Joe Paterno. The Nittany Lions had lost three straight games to Oregon, UCLA, and Northwestern following a 3-0 start, and QB Drew Allar suffered a college football-ending ankle injury. Cornerbacks coach Terry Smith has been named interim head coach, and redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer will start next week.
On the flip side, Northwestern defeated Penn State for the first time since November 7, 2015. WR Griffin Wilde was the standout player for the Wildcats, catching seven passes for 94 yards and a touchdown, as David Braun’s squad continues to impress at 4-2, despite a rocky start to the season for SMU transfer QB Preston Stone.
Oregon State fires Trent Bray after 0-7 start, 39-14 home loss to Wake Forest
A nightmare season in Corvallis will end without head coach Trent Bray. Bray compiled a 5-14 record after being hired to replace Jonathan Smith in 2024, who left for Michigan State. Special Assistant to the Head Coach Robb Akey, the former head coach of the Idaho Vandals football team from 2007-12, will serve as interim. Will the Beavs win a game this season?
Super Bowl XXXV champion Trent Dilfer fired as UAB head coach following 2-4 start, 53-33 home loss to Temple
Trent Dilfer, the starting QB of the almighty 2000 Baltimore Ravens Super Bowl XXXV team, was the third of three major head coaches to be fired after week 7. Dilfer went 9-21 during roughly three seasons as Blazers head coach. Offensive Coordinator Alex Mortensen has been named interim head coach.
#7 Indiana pulls off historic road win at #3 Oregon on College GameDay
For the first time in program history, Indiana has defeated an AP Top 5 opponent on the road. After a back-and-forth dogfight between both teams, Oregon DB Brandon Finney Jr. recorded a 35-yard pick six off Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza, tying the game at 20. The Hoosiers responded with an 8-yard touchdown pass to Elijah Sarratt, giving them a 27-20 lead. Oregon QB Dante Moore threw interceptions on Oregon’s final two drives, and the Hoosiers kicked another field goal to seal the deal at 30-20. Sarratt recorded 8 receptions for 121 yards to go along with his TD, and RB Roman Hemby recorded two rushing touchdowns on 19 carries for 70 yards. This was the first matchup between the two teams since 2004, also won by Indiana.
#1 Ohio State remains on top by defeating #17 Illinois on Big Noon Kickoff in Champaign
The Buckeyes traveled to Champaign, IL for a Big Noon Kickoff matchup, scored 20 unanswered points in the first half, and never looked back. The defense recorded three turnovers, and the offense scored 21 points off all three. QB Julian Sayin went 19/27 for 166 yards and two touchdowns, and RB CJ Donaldson punched in two TDs on 10 carries for 47 yards.
Texas rebounds from upset loss a week prior by upsetting #6 Oklahoma at home 23-6 in Red River Rivalry
Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns went from losing to Florida last week to beating rival #6 Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl the next. The Longhorns defense intercepted Oklahoma QB John Mateer three times, as Mateer was coming off an injury. Texas return specialist Ryan Niblett took a 75-yard punt return into the end zone, extending the fourth quarter lead to 20-6. The Red River Rivalry’s Golden Hat remains in Austin for another year.
USC upsets #15 Michigan at home, 31-13
The Trojans racked up an upset this past Saturday night by defeating the Michigan Wolverines at home. QB Jayden Maiava went 25/32 for 265 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Walk-on freshman RB King Miller ran wild on 18 carries for 158 yards and a score. With this loss, Bryce Underwood now has more losses at Michigan in one season than JJ McCarthy had during his entire college career as a starter.
#21 Arizona State, without Leavitt, falters again to Utah on the road, 42-10
The Sun Devils were forced to start sixth-year senior QB Jeff Sims at Utah after Sam Leavitt was ruled out with injury, and everything that could have gone wrong did. The Utah ground game could not be stopped, and ASU did not have anything to show for it. The Utes rushed for 276 yards and six touchdowns combined; QB Devon Dampier rushed for 120 yards and three TDs on ten carries, and RB NaQuari Rogers ran 12 times for 48 yards and another two TDs. Leavitt’s absence and the loss of Cam Skattebo to the NFL Draft have made a huge impact on Arizona State, and not in a good way.
#22 Iowa State upset on the road for second consecutive week by Colorado, 24-17
Things go from bad to worse for Matt Campbell and the Cyclones, as they get field stormed for the second straight week, this time by the Colorado Buffaloes. QB Kaidon Salter went 16/25 for 255 yards and two touchdowns, while WR Joseph Campbell hauled in eight passes for 128 yards and a TD. A huge win at Folsom Field for Coach Prime, in the two teams’ first matchup since 2010 (Colorado also won that game).
#25 Florida State loses third straight game to Pitt, 34-31, despite 3-0 start
Another disappointing loss in Tallahassee for the Seminoles, as Pitt true freshman QB Mason Heintschel continued to impress after replacing benched redshirt sophomore Eli Holstein. Heintschel went 21/29 for 321 yards and two TDs, despite throwing two picks. WR Desmond Reid was an offensive juggernaut, recording eight receptions for 155 yards and a TD. Mike Norvell’s squad has now dropped three in a row after starting the season 3-0.
#18 BYU clings onto road overtime win against Arizona, 33-27
Cougars QB Bear Bachmeier’s two-yard touchdown run with 0:19 remaining tied the game at 24 when regulation concluded in Tucson. Both teams exchanged field goals in the first overtime period, before Bachmeier ran 7 yards into the end zone for a TD in the second overtime period. Despite a failed 2-point conversion, BYU stopped the Wildcats on fourth down, escaping thin ice with a 33-27 road win. RB LJ Martin ran 25 times for 162 yards and a TD, and WR Parker Kingston caught five passes for 117 yards and a TD.
#4 Ole Miss avoids upset at home by Washington State, 24-21
After a hard-fought battle, the Rebels held off Wazzu in Oxford, 24-21. QB Trinidad Chambliss is another signal-caller on rails, throwing 20/29 for 253 yards and two touchdowns. RB Kewan Lacy had 24 rushes for 142 yards on the ground.
#8 Alabama knocks down #14 Missouri in Colombia, 27-24
In a down-to-the-wire SEC matchup in Colombia, the Tigers were down by three as QB Beau Pribula was hungry for a game-winning drive. Unfortunately, with 0:37 left, Pribula threw a game-ending interception to Alabama’s Dijon Lee Jr. at the Alabama 32-yard line. Tide QB Ty Simpson adds to his case for the Heisman Trophy with a 23/31, 200-yard, three TD stat line.
#10 Georgia defeats Auburn on the road 20-10, despite slow start
Down 10-0 with 1:32 left in the second quarter and the ball on the Georgia 1-yard line, the Bulldogs defense forced and recovered a fumble on Tigers QB Jackson Arnold, saving a TD that would have put them down by 17. The Dawgs would go on to score 20 unanswered points to beat their rivals in Auburn.
UCLA follows up Penn State upset by beating Michigan State, 38-13
The magic from the non-permanent Bruin staff continued, as QB Nico Iamaleava threw three touchdown passes to go along with 16/24 for 180 yards through the air. RB Jalen Berger had a monster day from scrimmage against his former team, catching two touchdown passes on three receptions for 24 yards, and rushing 12 times for 89 yards and another score. The Bruins defeated the Spartans for the first time since 1974, which was also their last meeting prior to said game. How far will UCLA last on the comeback trail… and will they make a bowl game?
Other scores!
- Florida 17, #5 Texas A&M 34
- Kansas 17, #9 Texas Tech 42
- South Carolina 10, #11 LSU 20
- Arkansas 31, #12 Tennessee 34
- Virginia Tech 20, #13 Georgia Tech 35
- NC State 7, #16 Notre Dame 36
- #24 South Florida 63, North Texas 36
- Stanford 10, SMU 34
- Clemson 41, Boston College 10
- UCF 11, Cincinnati 20
- Houston 39, Oklahoma State 17
- TCU 28, Kansas State 41
- Rutgers 19, Washington 38
- Nebraska 34, Maryland 31
- Iowa 37, Wisconsin 0
- Purdue 20, Minnesota 27
