TUSCALOOSA, AL — Another college football weekend that didn’t disappoint — unless you were on the wrong side of an upset that has playoff hopes on the ropes. Yes, we’re looking at you, Penn State and Texas.
Down in Tuscaloosa, turnovers doomed any chance Vanderbilt had at pulling off an upset. Diego Pavia’s mistakes inside Alabama’s red zone proved costly, and despite a few first-half opportunities, the Commodores never found their rhythm.
The Crimson Tide defense wreaked havoc for most of the afternoon, setting the tone for Kalen DeBoer’s revenge-minded squad. Quarterback Ty Simpson continued to impress, throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns in Alabama’s 30–14 win. Revenge complete.
Alabama enacted revenge against Vanderbilt on Saturday. For Vanderbilt, this won’t kill their confidence
A loss at the Rose Bowl on Saturday has put James Franklin in a very tricky spot.
UCLA Wins First Game, While Penn State Is Clearly On Tilt
We gave Penn State a pass after last week’s overtime loss to Oregon — but what happened on Saturday has James Franklin in a tough spot.
Congratulations to UCLA for earning its first win of the season, but no one saw 435 yards of Bruin offense coming. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava led the charge with 288 total yards and three rushing touchdowns, stunning the Nittany Lions in a 31–20 upset.
The bigger story is what’s transpiring with Penn State. After back-to-back Big Ten losses, the Lions’ playoff dreams are hanging by a thread — and so is Franklin’s reputation in State College.
Not only was this the second-straight Big Ten loss, but the football team looked lethargic. Drew Allar is obviously not what many expected him to be this season, and the defense continues to give up big plays.
Right now, this Penn State football team does not look like a playoff contender, and that is bad news for James Franklin. The narrative around the head coach has centered on his team’s not being able to win the ‘Big Games’. But, losing to a win-less team, and looking terrible for the most part in the process is going to lead to a lot of noise around State College.
I Told You Texas Was A Three-Loss Team. Florida Made Longhorns Pay
Arch Manning is going to continue growing as a quarterback and the defense will carry the Longhorns until he figures it out, right?
As I said before the season — this Texas team was headed for at least three losses. But the preseason hype machine crowned Arch a Heisman frontrunner after a few easy wins, and Saturday’s reality check was brutal.
Are you paying attention now? Sure, the Longhorns felt great after winning three-straight games against lesser opponents. Arch was all over social media for his flexing against Sam Houston State, and some of you declared that Texas was back, ready to attack the SEC.
Florida’s defense smothered the Longhorns while piling up 457 yards of total offense in a 32–29 victory. If not for some late-game clock mismanagement from Billy Napier, the Gators might’ve cruised. Still, the win could spark another “job-saving” run for Napier — or at least keep the noise quiet for a week.
Heck, if it weren’t for Billy Napier’s interesting strategy on offense when Florida was up 29-14 heading into the fourth quarter, the Longhorns wouldn’t have had an opportunity to tie it up on the final drive.
Oh, and I imagine some Florida fans are feeling conflicted following the win, given that Billy Napier secured a victory that could lead to another run that saves his job. Ok, I’m only kidding. Wait, am I?
Texas faces Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry next weekend, with back-to-back SEC losses looming. And if John Mateer suits up for the Sooners, things could get even uglier in Dallas.
Bill Belichick Has Folks Laughing At North Carolina
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any worse for Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels, the Clemson Tigers strolled into Chapel Hill to make an example out of this North Carolina team.
It’s past embarrassing now. I would be freaking out if I was inside the UNC athletic department. A 38-10 throttling by the Tigers had North Carolina fans headed for the exits at halftime, providing us with pictures of an empty stadium by the time the fourth quarter started.
The reputation of Bill Belichick has taken a massive hit, and it will only get worse from here. I’d imagine Ludacris was stoked to take the stage for his pregame concert at 9am local time with the wine and cheese crowd. I’m sorry, North Carolina fans. You deserve better,
Miami Rolls Florida State, Iowa State Falls, Illinois Ready For Buckeyes
We told you this past week that Carson Beck was playing on another level, or as my colleague Jonathan Hutton said, he’s playing like a ‘convict’.
Florida State found out the hard way that this No. 3 Miami team is a national championship contender, and the juice from the Seminoles win over Alabama has vanished. Oh, and this game wasn’t as close as the 28-22 final score might indicate. Beck finished with 240 yards and 4 touchdowns, while his team had this on cruise control by the fourth quarter.
Meanwhile, Big 12 chaos struck again. No. 14 Iowa State fell to Cincinnati, surrendering 474 yards in a stunning loss.
And in the Big Ten, Illinois beat Purdue 43–27 to set up a massive home matchup with top-ranked Ohio State next weekend.
We’ve Got Ourselves An Entertaining Weekend Upcoming
Here’s a quick glimpse at what is awaiting us next Saturday in college football.
- No. 1 Ohio State @ No. 22 Illinois
- No. 8 Indiana @ No. 2 Oregon
- No. 10 Alabama @ No. 19 Missouri
- No. 5 Oklahoma vs. Texas (Cotton Bowl)
- Florida @ No. 6 Texas A&M
- No. 12 Georgia @ Auburn
- South Carolina @ No. 13 LSU
So, take this week to flush out what transpired on Saturday and get your mind right for next weekend. Call into the local sports-talk shows and vent, get it all out over the next few days. If your team’s season is on the brink of collapse, I wish you the best of luck as we enter the second weekend of October.
This 2025 season has already proven that just about anything can happen, on any given Saturday. And, this run to the college football playoff is a tad bit crazier than some may have expected.
Don’t you just love it?
