Top Ten Teams with no key wins?
This week looked to be just a stepping stone for Penn State and Texas. Both teams found themselves in the top ten despite already having a loss — Texas to the No. 1 team in the country, Ohio State, in Week 1, and Penn State to the then-No. 2 Oregon just last week. Both teams were either looking to continue their slow roll toward tougher competition or get back in the saddle after a tough loss.
We’ll start with Penn State and James Franklin. For all the ridicule he gets for not being able to beat the top teams each year, Franklin has done a tremendous job beating up on the teams he’s supposed to. This week looked no different as the Nittany Lions traveled all the way to the West Coast to play the shipwreck known as UCLA. After starting 0-3 and losing to two Mountain West schools, UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster and opted to continue the season by letting fans submit play calls through a QR code on the jumbotron. They soon found out that wouldn’t work because, well, no one shows up to the games. So they handed the interim job to Tim Skipper, with Jerry Neuheisel helping call plays. Every good college team has a former kicker calling plays, right?
UCLA entered the game 0-4 with no sign of a win on the horizon. Their remaining home games were all against undefeated or one-loss teams — including this week’s matchup, as Penn State came to town off a gut-wrenching overtime loss to Oregon. The spread closed at 25.5; no one in their right mind thought this game would be worth watching. CBS announcers Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson had to be thinking, “We traded packed SEC stadiums for this?” as the camera panned across a quarter-full Rose Bowl before kickoff.
UCLA got the opening kickoff, and it was immediately clear that Nico Iamaleava was playing like early-2024 Tennessee Iamaleava. An 11-play touchdown drive followed by a 7-play field-goal drive gave UCLA a 10-0 lead over Penn State. Not only was that the Bruins’ largest lead of the year — it was their only lead of the year. After Penn State went 10 plays and 75 yards for a touchdown, I thought, “Okay, they’ve settled in. They’ll take it from here.” I was wrong. UCLA unleashed a second quarter that saw them score three times while Penn State punted and turned the ball over on downs. Going into halftime, the UCLA Bruins led 27-7. Let me say that again another way: UCLA had a twenty-point lead over the No. 7 team in the country.
A blocked-punt touchdown by the Nittany Lions in the third quarter cut the lead to 27-21 — the closest margin since the start of the game. But even in the face of adversity, UCLA marched down the field to extend the lead to 34-21 right before the fourth quarter. Another 13-play drive that burned nearly half the fourth quarter put UCLA up by 14 with about six minutes left. Penn State answered, but UCLA found itself facing a 4th-and-1 at its own 35 with just over two minutes to play — a chance to ice the game. Not sure if this was a play call from the kicker, but it looked like it. A designed QB run was not the time they wanted Iamaleava to revert back to his UCLA self, losing yardage and giving Penn State the ball in prime position to tie it.
Luckily for UCLA, Drew Allar might be even worse. On 4th-and-2, he kept the ball on what might have been the worst read-option decision of all time. I’ll give UCLA credit — the jet-sweep option looked like it would’ve been blown up too — but when the QB is staring down two defenders right in front of him, he’s usually taught to give that ball.
A late “pitchy-pitchy-woo-woo” effort by the Nittany Lions came up short, and UCLA held on to beat No. 7 Penn State, 42-37. Now let’s talk about what this means. Tim Skipper, who’s been a head coach for about three weeks, now has as many top-ten wins as James Franklin does in the past eight years! (I’m not counting Boise State as a top-ten team last year — that ranking was inflated.) If I were a Penn State fan, this would be unacceptable. To lose to a team having its plays called by a kicker — with no coach, no fans, and no hope — is brutal.
Penn State’s wins this year have come against FIU, Nevada, and FCS Villanova. They fall from No. 7 all the way out of the rankings this week.
On the other hand, UCLA played great — but that doesn’t change the nature of their remaining schedule or how they’ve looked in their other four games. Only time will tell if Nico has figured something out and will play like his Volunteer self, or if he’ll continue his UCLA ways. Penn State, who began the year ranked No. 2, now finds itself unranked. Hard to imagine it could get any worse for anyone else…
Hello, Longhorns! The preseason No. 1 team with Heisman hopeful Arch Manning. Losing a one-possession game on the road to Ohio State won’t take you out of the running, but it did set off some alarms in Austin. Lackluster wins against San Jose State and UTEP left fans and analysts claiming the sky is falling. Arch Manning has looked like half of what was promised, and people are starting to cool on the hype.
That being said, Texas still controlled its own destiny as SEC play began, looking to reach the championship game for the second year in a row. They traveled to The Swamp to take on Florida — a team that’s been reeling for what feels like a decade, with the perennial question of “When will Billy Napier get fired?” dominating the headlines.
Florida came out and punched Texas in the mouth, leading 19-7 at halftime and dominating all sides of the ball. Two more punts to start the third quarter by the Longhorns had Gainesville rocking, hoping the Gators could deliver the knockout punch. Instead, they settled for a field goal and then traded touchdowns to keep a 29-14 lead going into the fourth.
Two costly interceptions on Texas’s first two drives of the fourth quarter didn’t put any more points on the board for the Gators, but they took valuable opportunities away from the Longhorns. A late touchdown and a quick three-and-out gave Arch a chance at his defining moment. Down by eight with a minute to go — drive the ball, score, and tie the game. Be the hero. Erase the early-season struggles.
Well… the first play of the drive, he takes a 12-yard sack and loses his helmet. With the clock running and no timeouts, that was the worst possible outcome. Backup Matthew Caldwell came in and immediately delivered a 26-yard strike. Arch re-entered the game, only to be sacked again. With the clock winding down, he scrambled the team to the line, spiked the ball, and set up one last shot at the end zone. He hiked the ball with one second left — and spiked it with zero seconds left. Gators win. Arch still isn’t very good.
While most Gator fans are thrilled, I imagine a few view this win as just another delay in the inevitable firing of Billy Napier — a topic that’s constantly hanging over Gainesville. Florida gets its first win after a three-game skid, and their “reward” is a date with Texas A&M next week.
Texas now finds itself unranked heading into Week 7 after beginning the season at No. 1. They now hold the dubious title of being the fastest team ever to fall from preseason No. 1 to unranked in the AP Poll era. Congratulations, Texas — hang the banner. Because who knows when you’ll get to hang the other one.
Battle of Florida
Miami and Florida State squared off in what felt like the battle for Florida. UCF seems to be left out of the fun, but based on past results with USF and Florida — and looking ahead to the FSU–Florida game in November — I was willing to say that whoever won this matchup was the best team in the state.
Miami won — and Miami looked it. A dominant first three quarters saw the Hurricanes up 28–3 on the Seminoles. A fourth quarter of conservative play calls and prevent defense let Florida State feel like they had a seat at the big kids’ table, as the final score ended up being 28–22. Carson Beck played an almost flawless game, throwing for all four of Miami’s touchdowns and not a single interception.
Florida State is now 1–9 in its last ten ACC games. After a hot start to the year, the last two weeks have not been what Mike Norvell was hoping for. The Seminoles find themselves without a ranked opponent left on their schedule, but now need help from elsewhere if they want to reach the ACC Championship and earn another crack at their in-state rivals. They’re still hanging by a thread in this week’s rankings, coming in at No. 25.
Miami, meanwhile, jumps up to No. 2 in the country and faces a very favorable schedule. Not having to play Virginia or Georgia Tech gives the Hurricanes a clear path to an undefeated season — as long as Mario Cristobal has learned to take a knee. And all signs suggest he has.
Upsets and G5 Contenders
Oregon State nearly earned its first win of the 2025 campaign, but an interception thrown in the end zone on fourth-and-goal ended that possibility. Appalachian State beats Oregon State — and honestly, I’m not even sure I can still call Oregon State a Power Five school anymore. And that’s saying a lot coming from a Washington State and Pac-12 fan.
Cincinnati’s 38–30 win over No. 14 Iowa State looks like an upset to the naked eye. However, the Bearcats were actually favored by a point and a half, so while not a technical upset, it was a strong win nonetheless and puts them squarely in the Big 12 conversation.
As for the Group of Five picture: South Florida rolled on Friday night, taking care of Charlotte with ease. Tulane had the week off, but don’t sleep on Memphis — the Tigers are now 6–0 after throttling Tulsa. Boise State went into Notre Dame and put up a respectable showing before falling 28–7.
At this point, I think whoever wins the American will get the New Year’s Six auto bid. A two-loss Boise State team that’s only beaten Mountain West opponents won’t be ranked higher than the American champion. Whether that ends up being Tulane, USF, or Memphis, it’s going to be an exciting race to the finish.
Oh, and don’t count out Navy — they beat Air Force this weekend, putting themselves in a great position to claim the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy come December.
Other Top 25 Teams
All Top 25 teams handled their business against lower-ranked opponents — except for the ones mentioned above. Alabama found itself tied with Vanderbilt at halftime, 14–14, but used a strong defensive second half to hold the Commodores scoreless and secure a 30–14 win.
The only other Top 25 game that came down to the wire featured No. 24 Virginia on the road against Louisville.
Game of the Week: Virginia 30, Louisville 27 OT
In a game that saw a ranked team, Virginia, come in as nearly a touchdown underdog against a strong Louisville squad, it was sure to start Saturday with a bang. And boy, did it. Louisville was driving and ready to score on its opening possession when running back Isaac Brown fumbled on a fourth-and-one run. Virginia’s Donavon Platt scooped it up and returned it 61 yards to put the Cavaliers on the board first.
The Cardinals answered, though, with another long, methodical drive to tie the game at 7–7. Each team then produced another 70-plus-yard drive to knot things at 14–14. A missed 42-yard field goal by Louisville at the end of the first half kept the game tied, leaving the Cardinals feeling like they had outplayed Virginia but had nothing to show for it.
Disaster struck again in the third quarter for Louisville as quarterback Miller Moss threw an interception that was returned 47 yards for a touchdown, giving Virginia a 21–14 lead. Louisville suddenly found itself trailing by a touchdown even though its defense had only allowed one score. The Cavaliers added a field goal at the end of the quarter to take a 10-point lead into the final 15 minutes.
Miller Moss came through for the Cardinals in the fourth, leading a touchdown drive capped by a 13-yard pass to receiver Chris Bell. A ten-play drive that ended in a field goal tied the game at 24–24 with just over a minute remaining. Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris was sacked on the ensuing drive, sending the game to overtime.
Despite getting inside the 10-yard line, Louisville couldn’t punch it in and elected to kick a field goal on fourth-and-two from the six-yard line rather than going for it and risking giving Virginia an easy chance to win. It seemed like the right call at the time — but no one could’ve predicted that the Cardinal defense would turn into Swiss cheese in their overtime series. Virginia ran four plays, all gaining positive yards, the final one a two-yard touchdown run by J’Mari Taylor to win the game for the Cavaliers.
Looking at the stat sheet, it’s almost shocking that Virginia came out on top. They won despite being outgained by 146 yards, despite having 11 fewer first downs, despite going just 6-for-15 on third down, despite committing seven penalties for 68 yards, and despite losing the time of possession battle. What killed Louisville were the two turnovers — both returned for touchdowns by Virginia.
The grit and determination shown by Virginia to keep their undefeated ACC season alive, combined with the lopsided stat sheet in this upset, make this matchup the College Footblog Game of the Week.
Stat Line of the Week
Blake Horvath (Navy): 20/26 339 YDS 3 TD 17 CAR 130 YDS 1 TD
No, this is not a typo — and yes, I was just as shocked. Navy threw the ball 26 times in their win against Air Force… and completed 20 of them! This is only the second time since 2010 that Navy has attempted this many passes in a game, and quarterback Horvath absolutely balled out. He finished just 22 yards shy of the Navy single-game passing record — and, oh yeah, he still ran the ball 17 times for another 130 yards.
The do-it-all man of the United States Naval Academy deserves an invitation to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation.
Will’s Corner
BYU 38, West Virginia 24
BYU jumped out to a 21–3 lead but let the Mountaineers hang around thanks to three turnovers deep in their own territory. In a game where WVU had a chance for a backdoor cover in the final seconds, BYU still outgained them by nearly 300 yards. Bear Bachmeier dazzled in what seemed to be his first real opportunity to let loose, throwing for 351 yards. He did throw his first interception of the season on a blown-up screen play, but overall, he looked sharp.
BYU still needs to tighten things up defensively, and hopefully star linebackers Isaiah Glasker and Jack Kelly’s injuries aren’t too serious — the Cougars will need them back soon. BYU travels to Arizona next week to take on the Wildcats.
Tennessee — BYE
Tennessee plays host to coachless Arkansas this week as they look to get revenge for their loss to the Hogs last year.
Washington State — BYE
Washington State travels to Ole Miss this week and opens as a 32.5-point underdog. Any Wazzu fans making the trip might want to just stay in The Grove for the game — probably more enjoyable there.
AP Poll Reaction
Miami Jumps to #2
Texas Tech climbs into the Top 10.
Memphis and South Florida enter the Top 25, replacing Texas and Penn State
The entire 14-19 crowd all rose 5 spots.
There are the same amount of American teams in the top 25 as there would be former Pac-12 teams.
CFB News
College football is back on Wednesday nights this week! Conference USA kicks off its midweek slate with two games on Wednesday and two more on Thursday.
College GameDay heads to Eugene, Oregon, for the Top 10 matchup between the Ducks and the Hoosiers of Indiana. Curt Cignetti has a golden opportunity to take down one of the nation’s best — and he’ll have the entire country watching. Oregon opens as a touchdown favorite.
Big Noon Kickoff makes its way to Champaign, Illinois once again, as the top-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes come to town for a Top 20 showdown. The Buckeyes open as two-touchdown favorites.
Games to Watch – Week 7
24. South Florida @ North Texas – Oct 10, 7:30 PM ET (ESPN2)
8. Alabama @ 14. Missouri – Oct 11, 12:00 PM ET (ABC)
6. Oklahoma @ Texas– Oct 11, 3:30 PM ET (ABC)
21. Arizona State @ Utah – Oct 11, 10:15 PM ET (ESPN)
Guest Guesser Update
Through 5 weeks of pro and college picks between my mom and I, I picked up two more points on her this week to cut the gap to one. A close race heading into the second half of the year.
I’d love to hear from readers, too. Think my takes are dumb? Want my opinion on something I missed? Email me at thecollegefootblog@gmail.com.
