The Week 9 college football slate delivered plenty of drama as five AP Top 25 teams dropped during the first two windows of the day, including three losses to unranked opponents. While No. 3 Georgia rolled past rival Florida and No. 4 Indiana narrowly survived, other ranked programs suffered stunning defeats.
Winners of Week 9
No. 4 Indiana coach Curt Cignetti continued his remarkable run as the Hoosiers secured a 23-16 overtime victory against Minnesota. After a 60-yard field goal by Minnesota put Indiana in a tough spot in the final seconds of regulation, Cignetti appeared to mismanage the clock by letting 40 seconds run without calling a timeout. However, Indiana answered with its own 60-yard field goal and quickly scored the game-winning play in overtime.
Texas Tech revived its season after coach Joey McGuire started backup quarterback Thomas Castellanos following a loss to Cincinnati. The Red Raiders followed up a win over No. 22 Houston with an impressive home victory against No. 22 Arizona, thrusting themselves into the Big 12 title conversation ahead of upcoming road tests against No. 24 Oklahoma State and Baylor.
Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola bounced back from a difficult stretch after being forced into the starting lineup. Facing an early 10-0 deficit against No. 20 Northwestern, the Nebraska transfer completed 22-of-31 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns under new offensive coordinator Jay Johnson to spark a major turnaround for the Ducks.
Baylor quarterback DJ Lagway delivered perhaps the best game of his career under interim coach Joe Klanderman. Facing a tough UCF defense, Lagway threw for 319 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions while completing 64% of his passes in a dominant 41-9 victory.
Sacramento State secured its first-ever FBS victory by defeating Kent State 31-10 after enduring a brutal transition that saw the Hornets lose their first seven FBS games by an average of 27.5 points. Running back Isaiah Ene led the way with 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns.
Losers of Week 9
No. 25 Wisconsin saw its momentum grind to a halt in a 30-0 shutout loss against Iowa. The Badgers were completely outclassed on both sides of the ball, managing only 52 rushing yards while allowing Hawkeyes quarterback Hank Brown to complete 20-of-24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns.
Oklahoma hit a new low under coach Brent Venables, suffering a 42-25 home loss to South Carolina that likely spelled the end for offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. The Sooners defense collapsed early, surrendering 28 points in the first half alone, including an 84-yard touchdown pass from LaNorris Sellers to DJ Black.
No. 19 SMU suffered another frustrating defeat, losing 30-27 to a 3-4 Syracuse team after giving up a passing touchdown with just 17 seconds remaining. The heartbreaking loss damages the Mustangs’ standing in the College Football Playoff race following years of near-misses.
The night slate featured top matchups with USC challenging No. 2 Ohio State and North Carolina facing No. 1 Miami as teams looked to close out Week 9.
