The Week 9 college football slate looked lighter, but there are always surprises to be found. Five AP Top 25 teams were eliminated in the first two windows of the day, including three against unranked opponents.
Of course, No. 3 Georgia continues to flex its muscles, eviscerating rival Florida. No. 4 Indiana, however, needed some late heroics from its kicker. No. 13 Texas Tech finally looked like it was part of a Big 12 contender, while No. 25 Wisconsin’s season came to a screeching halt.
In the night’s slate, USC hopes to pull off an upset against No. 2 Ohio State, and North Carolina challenges No. 1 Miami. Here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 9 ahead of primetime.
Winner: Indiana coach Curt Cignetti
How does he get out of it? Indiana’s No. 4 was dead after Minnesota kicked a 60-yard field goal in the final seconds of regulation. Cignetti seemed to completely mismanage the clock, letting 40 seconds run out instead of taking a timeout.
Then Indiana miraculously made a 60-yard field goal and produced the game-winning play to open overtime in a 23-16 win over the Golden Gophers. Indiana is clearly diminished from its national championship team, but that doesn’t matter. Cignetti somehow manages to find a way.
Loser: Wisconsin
The vibes were overwhelmingly positive in Madison after some impressive performances to return Wisconsin to the AP Top 25 under coach Luke Fickell. All the goodwill was spent in an instant as the Badgers lost a stunning 30-0 to Iowa.
Wisconsin was completely outplayed on both sides of the ball, mustering just 52 yards on the ground. They allowed Iowa quarterback Hank Brown to complete 20 of 24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, one of the best quarterback performances in years for the Hawkeyes.
All the momentum of a stellar 2026 season is gone for the Badgers. Closing out the year with four unranked wins to reach nine wins would be nice, but below expectations for this team after last week’s domination of No. 16 USC.
Winner: Texas Tech
The obituaries are in for Texas Tech’s season after a stunning two-touchdown loss to Cincinnati last week. Instead of panicking, coach Joey McGuire handed the keys to quarterback Thomas Castellanos.
The Red Raiders have now beaten No. 22 Houston and No. 22 Arizona in impressive performances at home, launching them into the discussion for the Big 12 title. With road trips to No. 24 Oklahoma State and Baylor, the Red Raiders still have a few test spots against two of the hottest teams in the conference.
Winner: QB Dylan Raiola, Oregon
The Raiola era at Oregon has been a disaster since he was forced into the starting lineup in place of Dante Moore. After losing 10-0 to No. 20 Northwestern, it looked like the Ducks were headed for another disastrous performance.
After the first difficulties, Raiola rose to the occasion. The Nebraska transfer completed 22 of 31 passes for 336 yards and three touchdowns in one of the best games of his career. New offensive coordinator Jay Johnson has done a much better job of allowing Oregon’s star receivers to move in space.
Oregon’s playoff hopes are probably doomed, but a road trip against No. 2 Ohio State next week makes things awfully interesting. This is a major place for Raiola to establish himself as a mended prospect.
Loser: Oklahoma
The Sooners continue to find new lows as Brent Venables heads into his third losing season in five years. This time, it was a stunning 42-25 loss to South Carolina at home in a game that likely spelled the end of offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle.
For the first time this season, the Sooners’ defense completely collapsed. The Sooners allowed 28 points in the first half alone and looked overmatched. There were several coverage failures, including an 84-yard fumble for a touchdown from LaNorris Sellers to DJ Black.
At this point, Oklahoma under Venables is bad at everything. The Sooners scored 15 points in the clock to make the score respectable, but it was a collapse.
Winner: QB DJ Lagway, Baylor
For the second year in a row, DJ Lagway sees his coach fired. But under Baylor interim coach Joe Klanderman, Lagway played perhaps the best game of his career. Facing one of the stingiest defenses in the Big 12 in UCF, Lagway took a step back and picked them apart.
He threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions, completing 64 percent of his passes in a 41-9 victory. It could have just been a simple dead cat bounce, but Baylor played with more urgency than it has seen in years.
Loser: SMU
With just one close loss under its belt, No. 19 SMU looked like a potential spoiler in the College Football Playoff race. The Mustangs were a solid No. 3, within striking distance of Wake Forest and Miami. But after a stunning 30-27 loss to Syracuse, it’s another frustrating season of what-ifs.
The Mustangs have been painfully close in recent years to returning to the College Football Playoff, including a loss to California on the final play of the game. It was just as painful, giving up a passing touchdown with 17 seconds left to a team that entered 3-4 and was looking for some consistency.
Winner: Sacramento State
The Hornets had a rough transition to FBS, losing their first seven FBS games by an average of 27.5 points per game. But ultimately, against Kent State, the Hornets recorded their first ever FBS victory, 31-10. Running back Isaiah Ene had 107 yards and two touchdowns in the win, and the Hornets can gain some confidence as the season heads into the home stretch.
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