Another week has come and gone in the 2025 college football season, which means 1) we are one week closer to championship week, and 2) we are one week closer to the bracket for the College Football Playoff being decided. Crazy how the time goes by so quickly, isn’t it? I feel like I’ve been saying that a lot these past few weeks.
But this week had several instances of top teams taking care of business against lesser opponents, while there were some teams that made cases to be in the upper echelon of the college football hierarchy. And of course, needless to say, there were a few teams that came into this week with high expectations only to be massively disappointed. It happens.
But enough of me yapping in the intro, let’s jump into some takeaways where I can do even more yapping!
BYU reeks of fraudulence
Someone had to say it.
I was of the belief that if BYU could come into Lubbock and outlast a tough (and also very good) Texas Tech team, then they would be a legitimate contender to make a deep run in the College Football Playoff. This was a huge litmus test for the Cougars to see where they really stand, and they were looking to make a massive statement in this game.
Oh, they made a statement all right. Too bad it wasn’t a good one.
BYU’s offense was, for the most part, completely shut down by Texas Tech’s strong defense. Cougars quarterback Bear Bachmeier finally came crashing back down to earth, as he went 23-for-38 for just 188 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. He posted a subpar QBR of just 55.8.
It also does not exactly help matters that BYU’s ground game was suffocated all game long by the Red Raiders, as the Cougars ran for just 67 yards as a team (NO, I am NOT going to say it). And BYU’s defense could not help out their struggling offense, as Texas Tech quarterback Behren Morton threw for 219 yards and a score while keeping the ball out of harm’s way.
The Red Raiders also ran for 149 rushing yards as a team, although the vast majority of that production came from running back Cameron Dickey, as Dickey did whatever he wanted against BYU’s defense throughout the day, running for 121 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
I had my questions about the Cougars heading into this game, and I was not completely convinced that they were a bonafide contender, even considering their undefeated record. They still are on track to be a contender for the Big 12 Championship and even for the College Football Playoff, but if they do make the CFP, don’t expect the Cougars to have a long stay there.
Louisville also reeks of fraudulence
Pretty good segue right there, am I right?
Louisville was on a heater coming into their contest with the California Golden Bears. The Cardinals were 7-1 and had won their last three games, the best of those being a gutsy 24-21 road win over then-No. 2 Miami.
Well, all that momentum was sapped by the time the clock hit triple zeroes in the game against Cal, because Louisville found themselves on the losing end by a score of 29-26. So, that begs the question, how did this happen to such a hot team?
A major factor in this loss for Louisville was the play of quarterback Miller Moss. The fact of the matter is that Moss straight up did not play well. He completed 20 of his 38 passes for 203 yards and an interception, and although he did find the end zone on the ground, he posted a ghastly QBR of 20.5. Yes, that number is correct.
The Cardinals’ ground game was good but top-heavy, and what I mean by that is that, somewhat similarly to Texas Tech, the bulk of that production came from one running back. Keyjuan Brown was objectively excellent in this game, as he ran for 136 yards on 14 carries. But it just wasn’t quite enough.
Cal quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele went 30-for-47 for 323 passing yards and two touchdowns without recording a turnover. And he, along with wide receiver Jacob De Jesus, was the hero tonight for the Golden Bears, as Sagapolutele hit De Jesus in the end zone on 4th and goal in overtime to secure the win for Cal.
Doesn’t get much better than that for the Golden Bears, does it?
As for Louisville, all the momentum they built up over the past three weeks has pretty much evaporated. Their schedule isn’t terribly difficult from this point forward, but a critical road test against SMU will be another indicator as to how good this Cardinals team really is.
Vanderbilt can play the part of the crash-the-party kind of CFP contender
Surprise! It’s the Vanderbilt Commodores!
I kind of went with the theme of the section title for that opening line. Anyway, Vanderbilt has that kind of vibe so far in the greater college football landscape, and in this past Saturday’s wild 45-38 win over Auburn, the Commodores keep doing just enough to escape with wins.
Diego Pavia was spectacular for Vandy in this one, as he went 25-for-33 for 377 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions. It’s pretty difficult to have a better statline through the air for a QB than Pavia did. Oh, and did I mention that he also ran for 112 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, too?
It was practically perfect for the Commodores’ quarterback in this game. He also posted a sparkling 95.7 QBR. But Vanderbilt had to work for this win, because quarterback Ashton Daniels and the Auburn offense didn’t play too bad either.
Daniels completed 31 of his 44 passes for 353 yards and two touchdowns, and he also kept the ball out of harm’s way for the most part. Daniels also ran for 89 yards and a pair of scores on the ground, while Tigers running back Jeremiah Cobb added 115 yards on 16 carries.
In short, it was an offensive explosion for both teams. There was a lot to like about both sides from an offensive standpoint, although for both defensive coordinators, I have to imagine this was an incredibly frustrating game. Maybe not for Vanderbilt’s DC, because, you know…his team won.
But the Commodores are 8-2 and now have the juice to potentially make a run at the College Football Playoff. And at this point, they should absolutely be taken seriously as a contender in the SEC. I’m not sure I’m ready to say that they will make the SEC Championship yet, and a CFP berth is not a sure thing.
But it’s absolutely possible with this team.
Texas A&M continues to make a resounding statement
And that statement says, “We are a top-three team in the country. We have that ranking for a reason.”
OK, maybe it’s not that wordy and lengthy of a statement. But you get the point I’m trying to make.
Texas A&M went out and thoroughly dominated a very good Missouri Tigers team, winning the contest by a score of 38-17. Oh, and did I mention this game was played in Columbia? Coming into this game, Missouri was 6-2, and the Aggies proceeded to apply a lasting butt-kicking to them on Saturday.
Texas A&M took an early lead in the opening quarter and never really looked back from there. This game was 24-7 heading into the fourth quarter. There was a moment early in that final stanza where it looked like the game could potentially get a little more interesting, after Missouri knocked through a 49-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14. But then the Aggies scored another touchdown and by that point, the game was practically over.
Marcel Reed was once again spectacular, as he went 20-for-29 for 221 yards and two touchdowns. He also did not commit a turnover and posted a 90.1 QBR. And the Aggies’ running game gashed Missouri’s defense all game, as Texas A&M ran for 243 yards and three touchdowns as a team, including two from running back Rueben Owens II.
The Aggies’ defense also suffocated the Tigers’ passing attack, as Matt Zollers looked miserable practically all game long. Zollers only completed seven (yes, seven) of his 22 passes for just 77 yards. He posted a QBR of just 17.4. Yes, that number is also correct, you aren’t reading that wrong.
The Missouri rushing attack did actually have a solid game, as they ran for 207 yards as a team and found the end zone twice. But it was everything else that went wrong for Missouri, and their defense just could not stop the Aggies’ offensive onslaught.
Texas A&M is a certified national championship contender. There is no denying that anymore. There are very, very few weaknesses on this team. And if everything breaks just right, there is a very real chance that they could be hoisting the College Football Playoff National Championship trophy in January.
Alabama also continues to make a statement
I know, my section titles are lacking a little bit this week. Don’t judge me.
Anyway, the Alabama Crimson Tide continue to make a statement as a top-five team in the nation (along with the Georgia Bulldogs, I would argue). There seems to be a consensus on who the best five teams in college football are at this point in time.
But Alabama defended their home turf in Tuscaloosa and defeated their bitter rival LSU, who were fresh off of dismissing former head coach Brian Kelly. Interim head coach Frank Wilson and the Tigers simply didn’t have the firepower to keep up with the Tide.
To be completely honest, it really wasn’t like the Alabama offense blew the doors off of LSU. Ty Simpson played fine, as he completed 21 of his 35 passes for 277 yards and one touchdown. He posted a good QBR of 79.5 as well.
But the real story from this game was the Tigers’ benching of quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, as before he was taken out of the game, he had completed 18 of his 21 passes for 121 yards. However, he was a culprit for LSU’s offensive struggles in this game. The first half for the Tigers consisted of the following: a missed field goal, a fumble, a field goal, and two straight punts before the end of the half.
To put it simply, that’s not going to get it done, especially against a team like Alabama.
LSU is now 5-4 and their season is pretty much lost, and they may very well need to tear everything down and start over. That process needs to begin with the hiring of a new, permanent head coach after Kelly’s dismissal.
But for Alabama, they continue to cement themselves as one of the best teams in the country and a bonafide national championship contender after a rocky start to the year. Seems like things are chugging along as usual in Tuscaloosa.
And last but not least…
Indiana-Penn State…game of the year?!
I can tell you this much: the catch at the end of the game was absolutely, one hundred percent the catch of the year.
But we have a whole game to recap before we get to that moment. Fernando Mendoza was just okay in this game, although it’s hard to fully blame him playing at a mediocre-ish level for most of the game while having an environment like Beaver Stadium going at him. He went 19-for-30 for 218 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.
New Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer generally played pretty well, as he completed 22 of his 31 passes for 219 yards, a touchdown, and an interception. The Nittany Lions’ star running back duo of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen also made life difficult for Indiana’s defense, as they combined for 119 yards on the ground and Singleton found the end zone twice.
But for most of this game, it looked like Indiana was going to come out with the win, particularly in the third quarter when kicker Nico Radicic nailed a 31-yard field goal to give the Hoosiers a 20-7 lead with just under nine minutes left in the frame.
However, Penn State got the ball back and, over the next two quarters, proceeded to rip off 17 unanswered points to take an improbable 24-20 lead in the fourth quarter, setting up Indiana at their own 20-yard line with just under two minutes to go. In other words, these situations are where football legends are made.
After being sacked on the first play of the drive, Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana offense methodically got down the field, and Mendoza connected with Charlie Becker and Riley Nowakowski respectively on two huge completions to get the Hoosiers to Penn State’s seven-yard line.
And that now brings me back to the point I mentioned in the opening line of this section. Mendoza somehow found wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr in the back of the end zone on third and goal, on a throw that looked like it was originally intended to be a throwaway.
And somehow, some way, Omar Cooper Jr. made the catch of the year, and the biggest catch in Indiana football’s program history.
Remember, in college football, it only takes one foot to touch the green grass in the end zone. In the NFL, this is an incompletion. But one foot is all it takes.
I am speechless. Completely and utterly speechless. This catch, this play. It makes no sense, and yet, it still happened. And Indiana remains unbeaten and improves to 10-0 with their 27-24 win in Happy Valley.
This right here is why college football is the greatest sport in the world.
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