College football always delivers, even in the weeks that feel underwhelming. In a stunner, South Florida shocked No. 13 Florida after a spitting player led to a game-winning field goal from USF’s Nico Gramatica.
In other spots, No. 16 Iowa State pulled away from Iowa with a historic field goal, while No. 20 Ole Miss needed every second to avoid Kentucky. No. 11 Illinois played well in a win over Duke and Texas QB Arch Manning found his footing.
Elsewhere, Oregon drove legendary Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy into the ground. The shocking 69-3 victory marked rock bottom for the Cowboys. Rivalry games between Kansas/Missouri and Texas State/UTSA also brought plenty of hate.
There’s plenty more to come in the evening slate. Arizona State travels to Mississippi State in a big prove-it spot, while Michigan plays Oklahoma in Norman in perhaps the best game of the day. BYU also hosts Stanford in a big game for first-year quarterback Bear Bachmeier.
Here are the biggest winners and losers of the first few windows of games.
Winner: Mississippi State
The Bulldogs had a rough first season under coach Jeff Lebby, and a 34-17 win over Southern Miss didn’t inspire much confidence. After a come-from-behind victory against No. 12 Arizona State, though, Mississippi State has a serious moment to celebrate for the first time in the Lebby era.
MSU blew a 17-0 lead and were down 20-17 late in the fourth quarter. However, ex-Oklahoma receiver Brenen Thompson somehow got lost by the defense and blew by for a 58-yard touchdown from Blake Shapen with 30 seconds left. Bulldogs fans stormed the field and ripped down the goal post, the first time they’ve had a chance to do so in years.
Mississippi State fans felt some disrespect on the part of Arizona State’s Kenny Dillingham towards the program and Starkville coming in. Exorcising those demons with a win had to feel good.
Loser: Florida coach Billy Napier
The amount of self-inflicted disasters that Florida needed to impose in its 18-16 loss to South Florida was incalculable. However, the final drive really set the tone. Florida got the ball with 2:52 remaining in the fourth quarter and essentially just needed to run clock. Instead, Napier called two passes in three plays to turn the ball over on downs in only 27 seconds.
Then, South Florida got the ball back. After defensive end Brenden Bett spit in the face of a Bulls player, South Florida used it to drive 87 yards down the field and kick a game-winning field goal in a stunner.
Napier built up plenty of goodwill with the way he finished the 2024 season, but it all went out the window in Game 2. The Bulls outgained them 391-355 and Florida proved unable to impose their will. With a brutal schedule ahead — including three straight games against AP Top 7 opponents, starting next week at LSU — things could careen quickly.
Oklahoma paid top dollar to bring Washington State transfer John Mateer to campus. In his first big game, Mateer was more than worth the investment. The junior was responsible for 270 yards passing, 74 yards passing and three total touchdowns in the 24-13 victory against No. 15 Michigan. He bought time with his legs and confused a talented Michigan defense all day. His presence was the difference in the defensive battle between two blue blood programs. Receiver Deion Burks, a former Purdue transfer, looked the part of a favorite target, finishing with his first career 100-yard game.
What on earth is happening with the Wildcats? Kansas State was a popular pick to win the Big 12 in 2025, but instead are staring down the barrel of 1-2 after losing to Army — which, one week ago, lost to FCS Tarleton State. Kansas State’s star quarterback Avery Johnson has been inconsistent, finishing with only 186 total yards. However, the defensive and running game are disastrous.
Kansas State rushed for only 74 yards on 18 carries in the loss to Army, two weeks after finishing at only 4.0 yards per carry against Iowa State. However, the defense has been the real tragedy, giving up 237 yards and two touchdowns on the ground to Army. The Black Knights held the ball for 40 minutes and converted 6-of-7 fourth downs.
For the first time in the Chris Klieman era, Kansas State is just… bad.
Only in the Iowa-Iowa State rivalry would a coach play for a game-winning 54-yard field goal … and get totally rewarded for it. But that was the story for Iowa State, which turned in a game-winner from Kyle Konrardy to put away Iowa for its first win over its rival at home since 2011, snapping a six-game losing streak.
Iowa State is off to a tremendous 3-0 start, but Konrardy has been exceptional. Since uncharacteristically missing a 49-yard field goal in the first half against Kansas State, Konrardy has hit six straight field goals. In addition to the 54-yard game winner, Konrardy nailed a school record 63-yard field goal against South Dakota.
The Cyclones figure to be in the thick of the Big 12 championship race, and Konrardy has emerged as perhaps their greatest advantage.
Loser: Oklahoma State
There’s losing to a top 10 opponent, and then there’s whatever the heck just happened in Eugene, Oregon. The Cowboys played No. 6 Oregon and gave up touchdowns on two of the Ducks’ first three plays. They surrendered nearly 500 yards and 41 points in the first half. Somehow, the second half was even worse as quarterback Zane Flores threw pick-sixes on back-to-back plays.
Mike Gundy shaped Oklahoma State’s modern identity — now it’s time for a new one
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The loss was the worst at Oklahoma State since the state of Oklahoma was formed in 1907, and represented a historic disaster for coach Mike Gundy. Prior to 2024, Gundy had never lost a game by more than 50 points. Now, he has lost his last two matchups by 52 and 66 and been outscored 121-3. The program has bottomed out in every way.
The Battle of I-35 is a seriously good Group of Six matchup between Texas State and UTSA. These schools are only an hour apart. Texas State coach G.J. Kinne even played for UTSA coach Jeff Traylor in high school. The connections run deep.
This time, the student beat the master as Texas State escaped with a 43-36 victory at the Alamodome, the first victory at the venue in four appearances since 2012. First-year starter Brad Jackson threw for 286 yards in his second career start. The win is a big one for the Bobcats as they hope to make their case as a premiere Group of Six program and CFP contender.
Winner: The Manning-Livingstone connection at Texas
The most famous man in college football looked tentative in his first drive against San Jose State, but Arch Manning finally got a chance to empty the clip thanks to his roommate, Parker Livingstone. Late in the first half, Livingstone broke away and caught a pass from Manning for an 83-yard reception. Less than three minutes later, Livingstone caught a tight ball for a three-yard touchdown.
Livingstone only entered the lineup because of injuries to transfer receiver Emmett Mosley V, but proved he deserves more opportunities. In two games, he has three touchdowns. He helped Manning take a major step forward in a 295-yard, four-touchdown performance to beat the Spartans 38-7 in Austin.
Loser: SMU
The No. 17 Mustangs had Baylor dead to rights, up by 14 points more than halfway through the fourth quarter. SMU had moved the ball at will, scoring a pair of 75-yard passing touchdowns and adding a 40-yard rushing score from T.J. Harden. Instead of putting the reeling Bears away, SMU surrendered touchdown drives of 72 and 82 yards to send the game to overtime. A missed field goal by Caleb Rogers in double overtime did SMU in and gave Baylor its 14th straight win over the Mustangs.
The only solace? SMU lost a three-point game against a Big 12 opponent at home last year as well when BYU topped them in Dallas. It didn’t keep them from the College Football Playoff. The schedule, though, is much more difficult in 2025 with No. 5 Miami and No. 8 Clemson still ahead.
We’ve waited 14 long years for the Border War to return. In every way, it lived up to the hype. Kansas used a scoop-and-score and strong start from Jalon Daniels to jump out to a 21-6 lead in the first quarter. However, Missouri was exceedingly impressive in the way it handled the moment.
Despite facing a deficit in the fourth quarter, quarterback Beau Pribula stepped up and delivered a pass to a leaked Brett Norfleet to take a lead it would not surrender. Jamal Roberts added a 63-yard rushing TD at the end to push the score to 42-31. Kansas/Missouri is one of the most hateful rivalries in the country, and coach Eli Drinkwitz will certainly get a few more high fives at the grocery store after pulling away.
Well, the excitement about Rich Rodriguez coming home lasted about five minutes. In his first FBS game, West Virginia got outgained by nearly 200 yards and lost 17-10 against … Ohio. The Mountaineers rushed for only 2.6 yards per carry against a MAC defensive line and let Timothee Chalamet’s favorite quarterback, Parker Narvarro, stunt all over them to the tune of 247 yards passing and 87 touchdowns. Oklahoma State and West Virginia will have a tight battle with UCF for worst team in the Big 12!
Winner: Turnover Taters
Idaho is too good at this.
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