2025 College Football: Week 9 Takeaways

We had ourselves a lighter schedule this week with several ranked teams idle. Coincidentally, the ones that did play mostly didn’t face each other. That doesn’t mean we saw little of note. Auburn surged back to victory over Arkansas after benching QB Jackson Arnold. (10) Vanderbilt beat (15) Missouri in a slugfest after Tigers QB Beau Pribula got carted off. We witnessed multiple comebacks, OT shootouts, and a few demolitions (sorry Colorado and UCLA). Here, we’ll cover some ranked teams, a curious coaching choice, and fresh FBS faces. Read all that and more in my college football week 9 takeaways!

(4) Alabama, (22) Texas Pull off Dramatic Comeback Wins

One of the hottest teams in college football has undoubtedly been Alabama. The Crimson Tide have won 6 in a row, and they went into 3-4 South Carolina as strong favorites. To the Gamecocks’ credit, they did anything but roll over. Their defense played 3.5 quarters of excellent football, holding Alabama to just 14 points in that span. Seven of those points came off a pick six, which was actually a drop by a South Carolina WR. The Gamecocks stifled the Bama rushing attack, holding them to 3.2 yards per carry. That included a 25-yard sprint that I’ll get too shortly. Unfortunately for SC, their own offense had a rough time too.

QB LaNorris Sellers (17/31, 213 yards, TD, INT; 18/67/1) was the team’s lone rushing threat, and he still needs development as a passer. Regardless, he led his squad to a 22-14 lead, and the defense just had to hold it. Alabama QB Ty Simpson (24/43, 252 yards, 2 TDs, FUM) led a 7:44 TD drive and two-point conversion to tie the game. Sellers fumbled the ball two plays later, and Alabama WR Germie Bernard (5/54/1) ran the aforementioned 25-yard TD play to take a 29-22 advantage. It was a great job by the CB who let Bernard score to give his offense a chance, but Sellers took a sack, and that was that for the Gamecocks.

We’ve become more accustomed to Texas struggling, but maybe they could get things right against Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are an improved team, but they entered the day winless in 3 SEC games. Yes, I’m sorry, but Longhorns QB Arch Manning must be brought up again. He struggled through 3 quarters, while counterpart Blake Shapen (26/42, 381 yards, 4 TDs) led his team to a 17-point lead heading into the 4th. Manning (29/46, 346 yards, 3 TDs, INT, rush TD) took 5 sacks and threw an INT before catching fire late, leading a furious comeback. Texas tied the game at 38 on a Ryan Niblett PR TD, and off to OT we went.

I’ll skip asking why teams keep booting the ball to this guy and go straight to the OT action. Manning ran the ball on the first possession but stayed down. He left with what we learned was a concussion. As he did a few weeks ago, backup Matthew Caldwell came in and immediately made magic, hitting WR Emmett Mosley V (4/53/2) for a 10-yard TD. The defense took over from there, punishing Shapen with pressure and winning the game on the unit’s 7th sack. We can’t ignore reality: Texas is not a playoff-caliber team this year. They’re growing though, and sitting at 7-2 despite their well-documented struggles isn’t bad.

(3) Texas A&M, (11) BYU Stay Unbeaten After Falling Behind Early

With only 6 unbeaten teams remaining in the FBS, all eyes are on those squads. Texas A&M got primetime billing in Death Valley against (20) LSU, and not much went right during the first half. QB Marcel Reed threw 2 INTs, including one in the end zone. The Aggies had a punt blocked for a safety, and LSU gashed the defense on the ground. Even with everything that went wrong, TAMU only trailed 18-14 at the break because the Tigers aren’t so great themselves. It seemed clear that if Texas A&M could get their own affairs in order, they’d win easily. Their second-half blowout was no surprise, and it came on both sides of the ball.

Reed (12/21, 202 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs; 13/108/2 rushing) locked in and became a machine. Texas A&M’s 6 drives in the 3rd and 4th quarters included 4 TDs, one punt, and one pair of kneel-downs. The defense sacked LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier (22/35, 168 yards, TD) 7 times, including two for 2025 breakout star Cashius Howell. LSU managed just one second-half score, which they got when everyone’s backups came in. At their best, these Aggies are a top-notch team. I just worry about their consistency sometimes. Meanwhile, this was LSU’s knockout punch. At 3 losses, their CFP dreams are dead, and they’ll be out of the top 25 this week.

(11) BYU had a much simpler case against Iowa State. The Cougars simply needed to tighten up on defense, because their offense played fine. At least the passing game did, with QB Bear Bachmeier (22/35, 307 yards, 2 TDs; 12/49/1 rushing) having a great day. Defensively, they looked unprepared for what the Cyclones had to offer, surrendering 17 first-quarter points. Bit by bit, BYU raised their level of play. ISU scored 7 points in the second quarter, just 3 in the 3rd quarter, and none in the final frame. This game could serve BYU well moving forward. It’s a reminder to maintain their focus; despite their talent, they can lose if distracted.

AAC Race Upended Once Again, This Time by Memphis

Just last week, I wrote that Memphis’ surprise loss to UAB sent the Group of 6’s playoff chase into chaos. Seven days later, we saw more insanity from the AAC, and Memphis had a hand in it once more. In a reversal of their game flow last week, Memphis started out by falling into a hole. (18) South Florida came into town and had their way with the Tigers, taking a 31-17 lead into the 4th quarter. Bulls QB Byrum Brown (26/43, 268 yards, TD, INT; 21/121/2 rushing) was putting on a show, while Memphis had a hard time running the ball. Cracks emerged though, as USF became a bit too careless at times, failing to put Memphis away.

Something emerged in the Tigers, and they transformed into a different team during the 4th quarter. Memphis allowed 0 points and scored 17 of their own. Their 3 drives during the period totaled 28 plays, 226 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 FG. QB Brendon Lewis (27/44, 307 yards, 2 TDs; 11/35 rushing) finally found a rhythm, and the defense shut down the Bulls. The second TD gave Memphis their first lead since the first quarter when they led 7-0, holding a 34-31 advantage. USF tried to rally, but K Nico Gramatica missed a 52-yard FG attempt (which was 42 yards before a holding foul on the prior play), and the Tigers pulled the upset.

So where are we NOW with this conference? Both USF and Memphis would miss the championship game if it were played today. Tulane is 3-0 within the conference, and Navy is 5-0. The Midshipmen are notably 7-0 overall. I also can’t ignore North Texas (7-1; 3-1 AAC), who scores a ton of points and whose QB Drew Mestemaker just set a conference record with 608 passing yards on Friday. Any of those 5 schools could feasibly win the AAC, and with Boise State seeming a bit weaker this year, that’s probably enough to make the CFP. The next several weeks are going to be fascinating given how much is on the line.

Bill Belichick Goes for 2, Ruins UNC’s Chances of Victory

I know: another rant about going for 2 when a PAT would tie the game? Sort of. I’ll start with that part to get it out of the way. North Carolina played a surprisingly competitive game against (16) Virginia, ending regulation tied 10-10. The defense played great, but they allowed the Cavaliers to score a TD on the first possession of OT. UNC scored their own touchdown and made the dreaded decision to go for 2. QB Gio Lopez (23/36, 208 yards, TD, 2 INTs, rush TD) extended the play and threw short to RB Benjamin Hall (11/50), who came up just short of the goal line. Just like that, the Tar Heels lost 17-16 instead of extending the game.

When asked about why he made that decision, HC Bill Belichick said: “Just trying to win the game“. This is where I’m going to diverge from what you expect and not attack the overall concept of trying to win instead of tying the game (though Tulsa did the same thing and lost because of it in OT during their game as well). First, let’s address why UNC in particular should not have gone for it. Their defense had a fantastic game, with the Cavaliers’ OT drive being an outlier. Meanwhile, Lopez had thrown two picks and put up just 10 points. I would rather have trusted the defense in that scenario, and I bet Belichick wishes he did so.

The main point I wanted to make with all of this is just how weird it was for Belichick of all coaches to make that decision. He’s a very old-school football mind, and his pedigree comes from the defensive side of the ball. Going for 2 is not something he typically does in those situations, even though he’s more analytics-minded than many give him credit for. To me, this is him trying to catch up with the modern game, but here he chose an avenue that he should’ve continued to avoid. On the plus side, UNC looks much better than they did a few weeks ago. It’s just sad that the improvement came in an avoidable loss.

Checking in on Our Newest FBS Teams

I often like to see how teams that changed conferences are doing. Sometimes that means shifting from one FBS conference to another, but today, we’re looking at the two teams that jumped from the FCS to the FBS, marking a more seismic move. Delaware Missouri State departed the Coastal Athletic Association and the Missouri Valley Conference, respectively, and both joined C-USA as full-time members. In line with the better-than-expected performances we’ve seen from new FBS teams in recent years, both of these schools are faring well. Each has a 4-3 record and a pair of conference wins, but they’re going about it differently.

Delaware is led by its’ offense. Indeed, their 118 points scored are second only to Western Kentucky’s 129 in C-USA, and we know that the Hilltoppers love their up-tempo air raid attack. It starts with QB Nick Minicucci for the Blue Hens. The junior is completing 64.4% of his passes for 2,077 yards, 13 TDs, and just 3 INTs. Missouri State is conversely led by their defense, having allowed just 64 points (second to Kennesaw State’s 49). No player has more than 2 sacks, but the Bears have taken the ball away 12 times, and they’re sure tacklers. As one might expect for this style of teams, their games have mostly been close.

To be clear, I’m not saying that these teams are James Madison from a couple of years ago. C-USA competes with the MAC for the title of weakest FBS conference. However, it is still a big change and a step up in competition for these teams, and I think they’re handling it quite well. Sam Houston joined C-USA a couple of years ago and is currently mired in an 0-7 start. Delaware and Missouri state are more than holding their own. I don’t think you can really ask for anything else as these two programs get their feet wet in the FBS waters. Both schools were ready for this promotion, and they’re proving their backers correct.