College football’s weekly chaos machine was in full effect in Week 9, and the biggest jolt came at the Coliseum, where USC took down No. 2 Ohio State, 30-18.
That wasn’t just a marquee win - it was the kind Lincoln Riley had been chasing since he arrived. After five seasons, he finally got his signature moment at USC.
Riley had spent the year insisting the Trojans had the kind of roster that could go toe-to-toe with the sport’s best. On Saturday, they backed it up.
USC came out with an early offensive burst and paired it with an aggressive defensive front, turning one of the season’s biggest stages into a statement win. Ohio State’s defense didn’t help matters, and the Buckeyes were also starting backup quarterback Luke Fahey in his first career start.
Still, this was the sort of result USC needed if it wants to make a College Football Playoff push - and the sort of win Riley needed after a stretch in which the biggest games had slipped away.
Indiana, meanwhile, keeps living on the edge and somehow keeps surviving. For the second straight week, the Hoosiers needed overtime to put away an overmatched opponent, this time against Minnesota after doing the same against Michigan.
The offense has been stuck in neutral, and that has been a theme beyond just those two games. Nebraska and Ohio State also saw the Hoosiers struggle to get much going.
When healthy, Josh Hoover was nowhere near the quarterback that Fernando Mendoza was. When hurt, it was even worse.
That helped explain why Curt Cignetti turned to backup quarterback Grant Wilson in the second half on Saturday.
The defense continues to give Indiana a floor, and that alone keeps the Hoosiers in every game. But the offense looks far less comfortable than it did a year ago.
Even so, the results keep coming. Winning is a skill, and Cignetti keeps proving he has it.
Georgia’s defense also looked every bit like Georgia’s defense. Florida coughed up four turnovers and managed just 1.9 yards per carry, which lines up nicely with the fact that this is the SEC’s No. 1 scoring defense.
And yes, the kickers had a day. College football’s specialists delivered one of those weekends that makes the #collegekickers crowd feel very seen.
Minnesota’s Luke Drzewiecki drilled a career-long 60-yarder at the end of regulation in Bloomington, and Indiana’s Paddy McAteer answered with a 60-yarder of his own to force overtime. USC added a 54-yard field goal, and Missouri chipped in a 53-yarder.
Not bad for a sport that usually treats long kicks like a coin flip.
The bigger picture in the Big Ten is just as messy. Iowa lost to Minnesota a week ago, then turned around and blanked Wisconsin, which had blown out USC the week before.
USC then went and stunned Ohio State. Northwestern, one of the season’s surprise teams, looked like it had a path to the CFP before blowing a 14-point lead in Eugene and losing to a reeling Oregon team.
Indiana has been shaky in almost every outing, while Michigan and Penn State are slogging through disappointing seasons under new head coaches. Right now, the conference feels wide open - and hard to trust.
In Other News...
No. 4 Indiana Escaped Another Scare And Fans Know Why
Another tense afternoon at Memorial Stadium ended with Indiana finding just enough to survive, as the Hoosiers slipped past Minnesota 23-16 in overtime. It was the kind of game that had plenty of clean chances to get away from them, but instead turned into a grind filled with turnovers, special teams miscues and long stretches where neither offense could find much rhythm.
Indiana still had to lean on timely execution late, including a field goal that tied the game and forced overtime after the Hoosiers had spent much of the day trading punches with a stubborn Minnesota team. Josh Hoover and Grant Wilson both helped move scoring drives along, but the bigger takeaway for Indiana fans was familiar: this team keeps finding ways to escape, even when the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Spotlight Weekend Included A Brutal Near Miss Fans Wont Forget
Pat McAfees Kicking is Easy contest brought a jolt of extra theater to Bloomington during Week 9, and Indiana students had a front-row seat to one of the seasons most nerve-racking moments. Jackson, a Hoosiers student, stepped into the spotlight with a chance at $1 million by trying two 33-yard kicks, part of a run of college-kick attempts that has already produced several successful outcomes around the country.
This time, though, the payoff never came, and the near miss was the kind fans will remember because it felt so close. The segment still closed with a splash of Indiana flavor, as special guest Isiah Thomas joined in to make his picks ahead of the Hoosiers Big Ten game, but the missed kicks left Bloomington with a little extra sting and a lot of what-if conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Heads Into Bye Week With A Quarterback Problem Fans Noticed
Indiana got through Minnesota 23-16 in overtime, but the win came with enough rough edges to keep the bye week busy. Special teams mistakes helped make things harder than they needed to be, and the offense never found much rhythm before the Hoosiers leaned on their defense to keep the game within reach and eventually finish it off.
Grant Wilson took over for Josh Hoover at quarterback after halftime, a move that changed the feel of the offense and ultimately produced the game-winning touchdown in overtime. Even with the result in hand, the quarterback situation is now one of the biggest questions on the table as Indiana heads into a week off with plenty to sort through. [Read more 🡒]