No new No. 1 is coming in the AP Top 25 this week, and that was never really in doubt once the weekend slate lined up with so many ranked-on-ranked matchups.
Texas held onto the top spot by surviving a major road test at No. 14 Tennessee, and the way the Longhorns won said plenty about where this team is right now.
The attention naturally drifted toward Arch Manning, but the Texas defense drove the result, piling up 10 sacks against a Tennessee offensive line that never found its footing. Colin Simmons matched a single-game school record with five of those sacks himself.
Even with the win, Texas still has work to do in the passing game, in pass protection and in cutting down the penalties that keep showing up.
Florida made the loudest statement of the weekend. Jadan Baugh kept looking every bit like the best running back in college football, and the Gators backed it up with a 52-28 rout of No.
4 Ole Miss. Baugh ran for 154 yards and scored three times as Florida improved to 4-0 for the first time since 2019, when the program went 11-2 and won the Orange Bowl.
That start puts a real runway in front of Florida. It’s not far-fetched to imagine the Gators entering the Texas game on Oct. 17 at 6-0, or even heading into the Cocktail Party against Georgia at 7-0. That meeting could finally look like a matchup between equals.
Ole Miss, meanwhile, has plenty to sort through during its idle week. The biggest question entering the season was how the transfer-portal additions on defense would hold up, and Florida’s 302 rushing yards and six touchdowns made the answer look grim. Trinidad Chambliss had a solid day with 342 total yards and three scores, but the absence of Kewan Lacy left the Rebels without the steadying presence they needed to keep Florida’s offense on the sideline.
Oregon also came through a difficult spot after starting quarterback Dante Moore left Saturday’s game following a violent late hit to the head. Even with that setback, the Ducks were still facing USC, and that matters. Dylan Raiola stepped in and guided six scoring drives as Oregon pulled away from the Trojans and kept its playoff case intact.
USC took another hit, and the reason is becoming familiar. The Trojans still cannot tackle at the level required against their better opponents.
At this point, the pattern under Lincoln Riley is hard to miss: the defense breaks down, and even a talented offense eventually can’t keep pace. This time it happened against a backup quarterback.
Texas Tech also had to grind through a difficult night against Tennessee. The Longhorns’ offense was smothered by the Texas defense, Faizon Brandon was forced to scramble repeatedly even when pockets were clean, the ground game managed just 1.6 yards per carry, and Tennessee’s late push unraveled with penalties, another sack and poor throws.
Then came the kind of finish that sticks in the rankings conversation. Iowa beat Michigan 20-19 on the road when Hank Brown hit Reese Vander Zee for the game-winning touchdown to finish off a 91-yard drive at the Big House.
That result gave Iowa a set of notable marks: its first win against a ranked team on the road since 2021, its first win at Michigan since 2010 and its first road win over a ranked Big Ten team since 2015. That should be enough to nudge the Hawkeyes up a bit more in this week’s AP ballot.
Michigan still had reasons to feel good about parts of its offense. Bryce Underwood was asked to show he could handle the vertical passing game, and the Wolverines produced two 100-yard receivers in a home game for the first time since 2002. Underwood’s 49-yard strike to JJ Buchanan looked like the winner late, but the defense has plenty to answer for after allowing Iowa to march the length of the field for the decisive score.
In Other News...
Iowa Just Got One More Reason To Beat Michigan
The buildup around Iowas Week 4 matchup with Michigan has taken on an extra layer, thanks to Pat McAfee floating the possibility that ESPNs College GameDay could finally return to Iowa City if the Hawkeyes come through. Iowa has not hosted the pregame show since a 2006 game against Ohio State, even though ESPN has made other recent trips to cover Iowa games, so the idea immediately added some outside stakes to a game that already mattered plenty on the field.
For Iowa, the incentive is obvious. A win over Michigan would not only strengthen the Hawkeyes position in the Big Ten race, it could also put one of college footballs biggest stage-setters back in town for the first time in nearly two decades. The catch is still the same one facing every team in these spots, though: the whole thing depends on what happens Saturday first. [Read more 🡒]
Boise State Just Added Real Juice To This Western Michigan Showdown
Spencer Danielson did not waste time making his respect for Western Michigan clear as Boise State prepares for its next matchup. The Broncos coach said Western Michigan deserved to beat Michigan, pointing to the controversial final seconds of that game and the rule issue that helped swing the outcome, while the NCAA later confirmed replay protocols were not properly followed but could not overturn the result.
For Michigan fans, the bigger note is how this has turned a future opponent into a team with a clear chip on its shoulder and plenty of validation. Danielson also singled out Western Michigans defense and noted the Broncos are still unbeaten, so this one already has the feel of a game where Boise State is walking in alert to both the talent and the motivation on the other sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Dusty Mays Michigan Run Still Carries One Last Twist
Dusty Mays time in Ann Arbor ended up being a short but defining stretch for Michigan, a run that produced a 64-13 record and, most memorably, a national championship in 2026. Even after the title, his next move still fit the larger arc of a coach whose rise had been fast and decisive, as he accepted the Dallas Mavericks job after Jason Kidds departure and pointed to both transfer portal frustrations and a long-held NBA goal as part of the reason.
More than any rsum line, though, Mays Michigan story now gets one final layer through the draft. Dallas selected Morez Johnson Jr., a key piece from that championship team, and Johnson said he was excited about the chance to reconnect with his former coach. For Michigan fans, it is the kind of odd aftershock that keeps a title run from feeling fully finished, because Mays exit and Johnsons arrival now intersect in the NBA. [Read more 🡒]