TWIF Notes 9/15/25

Welcome Back!

What an amazing 3rd weekend of college football! The big games lived up to expectations and there were plenty of upsets and surprises.

This week continues my new format for these TWIF Notes. As I've stated before, reviewing every game is just a bit too much for one person who is also working a full-time job, so I am slimming it down a bit to something that I can hopefully do in less than 2 hours, but still give quality content (previous years would take me anywhere from 2-5 hours per TWIF Notes depending on the number of games). I hope you like the new format, and I hope it's as informative as before.

Winners

Georgia- The Bulldogs had no business winning the game against Tennessee, but win they did. All it took was a TD on 4th down with less than 3 minutes remaining, and then the tying 2-point conversion try, and then a 43-yd FG miss by the UT kicker. And then a stop on defense in OT, giving up only a FG (this one a longer 48-yarder), and finally the winning TD on a run up the middle from the goal line that needed a video review. The questions on offense for the Dawgs have been answered, but I never would have believed that the defense would allow 38 points in regulation plus 3 more in OT in the 44-41 win, but falling down twice in single coverage is a good way to give up 2 long TD passes. UGA will be off this week while the Vols host woeful UAB.

Alabama- The Crimson Tide looks back on track with an easy romp over visiting Wisconsin, 38-14. The Tide are also off this week before traveling to Athens to take on the Dawgs Between the Hedges.

Oklahoma- The Sooners have opened 3-0 , and haven't really been challenged, allowing only 16 points total. But now they host Auburn in Norman. The Tigers feature QB Jackson Arnold, who transferred from OU.

LSU- The Tigers are another 3-0 SEC team, and their defense has also been outstanding so far- 27 points in 3 games after their 20-10 win over Florida in Death Valley.

Texas A&M- The Aggies pulled off the upset in South Bend 41-40, thanks to a botched XP try by the Fighting Irish. TAMU has scored at least 41 points in all 3 games so far, and they have an off week before hosting Auburn in 2 weeks.

Auburn- The Tigers have made it through the easy part of their schedule, but now have to play at Oklahoma and Texas A&M before facing UGA on The Plains.

Missouri- The Tigers have scored 155 points in 3 games, so their offense appears to be churning, and they'll get a test this week when they host South Carolina, but their next test won't be until they host Alabama on Oct 11.

Vanderbilt- I wasn't surprised that Commodores defeated South Carolina (after all, I did predict that result), but I didn't expect them to do it by the score of 31-7. Vandy has a terrific chance to be 5-0 when they travel to Tuscaloosa on Oct 4 to take on Alabama, as their next 2 games are Ga State and Utah State, though they lost to the Panthers in Atlanta last year. 

Mississippi State- The Bulldogs are 3-0 for the 1st time since 2018, when they finished 8-5. 

Michigan- The Wolverines righted the season with a 63-3 dismantling of Central Michigan.

Illinois- The Fighting Illini are also 3-0, and they have a big game coming up against 3-0 Indiana in Bloomington. Illinois has held their 3 opponents to 22 total points, but have scored 7 points fewer each game than the one before.

Miami- The Hurricanes crushed the new media darling USF Bulls by a score of 49-12. The Canes look like a legitimate contender for both the ACC crown and for a CFP berth.

Georgia Tech- The Yellow Jackets stunned Clemson with a game-winning 55-yd FG as time expired to prevail 24-21 over the Tigers. GT has a pretty decent chance to be 11-0 when they play UGA in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta the day after Thanksgiving, as they avoid FSU, Miami, and Louisville.

California- The Golden Bears are a surprising 3-0 for a 2nd year in a row. If they can get by road games at San Diego State and Boston College, they have a decent chance to be 9-0 when they play Louisville in L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium. 

Stanford- The Cardinal earned their 1st win of the season, 30-20 over Boston College. I wasn't sure Stanford would get a win after losses at Hawaii and BYU, but I guess they just needed to get home. Unfortunately, their next game is on the road, at Virginia.

Iowa State- The Cyclones are the 1st team to reach 4-0, but boy have they been living life on the edge. 3 of their 4 wins are by 8 points or less, with 2 by 3 points each. They now have a well-deserved off week before hosting Arizona.

Texas Tech- The Red Raiders are 3-0 for the 1st time since 2021, and they are winning in a convincing fashion: a combined score of 172-35. Now they have a huge game at Utah, which could set the direction of the season for both teams.

Houston- The Cougars won their opening Big 12 game for the 1st time since joining the Big 12. With a 36-20 win over Colorado, UH is 3-0 for the 1st time since 2016, when they started 5-0. 

Arizona- The Wildcats took down Kansas State 24-17 to move to 3-0. Unfortunately, the win won't count in the standings as this was considered a non-conference game.

West Virginia- After last week's loss to Ohio, another was expected in The Backyard Brawl, but the Mountaineers upended Pitt 31-24 in OT to take the win. 

Tulane- The Green Wave now have 2 P4 wins after slipping by Duke 34-27. They get a chance for another when they travel to Oxford to take on Ole Miss. A win there would get them in the conversation for an at-large berth in the CFP even if they lost in the American CG.

North Texas- The Mean Green are 3-0 after crushing Washington State 59-10, but they have a tough game at Army this weekend. Win that one and they should be 5-0 going into their off week, followed by hosting USF and UTSA.

East Carolina- The Pirates look like a quality team after they smashed Coastal Carolina 38-0, but their next 2 games, both at home, will tell us more: BYU and Army.

Utah State- The Aggies opened MWC play with a 49-30 win over Air Force.

New Mexico- The Lobos are 2-1 after blasting UCLA 35-10, and suddenly their relatively close loss to Michigan by a 34-17 score makes a lot more sense. UNM is off this week, then hosts rival New Mexico State, but then they have road games at SJSU and Boise State. Could this team actually be a factor in the Mountain West this season?

ODU- The Monarchs topped Virginia Tech for the 2nd time in the last 4 meetings, this time by a convincing 45-26 score. ODU played Indiana relatively close in their opener, only losing 27-14, so the rest of the Sun Belt better keep an eye on the team from Norfolk.

Southern Miss- The Eagles opened SBC play with a stunning 38-22 win over App State, but their next conference game won't be until Oct 9. 

Bowling Green- The Falcons got a 23-13 win over CUSA favorite Liberty, handing new HC Eddie George his 1st FBS win at BGSU.

La Tech- The Bulldogs opened CUSA play with a win over New Mexico State at home by a score of 49-14. We'll have a better idea how good LT is and can be when they host Southern Miss this weekend.

Toledo- The Rockets blasted WKU 45-21, giving the MAC 2 wins over top CUSA teams.

Middle Tennessee- The Blue Raiders went into Reno and upset Nevada 14-13 after falling behind 13-0. Both TDs were scored in the last 6 and a half minutes of the game, with the winning TD with just 21 seconds remaining. MTSU held the Wolf Pack scoreless for the entire 2nd half.

FIU- The Panthers were able to procure a 38-28 win over rival FAU to run their record to 2-1. 

Delaware- The Blue Hens got their 1st FBS win as an FBS member by coming back to defeat UConn 44-41 in OT. 

The SEC- The Southeastern Conference was undefeated in OOC games this week, as they were 2-0 vs fellow P4 teams, 7-0 vs FBS foes, and 8-0 overall.

The Big 12- The Big 12 had a good week, as they were 2-1 vs P4 competition, and 4-0 against G5 teams, making them 6-1 in FBS contests.

Losers

Florida- The Gators stumbled, fumbled, and bumbled their way to a 20-10 loss and have now lost 2 in a row, and the schedule doesn't get any easier, with a game at Miami up next.

South Carolina- A lot was expected of the Gamecocks this year, but a 31-7 loss to Vandy was not in the cards. What's worse, star QB LaNorris Sellers was injured in a play that resulted in a targeting call and an ejection, and it's not known at this time how serious the injury is, or if he will be ready to travel to the other Columbia to take on Missouri.

Minnesota- The Golden Gophers were stunned by Cal in a 27-14 loss, as they can't seem to win all the games they are supposed to win. This is a recurring problem that keeps the Gophers from reaching the upper echelon of the Big Ten.

UCLA- The Bruins fell 35-10 to New Mexico, a team with an almost entirely new coaching staff and players than last year. Unfortunately, UCLA has decided to part ways with DeShaun Foster, who was only 3 games into his 2nd season following a 5-7 1st season, but all 3 were losses. I'm not sure this team will win a game this year, but their best chance is their next game in 2 weeks. But it's on the road at Northwestern. The new interim will be Tim Skipper, who was serving as special assistant to the HC. He was interim HC at Fresno State for the 2024 season, where he led the Bulldogs to a 6-7 season after the departure of Jeff Tedford just before the season started. He has an overall record of 7-7, as he led FS to a bowl win over New Mexico State in 2023.

Clemson- the Tigers were defeated by Georgia Tech in Atlanta, 24-21 on a last-play 55-yd FG. CU is now 1-2, and 0-1 in the ACC, as this season is seemingly going off the rails. However, there is plenty of time for the Tigers to rebound and still make the ACC CG.

Pittsburgh- The Panthers were favored to win the Backyard Brawl, but somehow managed to lose it 31-24 in OT to a West Virginia squad coming off a 7-point loss to Ohio. Pitt had pounded their 1st 2 opponents by a combined score of 106-26, but WVU held the Panthers scoreless the final 24 minutes of the game and OT as the Mountaineers scored the last 17 points of the contest.

Duke- The Blue Devils fell behind by 21 points to Tulane, but could never catch up in a 34-27 loss. This is the 2nd loss in a row for Duke, whose only win is vs an FCS team.

Virginia Tech- The Hokies lost to South Carolina in Atlanta to open the season, which was understandable, then they lost to Vandy at home, which was excusable, especially if the Commodores turn out to be a good team (which it looks like they will). But the 45-26 loss to ODU, when they trailed 28-0 at the half, was the straw that broke the camel's back, so to speak. HC Brent Pry has been let go (he was only 2-2 vs the Monarchs), and he will be replaced by OC Philip Montgomery, who was the former HC at Tulsa, where he compiled a record of 43-53 from 2015-2022. 

Boston College- The Eagles lost 30-20 to Stanford, which was generally considered the worst P4 team in the FBS this year. With a loss like that, it may be difficult to repeat the 7-6 seasons of the last 2 years.

Kansas State- The Wildcats are 1-3, with no wins over FBS teams. This is a complete collapse from a team expected to contend for a Big 12 title. But all is not lost; they have 2 losses by 3 points each, and this loss to Arizona was by just 7 points. KSU seems to be the exact opposite team from ISU. The good news is that the loss to Arizona doesn't count as a conference game, as it was previously scheduled.

Notre Dame- With a 2nd straight close loss, this one 41-40 to Texas A&M, the Fighting Irish are now 0-2. Due to their remaining schedule, Notre Dame's chances to reach the CFP for a 2nd consecutive year is on life support. As of now, only 1 of their remaining opponents (USC at #25) is ranked in the AP Top 25, so their chances of earning quality wins are disappearing.

UConn- One week after taking Syracuse to OT but losing, the Huskies were taken to OT by new FBS member Delaware, and the Blue Hens secured the 44-41 win by holding UConn to a FG, then scoring aTD. 

Oregon State- The Beavers are 0-3, with 2 losses by 19+ points, including 45-14 this past weekend against Texas Tech, and a loss to Fresno State by 9.

Washington State- The Cougars were stomped on the road at North Texas, losing to the Mean Green by a score of 59-10. 

USF- The Bulls had a chance for 3 wins in a row against ranked teams (at the time they played) but laid an egg at Miami, losing 49-12. Still, USF should be considered a challenger for an American Conference title and the CFP slot that is likely to come with it.

Nevada- The Wolf Pack played well in spots last season, though they were only 3-10 (6 close losses), but losing 14-13 at home to a Middle Tennessee team coming off big losses to FCS Austin Peay and Wisconsin forbodes a long season ahead.

The Big Ten- The Big Ten Conference was 0-2 vs P4 teams, but 3-2 against FBS teams. The conference fattened up on FCS teams, playing 6 of them.

The Pac 12- The Pac 12 (2?) conference was 0-2, with both games blowout losses.

The MAC- The Mid-American Conference was 0-5 vs P4 competition and 1-5 vs FBS foes. 

The SBC- The Sun Belt had a rough week, going 1-4 vs P4 teams and 1-2 against G5 teams. 

The ACC- The Atlantic Coast Conference was 1-0 against fellow P4 teams, but only 2-2 vs G5 teams. 

That's it for this week! Come back tomorrow for my updated Power Rankings!

Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!