TWIF Notes 9/22/25

Welcome Back!

Even though this 4th weekend of college football didn't have any marquee games, there were still a lot of results that affected conference races and perceptions of conferences.  

Winners

Oklahoma- The Sooners outlasted Auburn 24-17 at home (with the help of the refs, evidently), but they are still undefeated and should be 5-0 when they meet Texas in the Red River Rivalry on Oct 11.

Ole Miss- The Rebels crushed Tulane 45-10 handing the Green Wave their 1st loss of the season.

Missouri- The Tigers stayed undefeated with a 29-20 win over South Carolina, and should be 5-0 when they host Alabama on Oct 11. Win that one and they could be 7-0 going into their huge game with Vandy. Yeah, I said it. Speaking of which...

Vanderbilt- The Commodores slaughtered Georgia State 70-21, and with a home date vs Utah State next week, should be 5-0 when they head to Tuscaloosa on Oct 4. 

Oregon- The Ducks have won 22 consecutive regular season games, and the 41-7 win over Oregon State last weekend was probably one of the sweetest. Penn State in Happy Valley is next.

Michigan- The Wolverines moved to 3-1 with a Big Ten win over Nebraska by a score of 30-27. UM was able to win both games during the suspension of HC Sherrone Moore.

Indiana- The Hoosiers announced themselves a a threat by obliterating Illinois 63-10. But they still have 3 tough road games to go: at Iowa and Oregon the next 2 games, and at Penn State in November.

USC- The Trojans lead the Big Ten as the only team with a 2-0 conference record after topping Michigan State 45-31.

Miami, Fl- The Hurricanes continued their hot start with a 26-7 win over Florida. If they can get by FSU in 2 weeks, there are very few challenges left on their schedule.

Texas Tech- the Red Raiders made a statement by routing Utah 34-10, and that statement is that they are ready to play in the Big 12 CG. But maybe that's a huge overreaction and a bit premature...

TCU- The Horned Frogs bested SMU 35-24 to remain undefeated, and will start Big 12 play at Arizona State this weekend. 

HC Scott Frost- UCF stomped North Carolina 34-9, handing Scott Frost his 17th consecutive win as HC of the Knights. 

Memphis- The Tigers edged Arkansas 32-31, giving the American Conference 2 wins over the SEC. Memphis was down 28-10 before starting their comeback.

North Texas- The Mean Green are 4-0 for the 1st time since 2018 after overcoming a comeback attempt by Army and prevailing 45-38 in OT. 

Tulsa- The Golden Hurricane beat Oklahoma State 19-12 in Stillwater for the 1st time since 1951. They are now 1 win shy of matching last year's 3 wins, and need just 2 to better it.

The American Conference- The AC now has 2 wins against the SEC, 2 against the Big 12, and 1 each vs the ACC and the Big Ten. They are also 11-4 against fellow G5 conferences, especially beating up on the Sun Belt, against whom they are 5-2. 

Fresno State- The Bulldogs are now 4-1 after holding off Hawaii on the potential tying 2-point attempt to win 23-21. 

San Diego State- The Aztecs blasted Cal 34-0 to get their 1st FBS win of the season. 

La Tech- The Bulldogs edged Southern Miss 30-20, one of 2 CUSA wins over teams from the Sun Belt. The other was...

Kennesaw State- The Owls got their 1st FBS win of the season by outlasting Arkansas State 28-21. This is KSU's 1st ever non-conference FBS win as an FBS member, and their 2nd OOC win ever (and in a row!). 

Delaware and Missouri State- The Blue Hens are 3-1 in their 1st season at the FBS level, while the Bears are 2-2. This makes them a combined 5-3, with 3 wins over FBS opponents, with Delaware winning their 1st ever CUSA contest 38-16 over FIU in Miami. Mo State hosts WKU this weekend for their 1st CUSA tilt. 

Losers

Florida- The Gators once again couldn't get going on offense as they lost 26-7 to Miami. The game was within one score when UF got their lone TD to make it 13-7 late in the 3rd quarter, but the Gators could get no closer. Now they have an off week before hosting Texas, then traveling to Texas A&M. 

South Carolina- The Gamecocks suffered their 2nd defeat in as many weeks to fall to 0-2 in the SEC, all but ending their hopes of an SEC championship. They now have no margin for error to make both the SEC CG and/or the CFP, and they still have road games at LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas A&M, as well as hame games vs Oklahoma and Alabama.

Arkansas- For the 2nd week in a row, the Razorbacks fumbled the ball away while driving for the winning score, losing 32-31 to Memphis. With a home game against Notre Dame next, it is likely the Hogs will drop to 2-3, putting additional pressure on HC Sam Pittman.

Illinois- The Fighting Illini had a chance to stamp themselves as a true challenger in the Big Ten and for a CFP slot, but instead they got destroyed by Indiana 63-10. And now they have to turn around and host USC and Ohio state in the next 3 games.

Nebraska- The Cornhuskers could have established themselves as "back", but instead fell 30-27 to Michigan.

Wisconsin- The Badgers lost 27-10 to Maryland, as HC Luke Fickell's seat continues to heat up.

Clemson- The Tigers are 1-3 after losing to Syracuse 34-21. Let me say that again: Clemson is 1-3 and 0-2 in the ACC, meaning they are practically eliminated from the ACC CG and from the CFP. They have a week off before traveling to Chapel Hill to take on UNC, but for all intents and purposes, their season is over.

SMU- The Mustangs lost the Iron Skillet 35-24 to TCU, which dropped them to 2-2 and pretty much out of consideration for an at-large spot in the CFP.

North Carolina- The Tar Heels got pasted 34-9 by UCF and have now lost 2 games against Big 12 teams. Technically, they could still win the ACC, but does anyone really believe that's going to happen?

California- Like last year, when Jayden Ott and the Calgorithm were all the rage, the Golden Bears started 3-0 behind freshman QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele before crashing and burning in game 4. This time, they were shut out 34-0 by a mediocre San Diego State team that lost to Washington State in game 2. 

Baylor- The Bears have now lost twice after falling short against Arizona State 27-24. The loss just about eliminates Baylor from procuring an at-large berth in the CFP, leaving them 1 path- winning the Big 12.

Utah- The Utes had a chance to make a statement, but instead laid an egg against Texas Tech, going down in defeat by a 34-10 score. 

Oklahoma State- The Cowboys stumbled to a 19-12 loss to Tulsa, a team that they hadn't lost to in Stillwater since 1951. This also marks their 11th straight FBS loss, and HC Mike Gundy, the winningest HC in OSU history, may not last much longer.

The Pac 12- The 2 teams in the conference- Oregon State and Washington State- are a combined 2-6, with WSU owning both wins, and are 1-5 vs FBS competition after both teams lost their rivalry games with in-state opponents. 

Army- The Black Knights lost 45-38 in OT to fellow American member North Texas. This is now their 2nd loss in OT, and at 1-2, Army is unlikely to repeat their 12-2 season from a year ago.

Louisiana- The Ragin' Cajuns, favored to win the SBC West, dropped to 1-3 after losing to previously winless Eastern Michigan 34-31. This team may not come close to matching last year's 10 wins, and may not get to 6.

Arkansas State- The Red Wolves fell behind 21-0 before falling to 2nd-year FBS member Kennesaw State 28-21. The loss leaves them at 1-3.

The MAC- The conference was 1-5 against non-conference FBS foes this week, with Eastern Michigan's 34-31 win over Louisiana the lone victory. 

Liberty- The Flames are 1-3 after dropping a game to James Madison by a score of 31-13. LU is already 0-1 in CUSA, and it looks like they may have a tough time getting to the CUSA CG. 

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!