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Alabama's Marshall Pritchett hurdles a defender for extra yards and a 1st down (0:28)

If there was any team in college football that should have understood what an emotional hangover could look like this week, it was Florida. Last week, the Gators welcomed Ole Miss to Gainesville, with the Rebels riding high off their emotional 32-24 win against LSU. They had gotten a measure of revenge over their departed coach, Lane Kiffin, and rose to No. 4 in the AP poll as the toast of college football. The Gators, meanwhile, were also quietly off to a strong start despite tepid expectations. The result: a lopsided win for Florida that served as a cruel wake-up call to Ole Miss that success in this sport is fleeting.

In the wake of that breakthrough win, first-year coach Jon Sumrall, perhaps guarding against the sort of letdown Ole Miss display, sent a cautionary message: "We have not arrived," he said.

He was right.

After breaking into the AP top-10 for the first time since 2020, the eighth-ranked Gators showed they, too, were susceptible to the same kind of letdown they benefitted from the week before and lost to Missouri 45-17.

And the Gators weren't the only team in college football to have that sort of experience this week.

Mississippi State entered Saturday undefeated and ranked No. 16, matching its highest AP ranking of the past decade as quarterback Kamario Taylor played like a Heisman Trophy candidate. With Alabama headed to Starkville on Saturday, the stage was set for the Bulldogs to show they were ready for primetime.

Instead, they got a reality check.

Not only did Alabama look like, well, how Alabama is supposed to look, its own young quarterback, Keelon Russell, displaced Taylor as the breakout quarterback to watch.

Russell threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns and added another score on the ground as Alabama rolled 56-23. The Tide have scored at least 45 points in five straight games for the first time since 2022 and are the only FBS team to reach 45 in every game this season.

Iowa suffered a similar fate as Florida and Mississippi State. The Hawkeyes rose to No. 14 in this week's poll -- its highest spot since 2021 -- only to go out with a whimper in a 31-14 loss to No. 5 Ohio State. Their only touchdown came in the fourth quarter, long after the game's outcome was decided.

For Mississippi State and Iowa, these losses don't necessarily mean their strong starts are negated, but when given the opportunity to measure themselves against the sport's elite, the gap was revealed. Game-planning to slow down Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith is not the same as executing said game plan.

His 11 catches for 206 yards and two scores against Iowa came despite constant double teams and strengthened the case that he's the best player in college football.

Just ask him.

"You've just got to [let] the Heisman voters or whoever it is know that I'm the best player in the country," Smith said. "I've got to be there."

Others avoided what could have been season-altering loss. But just barely.

Kentucky, ranked for the first time since 2023, had to overcome a 10-point halftime deficit to beat South Carolina in overtime. BYU, perhaps the favorite in the Big 12, grinded out a 17-10 against TCU, managing just 216 yards of total offense. Texas Tech, the preseason Big 12 favorite, stayed undefeated but its 29-7 win against Colorado wasn't nearly as impressive as the final score indicates. The Red Raiders didn't take their first lead until late in the third quarter.

That brings us to UMass.

The Minutemen had already matched their best win total since moving to the FBS by the end of September. Then October arrived and UMass played like, well, how UMass is supposed to play, losing 38-14 to Eastern Michigan.

So much for carrying the September magic into a new month.

Jump to:
New unbeaten head coaches
Bohl Bowl | Miracle in Moscow
Remembering Reno
Harvard Hail Mary | Closing bell

And then there were three

There were 34 programs in the FBS that started the season with a new head coach this season. Five weeks in, only three remain unbeatens: UCLA under Bob Chesney, Utah under Morgan Scalley and James Madison under Billy Napier.

It's too early to make any definitive statements about how any of these coaches will ultimately fare, but the kneejerk reaction here is that there isn't a formula for finding the right guy. Chesney was the up-and-comer, after guiding James Madison to the College Football Playoff. Scalley was the coach-in-waiting, who bided his time for years as part of a success plan. And Napier was the bounce-back, he couldn't make it work at Florida, but had won in the Sun Belt before and is benefitting from the foundation laid by Curt Cignetti and Chesney at JMU.

On the flip side, Northern Illinois' Rob Harley is the only first-year coach who hasn't recorded his first win, but several others are taking their lumps. Ryan Beard (Coastal Carolina), Casey Woods (Missouri State) and Alonzo Carter (Sacramento State) have yet to pick up a FBS win.

Bohl Bowl

Earlier this week, North Dakota State and Wyoming announced that they will refer to their new annual series in the Mountain West as the "Battle of the Basins," sponsored by the North Dakota Petroleum Council.

The whole thing is harmless, of course. And energy is central to the economies of both states. But nothing says an authentic, organic college football rivalry like unveiling an official rivalry game name alongside a sponsorship from a petroleum council, with a trophy topped by a drill bit. (Presumably, the Petroleum Association of Wyoming was outbid).

Unofficially, we will still be referring to the game as the Bohl Bowl, a nod to Craig Bohl, who jump-started the North Dakota State dynasty before leaving for a 10-year run at Wyoming.

In all seriousness, this game has rivalry potential. But rivalries aren't something that can be conjured from thin air. If this series develops into something more than just another conference game, there needs to be some close games or memorable moments with real stakes. NDSU's 28-0 win doesn't exactly meet that criteria, but the teams have to start somewhere.

Down goes No. 1

It's hard to imagine a bigger upset this month than what went down at the Kibbie Dome on Friday night. That's when FCS No. 1 Montana State, the defending national champion, put its 5-0 record on the line against winless Idaho (0-4), but the Bobcats suffered a shocking 35-34 loss. And the Vandals pulled off the win in style.

The winning touchdown drive covered 80 yards on five plays in just 49 seconds, with Idaho finding the end zone as time expired on Joshua Wood's 25-yard pass to Ryan Jezioro. At that point, Vandals coach Thomas Ford had to decide whether to kick the extra point and head to OT or go for two and the win. He chose correctly. Wood ran in the 2-point conversion to snap Montana State's 19-game winning streak.

The Kibbie Dome has hosted circuses, elephants, rodeos and all manner of weirdness over its 50-plus-year history. Now, it's time to add an Idaho win over the No. 1 team in the country.

Remembering Reno

It's hard to imagine what it must have been like for Yale quarterback Dante Reno to prepare to play a game this week. His father, Tony Reno, 52, died Friday, eight months after stepping down as the Yale coach because of health issues.

Before the game, the school held a tribute for the coach, who led the Bulldogs to five Ivy League championships in 14 years. Dante Reno fought through the grief and guided Yale to a 41-24 win against Merrimack, completing 22 of 39 passes for 298 yards and four touchdowns.

Growing up around the Yale program, the quarterback developed into a prized recruit, eventually starting his career as a four-star QB at South Carolina. But after a year in Columbia, Reno transferred to play for his dad. In their lone season together, father and son won the Ivy League and beat Youngstown State to secure the conference's first FCS playoff win.

The decision to return home feels even more meaningful now. He could have stayed in the SEC, but instead spent a year with his father, not knowing how little time they had together.

Harvard ingenuity

The Hail Mary is a proven design. The success rate is low, sure, but there aren't any better alternatives when a situation calls for one. Leave it to Harvard to improve upon the design. Well, let's just assume it was by design and, if not, well, penicillin was famously invented by accident, too.

Harvard trailed Colgate 17-14 and trotted out the field-goal unit to attempt a 57-yarder to tie the game with four seconds left.

False start.

Change of plans.

The offense went back on the field.

From the 50-yard line, quarterback Charlie Smith launched a Hail Mary, but when receiver Teigan Pelletier caught it, he was six yards shy of the end zone. He was immediately wrapped up and after gaining his footing, Pelletier pitched the ball back to Nate Bailey, who sprinted to the pylon, just crossing the plane for what almost certainly will be the most improbable ending to a game this college football season.

The Harvard Crimson are calling it a "Bailey Bailout."

The closing bell

Buy: The new Ryan Field

With an estimated cost of $875 million, Northwestern's new stadium needed to impress, and it did. It has the look and feel of a modern NFL stadium and includes elements from soccer's best venues. With a capacity of 35,000, it's intimate and large enough to facilitate a big-game atmosphere. Northwestern might not have history on its side, but the venue could be a game-changer for the trajectory of the program. Opening with a 34-13 win against Penn State made for an even more special night in Evanston.

Sell: Penn State

Speaking of what happened in Evanston, there will officially not be an immediate turnaround under Matt Campbell at Penn State. After collapsing against Wisconsin last week, the Nittany Lions were a mere traffic cone for Northwestern to blow past Friday night. The good news is they don't have to play Ohio State, Oregon, UCLA, Indiana, Iowa and Nebraska -- teams that are a combined 25-3 -- in conference play.

Hold: Notre Dame

The Irish are 5-0 after a 37-26 win against North Carolina, but it was not the type of performance you could watch and make a confident determination about how they stack up against other playoff contenders.

Buy: This catch from Ball State's Jamarion McDougle

To make a one-handed catch that far downfield on a sprint is wild.

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Ball State WR makes an incredible one-handed grab

Sell: College kickers

Without any data to back this up, it sure seems as though college kicking has improved over the past few years. But relying on a kicker to come through at the end will always be a gamble, as Virginia Tech experienced Friday.

Hold: Georgia

The Bulldogs get the same treatment as Notre Dame. Their 38-14 win against Vanderbilt was more impressive, but they still haven't played a ranked opponent. Next week's trip to Alabama looms large.

Buy: New Mexico coach Jason Eck

Eck quickly turned downtrodden Idaho into a top-10 FCS program, and now, in Year 2 at New Mexico, he has the Lobos (4-1) playing like a top-five Group of 6 team. The Lobos beat UTEP 61-7 on Saturday. This is as remarkable a development as any in college football, considering New Mexico has never appeared in the AP Top 25. When the coaching carousel starts spinning, Eck will be one of the most coveted coaches.

Sell: Georgia Tech

On a bye week? Yes. Stanford beat Georgia Tech last week 34-27 but lost by 54 points this week against Wake Forest. The Yellow Jackets started 8-0 last year. This year, they might not beat an FBS opponent.

Buy: Miami

You can only play the teams on your schedule, but if you're a playoff contender you better look good doing it. Last week, Clemson didn't allow an offensive touchdown. This week, Miami dropped 41 points on the Tigers to improve to 5-0.

Sell: Michigan QB Bryce Underwood

Underwood has quickly turned into the poster child for why investing exorbitant NIL money into a high school quarterback doesn't make sense. Michigan went all-in on him coming out of high school, handed him the keys and he has now failed to benefit under two coaching staffs. He was just 10-of-21 for 101 yards in the 20-14 loss to Minnesota, as the Wolverines' season keeps slipping away. Meanwhile, Miami keeps turning to proven guys, and it's paying off.

Hold: USC

The Trojans improved to 5-1 with a 25-21 win against Washington in what was an encouraging step forward for their defense. They limited UW to 319 yards of total offense and kept the Huskies off the scoreboard in the fourth quarter, ending the game with a red-zone stand.