- No. 11 Clemson’s loss to Georgia Tech marks a new low for the team, now considered one of the most disappointing in the nation.
- Georgia’s overtime win against Tennessee keeps them at the top of the SEC, though questions about their defense remain.
- Several quarterbacks, including Michigan’s Bryce Underwood and Texas’s Arch Manning, had noteworthy performances with varying results.
This is rock bottom for No. 11 Clemson. Only for now, though.
Saturday’s 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech drops the Tigers down another level. On the heels of the 17-10 loss to No. 4 LSU and last weekend’s sloppy 27-16 win against Troy, losing to the Yellow Jackets doesn’t paint the Tigers as just another disappointing team. This is the most disappointing college football team in the Bowl Subdivision, ahead of other contenders for the distinction in Kansas State, UCLA and more.
Another terrible start set the tone. A clock-chewing drive ending in a field goal put the Jackets ahead 13-0 midway through the second quarter.
As against Troy, the Tigers were able to surge in front in the second half. Unlike a week ago, though, the Tigers coughed up their 14-13 lead on a 13-play, 90-yard drive capped by a two-point conversion to put Tech in front 21-14 with 10 minutes to play. After Clemson tied the score on a short touchdown run, Tech drove 38 yards to set up kicker Adam Barr’s 55-yard field goal as time expired.
There is almost nothing going right. No broader vision for what Clemson wants to be on offense, on defense. Klubnik turned the ball over twice and has been subpar through three games. As a team, Clemson is pedestrian.
Two losses in three weeks might not end the Tigers’ playoff hopes, but the odds this team gets back on track and runs the table from here seems extremely unlikely. What evidence is there from LSU, Troy and Tech to give you confidence that there’s a turnaround in the cards?
Clemson, Georgia and Tennessee lead the biggest winners and losers from Saturday’s college football action:
Winners
Georgia
It may take a few more weeks to truly evaluate the deeper impact of the No. 3 Bulldogs’ electric 44-41 overtime win against No. 15 Tennessee. Was this just an off day for the Bulldogs’ defense, which allowed nearly 500 yards despite the fact Tennessee only had possession for 21:29 of regulation? Are the Bulldogs built to survive the SEC gauntlet if the offense has to do the heavy lifting? Does Georgia have another gear set to be unleashed deeper into conference play? (Kirby Smart would hope so.)
Amid these lingering questions are two certainties. One, this will go down as one of the top games of the regular season. And more importantly, the Bulldogs should remain atop the SEC power rankings after adapting to and thriving against Tennessee’s frenetic style. Generally speaking, a win in this series is nothing too special: Georgia has won nine in a row and lost just twice since 2010. But the nature of the win — winning despite having no real answers on defense and in one of the rowdiest environments in the country — strongly hints that Georgia has more in the tank.
Texas A&M
Georgia Tech
Give coach Brent Key major credit for the sturdy program he’s built since being promoted on an interim basis early in the 2022 season. After winning seven games each of the past two years, this is clearly his best team and a genuine threat to win the ACC or compete for an at-large playoff bid. The schedule can’t be ignored: Tech plays Georgia to end the regular season but no other ranked teams, though trips to Duke and North Carolina State won’t be easy. At a minimum, this is a team deserving of our attention and a spot in the US LBM Coaches Poll.
West Virginia
Down 24-14 to bitter rival Pittsburgh with nine minutes to play, West Virginia scored with 11 seconds left to tie the game and then beat the Panthers 31-24 in overtime for the first splash moment of the second Rich Rodriguez era. Three different WVU quarterbacks attempted a pass for an offense carried by running back Tye Edwards, who had 141 yards and three scores on 5.6 yards per carry.
Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt’s back, everyone, and 3-0 for the first time since 2018. After getting into the postseason last year, the Commodores look even better in 2025, judging by a 31-7 win at No. 11 South Carolina. The Gamecocks struggled without quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who left the game after taking a hit to the head in the first quarter. But coming one week after a 44-20 destruction of Virginia Tech, the win should rocket Vanderbilt into the Top 25. Diego Pavia did his thing, throwing for 177 yards, running for another 24 yards and scoring twice.
Bryce Underwood
Let’s not make too much of No. 22 Michigan’s 63-3 win against Central Michigan, though the 616 yards of total offense, 35 first downs and play of a stingy defense are major positives after last week’s loss to No. 16 Oklahoma and with red-hot Nebraska up next. The biggest takeaway from this laugher was the performance of freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, who threw for 235 yards on 9.4 yards per attempt and had 114 yards and two scores on the ground. The Wolverines must continue making Underwood’s legs a big part of the offense.
Bill Belichick
Things have not gotten worse since the embarrassment against TCU in the season opener. That’s a positive for the oldest coach in major college football, the 73-year-old Belichick. Hey, here’s another positive: North Carolina is now 2-1 after beating Richmond 41-6, giving Belichick a winning record for the first time since the New England Patriots moved to 7-6 with a win against the Ariona Cardinals on Dec. 12, 2022.
Losers
Notre Dame
This isn’t the end for Notre Dame, which can still get into the playoff by running the table from here. No problem, right? This is still a team that has lost to a pair of ranked teams by a combined four points, so there should be no question the Irish are worthy of the Top 25. But bigger than that, the Irish are capable of going perfect from here and getting better and better play from young quarterback CJ Carr.
Tennessee
This isn’t a bad loss by any means for Tennessee. Not to say the sting may take a few weeks to subside. The Volunteers controlled the tempo and the game, period, only to hand things over to Georgia with several crucial mistakes. None was bigger than the false-start flag on the final drive of regulation that resulted in kicker Max Gilbert missing his 43-yard field goal attempt to force overtime. Still, the Volunteers come out of Saturday looking like a legitimate championship contender because of a powerful offense that looks much better with Nico Iamaleava struggling to complete passes for winless UCLA. Joey Aguilar played imperfectly but still had 371 yards on 10.3 yards per throw and four touchdowns.
South Florida
Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech trailed Old Dominion 28-0 at halftime and lost 45-26 only after scoring 19 meaningless points in the fourth quarter, a result certain to weaken coach Brent Pry’s already flimsy job security. Now 0-3, Tech was run off its home field and embarrassed by an in-state program it looks down upon as an upstart nuisance. The decline of Tech football has been gradual, not swift, but this loss and the 0-3 start makes it feel like doomsday in Blacksburg.
Arch Manning
Manning’s play continues to come under major scrutiny after a feeble showing in a 27-10 win against UTEP. The redshirt sophomore went 11 of 25 for 114 yards with a touchdown and an interception as No. 7 Texas continued a very unimpressive run through non-conference play. While everyone knew that Manning would face more attention than any other player in college football, his play has warranted the negativity that has surrounded his first three games as the Longhorns’ full-time starter.
Wisconsin
Any chance Wisconsin had of beating No. 18 Alabama evaporated when starting quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. was ruled out with a lower-body injury. But let’s be honest: Even with Edwards under center, the Badgers’ chances were nearly nonexistent. While Danny O’Neill started in his place and tossed a pair of interceptions, the bigger issue was the play of an unathletic defense that allowed Ty Simpson to average 13.2 yards per throw and had no answers for wide receiver Ryan Williams, who had 165 receiving yards and two scores. That the 38-14 final was so unsurprising is the latest statement about the state of Wisconsin’s program under third-year coach Luke Fickell.
Kent State
Kent State nearly beat an FBS opponent. And a MAC opponent, no less. As expected, though, the woebegone Golden Flashes lost 31-28 to Buffalo after giving up a 76-yard touchdown drive with just over a minute to play. The program’s last win came in overtime against the Bulls to end the 2022 season. Since losing former coach Sean Lewis after that season, the Golden Flashes have dropped 22 games in a row against the FBS and 16 in a row in MAC play.
