The 4 teams currently playing like national champions -- and why

Almost every football coach in the known universe professes a desire for perfect balance, the desire to be able to run and pass in equal proportion and with equal quality.

Week 9 of the college football season created balance of a different sort: It gave us a particularly interesting mix of lovely, close games and huge statement performances. (It also gave us a few potentially season-altering quarterback injuries, but I guess that comes with the territory.)

The SEC alone gave us four one-score finishes, five fourth-quarter comebacks and a Hail Mary completed at about the 1-inch line. It also gave us Texas A&M's resounding second-half surge against LSU that both erased the aura of Tiger Stadium at night and put LSU's Brian Kelly on the hottest of hot seats.

The Big Ten gave us tense, down-to-the-wire affairs with Rutgers-Purdue and Nebraska-Northwestern and blowouts with Indiana over UCLA and Iowa over Minnesota. The ACC gave us a pair of overtime thrillers, a last-second field goal stunner and two top-10 teams winning by a combined 60. The Group of 5 gave us a playoff plot twist (Memphis 34, USF 31), four overtime epics and a 600-yard passing game, and a 37-0 run from North Texas. The smaller-school ranks gave us a (nearly) walk-off pick-six, a great Anchor-Bone Classic and an FCS No. 1-versus-No. 2 game decided by 31 points and 344 yards.

I mentioned in last week's preview that Week 9 tends to declutter things for us, shutting down some upstart stories and laying out some pretty clear stakes as we head into November. A lot of upstart stories continue, but even in a sea of parity talk and close games, one thing Week 9 did do is clarify which teams are playing the most like national champs at the moment. Let's start there.

The four teams playing like potential national champions

Even after nine weeks, the polls can sometimes be misleading. At this point in 2022, 8-0 Tennessee was No. 1 in the country, and 8-0 Clemson was No. 4; the Volunteers and Tigers went a combined 6-5 the rest of the way. Hell, at this point in 2021, Michigan State was 8-0 and No. 3 -- the Spartans are 20-28 since. November usually brings us plenty of unexpected twists, but I can say that, unlike Tennessee, Clemson or Michigan State, the top four teams in the current AP poll -- Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama -- are the ones looking most like national title teams at the moment.

Indiana Hoosiers

A week ago in this space, I wrote that I was pretty sure Ohio State was "comfortably the best team in the country at the moment." I certainly don't think any less of the Buckeyes after their Week 9 bye, but Saturday made me re-think the premise a bit. After all, only twice has a team beaten a conference opponent by 50-plus points this year, and it was Indiana both times.

The top of my SP+ rankings tend to be reserved for teams that repeatedly show boundless upside. Over the last 20 seasons, the only programs to finish No. 1 in SP+ are Alabama (10 times), Ohio State (three times), Georgia (twice), Florida (once), Florida State (once), LSU (once), Michigan (once) and Texas (once). Bluebloods, all. But following IU's 56-6 humiliation of UCLA, the Hoosiers jumped Ohio State into the top spot. Until otherwise noted, the center of the college football universe is Bloomington, Indiana.

I doubt UCLA would disagree. The Bruins came to Bloomington having won three games in a row with disruptive defense and an improved run game. They created just one tackle for loss against the Hoosiers, and it came when IU was already up 42-3. (It also didn't stop the Hoosiers from making it 49-3 two plays later.) UCLA running backs, meanwhile, averaged just 3.3 yards per carry, and quarterback Nico Iamaleava took three sacks and threw two picks. Indiana quarterback (and Heisman betting favorite) Fernando Mendoza completed just 15 passes for 168 yards, and it didn't matter in the slightest.

The 2024 Hoosiers were, per SP+, the second-best team in the history of the program. This team is quite a bit better than that one. I cannot wait to see how this story unfolds in the coming weeks (and months).

Remaining regular-season schedule: at Maryland (SP+ projection: IU by 16.1), at Penn State (IU by 8.5), Wisconsin (IU by 34.8), at Purdue (IU by 28.1).

Ohio State Buckeyes

We're just waiting on the big plays. Ohio State currently ranks ninth nationally in points scored per drive and first in offensive success rate; the defense ranks first in points allowed per drive and has forced more turnovers (nine) than it has allowed gains of 25-plus yards (six). The Buckeyes allow just 4.0 yards per dropback (first) and have given up touchdowns on just two of 12 opponent red zone trips (16.7%, also first).

Because of Texas' generally mediocre showing in 2025, their season-opening win over the Longhorns doesn't carry as much weight as expected, but they played two other SP+ top-30 opponents on the road (Washington and Illinois) and beat them by a combined 58-22.

They've done that while barely even trying to get aggressive on offense. Julian Sayin's 80% completion rate leads the nation (no one else is even above 75%), but despite having two otherworldly deep threats in Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate, the Buckeyes' average pass travels just 7.6 yards downfield (105th), and only 12.9% of completions have gained 20-plus yards (109th). It feels like they aren't even showing us half the playbook yet, and they've reached November having barely broken a sweat. Indiana shows us it's one of the best teams in the nation every week; Ohio State just drops us reminders of what they will probably do when the games really matter.

Remaining regular-season schedule: Penn State (SP+ projection: OSU by 13.2), at Purdue (OSU by 27.7), UCLA (OSU by 32.9), Rutgers (OSU by 27.7), at Michigan (OSU by 8.5).

Texas A&M Aggies

In Friday's preview, I wrote, "If the Aggies overcome this team and this environment, they are legit SEC, and potentially national title, contenders." I don't know about you, but I think going on a 35-0 run over about 24 minutes in the second half and turning a nip-and-tuck game into a 24-point laugher counts as "overcoming" LSU and Tiger Stadium.

In what was both a referendum on Texas A&M's title chops and Brian Kelly's status as LSU's head coach, A&M suffered a couple of early turnovers and wobbled in the second quarter, falling behind 18-14 at halftime. But for the second straight season Mike Elko's Aggies made an example out of LSU and Kelly, Elko's former Notre Dame boss. Last year they went on a 31-6 second-half run in a 38-23 win that served as a statement of what A&M might be capable of under Elko. The run also solidified quarterback Marcel Reed's place in the starting lineup (original 2024 starter Conner Weigman transferred to Houston, where he's helped to lead the Cougars to a 7-1 start).

This year's second-half surge was an even more resounding statement. Aggie defenders sacked poor Garrett Nussmeier five times (three after halftime), then sacked backup Michael Van Buren Jr. twice in six pass attempts. Reed was a little too aggressive at times but needed just 12 completions to gain 202 passing yards -- four receivers had at least one 20-yard catch -- while rushing 13 times for 108 yards. Mario Craver and KC Concepcion are fast and terrifying in space (Concepcion's punt return score hastened LSU's second-half collapse), and even backups like redshirt freshman Ashton Bethel-Roman are capable of absolute nonsense like this:

ABSOLUTELY SNAGGED IT pic.twitter.com/isdPEh2pjw

If you're still slow to adopt the Aggies as potential title contenders, you could certainly point to their inconsistency. The defense has allowed more than 40 points twice and almost got them into trouble at Arkansas a week ago, while the offense misfired in a near-loss to Auburn. You could also simply note that after last year's "statement win" against LSU, A&M lost four of its next five games. Proving yourself in a big game only offers you bigger games down the line, and we don't know how the Aggies will handle that. They do, after all, still have to play at Missouri and Texas. But once you've handled Tiger Stadium at Night the way A&M did Saturday, I give you all the benefit of the doubt.

Remaining regular-season schedule: at Missouri (SP+ projection: A&M by 0.8), South Carolina (A&M by 18.2), Samford (A&M by 69.6), at Texas (A&M by 0.7).

Alabama Crimson Tide

The 2023 Washington vibes continue. After winning four straight games against ranked opponents -- including three that had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the fourth quarter (and two that, per SP+, generated the game's superior stats), Bama seemingly got a break against a 3-4 South Carolina team. But even with an incredible -- and incredibly lucky -- first-half pick-six, the Tide found themselves trailing 22-14 in Columbia with less than three minutes remaining. Then they magicked their way right out of a jam. Ty Simpson found Germie Bernard for a touchdown and Josh Cuevas for a 2-point conversion, then Deontae Lawson ripped the ball out of Gamecocks QB LaNorris Sellers' hands two plays later, and Tim Keenan III recovered it. Bernard raced down the sideline for a touchdown with 34 seconds left, and that was that. Crisis averted.

Barely beating a two-touchdown underdog is a weird way of getting onto a "playing like a national champion" list, but I'm struggling to avoid feelings of inevitability here, both because of how many times in a row the Crimson Tide have made the exact plays they needed to make in the fourth quarter and because Kalen DeBoer's Washington Huskies basically did the exact same thing two years ago on the way to the national title game. They won eight one-score games during a 14-game winning streak, getting just the right combination of quarterback play, turnovers and special teams contributions to survive and advance. It's hard to sustain that from year to year, but we've seen teams ride runs like this to rings throughout college football history.

Granted, DeBoer's Huskies lost in 2023's title game, but they lost to a Michigan team that ranked 12 spots higher than them on 247 Sports' Talent Composite. The only team that ranks higher than Alabama in this year's Talent Composite is Georgia, a team the Tide have already beaten. This team knows how to see games out and won't face many matchup disadvantages in any hypothetical CFP matchup. That's a pretty scary combination, isn't it?

Remaining regular-season schedule: LSU (SP+ projection: Bama by 9.0), Oklahoma (Bama by 2.0), Eastern Illinois (Bama by 58.1), at Auburn (Bama by 5.6).

The hottest teams in the country (besides the contenders)

Kansas State Wildcats

On Saturday, Kansas State reminded us that teams aren't the same entity all season and that Lou Holtz's old "You coach a different team every week" adage forever rings true. After a brutally disappointing 2-4 start, with the defeats by only 13 combined points, the Wildcats played well in a win over TCU, then overachieved against SP+ by 30 points in a 42-17 demolition of Kansas. The Wildcats haven't lost to the Jayhawks since 2008, and more importantly, they're back to .500. At 3-2 in conference play, they're technically not out of the Big 12 title race just yet (though their odds obviously aren't great).

Looking at two factors -- recent wins and recent overachievement against projections -- Kansas State is one of the hotter, more fast-rising teams in the country. Here are a few other teams whose recent improvement could seriously affect how the rest of the season plays out (or at least redefine how their fans look back on 2025).

San Diego State Aztecs

I warned you about the Aztecs in Friday's preview, but I still didn't expect them to cruise to such an easy 23-0 win at Fresno State on Saturday. They've won their last three games by a combined 112-34, and per SP+ they're projected favorites in every remaining game, including a Week 12 visit from Boise State. If the contenders in the American Conference all bloody each other up, and SDSU ends up a 12-1 Mountain West champion, the Aztecs might end up with a playoff case.

Washington State Cougars

In Weeks 3 and 4, Wazzu lost to North Texas and Washington by a combined 118-34. The defense was a disaster, and the offense wasn't progressing. But since then, the Cougars have beaten two Group of 5 opponents (Colorado State and Toledo) by a combined 48-10 and lost to two 7-1 power-conference opponents, on the road, by only five combined points. They actually came closer to beating Ole Miss than Oklahoma did. The offense is coming along, and the defense is dynamite. They should finish at least 7-5.

Kennesaw State Owls

Kennesaw State face-planted in its FBS debut season in 2024, famously upsetting Liberty but otherwise going 1-10 and firing Brian Bohannon, the only coach in program history. I loved their replacement hire - Jerry Mack did excellent things at NC Central a few years ago - but I didn't expect big things so quickly from him here. Whoops. The Owls nearly beat Wake Forest to start the season, and since a blowout loss to Indiana they've won five straight, including the past two by a combined 80-33. They're right in the middle of the Conference USA race.

Pittsburgh Panthers

Usually, when a team decides to push a true freshman quarterback into the starting lineup, it's an announcement that they're punting on the season. But Pitt has been reborn since handing the reins to Mason Heintschel. Heintschel has thrown for at least 321 yards in three of four starts, the Panthers have scored at least 30 points in all four, and they've jumped from a disappointing 2-2 to a massively intriguing 6-2. The home stretch is pretty brutal -- after this coming week's trip to Stanford, they finish with Notre Dame, at Georgia Tech and Miami. But with this level of play, they'll either force their way into the ACC title conversation or potentially take down an ACC favorite late in the season.

Iowa Hawkeyes

After becoming the only team to lose to Indiana by one score, Iowa enjoyed one hell of an October, outlasting interim-coached Penn State and walloping rivals Wisconsin and Minnesota by a combined 78-3. They head into November ranked 17th in SP+, and Kinnick Stadium will be an absolute cauldron when Oregon visits Nov. 8.

Utah Utes

43-0! The Utes led Colorado 43-0 at halftime Saturday night! And it could have been even worse. Total first-half yardage: Utah 398, Colorado minus-18. The Buffaloes were lucky Kyle Whittingham decided to take it easy in the second half and settled for a 53-7 win.

North Dakota State Bison

We have to talk about what NDSU is doing to the rest of FCS this season. The Bison were projected first in SP+, but they've still managed to overachieve against projections by an average of 8.6 points. And they basically pulled a Utah against their biggest rival Saturday night, beating South Dakota State by a generous 38-7 score. SDSU had to start its backup quarterback, but he wasn't going to do anything to stop NDSU from gaining 354 yards in the first half.

NDSU is now at least 10 points ahead of every other team in FCS, per SP+. There are a host of delightful upstart stories in FCS this season - recent Division II convert (and Army beater) Tarleton State is second in SP+, while Harvard is third, Tennessee Tech is fourth and Lehigh is 10th - but it will take a mammoth upset to prevent the playoff from being yet another long Bison coronation.

Others: Notre Dame, Marshall, Hawai'i, Southern Miss, Central Michigan, Cincinnati.

This week in SP+

The SP+ rankings have been updated for the week. Let's take a look at the teams that saw the biggest change in their overall ratings. (Note: We're looking at ratings, not rankings.)

Moving up

Here are the 10 teams that saw their ratings rise the most this week:

Kennesaw State: up 3.7 adjusted points per game (ranking rose from 95th to 82nd)

Wyoming: up 2.9 points (from 99th to 92nd)

Washington State: up 2.9 points (from 84th to 72nd)

Utah: up 2.8 points (from 14th to seventh)

Kansas State: up 2.8 points (from 53rd to 36th)

Central Michigan: up 2.7 points (from 114th to 103rd)

San Diego State: up 2.6 points (from 59th to 46th)

Indiana: up 2.5 points (from third to first)

Northern Illinois: up 2.4 points (from 127th to 123rd)

Iowa: up 2.3 points (from 22nd to 17th)

We covered most of these teams above.

Moving down

Here are the 10 teams whose ratings fell the most:

Toledo: down 4.5 points (from 54th to 64th)

Minnesota: down 4.0 points (from 49th to 58th)

Colorado: down 3.5 points (from 63rd to 68th)

Kansas: down 3.4 points (from 41st to 53rd)

LSU: down 3.3 points (from 19th to 26th)

Stanford: down 3.0 points (from 101st to 110th)

Kentucky: down 3.0 points (from 60th to 66th)

UCLA: down 2.9 points (from 68th to 78th)

Fresno State: down 2.7 points (from 80th to 93rd)

UConn: down 2.5 points (from 56th to 59th)

Minnesota has completely confounded SP+ this season. The Gophers have overachieved against SP+ projections by at least 18 points twice (including a Week 8 thumping of Nebraska) and have underachieved by at least 16 points three times. That, of course, includes Week 9's rivalry game no-show against Iowa. The Gophers have either risen or fallen by at least nine spots in the rankings six times in eight games. They are quite the moving target, and that isn't a compliment.

Who won the Heisman this week?

I am once again awarding the Heisman every single week of the season and doling out weekly points, F1-style (in this case, 10 points for first place, 9 for second and so on). How will this Heisman race play out, and how different will the result be from the actual Heisman voting?

Here is this week's Heisman top 10:

1. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (24-for-44 passing for 315 yards and a touchdown, plus 58 non-sack rushing yards against Oklahoma).

2. Haynes King, Georgia Tech (25-for-31 passing for 304 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 96 non-sack rushing yards and 2 TDs against Syracuse).

3. Drew Mestemaker, North Texas (37-for-49 passing for 608 yards, 4 TDs and 1 INT, plus 18 non-sack rushing yards against Charlotte).

4. Isaac Brown, Louisville (14 carries for 205 yards and a touchdown against Boston College).

5. Bear Bachmeier, BYU (22-for-35 passing for 307 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 60 non-sack rushing yards and a TD against Iowa State).

6. Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech (10 tackles, 1 TFL, 1 forced fumble and a 69-yard fumble return TD against Oklahoma State).

7. Joey Aguilar, Tennessee (20-for-26 passing for 396 yards and 3 touchdowns against Kentucky).

8. Anthony Hill Jr., Texas (10 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 4 QB hurries against Mississippi State).

9. Demond Williams Jr., Washington (26-for-33 passing for 280 yards and 4 touchdowns, plus 66 non-sack rushing yards against Illinois).

10. KJ Duff, Rutgers (six catches for 241 yards and a touchdown against Purdue).

Welcome back, Trinidad Chambliss! A week after a late-game collapse at Georgia knocked Chambliss and Ole Miss from the ranks of the unbeaten, the Rebels had to face an even better defense (Oklahoma) in an even more hostile environment. Trailing into the fourth quarter, Chambliss led a 75-yard touchdown drive and a clock-eating field goal drive to seal a 34-26 win. The Sooners were giving up a paltry 213 yards per game this season; the Rebels gained 431.

Haynes King, meanwhile, generated even more yards than Chambliss -- albeit against a far weaker opponent -- and holy moly Drew Mestemaker. Charlotte's defense is awful, but no other team has gained 750 total yards on the 49ers this season.

Honorable mention:

• KC Concepcion, Texas A&M (three catches for 45 yards and a touchdown, plus a 79-yard punt return TD against LSU).

• Justice Haynes, Michigan (26 carries for 152 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 19 receiving yards against Michigan State).

• Mason Heintschel, Pitt (28-for-48 passing for 423 yards and 3 touchdowns against NC State).

• Quinton Jackson, Rice (21 carries for 168 yards and 3 touchdowns, plus 80 receiving yards and a TD against UConn).

• Javen Nicholas, Charlotte (7 catches for 187 yards and 2 touchdowns, plus 20 receiving yards against North Texas).

• Eddie Walls III, Houston (5 tackles, 3 sacks, a pass breakup and a hurry against Arizona State).

• Terry Webb, SMU (8 tackles, 2.5 TFLs, 2 sacks, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a hurry against Wake Forest).

• Conner Weigman, Houston (17-for-22 passing for 201 yards and a touchdown, plus 119 non-sack rushing yards and 2 TDs against Arizona State).

Through nine weeks, here are your points leaders:

1. Ty Simpson, Alabama (29 points)
2. Taylen Green, Arkansas (27)
3. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (25)
4. Demond Williams Jr., Washington (21)
5T. Fernando Mendoza, Indiana (19)
5T. Gunner Stockton, Georgia (19)
7T. Luke Altmyer, Illinois (16)
7T. Julian Sayin, Ohio State (16)
9. Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt (14)
10. Jayden Maiava, USC (12)

I'm not going to lie: This remains a very strange Heisman race. At this point last season, the top two players in our points race had 41 (Ashton Jeanty) and 40 points (Cam Ward), respectively. Travis Hunter, priming for a surge, was at 26. This season no one has topped 30, and the second-highest point total has gone to Green, the quarterback of a 2-6 team. The betting favorite, Mendoza, threw for all of 168 yards Saturday but remained the betting favorite because No. 2 pick (and points leader) Simpson nearly lost to South Carolina. I still think we're going to see a surge -- in both performance and sentiment -- from someone, but damned if I know who. My best guess at this point: Julian Sayin. We'll see.

My 20 favorite games of the weekend

1. No. 10 Vanderbilt 17, No. 15 Missouri 10. Mizzou blew a chance to seize this game with a pair of third-quarter red zone failures -- or, if you prefer, Vandy's defense seized the initiative with a pair of great defensive stands -- and quarterback Beau Pribula dislocated his ankle in the process. But freshman Matt Zollers led the Tigers to one game-tying score in the fourth quarter and came within centimeters of a second.

play

1:36

Missouri's Hail Mary no good as Vanderbilt hangs on

Freshman quarterback Matt Zollers throws a Hail Mary to Kevin Coleman Jr. but the completion comes up short of the goal line.

2. Wake Forest 13, SMU 12. Wake Forest: your "try, try again" team of the week. The Demon Deacons lost two fumbles inside the SMU 10 in the fourth quarter, but Kamrean Johnson made an unreal, 25-yard catch from backup quarterback Deshawn Purdie with four seconds left, and Connor Calvert's 50-yard game-winner traveled about 50.1 yards.

3. FCS: Georgetown 31, Bucknell 24. Three weeks ago, Georgetown made this list with a game-winning Hail Mary. The Hoyas are back with something almost as dramatic: a walk-off (almost) pick-six. Having overcome a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, Bucknell was driving for a potential winning field goal in the closing seconds, but Naiteitei Mose stepped in front of a Christopher Dietrich pass and rumbled 65 yards for the win.

Mose returns an interception for a GU TOUCHDOWN!!#HoyaSaxa #HoyaBold #DefendTheDistrict #SISU #PartnerWithSquadrahttps://t.co/CLGmxgiUPv pic.twitter.com/wm7DTPaZVf

4. Memphis 34, No. 18 USF 31. USF just couldn't quite knock Memphis out. The Bulls led by 14 heading into the fourth quarter, but three length-of-the-field drives and 17 points gave the Tigers the lead, and after an iffy snap, Nico Gramatica's 52-yard field goal at the buzzer sailed wide.

5. No. 4 Alabama 29, South Carolina 22. It's definitely more fun when the underdog gets the turnover breaks, but that's not the way either Alabama's or South Carolina's story is playing out in 2025.

6. Rutgers 27, Purdue 24. You get bonus points on this list when you lose a game in a way I've never seen. I'd say "catching your own pass off of a deflection, then losing a fumble to set up the game-winning field goal" is worth quite a few points.

7. Virginia Tech 42, Cal 34 (2OT). There's something so heartening about seeing a fan base rally around a team in a lost season. At 2-5, Virginia Tech didn't have a ton to play for Friday night against Cal, and the Hokies looked like a 2-5 team in losing a late lead. But from "Enter Sandman" through the second OT, the Lane Stadium crowd remained engaged, and Takye Heath's 7-yard touchdown catch and an overtime stop gave the Hokies the win.

8. Division III: St. Olaf 44, St. Scholastica 41. This one was similar to Georgetown-Bucknell in that one team was driving for a late win and then suddenly lost. St. Scholastica took a 38-24 lead late in the third quarter up in Northfield, Minnesota, but St. Olaf tied it at 41-41 on a Rob Htoo touchdown in the fourth. CSS embarked on a nearly seven-minute drive to take the lead, but Will Harris recovered a fumbled handoff, and Ethan Hess knocked in a 29-yard field goal at the buzzer to give the Oles (yes, Oles) a surprise win.

9. No. 16 Virginia 17, North Carolina 16 (OT). A scoreless, four-turnover second half gave this one quite a sloppy vibe, but once again Virginia made the plays when it counted. After failing to score a touchdown over the final 36 minutes of regulation, both teams scored pretty easily in overtime, but Gio Lopez's 2-point pass to Ben Hall came up just short after a brilliant tackle from Ja'son Prevard.

10. No. 22 Texas 45, Mississippi State 38 (OT). I guess it makes sense that Mississippi State didn't know how to close out a win. The Bulldogs have been quite competitive this season, but they still came into this one having lost 15 straight conference games, and after Davon Booth's 62-yard touchdown put the Bulldogs up 38-21 early in the fourth quarter, the MSU offense proceeded to lose six yards over its final 17 snaps. Texas scored twice, then tied the game on a 79-yard punt return Ryan Niblett, the scariest return man in the country who has made pivotal fourth-quarter returns in three straight games.

play

0:43

Ryan Niblett takes 79-yard punt return to the house

Ryan Niblett scores on a 79-yard punt return late in the 4th quarter to tie things up for Texas vs. Mississippi State.

In overtime, Arch Manning left the game with an apparent concussion, but backup Matthew Campbell pulled a Major Applewhite, throwing a beautiful 10-yard touchdown to Emmett Mosley V. MSU's hopeless offense moved straight backward, giving the Longhorns a second straight overtime road win over a winless-in-the-league opponent.

11. FCS: NC A&T 28, Campbell 24. We'll save an honorary place on this week's Heisman list for North Carolina A&T's Elijah Kennedy, who tied this game up with a 96-yard punt return with 6:12 left and then, after Campbell took the lead on a field goal, returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for the win. He out-Niblett'd Niblett.

What a day for Elijah Kennedy!! A Punt and Kickoff Return for TD!! #AggiePride | #PoundTheStone| #CAAFB pic.twitter.com/MigT2frR6Z

12. Kent State 24, Bowling Green 21. Kent State entered this season having won just one of its previous 24 games. The Golden Flashes are now 3-5 after turning around a 21-3 deficit with three touchdowns -- including a trick-play pass from receiver Da'Realyst Clark to Wayne Harris -- and two late stops.

13. No. 8 Ole Miss 34, No. 13 Oklahoma 26. Ole Miss threatened to run away with this one, easing out to a 22-10 halftime lead. A 16-3 run gave the Sooners the advantage heading into the fourth quarter, but the Rebels made all the late plays they didn't make against Georgia, scoring twice, making three stops and leaving Norman with a playoff bid looking likely.

14. FCS: Charleston Southern 17, Eastern Illinois 16. With six minutes left, this was anything but a Favorite Games candidate. EIU led 16-3, but CSU scored, forced a three-and-out and took the lead on a short Hakeem Watters touchdown. EIU quickly drove the length of the field to save itself, but David Portu blocked what would have been the game-winning 35-yard field goal.

BLOCKED! THE KICK IS BLOCKED! 🤯@CSU_FB blocks EIU's go-ahead field goal attempt with 14 seconds left, and the Buccaneers win a second straight!#OVCBigSouthFB | #BucStrong pic.twitter.com/TbOjlzopEm

15. Temple 38, Tulsa 37 (OT). Temple is one win away from bowl eligibility, but it took overtime to get the job done in Tulsa. After four second-half lead changes, Tulsa's Dominic Richardson scored to send the game to overtime, where, like North Carolina, the home underdog scored second, went for two and failed.

16. Nebraska 28, Northwestern 21. Nebraska had it, lost it, then took it away one more time. Northwestern's Caleb Komolafe scored twice to turn a 21-6 deficit into a 21-21 tie, but Nebraska drove 60 yards in 6:27, made it 28-21 with Emmett Johnson's 4-yard touchdown and forced a turnover on downs at their 35 with a minute left. A fun, intense game in a forever-intense environment.

17. Division III: DePauw 35, Denison 28. DePauw's defense lost the game, then won it. Down 28-0 late in the first half, Denison roared back and tied the game on a 99-yard Tyler Green-to-Grayson Kerscher touchdown pass with 7:02 left. DePauw recovered and took the lead back with a 5:34 drive and a 1-yard Caden Whitehead score, but Green completed four passes to move Denison back inside the Tigers' 25. But Joey Fico broke up a pass in the end zone, and DePauw survived.

18. Rice 37, UConn 34 (2OT). Like Minnesota, UConn has been all over the map, overachieving hugely against projections twice and underachieving three times. Following a win at Boston College, the Huskies visited Rice, jumped out to a quick lead, then fell victim to two long Quinton Jackson touchdowns in regulation, then two more Jackson scores in OT.

19. NAIA: College of Idaho 7, Eastern Oregon 0. Again, you get bonus points for winning a game in a way I haven't seen. In a game that featured 12 punts, three missed field goals, three turnovers, three turnovers on downs and less than 400 combined yards, Eastern Oregon used an interception to set up a potential winning field goal with 1:10 left. But College of Idaho's Dee'Shon Swaffo blocked the 49-yarder, then took it 60 yards for the game's only points.

20. Division II: No. 1 Ferris State 38, No. 18 Grand Valley State 31. The Anchor-Bone Classic, the biggest helmet game in Division II, lived up to its billing. GVSU outgained the defending national champs (462-433) but couldn't quite overcome Taariik Brett, who ran for two touchdowns and caught two touchdown passes from Wyatt Bower (aka the new Trinidad Chambliss). GVSU overcame an early 14-0 deficit to tie the game at 21-21, but Brett and Bower both scored to build the lead back. The Bulldogs finally put the game away with an onside kick recovery with 1:35 remaining.