Week 9 of the college football season featured a bit of everything, from the classic upset specials to underclassmen making a name for themselves. But of course, some performances were much better than others. The same is true for the duds who wish they could wake up tomorrow and get a reset on Saturday. Taking the biggest winners and losers, let’s examine the latest that happened during college football Week 9.
Winner: Indiana DB D’Angelo Ponds
The Washington Huskies may have had hope of knocking off the undefeated Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, but Indiana defensive back D’Angelo Ponds had other ideas. The sophomore helped set the tone in Indiana’s 31-17 win by recording a pick-6 off Washington QB Will Rogers in the first quarter. Ponds later recorded another interception to help ensure there wouldn’t be an upset in Bloomington, Indiana.
Related: Heisman Watch 2024
Loser: Navy’s days as a ranked team
While they came into Saturday ranked 24th in the nation, the Navy Midshipmen finally had a real opponent on their schedule. It was obvious early on that the Notre Dame Fighting Irish were far superior to Navy’s level of talent. Yet, perhaps the most surprising factor in Navy’s 51-14 loss was that they lost five fumbles despite entering the day without coughing up a fumble all season long. This was an abrupt fall from grace, but that’s to be expected when Notre Dame comes to town.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft
Winner: Suntarine Perkins, Princely Umanmielen, and the Ole Miss Rebels defense
The days after Dillon Gabriel have been dark for the Oklahoma Sooners, who entered play ranked 107th in the nation in scoring. The wheels on the Sooners’ wagons fell off on Saturday, with the Ole Miss Rebels defense pummeling quarterback Jackson Arnold for a whopping nine sacks. Much of the success can be attributed to sophomore linebacker Suntarine Perkins, who recorded three sacks all by himself. Yet, the efforts of Princely Umanmielen and JJ Pegues, who had two sacks apiece, can’t be forgotten either.
Related: Heisman Trophy winners history
Loser: Ohio State and their running game
Entering college football games today, no one anticipated Nebraska to put up much of a fight against Ohio State. Vegas had the Buckeyes as four-touchdown favorites. But the score was obviously much closer, with Ohio State barely squeaking by, 21-17.
The Buckeyes won, but certainly not convincingly. It didn’t help that star running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson combined for just 64 yards on 31 carries. Ohio State will need to be much better if they stand a chance at advancing in the College Football Playoff.
Winner: Oregon Ducks show they belong on top with convincing win
There can only be one team on top of the college football rankings, and the Oregon Ducks proved they deserve the crown once again. Oregon punched Illinois in the mouth right away, scoring 35 points in the first half alone. Keep in mind, the Fighting Illini came into the matchup allowing the 18th-fewest points in the nation. Meanwhile, the Ducks’ defense was just as good, keeping Illinois under 10 points for just the second time this season. It was a dominant performance all around.
Related: NFL QB Rankings
Loser: Missouri Tigers get embarrassed by Alabama
The Missouri Tigers had been rolling entering Week 9 of the college football season, with an offense that ranked in the top 45 in scoring, and a defense that held opponents to just 15.6 points per game, the 10th-fewest in the nation. But the Alabama Crimson Tide are a different challenge, and it showed.
Not only did the Tigers allow Alabama to run for 271 rushing yards while scoring 34 points, Missouri couldn’t get anything going offensively either. Quarterback Drew Pyne had three interceptions, which surely contributed to the shutout. Let’s just say the previously 6-1 Tigers showed they were frauds on Saturday.
Related: NFL Playoff Predictions
Winner: Tre Stewart and Tyler Huff, RB and QB, Jacksonville State Gamecocks
Players from small programs aren’t typically highlighted among the winners and losers in college football, but Jacksonville State’s backfield duo earned it in Week 9. Tre Stewart and Tyler Huff put on a run game clinic against Middle Tennessee State, each rushing for over 150 yards with Stewart (210 yards on 21 carries) edging out Huff (151 yards, 2 touchdowns). It was all part of a 438-yard rushing performance from the Gamecocks in a 42-20 win.
Related: Super Bowl odds: Every NFL team’s championship futures for 2024 NFL season
Loser: Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse Orange
Syracuse Orange quarterback Kyle McCord threw three touchdown passes against Pittsburgh, all of them from 30-plus yards out. Unfortunately for Syracuse, all of those touchdown passes were pick-sixes by the Panthers defense. What’s especially alarming about this five-interception performance by McCord, he threw as many completed passes to Pitt defenders (five) as he did to his leading receiver.
Related: NFL MVP Odds
Winner: Texas A&M Aggies’ ground attack
We couldn’t highlight just one running back for the Texas A&M Aggies. In Saturday night’s huge win over LSU, it was a three-headed attack that carried the team to victory. Amari Daniels was the most efficient on the ground, averaging over 7 yards per carry with nearly 100 scrimmage yards but he didn’t find the end zone. No matter, Le’Veon Moss and Marcel Reed more than made up for that, combining for 5 touchdowns and over 140 rushing yards on Saturday night. Just a massive win for the Aggies, one that will earn both Texas A&M and Notre Dame more national respect.