Indiana, Vanderbilt and Virginia have inherited the college football world

It is human nature to assume that every trend line points endlessly in the same direction, off to some far horizon that looks, more or less, just like our current view.

We see the sun come up every day, and we assume it will again tomorrow. We bet on blue-chip stocks, knowing that, for every blip and dive along the way, they'll pay off in the long run. We hear "Texas is back" each season, and we're secure in the knowledge that, sooner or later, we'll all get to laugh about it again.

Amid an infinite universe filled with mystery, there are some hard truths that are impossible to escape.

Or, at least that's how it used to be.

On Saturday, Nashville, Tennessee, was the center of the college football universe, as Vanderbilt took another step toward the playoff. Week 9 gave us another Virginia escape act, another Texas Tech blowout, another line on Fernando Mendoza's Heisman Trophy résumé at Indiana. This season, the meek have inherited the college football world, and it's as fun as it is unexpected.

It used to be that Vanderbilt was the doormat of the SEC, the team whose job was simply to keep the Butch Joneses and Will Muschamps of the world bowl eligible.

It used to be that Virginia was the least invested school in the ACC, a place where the locker room served as a Jamba Juice during open dates.

It used to be that Indiana's place in the Big Ten was to keep Rutgers company at the bottom of the standings.

It used to be that Texas Tech used all its oil money on brisket and Cadillacs and Kliff Kingsbury's hair gel.

These were truths we knew to be self-evident. These were teams whose struggles you could set a watch by. These were the standard by which all other awfulness was judged.

Until now.

In 2025, Vanderbilt is a power. The "College GameDay" bus rolled into Nashville, taking up valuable parking spots for bachelorette parties along Broadway, and Vandy put on a show. The Commodores played big-boy football against Missouri, with a dominant defense making up for Diego Pavia's struggles, holding the Tigers to just 10 points in a 17-10 win. That Vandy mustered just 265 yards, that Pavia didn't throw a touchdown, that Missouri held the ball for 13 minutes more than the Dores was all pretense. In another era, back when Vandy was simply where the line for Pancake Pantry ended on a Saturday, all those stats would've spelled doom. On Saturday, it was the recipe for another win.

In ACC country, the world now revolves around Virginia and Georgia Tech. That this is pure lunacy, a relic of Coastal Chaos that has roared back to life like some sort of "Jurassic Park" sequel, is too horrifying to comprehend. Before this season, Virginia was 56-75 in the playoff era, the worst record in the ACC in that span. Before Brent Key took over as Georgia Tech's interim coach in 2022, Geoff Collins was contractually obligated to describe recruits as "smothered," "covered" or "scattered" in order to keep the NIL collective flush. And now, the two schools are a combined 15-1 after Virginia won its third overtime game of the year 17-16 against North Carolina, and Georgia Tech lambasted Syracuse 41-16.

How good is Indiana? The Hoosiers have been so dominant this season that the conversation has shifted from "they got a favorable schedule" to "they might be pretty solid" to "what if we paid Curt Cignetti the equivalent of the worldwide box-office take for "A Minecraft Movie"? On Saturday, Indiana utterly demoralized red-hot UCLA 56-6. Not since his role as the villain in "Back to School" seeing Thornton Melon's astonishing Triple Lindy to win the dive meet had Jerry Neuheisel been so embarrassed. And even still, enjoying a 40-some-point lead, Cignetti roamed the sideline with the same air of indignation as an assistant regional manager of a midlevel textile distributor, frustrated with another supply chain hiccup. Indiana is all business, and business is very good.

And then there's Texas Tech, a school that spent more than a decade post-Mike Leach wandering the wilderness, now dominating the competition on a weekly basis. The Red Raiders walloped Oklahoma State 42-0, despite turning to their third different QB of the year in Mitch Griffis, who threw for 172 yards and a score. That a guy who was once benched at Wake Forest is now closing out wins for Texas Tech feels a little like a guy who got fired for falling asleep at the Taco Bell drive-through window winning a James Beard Award for making the world's best burrito at Chipotle.

A school that several Big Ten ADs kept confusing with Iowa's JV team for the better part of the 2010s is now in line for the playoff.

A job that Bronco Mendenhall once quit because he wanted to go fly-fishing is now one of the best in the ACC.

A place where buskers playing country songs on the sidewalk garnered more respect than the local team's QB1 is now a true college football town.

This is not supposed to be how any of this works. If there was one eternal truth to the college football universe, it was that Charlie Weis would get another $1 million check 30 years after he quit coaching. But if there was a second incontrovertible truth, it's that the rich stayed rich, and the commoners weren't supposed to punch above their weight.

Indiana, Virginia, Georgia Tech, Texas Tech and sweet little Vanderbilt were all here to play the part of the Washington Generals. They were supposed to play along while the Alabamas and Ohio States of the world used Velcro and duct tape and an enchanted monkey's paw to win by 100 each week.

But this is a new era in college football, a time when the field has been leveled, and all we once knew to be true has evaporated like so many UNC revenue share dollars.

Welcome to the new frontier, kings becoming paupers, bums living large, dogs and cats living together. Mass hysteria.

What a time to be alive.

More:
Bama escapes | Texas survives
Trends | Under the radar
Heisman five

Bama survives Shula reunion

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Germie Bernard's late TD wins it for Alabama

Germie Bernard takes it to the house for a 25-yard rushing touchdown to seal a 29-22 win over South Carolina.

For three-and-a-half quarters, Alabama looked to be teetering on the brink of losing to South Carolina in what would've been the week's biggest upset. It's not just that the Gamecocks have been struggling and the Tide have looked as good as anyone in the country, but the man calling plays for South Carolina also happens to be the last man to coach an Alabama team that wasn't any good.

Mike Shula likely holds the title of most embarrassing Alabama coach of the past 75 years who wasn't fired after visiting a strip club, and he holds the unfortunate title of "the guy who came before Nick Saban." It's easy to forget that the Tide were a program in utter tumult back then, just as it was easy to forget Alabama lost to Florida State in Week 1.

On Saturday, Shula arrived with a message, courtesy of his favorite band (we assume): "This is how I remind you."

LaNorris Sellers threw for 222, ran for 67 and accounted for a pair of touchdowns as the Gamecocks led Alabama 22-14 with less than 3 minutes to play in the game. But for all the chaos of the 2025 season, some upsets are just not meant to be, and Saban didn't sell a 10% equity stake in the program to Satan at a crossroads in Eutaw just to see his predecessor come in and spoil it all.

Germie Bernard scored twice in the game's final 136 seconds -- first on a 4-yard pass from Ty Simpson and again on a 25-yard run -- to seal a 29-22 win.

Afterward, Shula admitted the reunion hadn't gone as he had hoped, but he offered a dark prediction of things to come, promising he would return and finally get his revenge against all those who had persecuted him before being interrupted by the Wendy's drive-through attendant, ultimately admitting he just wanted two junior bacon cheeseburgers and a large fry.

Texas survives again

For a team that was supposed to be a national title contender, nothing has come particularly easy for Texas this year.

Arch Manning is more likely to be named Whataburger's customer of the month than a Heisman Trophy winner. The Horns have lost games to Ohio State and Florida. A win in the Red River Rivalry buoyed hopes, but that was followed by an overtime win against woeful Kentucky and another ugly performance against a Mississippi State team that hadn't won an SEC game in two years.

The Bulldogs turned a 14-7 deficit into a 31-14 fourth-quarter lead Saturday, and the Mississippi State faithful were ready to celebrate at Longhorn Steakhouse, not because it's the best place to get a steak near Starkville, but because it would be the funniest way to taunt Texas.

Manning threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes, and after a stalled drive with 1:47 to play, Mississippi State's ensuing punt resulted in the worst Niblett-related disaster since Arby's ill-fated attempt to sell narwhal nuggets in 2009. Ryan Niblett returned the kick 57 yards for a game-tying touchdown. Sans Manning, who left the game with an injury, Texas went on to win 45-38 in overtime thanks to a touchdown from backup Matthew Caldwell.

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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.

After the game, Texas celebrated with its now beloved Halloween tradition of turning an assistant coach's pet monkey loose on a bunch of children.

Week 9 vibe check

Each week, the marquee games help tell the story of the college football season. But dive a bit deeper, and there are myriad other moments across the college football landscape that might have big ripple effects, too. We try to capture those here.

Trending down: Kiffin to Florida rumors

After a disappointing loss to Georgia, Ole Miss was teetering on the brink of a season-defining second loss against Oklahoma on Saturday, just as Lane Kiffin rumors -- or "Krumors" as we're choosing to call them -- reached their apex. Nevertheless, the reports of Kiffin's impending departure might be premature, as Ole Miss rebounded to topple Oklahoma 34-26.

Trinidad Chambliss threw for 315 yards and a touchdown in the win and appears to have fully secured the starting job over Austin Simmons, who threw his first pass since Sept. 13 but looked primed for a transfer to Ferris State.

The game was a critical point for the Rebels' playoff hopes, and the loss might have been a death knell for Oklahoma, which has two losses in its past three games and plays its last four against ranked foes. After the loss, head coach Brent Venables called it a "painful way to learn," not unlike the time he fought that bear he thought insulted Bill Snyder.

It was the Rebels' first road win vs. a ranked SEC foe since 2016, and it marked one of Kiffin's most impressive victories, alongside beating No. 4 Oregon in 2011, toppling Penn State in the 2022 Peach Bowl and forcing Al Davis to learn how to use an overhead projector in 2008.

Trending up: Auburn's offense

Cam Coleman has been trending toward being the SEC's version of Shohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Angels, the guy who consistently does something so mind-blowing that announcers note it hadn't happened since old "Velvet Hands" McGraw danced past Sewanee back in 1906, all while Auburn's offense stumbled into another loss.

Saturday was different. Coleman did reel in a jaw-dropping touchdown catch, but the rest of the Tigers showed up, too, in a 33-24 win over Arkansas.

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Auburn's Cam Coleman reels in a spectacular one-handed TD

Jackson Arnold connects with Cam Coleman for a 23-yard Auburn touchdown.

It was the first conference win of the season for Auburn, and a definitive answer to one of life's great mysteries: If forced to choose between rewarding Hugh Freeze or Bobby Petrino, would the universe choose to simply implode instead?

Trending down: Embarrassment in Chapel Hill

For the second straight week, North Carolina had a chance to win a game against a conference opponent, and for the second straight week, it was upended by a matter of inches.

But, for a team that had been losing by miles, a few inches feels like dramatic improvement.

Indeed, UNC no longer looks "cancel the documentary" bad and is now simply "brings back memories of Belichick's time with the Cleveland Browns" bad. The defense was stellar, racking up six sacks against No. 16 Virginia, but the offensive ineptitude -- the Heels have yet to score more than 20 vs. an FBS opponent -- proved their undoing, alongside two red zone turnovers.

At this rate, the Heels should be on pace to win the ACC no later than 2035. Never question Belichick's "process."

Trending up: Michigan rivalry wins

Michigan threw for just 86 yards, but Justice Haynes and Jordan Marshall racked up 262 yards on the ground and three touchdowns to knock off Michigan State 31-20.

The Wolverines have now won eight straight against hated rivals Michigan State and Ohio State. Of course, as Michigan fans are always quick to note, there are no losers in this rivalry. Michigan alums get their football success, and Michigan State alums get get a free sub with every 10 purchases at Blimpie.

Trending down: LSU's playoff hopes

You can't spell "play-&-M-off" without A&M, and the Texas A&M are riding riding high with their sights set on an SEC title after a dominant 49-18 win over LSU.

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Jamarion Morrow spins in for another Texas A&M TD

Jamarion Morrow gets around a defender and into the end zone for another Texas A&M touchdown vs. LSU.

The Aggies actually trailed 18-14 at halftime, but that was just a way to lure Brian Kelly into a false sense of security. Kelly spent halftime repeating his calming affirmations, assuring his players that he wasn't going to be mad and was just really happy about how hard they played.

After the game in which Marcel Reed accounted for 310 yards and 4 TDs and KC Concepcion had 177 all-purpose yards and 2 scores, including a punt return touchdown, Kelly burst through the locker room wall like the Kool-Aid man and informed his team that if he ends up having to coach Penn State next year, he's crossing all of them off his Christmas card list.

Trending up: Aztecs' defense

The race for the Group of 5's playoff bid feels wide open after nine weeks, but perhaps the least-likely contender is San Diego State.

The Aztecs toppled Fresno State 23-0 on Saturday, their third shutout of the season. SDSU is now 6-1 and 3-0 in Mountain West play, with its lone loss coming to Washington State, which was contractually obligated as part of the agreement to finally allow the Aztecs' entry into the Pac-12.

November showdowns at Hawai'i and against Boise State should help decide whether San Diego State is a true playoff contender, but the defense looks much like the elite units that buoyed the program for years, and the whole city appears ready to finally embrace football again or else go surfing, grab a burrito and maybe hit Lahaina after. Honestly, either way is fine.

Trending down: Doubting BYU

It was easy enough to view BYU with a bit of caution entering the season. Last year's success had been fueled by some close wins, and the departure of QB Jake Retzlaff left the Cougars with a freshman leading the offense.

Turns out, none of that was an issue.

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BYU Cougars vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Full Highlights

BYU Cougars vs. Iowa State Cyclones: Full Highlights

Bear Bachmeier accounted for three touchdowns, and BYU outscored Iowa State 24-3 in the second half to romp over the Cyclones 41-27 and remain undefeated.

After a rough first season in the Big 12, the Cougars are rolling, having won 19 of their past 21 and now look like the potential favorites for a bid to the conference title game. Should BYU land a playoff berth, there's not enough Swig in all of Provo for the celebration that would inevitably ensue and be over by 9 p.m., because it's a school night.

Trending down: Arizona State in the Big 12

Imagine for a moment you're Arizona State, trailing Houston by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter with Jeff Sims at QB. Actually, don't imagine that. You've done nothing to deserve that type of horror.

The important thing here is Sam Leavitt and the Sun Devils struggled early, Leavitt left with an injury, and despite Sims' first touchdown pass since before ChatGPT existed, Houston still won, 24-16.

It was a watershed moment for the Cougars, who are now 7-1 on the season. Connor Weigman continues to prove that the Jimbo Fisher curse can be broken by simply not playing for Jimbo Fisher. He threw for 201 yards, ran for 111 and accounted for 3 touchdowns. Along with Haynes King, who is starring for undefeated Georgia Tech, and Max Johnson, who is being completely ignored by Bill Belichick, things are awfully good for the former Texas A&M QBs.

Trending up: Wisconsin's offense

Oregon eased its way to a 21-7 win over the Badgers behind 102 yards and two scores from tailback Jordon Davison.

Technically it was a win for the Ducks, but more than that, it was a victory for Wisconsin, which scored in a Big Ten game for the first time since the Hoover administration. OK, we didn't fact-check that statistic, but it feels right. And because the Badgers AD has offered full faith in Luke Fickell with a promise of more investment moving forward, Wisconsin fans can look forward to a touchdown and even a field goal or two in Big Ten games next season.

Trending up: Ypsilanti air guitar

Other conferences try to placate their crowds with lame in-game entertainment on the videoboard or spend commercial breaks by honoring sponsors. The MAC, on the other, hand, knows how to bring the heat.

pic.twitter.com/ejYnqjZUF9

Sadly, the Angus Young of Ypsilanti was not enough to inspire his Eastern Michigan team to victory, as Ohio went on to win 28-21. On the upside though, AC/DC's new album, "Back in MAC" should be a banger.

One TD, Two TD, Mean TD, Green TD
Deep in the heart of the city of queens
Played a team from Texas called the Mean Green.
They brought Wesloskis and Sibleys with a Poffenbarger in tow
But it was the fantabulous Drew Mestemaker who stole the whole show.
He'd not played in prep nor transferred from Whoville Tech
Not been coached by a Dabo, a Kiffin nor Fleck.
But Drew was mean and he was green and he wore 17
And he played better that fine day than the crowd'd ever seen.
The Niners led early, but there were no screams and no shouts
For the mysterious Mestemaker left nothing in doubt.
He threw long, he threw short, he threw starboard and port
He hit receivers and backs, even a clabtrabulous gallort.
As the game played on, the Mestemaker was divine
By halftime he'd thrown a flurdiforous 329.
But his job wasn't done; there was more 'round the corner
Like TDs to shazwallers, tabdablers and Cameron Dorner.
They gasped and guffawed, shouted "Flamdoozle!" on each play
For the Mestemaker's arm grew three sizes that day.
By the end of the night, when the hour'd grown late
The Mestemaker had thrown for a school record -- 608.

#GMG🦅 pic.twitter.com/vrDWFuDpQa

North Texas departed with a win, a grin and an iconic pic
To dream the sweet dreams of the Mestemaker's next trick.
Now his legend lives on, throughout the land of college ball
The Mestemaker at North Texas 'twas the greatest of all.

Under-the-radar play of the week

Memphis overcame a 31-17 fourth-quarter deficit by scoring the final 17 points of the game in a 34-31 win over No. 18 USF in what could be a defining moment in the race of the Group of 5's playoff bid.

But none of that should overshadow USF QB Byrum Brown making one of the most athletic plays of the season, hurdling a Memphis defender en route to the end zone.

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Byrum Brown leaps over a defender and runs in a 44-yard TD for USF

Byrum Brown avoids several tackles, making defenders fall at his feet and takes it into the end zone for a 44 yard touchdown.

Brown finished the game with 269 yards passing, 121 rushing and 3 total touchdowns, but it wasn't enough to overcome the Tigers. On the upside, losing a critical game late after holding a sizable lead is yet another way USF is proving it belongs among the bigger brands of college football in the state of Florida.

Under-the-radar game of the week

SMU entered Saturday having won 20 straight regular-season conference games -- across two conferences -- but in Week 9, the Mustangs ran into a buzzsaw by the name of Wake Forest. The Deacons are one of the few buzzsaws who wear a top hat.

Wake turned exceptional field position into two first-half scores, leading 10-3 at one point despite having just 12 yards of total offense. SMU charged back and led 12-10, but the Deacons appeared on the brink of a victory with a first-and-goal at the SMU 6 with 1:55 to play. A fumble ended the drive, however, and SMU then aimed to run out the clock. The result was a three-and-out and a punt with 12 seconds remaining.

That gave Wake the ball at its own 42, and Deshawn Purdie quickly connected on a 25-yard completion to set up a game-winning kick from 50.

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Connor Calvert's career-long 50-yard FG wins it for Wake Forest

Connor Calvert sinks a 50-yard field goal as time expires to improbably lift Wake Forest past SMU.

That the kick fell short proved an optical illusion created by the fact that anyone who watched this game had likely gouged out their eyes previously, as the ball did narrowly cross the crossbar, giving Wake a 13-12 win.

The game featured 8 turnovers, 3 missed kicks, 17 total punts and 1 lawsuit by the Big Ten for copyright infringement.

Heisman five

1. Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza

Another 4 touchdowns, another blowout, another week in which Mendoza has stated his case that he deserves to be the favorite for the Heisman. The only potential pitfall for Mendoza now is that many Heisman voters had not previously been aware Indiana had a football program and are very confused about why he doesn't play for Texas.

2. Everyone who didn't play

Georgia QB Gunner Stockton, who spent the week washing his truck, listening to Toto and promising he'll never be like his old man, was off. So, too, was Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, who used the downtime to play a few gigs with his boy band, "I'm Just Sayin." Meanwhile, Notre Dame tailback Jeremiyah Love somehow still ran for another 83 yards against USC despite being off. They're all very good.

3. Georgia Tech QB Haynes King

King threw for 304 yards, ran for 91 and accounted for 5 touchdowns in a 41-16 win over Syracuse. He followed that by working a 12-hour shift down at the factory, installed a new carburetor in his Chevy, shared a knowing glance with his high-school sweetheart, then spent an hour or so dying all his collars a darker blue while listening to Foreigner's "Double Vision" on cassette.

4. Alabama QB Ty Simpson

It was hardly his finest day, but when Bama needed a lift, Simpson provided it, finding his safety blanket in Germie Bernard to tie the game late. He finished with 253 passing yards and 2 TD passes and assurances that what happened in Week 1 will never happen again and was actually just a practical joke that had gone horribly wrong, like that time he ate Kadyn Proctor's leftover grilled cheese.

5. Navy QB Blake Horvath

He probably won't make as much of a run toward the Heisman this year as he did in 2024, but Horvath is having another fantastic season for the undefeated Midshipmen. On Saturday, he threw for 83 yards, ran for 174 and scored 4 times in a 42-32 win over Florida Atlantic, thus proving once and for all that the real Navy is superior to that flotilla 12 retirees in Boca tried to use to invade the Daytona Buc-ee's.