Winners and losers of the fifth week of college football: Alabama-Georgia is ahead

It took a quarter for the new Alabama to assert itself as the old Alabama. With coach Kalen DeBoer now in charge, the No. 4 Crimson Tide put No. 1 Georgia in an early hole and looked poised to defeat the Bulldogs in this premier SEC matchup.

But Georgia came back and turned a potential defeat into an epic thriller that could be just the first of several meetings between these two rivals this season.

Buried under an early barrage, the Bulldogs crawled out of a series of multi-point deficits to take a 34-33 lead with just over two minutes left. But the Crimson Tide responded with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Jalen Milroe to freshman wide receiver Ryan Williams, converted the ensuing two-point play and then intercepted Carson Beck in the end zone to make it a wild 41- 34 win to secure.

Take a deep breath. These were four games in one: first, a win against Alabama; second, a rebound in Georgia to make things respectable for the Bulldogs; third, a Georgia comeback for the ages; and fourth, a response from the Crimson Tide to put everything back in order in the final minutes.

In the end, a close game between two of the Bowl Subdivision’s top teams will give Alabama a big boost without hurting Georgia’s chances of reaching the 12-team College Football Playoff too much.

Alabama started with a bang. The Tide led 21-0 after the first quarter and 28-0 shortly after the start of the second quarter, taking advantage of a short field after an interception but otherwise powering through Georgia with touchdown drives of 70, 84 and 67 yards -Defense cut. That opening rush sent a message that can’t be ignored: Nick Saban may be gone, but Alabama isn’t going anywhere.

As expected, DeBoer and quarterback Milroe’s marriage continues to thrive. Milroe had 374 passing yards, a team-high 117 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. Williams led Alabama with 177 receiving yards and acrobatically evaded Georgia defenders with a series of outstanding plays that have made him one of the brightest young stars in recent SEC history. As a reminder: Williams is only 17 years old.

This defeat would have caused major problems for Georgia last season. But the math behind the race for the national championship has changed with the expansion of the playoffs, and the “death or die” mentality that defined this series for nearly a decade has been erased.

That leaves Alabama as the winner, while Georgia still has a clear path to climb back to the top of the SEC. If Saturday night is any indication, the two will face off again in early December – and perhaps in January too, if we’re lucky.

winner

Notre Dame

No. 14 Notre Dame will never get over this month’s loss to Northern Illinois, especially because the Huskies have lost two of three games since the upset in South Bend. But the College Football Playoff math still favors the Fighting Irish: Win and you’re (very likely) in the 12-team field. Saturday’s 31-24 win over No. 17 Louisville will help restore Notre Dame’s reputation. In a game seemingly lacking major contenders this year, the Fighting Irish survived a sloppy start to beat a team ranked high in the ACC standings. In fact, this win against the Cardinals could be the highlight of Notre Dame’s record heading into the final playoff rankings in early December.

Kansas State

After a stunning loss to No. 22 Brigham Young last weekend, No. 25 Kansas State bounced back with a very solid 42-20 home win over No. 20 Oklahoma State. With a balanced offense that accounted for 559 total yards – 300 yards in Running and 259 yards passing – the Wildcats showed why they are one of the elite teams in the Big 12 and a real playoff threat. While he had a mystery interception and might have missed a potential big gain or two through the air, quarterback Avery Johnson finished with 319 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. This performance puts KSU back on track to compete with No. 10 Utah and No. 19 Iowa State for the league’s playoff bid.

Kentucky

Confusing, confusing, impossible to predict and a team that could make a lot of noise heading into SEC play. After a 25-point loss to South Carolina and a narrow loss to Georgia two weeks ago, Kentucky pulled off one of the shocking upsets of the first month of the season with a 20-17 win over No. 5 Mississippi. Trailing 17-13 with about five minutes left, the Wildcats rushed 83 yards in six plays to take the lead, then made a big defensive effort to hold the Rebels to a 48-yard lead with under a minute left. To force a yard field goal. With Vanderbilt, Florida and Auburn up next, Kentucky could move into the Top 25 before hosting No. 6 Tennessee in October.

Southern California

A week after narrowly losing 27-24 at No. 12 Michigan, the No. 16 Trojans overcame a 21-10 halftime deficit to defeat Wisconsin 38-21, securing the program’s first win in the Big Ten game. The second-half surge that almost led to a win in Ann Arbor didn’t immediately take hold against the Badgers, who capitalized on three USC turnovers to take the lead at halftime. But the Trojans dominated the final two quarters against the Badgers, delivering the coup de grace with a pick-six with five minutes left. USC also dominated possession and stopped the Badgers’ running game to avoid a loss that would have ended any hopes of making the playoffs.

Colorado

For the first time under Deion Sanders, Colorado looks like a legitimate Power Four team and a real contender for six wins and a bowl game. The Buffaloes entered Central Florida as two-point underdogs and defeated the Knights with a 48-21 win, highlighted by a great night from Shedeur Sanders and more brilliant play from Heisman Trophy favorite Travis Hunter. Sanders completed 28 of 35 throws for 290 yards and three scores, while Hunter had 89 receiving yards, a touchdown grab and an interception. Colorado is now 4-1 and 2-0 in the Big 12 and needs just two wins to reach the postseason for the first time since 2020 and just the third time since 2007.

UNLV

No. 23 UNLV was on the front page this week due to the drama surrounding former quarterback Matt Sluka, who started the first three games but left the program amid a stunning back-and-forth over its NIL package. You wouldn’t have been able to tell from Saturday’s 59-14 loss to Fresno State. Sluka wasn’t missed in the slightest: Backup Hajj-Malik Williams took over the starting role and was great, completing 13 of 16 throws for 182 yards and three touchdowns with another 119 yards and a score on the ground. The Rebels put this week behind them and will continue to be one of the leading playoff contenders in the Group of Five.

loser

Mississippi

Stunning to express things as easily and kindly as possible. The Rebels had not lost as double-digit favorites under fifth-year coach Lane Kiffin, but never got into a rhythm due to Kentucky’s ability to control the tempo, resulting in a loss that was the difference between a general playoff Application could make up and a second level bowl game. Looking ahead to December, the Rebels need to win two of three games against No. 13 LSU, No. 18 Oklahoma and No. 1 Georgia to stay in the playoff conversation.

State of Florida

The worst has officially been replaced by worse, and the worst is just around the corner. Florida State is now 1-4 after SMU was badly outplayed in the Mustangs’ ACC home debut. The 42-16 loss included everything the Seminoles do terribly: throw the ball, run the ball, block, tackle, score, play football. And after the team provided stability with a 14-9 win over California last week, the loss shows how far FSU has regressed since last year’s ACC Championship. Just to reiterate, FSU lost to SMU by 26 points. In case it wasn’t clear, the Seminoles are the biggest disappointment of the season.

Alabama-Birmingham

The decision to hire Trent Dilfer – one of the least experienced head coaches in modern FBS history – has left UAB, which had posted six straight winning seasons through 2023 but now has a dismal 5-12 record under the former NFL Quarterback backfired horribly after a 41-18 home loss to Navy. Hiring Dilfer over a number of qualified candidates, including former interim coach and current Louisiana Monroe coach Bryant Vincent, created the strong impression that UAB was a deeply shady program. The Blazers, led by Dilfer, are now one of the worst teams in American Athletic and are increasingly becoming a laughing stock.

Ollie Gordon

Has anyone seen Oklahoma State’s All-America running back? Don’t put all the blame on Gordon, who showed in the first two series against Kansas State that he’s still one of the best runners in college football. Instead, let’s look at the Cowboys’ willingness to ignore one of the most talented talents in the country: Gordon had 10 carries for 69 yards on the first two possessions, but just five carries for seven yards the rest of the way. After running for 128 yards in the opening game against South Dakota State, Gordon only managed 208 yards in four games against FBS competition. His chances of taking home postseason hardware are as slim as the Cowboys’ playoff hopes.

Wisconsin

The current state of Wisconsin football can be seen in a key fourth down in USC territory in the third quarter. Needing a yard, the Badgers lined up at shotgun, ran to the line of scrimmage and came up short. At that point, Wisconsin was up 21-17 and would not score again. This team is not physical, not athletic, not explosive, not tough and in no way built to resemble the identity that has defined the program for decades. Instead, it looks like a program that is clearly in decline with no apparent path back to relevance.

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