Winner: The Houston Cougars

Houston, we have a solution. The Cougars came into Amon G. Carter Stadium as heavy underdogs against the Horned Frogs. Houston forced four turnovers on TCU sophomore quarterback Josh Hoover. Junior defensive back A.J. Haulcy led the way for the Cougars with two interceptions. The Cougars’ offense came out blazing, with sophomore QB Zeon Chriss, including a 71-yard rushing touchdown near the end of the second quarter. 

Although TCU tried to come back in the second half, Houston continued to fight until the very end, including forcing and recovering a game-sealing fumble to stop the Horned Frogs’ last drive. This saw Houston earn its first Big-12 conference win of the season, following brutal losses to both Iowa State and Cincinnati. TCU coach Sonny Dykes might start feeling some heat after this poor performance.

Loser: Ollie Gordon II and Oklahoma State

Safe to say that Oklahoma State is certainly not going to qualify for the College Football Playoff. The Cowboys got blown out by West Virginia in a 38-14 loss. What’s worse for Oklahoma State is that junior running back Ollie Gordon II hasn’t shown up this season.

Gordon’s disappointing season continues with just one game over 100 rushing yards. The former Doak Walker Award winner left the West Virginia game early with a reported leg injury, with some suspecting it could rule the end of his collegiate career. The Cowboys have a bye week coming up which gives them time to evaluate Gordon’s injury. With how poorly Oklahoma State’s season is going, Gordon might choose to sit out and save any sort of draft stock he had left.

Winner: Florida International University’s uniform unveiling

When global music superstar Pitbull acquired the naming rights for FIU’s stadium over the offseason, it was clear that the team was ready to embrace its Miami heritage. This week, FIU went even further by showing off its new “Vice U” uniform in a social media video.

The uniform’s color palette is a slick homage to the iconic television show “Miami Vice” and will debut against Sam Houston State on Tuesday, Oct. 22. Hopefully this kicks off a wave of teams using alternate jerseys to embrace the unique culture of their towns, a la the “City Edition” uniforms in the NBA.

Loser: Cal fans

Anyone who has spent time surfing the college football zeitgeist on Twitter/X has surely encountered the “Calgorithim” — the satirical embrace of Cal’s academic prowess and subsequent trolling of football opponents by the team’s fans. This week, ESPN’s College GameDay took the trip to Berkeley, California to experience this wacky fanbase firsthand. Cal supporters didn’t disappoint.

With the No. 8 Miami Hurricanes coming to town, the Golden Bears had a chance to be one of the stories of the year, and very nearly were. Cal went up 35-10 midway through the 3rd quarter and had Miami on the ropes. With a little help from the referees on a crucial targeting penalty no-call, Miami senior QB Cam Ward mounted a comeback attempt and won the game in the final minute for the Canes 39-38. The Golden Bear fans deserve better.

Winner: College football fans – DJ Burton

What a week of college football. Absolute chaos as seven top-25 teams lost. This is what makes the game so great. 

Vanderbilt conquered No. 1 Alabama, Arkansas toppled No. 4 Tennessee, No. 25 Texas A&M gigged No. 9 Missouri, Washington packed up No. 10 Michigan, Minnesota out-battled No. 11 USC and Syracuse crushed the dreams of No. 25 UNLV. No. 8 Miami narrowly weathered the storm against Cal, coming back from a 25-point deficit.

If a college football fan tells you they hate upsets, they’re either lying or on the losing end. The unpredictability makes every matchup exciting. What causes a weekend like this? Only the college football gods know, but we’ll take every bit of it, as long as our teams are not on the wrong end of the upsets! 

Loser: Nashville bachelorette parties

In recent years, Nashville has been a hotspot for bachelorette parties. Groups of women explore the honky-tonk-lined streets of Music City without a care in the world. Suddenly, the streets that were once filled with brides-to-be were overrun with screaming Vandy fans.

Following the Commodores’ wild upset of the No. 1 Alabama Crimson Tide, the Vanderbilt faithful stormed the field and did what any team that pulled off an upset in the state of Tennessee would do: throw the goalpost into the nearest river. In their march to the Cumberland River, the goalpost made its way down Broadway along with a sea of fans, halting traffic and turning heads. Those bachelorette parties had a night to remember, thanks to the Commodores. 

Winner: Penn State’s 5-0 streak

Penn State coach James Franklin has been criticized often for not winning the games that matter, but Franklin has been perfect when leading the Nittany Lions to start the season. Penn State is the only program in college football to start 5-0 for the last four seasons and Franklin’s coaching is a big reason why. This early-season dominance continues for the Nittany Lions, who have relied on a stifling top-five defense along with a ground-and-pound game to slow games down to a halt. Combine that with junior QB Drew Allar’s ability to protect the football, and Penn State has the recipe for a CFP qualifier. The Nov. 2 game against Ohio State will show just how capable Franklin’s brand of football truly is. 

Loser: Cal’s first College Gameday appearance

The atmosphere was nothing to laugh at as thousands cheered on the Golden Bears in their first appearance on the hyped ESPN broadcast. The raucous crowd forced Nick Saban to take off his tie because it matched the colors of Berkeley’s bitter rivals Stanford and the excitement hit a peak when the Bears shot out to a 35-10 lead against No. 8 Miami. The fans, anticipating an upset and already making plans to rush the field, were treated to a healthy dose of reality when the Heisman candidate Ward marched the Hurricanes down the field to pick up touchdown after touchdown. Ward finished off the comeback with a five-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Elijah Arroyo to give Miami the 39-38 victory and end Berkeley’s happy day on a sour note.