B/R's 2025 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 3
Oh yeah, we're really cooking with these marquee matchups now.
Week 3 saw a lot of the teams around the nation really dive into conference play, and there were big games dotted throughout every time slot on Saturday.
Things started out with Georgia Tech booting a 55-yard, game-winning field goal as time expired to snap a nine-game losing streak against Clemson and lead to field-rushing in Atlanta.
The Georgia Bulldogs and Tennessee Vols clashed, with UGA taking advantage of a missed, game-winning field goal by Max Gilbert to win 44-41 in overtime.
Saturday night featured a full SEC slate of primetime-worthy showdowns highlighted by Texas A&M-Notre Dame, too, with the Aggies winning with late fourth-quarter heroics.
Here are the day's winners and losers.
Winner: Georgia, in a Classic
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A Tennessee fan base that is no stranger to pain found a new way to be gutted on Saturday, and Georgia took advantage.
Max Gilbert missed a would-be, game-winning 43-yard field goal at the end of the game, leading to overtime where Georgia answered a made Gilbert 43-yard field goal with a go-ahead touchdown to win 44-41.
Just before the missed field goal, Tennessee guard Sham Umarov was flagged for a false start that made the kick longer.
This was the 10th consecutive victory for the Dawgs in the series, but this one was brutal for a Tennessee team that finally punched back after UGA answered an early-game blow.
The Vols pulled ahead 21-7 early, but UGA stormed back with 17 unanswered points to take a lead. Even so, Tennessee kept scoring. Georgia kept answering, with the biggest stunner coming on a 28-yard scoring strike from Gunner Stockton to London Humphreys and ensuing two-point conversion to tie the game at 38-all and set up the end.
Stockton (304 yards, two touchdowns) and Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar (371 yards, four touchdowns) kept making huge plays, but it was the plays the Vols didn't make that led to UGA's big win.
Now, Georgia looks poised for another title run.
Loser: Notre Dame's Late Defense
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Oh, Fighting Irish. The hole you've now dug for yourselves with an 0-2 start makes a return to the College Football Playoff a very difficult proposition.
For the second game in a row against a ranked opponent, Notre Dame's defense couldn't come through in the clutch in a 41-40 home loss to Texas A&M. Much like Week 1's collapse against Miami, the Irish just couldn't make the play when it mattered most.
Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed rolled to his left and somehow found tight end Nate Boerkircher for a touchdown on 4th-and-goal from the 11-yard line with 11 seconds left.
A&M converted the extra point Notre Dame couldn't minutes earlier after mishandling the snap, and that single point was the difference.
This was a signature win for coach Mike Elko on the road, and the Aggies are now thrust onto the national stage in a big way with their capable stable of playmakers at receiver.
For the Irish, a return to the playoffs seems unlikely at best. It's hard to envision the committee overlooking two early-season losses, even if they were both close setbacks to ranked teams.
Winner: Georgia Tech, as Underdogs (Again)
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When Georgia Tech's field-goal unit sprinted on Aidan Birr for a game-winning 55-yard field goal against No. 12 Clemson, it was the fastest the Yellow Jackets had gone all day.
That's just coach Brent Key's style, though. Slow and steady, and Tech is proving it can win plenty of races. As Birr's career-long field goal sailed through the uprights, Tech celebrated a 24-21 upset win over the Tigers and fans rushed the field.
For Key, it's a bit old hat.
"This ain't our first time doing this now," Key told ESPN's TV crew after the game, amid the crowd.
Indeed, since Key took over as Tech's head coach in 2022, the 12 victories as an underdog is the most in the FBS during that time. The Yellow Jackets are unbeaten, and they are dangerous to everybody in the ACC. The meticulous, Haynes King-fueled offense wore down Clemson and snapped a nine-game losing streak to the Tigers.
Meanwhile, Clemson is now 1-2 for the first time since 2011, and their national championship hopes are all but gone without a conference title. That doesn't seem likely at this point, either.
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Loser: South Florida's Mojo
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Goliath struck back.
So far this season, South Florida had been the story of college football, beginning the year with wins over ranked Boise State and Florida. Next up on the docket was No. 5 Miami.
The Bulls' slingshot must have malfunctioned. There was no upset in Coral Gables as the Hurricanes carved up a defense that had been opportunistic in the 2-0 start to cruise to a humbling 49-12 win in a storm-delayed game.
Carson Beck threw two interceptions (but only five incompletions) in a game that was sloppy at times, but Miami just had too much talent.
Coach Alex Golesh's Bulls are a quality team that looks like it could be the Group of Five's best, but they were overmatched. This was really about the 'Canes showing it's a potential national title contender.
All Miami fans should be thrilled about this team's ceiling. It looks like a playoff team.
So does USF. Sure, this wasn't the showing they wanted on yet another big stage, but anybody in Tampa would have taken 2-1 after this gauntlet of games.
There is every reason to believe both of these teams have the ability to make the final 12.
Winner: Ty Simpson
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Everybody is now seeing what Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer saw in Ty Simpson.
The fourth-year junior has sat and waited his turn. Then, after beating out star underclassmen Keelon Russell and Austin Mack for the starting job, Simpson appeared indecisive and skittish in the season-opening loss to Florida State.
Since then, he can't miss.
After a spotless 17-for-17 performance in a win over Louisiana-Monroe, Simpson was nearly as good in a 38-14 win against stiffer competition in Wisconsin on Saturday.
He was nearly perfect again, completing 24-of-29 passes for 382 yards with four touchdowns, and Simpson proved he could make all the throws.
An example was a perfect rope to star pass-catcher Germie Bernard for a 43-yard score on a crossing pattern, then he elevated the ball just enough to get over the defender on a touchdown pass to Isaiah Horton to close the scoring before the break.
Simpson even got Ryan Williams going, too, with a pair of electrifying second-half touchdowns.
Alabama appears to be blocking out the noise surrounding the DeBoer era, and it's largely because of Simpson's poise and premier play.
Loser: DeShaun Foster's Job Security
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It's worth asking if DeShaun Foster's seat at UCLA is the hottest in the country.
Yes, Brent Pry's at Virginia Tech is scorching. Sure, Billy Napier is in a pressure cooker at Florida. But Foster is 0-3 at his alma mater after getting torched 35-10 by New Mexico in a three-quarters-empty Rose Bowl on Friday night.
The loss was characterized by the same poor play that's plagued the Bruins in his brief tenure.
First, they started the game down two touchdowns, following the template of falling behind 20-0 to Utah and 23-0 to UNLV in the first two weekends. Poor clock management at the end of the first half that led to zero points was a gaffe, too.
Even worse, the Lobos dominated UCLA in the second half to win.
UCLA is getting horrific national publicity for the Joey Aguilar-for-Nico Iamaleava "trade," and Iamaleava has not provided any real impact at all.
It seems the Bruins may need a shake-up at the top. The consternation surrounding Foster will continue to swirl as his team is one of the biggest disappointments in the nation.
Winner: Ahmad Hardy
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Perhaps the sleeper-scary team nobody is talking about right now is the 25th-ranked Missouri Tigers.
In Saturday's 52-10 domination of Louisiana, coach Eli Drinkwitz had yet another offensive player with a coming-out party.
Earlier this year, the first one of those was Penn State transfer quarterback Beau Pribula. All he's done is lead an explosive offense with his arm and his feet.
Another portal jewel mined by Drinkwitz was running back Ahmad Hardy, who wound up in CoMo after a star freshman season with Louisiana-Monroe. Playing against a familiar foe that he shredded for 172 yards in a loss a year ago, Hardy went off.
He ran for 250 yards and three scores on just 22 carries, an 11.4 average. Hardy entered the game with 212 yards, so he more than doubled that total and looks like an SEC star-in-the-making.
Things get much tougher with South Carolina, Alabama, Auburn, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M coming up within the next six games, but Drinkwitz has a dangerous team. Hardy may be the catalyst.
Loser: Colorado's Offense
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Life without Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter at Colorado never was going to be easy, and coach Deion Sanders is seeing that firsthand.
The predictable early-season buzz around Coach Prime's team likely will fade following a 1-2 start. The Buffaloes were humbled on Friday night in a 36-20 road loss to coach Willie Fritz's Houston program trying to surge in Year 2.
That's when Prime's Buffaloes rebounded in '24, with stars all over the offense. Now, with guys like quarterback Sanders and do-it-all Hunter departed to the NFL, restocking the shelf hasn't been easy.
Ryan Staub won the quarterback battle over Kaidon Salter, but his start against the Cougars produced almost nothing offensively until the game was already out of reach.
Against Houston, he threw two interceptions, and after being down just two points at the break, the Buffs had just 5 yards on their first four second-half drives as the Cougars pulled away.
What does Coach Sanders do now for a spark? Is it time to give heralded freshman signal-caller Julian Lewis an extended look? It should be.
The spotlight is always going to be on Coach Prime. He needs to conjure some answers.
Winner: the Backyard Brawl
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As West Virginia's entire stadium of fans drenched the end of overtime in a chorus of "Take Me Home, Country Road," you couldn't help but think this is what makes college football special.
The "Backyard Brawl" between West Virginia and Pittsburgh wasn't the biggest game on Saturday's slate, but it's a massive rivalry that deserves to be played, one of those throw-out-the-record games.
The teams announced the rivalry will renew annually from 2029 through 2036, which already made us all winners. Then, the Mountaineers went out and somehow stunned Pitt 31-24 in overtime to drive home the point.
In Rich Rodriguez's first year in Morgantown, the Mountaineers were underdogs, but quarterback Nicco Marchiol (who had been benched for five second-half series) led his team on a furious 10-point comeback to force regulation.
Then, Tye Edwards ran for his third touchdown in overtime to give West Virginia the win. The defense shut the Panthers down in their session, and starved fans wanting to pull for a winning program again rejoiced.
It was a thing of beauty for college football fans around the country.
Loser: South Carolina Without Its Star
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South Carolina lost star signal-caller LaNorris Sellers late in the first half of a one-score game after he took a shot to the head from a Vanderbilt defender.
With him out, the Gamecocks couldn't get anything going in the second half and wound up getting blown off their home field by Vanderbilt in a 31-7 SEC stunner.
This isn't the first time Diego Pavia and the Commodores have done this. Knocking off the No. 11 Gamecocks isn't as big as beating top-ranked Alabama last year or nearly taking down Texas, but it's significant just the same.
The Commodores are 3-0 again and look like a tough out for anybody they play, especially with Pavia doing crazy things all over the field.
But the win over South Carolina was more about the Vanderbilt defense's dominance over a Gamecocks team that looked hopeless with Luke Doty replacing Sellers.
They've got to get their star quarterback back on the field and turn things around.
Winner: Ole Miss Behind Trinidad Chambliss
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If you're No. 17-ranked Ole Miss, you've got to feel like you're living right tonight.
In a defense-optional showdown with Arkansas, the Razorbacks were driving for the go-ahead touchdown late when the Rebels stripped the ball away on the first play out of the 2-minute timeout, recovering the fumble and securing a 41-35 win.
In the process, the Rebels may have found a new star in backup quarterback Trinidad Chambliss.
While normal starter Austin Simmons played a little while injured (and threw a touchdown pass), the transfer from Ferris State provided an element that has been missing. The 6'1", 200-pound senior finished with 359 passing yards on 21-of-29 passing, 62 rushing yards and three total touchdowns.
Simmons may not be guaranteed his job when he returns.
Whoever lines up under center next week will be doing so for an unbeaten Rebels team, and that was in doubt for much of the fourth quarter after the Hogs' frantic comeback.
This Ole Miss team is far from perfect and has its share of defensive issues. But the Rebs are winning games, and they've got a pair of signal-callers who can help them do so.
Loser: Arch Manning's Progression
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Casual fans are going to look at Texas' 27-10 win over UTEP on Saturday and think a superior Longhorns team sleepwalked through a win, and that it's not a big deal.
But things are far from OK for starting quarterback Arch Manning.
You'd think in a game like this one against the Miners, Manning would post huge numbers, regain a lot of confidence lost with a grueling early-season showdown against a top-ranked team and flash his talent.
That wasn't the case. Instead, he looked more like he isn't just green but may potentially be overrated. It's far too early to make that declaration, but really good quarterbacks don't go out and complete 11-for-25 passes for 114 yards, a touchdown and an interception against UTEP.
Texas was only ahead 7-3 until right before the half. They didn't really figure things out after the break, either.
Coach Steve Sarkisian is known for being a terrific developer of talent at the position. He has to find a spark with Manning if Texas is going to contend for championships, as expected, with him under center.
Winner: Tulane's Playoff Resume
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Don't look now, South Florida, but you've got company in the 'best of Group of Five' conversation.
Coach Jon Sumrall's Tulane Green Wave hosted former starting quarterback Darian Mensah and the Duke Blue Devils in New Orleans on Saturday night and dominated every facet of the game in a 34-27 win.
Earlier this year, Sumrall noted in his postgame interview following a win against Northwestern that he believed the Wildcats disrespected New Orleans. Imagine how the Green Wave felt after Mensah took the money and ran to Durham.
Regardless, Tulane received a measure of revenge. In the process, they injected themselves into the College Football Playoff conversation with their second Power Four win of the season.
Mensah's replacement—former BYU transfer Jake Retzlaff—was the best QB1 in the game, finishing with 356 total yards and four touchdowns (all on the ground).
Getting a win next week at Ole Miss certainly won't be easy, but this is a team that could be on a collision course for an AAC title game showdown with the Bulls in a winner-take-the-playoff-spot prize.
Loser: D.J. Lagway
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With a schedule like Florida's, things can unravel in a hurry, and the college football world is watching that happen to the Gators.
They didn't play particularly bad in a 20-10 loss at LSU on Saturday night. But one of the sport's bright, young stars is experiencing major growing pains in front of everybody, much like Arch Manning at Texas.
The sophomore from Texas threw five interceptions in Baton Rouge in a game where the Gators defense played well enough to win.
Three of those passes were simply thrown up for grabs, and Lagway looked confused a lot of the night by coordinator Blake Baker disguising coverages. Other times, Lagway just made ill-advised throws.
Everybody knows about the grueling schedule and the uncertainty surrounding coach Billy Napier's job following last week's loss to South Florida. Now, the Gators have a quarterback clearly shaken that they've got to mentally refurbish.
Lagway still has a ton of talent. But, like Manning, his maturation process under the microscope took an ugly turn Saturday.
.jpg?w=480 "Browns Football")
.jpg?w=600 "Browns Rejected Cowboys Trade Offer")
