College Football's Winners and Losers as USC Wins, Texas Surges in SEC

The USC Trojans went on the road to the Nebraska Cornhuskers and walked away with a 21-17 win, Texas Longhorns pull off the upset at home, and the Georgia Bulldogs survive a scare. But were some other winner and losers from this past weekend?

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) warms up on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

The No. 20 USC Trojans went into a hostile environment on Saturday night and walked away with a 21-17 win over the Nebraska Cornhuskers. 

USC struggled mightily on offense in the first half and fell behind 14-6 heading into the break. The defense stiffened up and allowed just three points in the second half. 

Quarterback Jayden Maiava and running back King Miller each ran for a touchdown in the second half to put the Trojans ahead. USC’s road struggles under Lincoln Riley are well documented but the Trojans flipped the script this past weekend. 

Sep 13, 2025; West Lafayette, Indiana, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava (14) warms up on the sidelines during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images | Marc Lebryk-Imagn Images

“Road wins are never easy. They just aren’t,” Riley said. “They just find a way to never be easy. It's the hardest thing to do in college football. Just crazy proud of this group. This was a big win for this team, big win for our program.”

Southern Cal improves to 6-2 and remains alive for the College Football Playoff. So, who were some other winners and losers from week 10.?

Winner: Texas Longhorns, Arch Manning 

Nov 1, 2025; Austin, Texas, USA; Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning (16) warms up before a game against the Vanderbilt Commodores at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

No. 13 Texas is starting to start to look like the team that many national pundits believes they could be heading into the season. 

Arch Manning was questionable heading into the week with a concussion, but was able to go in this contest against No. 15 Vanderbilt and threw for 328 yards and three touchdowns. 

The Longhorns held a 24-point lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia led a late comeback effort, but Texas was able to hold on for a 34-31 upset victory. The SEC title is most likely out of the question for the Longhorns, but the playoff has quickly become a reality again.

Loser: Nebraska Cornhuskers 

Oct 17, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Nebraska Cornhuskers head coach Matt Rhule looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at Huntington Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

Nebraska not only remained winless against ranked opponents in their last 29 games but they also lost starting quarterback Dylan Raiola for the rest of the season with a broken fibula. 

The good news is the Cornhuskers are already bowl eligible for the second consecutive year under Matt Rhule but Saturday’s loss eliminated them from making a run at the College Football Playoff. 

Winner: Georgia Bulldogs 

Nov 1, 2025; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) looks to pass in the second half against the Florida Gators at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

No. 5 Georgia survived a scare in Jacksonville against Florida to remain alive in the SEC title race. When it comes to rivalry games, sometimes the records or the coaching situation (Florida playing in its first game since firing Billy Napier) can be irrelevant. 

The two teams were tied 10-10 at the half and the Gators took a 20-17 lead early in the fourth quarter until Chauncey Bowens 36-yard touchdown with under five minutes remaining gave the Bulldogs a 24-20 win. 

Georgia is going to need some help to get to the SEC Championship Game with No. 3 Texas A&M and No. 4 Alabama ahead of them but the one-loss Bulldogs still control their fate for the College Football Playoff. 

Loser: Georgia Tech

Nov 1, 2025; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack quarter back CJ Bailey (11) scores a touchdown against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets during the first quarter at Carter-Finley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Zachary Taft-Imagn Images | Zachary Taft-Imagn Images

No. 16 Georgia Tech dropped eight spots in the latest rankings after suffering its first loss of the season on Saturday when they fell 48-36 on the road to NC State. 

Quarterback CJ Bailey led a high-powered Wolfpack offense, throwing for 340 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Duke Scott had a career-night, rushing for 196 yards. 

Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King turned in another phenomenal performance, throwing for 408 yards and two touchdowns, while adding 103 yards and two more scores on the ground.

However, the difference was the Yellow Jackets settling for three field goals. Georgia Tech is still in position to win the ACC and earn its first trip to College Football Playoff. It’s all about how this team responds to some early November adversity.