College Football's Biggest Winners, Losers After Vanderbilt Beats LSU, USC Falls to Notre Dame

Week 8 of the college football season was filled with plenty of marquee matchups. The USC Trojans stumbled down the stretch in South Bend, while the Georgia Bulldogs rallied late and Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia has them in unprecedented territory.

Sep 27, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) against the Utah State Aggies at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Turnovers late in the second half and more defensive struggles plagued the USC Trojans as they fell to No. 12 Notre Dame 34-24 in South Bend. 

Jeremiyah Love had a career-day, rushing for 228 yards, as part of a 308-yard outing on the ground for the Irish. USC provided very limited resistance on the defensive front against Love and Jadarian Price. 

This comes a week after the Trojans dominated the line of scrimmage against Michigan, but on Saturday night, the script was flipped, and it was the Irish who owned the trenches. 

Sep 27, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Vanderbilt Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia (2) against the Utah State Aggies at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Questionable play calls from USC coach Lincoln Riley that led to a failed fourth down and a fumble from receiver Makai Lemon were costly in the fourth quarter. 

Quarterback Jayden Maiava was picked off twice in the second half and USC failed to score in the final 19 minutes of regulation. 

The road struggles continued under Riley. Southern Cal has just one road win outside the state of California over the past two seasons. USC heads into their second bye week with plenty of issues to address before they face another road test when they travel to Nebraska on Nov. 1.

So, who were some of the biggest winners and losers of this past weekend of college football? 

Texas A&M survived on the road to remain the only undefeated in the SEC, Arizona State slows down a high-powered Texas Tech offense to pull off a top 10 upset and a career-day from quarterback Julian Sayin as No. 1 Ohio State pitches a shutout. 

Winner: Ty Simpson, Alabama Crimson Tide

Oct 18, 2025; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson (15) warms up before the game against the Tennessee Volunteers at Saban Field at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Leong-Imagn Images | David Leong-Imagn Images

No. 3 Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is another perfect example of having patience in college football still pays off. 

Simpson waited four seasons for his opportunity to be the starter in Tuscaloosa and has the Crimson Tide in prime position to make a run at a national championship and has begun to stake his case to the next Alabama quarterback to be selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. 

Since their week 1 loss to Florida State, Simpson has arguably been the best quarterback in college football. The redshirt junior has thrown 16 touchdowns versus one interception and is completing over 70-percent of his passes. 

He led the Alabama through a gauntlet of a schedule over the past four weeks, with wins over No. 5 Georgia, No. 10 Vanderbilt, No. 15 Missouri and No. 17 Tennessee. 

Loser: LSU Tigers, Brian Kelly 

Oct 11, 2025; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA; LSU Tigers head coach Brian Kelly looks on against the South Carolina Gamecocks during the first half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images | Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

No. 10 Vanderbilt defeated No. 20 LSU for the first time since 1990. Quarterback Diego Pavia has ushered in a new era for the Commodores. They are 6-1 for the first time since 1950 and ranked in the top 10 for the first time since 1947.

Pavia has helped elevate the standard inside the walls at Vanderbilt and has firmly put himself in Heisman Trophy discussions.

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LSU certainly isn’t eliminated from the College Football Playoff but at this point their resume is less than stellar. 

The Tigers defeated then-No. 4 Clemson in the season opener and was expected to be their signature win. But since then this has become a lost season for Clemson as they sit with a 3-4 record. 

LSU’s two wins in the SEC are South Carolina and Florida, who both 3-4 and the Gators fired their head coach on Sunday. 

Oct 18, 2025; Nashville, Tennessee, USA; Louisiana State Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier (18) stands in the pocket against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the first half at FirstBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Roberts-Imagn Images | Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Vanderbilt was a disappointing loss for Brian Kelly’s squad, and the schedule doesn't get any easier from here. 

The Tigers host No. 3 Texas A&M next weekend and then travel to Tuscaloosa to square off against No. 4 Alabama on Nov. 8 and will close the season at No. 13 Oklahoma. 

Similar to USC, the Tigers are in search of their first college football playoff appearance since their blockbuster coaching hire in 2022. 

Winner: Oregon Ducks

Oct 18, 2025; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Noah Whittington (6) scores a rushing touchdown during the first half against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

No. 6 Oregon bounced back in a big way from its first loss of the season with a 56-10 rout of Rutgers on the road. It was a dominant performance from start to finish on both sides of the ball. 

Running back Noah Whittington accounted for three touchdowns and led a ground attack that rushed for 415 yards. The Ducks accounted for 750 yards of total offense and limited the Scarlet Knights to just 202. 

Quarterback Dante Moore tossed four touchdowns against Rutgers, and tight end Kenyon Sadiq proved why he will be the first tight end of the board in April’s draft, catching four passes for 80 yards and two touchdowns. Freshman Dakorien Moore caught his third touchdown of the season. 

Loser: Miami Hurricanes

Oct 17, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck (11) looks for a passing option against the Louisville Cardinals during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The Miami Hurricanes fell from No. 2 to No. 9 in the latest AP Poll following a 24-21 loss to No. 19 Louisville on Friday night. It also snapped Miami’s 10-game home win streak. 

Hurricanes quarterback Carson Beck had an atrocious showing with a four interception night. 

Miami still has all of their goals in front of them and can still make a run at and ACC Championship and ultimately the College Football Playoff. But the stumble on Friday raised some questions to whether or now the Hurricanes are a real title contender.

Winner: Georgia Bulldogs

Oct 18, 2025; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs quarterback Gunner Stockton (14) runs the ball against the Mississippi Rebels during the second half of the game at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Georgia rallied from a nine-point deficit in the fourth quarter to upset Ole Miss 43-35 and remain alive in the SEC race. 

Gunnar Stockton was surgical in the second half. The Bulldogs quarterback Gunnar Stockton was a perfect 12 of 12 for 135 yards and three touchdowns. In total, he tossed four touchdowns and continues an impressive season in his first season as the starter. 

The Rebels suffered their first loss of the season and Lane Kiffin remains winless on the road against top 10 teams during his time in Oxford.