theathleticuk
For fans of college football teams that have endured prolonged struggles, the agony can feel endless. Yet each season, some programs find relief. In Week 5, Minnesota supporters witnessed their first home victory over Michigan since 1977, Purdue secured its first Big Ten win since Indiana's football woes, and Northwestern fans reveled in a stunning new stadium and a promising team. Meanwhile, Mississippi State, Florida, and UMass fans were reminded of their teams' hardships. Even Alabama fans, spoiled by success, might see a resurgence after a single College Football Playoff win last season and a national title drought approaching five years.
Alabama-Georgia will headline Week 6, but first, let's review Week 5's winners and losers.
Winner: Northwestern Football Fans
Northwestern faithful have endured decades of mediocrity, though the past 30 years—highlighted by the memorable 1995 Rose Bowl team—have been kinder than the century before. Since the 7-2 Citrus Bowl-winning 2020 season under Pat Fitzgerald and amid COVID-19, the Wildcats posted a 23-39 record. David Braun stabilized the program in the three seasons after Fitzgerald's firing, but a 19-19 mark hardly inspires excitement. Now, however, Cats fans boast one of the coolest venues in college athletics—perhaps in all American sports. The stadium opened Friday with a blowout win over Penn State, delivered by what might be Northwestern's best team in a long time. A 34-point drubbing of Colorado raised eyebrows, and a near-upset at Indiana did more, though many questioned Indiana's quality. The same can be asked of Penn State, but at some point, Northwestern must be taken seriously. Barring a shocking turn, this team will be 6-1 and in the Playoff conversation heading to Oregon. What's cooler: the raucous Wildcat Wall student section at Ryan Field or the inventive Wing T/veer/mad-scientist running concepts offensive coordinator Chip Kelly is unleashing? Wildcats fans need not answer—just enjoy it.
Loser: First-Year Big Ten Coaches Not Named Bob Chesney
Chesney's unbeaten Bruins enjoyed a well-deserved bye Saturday before heading to Oregon for a revealing matchup next week. He has likely already secured a more impressive debut season than the league's other three new coaches. Expectations play a role, of course. They were far higher for Kyle Whittingham at Michigan than being essentially out of the CFP five games into the season. That would be official but for a contested tick against Western Michigan. What's certain after Saturday's 20-14 loss at Minnesota is that his offense is a mess. Less certain is how long he'll let Bryce Underwood run it. Matt Campbell did more with less at Iowa State. He's doing very little with what appears to be not a whole lot—relative to Big Ten talent—at Penn State. A laughable nonleague schedule told us nothing, and two Big Ten games have shown this is a weak team. Missing Oregon, Indiana, and Ohio State on the schedule is fortunate, but only for bowl hopes. And let's not forget Fitzgerald, who took over a bad team at Michigan State and might have the worst team in the Big Ten. No one expected anything special. Injuries have been rough. But the ineptitude on display does not speak well of his first offseason evaluations.
Winner: AP Voters Who Had Missouri in the Top 25
Poll voting has sparked outrage this season—Pat Narduzzi made sure to share his thoughts after improving to 5-0—and it can be frustrating when voters don't move teams enough early on when little is known, or seem to operate independently of key results, or forget teams altogether. It's also strange because the polls don't matter. Certainly, the preseason rankings so many complain about don't matter at all. The CFP selection committee will start giving us what matters in a month. But people got upset when Missouri stayed in the Top 25 this week after a loss at Mississippi State dropped the Tigers to 3-1. Well, nice work, 19 voters who ranked Mizzou—including Javon Edmonds, who covers Syracuse and was the highest at No. 16, per CollegePollTracker.com. As Missouri's 45-17 thrashing of Florida indicates, these voters know a quality team when they see one. They are not tools in a massive conspiracy concocted by the university that has produced half of the world's sportswriters. Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz, as you might have guessed, had things to say about people ripping his team's ranking and record against ranked teams, including: "That's stuff for y'all to tweet about, and to make up stories about, and to try to create some sort of narrative about me or my program. I really couldn't care less."
Loser: Young QBs Getting Injured, Benched, Humbled
The weekend's worst news came from Pitt, which improved to 5-0 dramatically Friday at Virginia Tech but learned Saturday that sophomore quarterback Mason Heintschel is lost for the season with a torn ACL. That began a rough slate for several promising young talents. Cal sophomore Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele hit his head on the turf late in the first half Saturday against UNLV and had to leave an eventual 39-31 loss. Cal coach Tosh Lupoi later said JKS was cleared to return but that he didn't like how his quarterback wobbled off the field after the hit and decided to keep him out. Vanderbilt never saw hotshot freshman Jared Curtis play the team he originally committed to, Georgia, due to an apparent lower-body injury. Curtis was emotional before the game when he couldn't do enough in warmups to be cleared, then watched the 38-14 loss from the sidelines. The freshman who could rival Curtis for years, Tennessee's Faizon Brandon, was battered a week ago by Texas and benched by coach Josh Heupel in the first half against Auburn after a bad interception. George MacIntyre came in and guided the Vols to a 24-14 win, albeit with just 86 passing yards. That's a situation to monitor. Michigan has one, too, after Underwood's awful day in the loss at Minnesota. Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor is in no jeopardy of losing his job, but the hype train can slow after his humbling day against Alabama: a lost fumble, a pick six, and another pick in a 56-23 loss. He limped off late, too, but was deemed day to day. And the guy on the other side, Keelon Russell, was an efficient, explosive exception among young signal callers.
Loser: September Darlings
This is what college football is all about: UMass in September 2026. A dormant, destitute program. An energetic young coach. A spunky playmaker at quarterback with a cool name (Pop Watson). A shocking win over Rutgers, on the way to a 4-0 start, after an 0-12 finish in 2025, creating enough interest to make a home game with Eastern Michigan a hot ticket. And then? Eastern Michigan 38, UMass 14. Is Florida back? Is Florida back back? Like, is this a College Football Playoff contender? Is it a threat to do serious damage in the CFP? Is this tobacco-spitting, plain-talking Jon Sumrall a coaching amalgamation of Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer? Will the Gators ever lose again? Missouri 45, Florida 17. Finally, Iowa has an offense. To go with that defense. It has a legend of the game, Kirk Ferentz, pulling off a heart-stopping win at Michigan, getting emotional afterward, and getting his team refocused for a defining home game. Iowa has done it to Ohio State in Iowa City before. How about a Michigan-Ohio State double dip and a clear path to the Playoff for the Hawkeyes? Ohio State 31, Iowa 14. All of these teams have much to play for, of course, as do other reality-smacked September darlings such as Mississippi State, Virginia Tech, and West Virginia. And remember: It's better to have September-ed and lost than never to have September-ed at all.
Winner: Boiler-ing Up
Barry Odom is no PJ Fleck when it comes to celebrating victories—Fleck was crowd surfing in his own locker room after guzzling bacterially questionable water out of a jug to commemorate beating Michigan, while Odom seemed modestly pleased with Purdue's 24-17 win at Illinois as he ran off the field. But this was a big day for Odom and his program. After a 2-10 debut season in 2025, Odom finally got his first Power 4 win with the Boilermakers, breaking the program's 19-game Big Ten losing streak. The last Purdue conference win came in 2023 against a lightly regarded rival called Indiana. It's confirmation of progress for Purdue, which lost shootouts to Wake Forest and UCLA and could have a better outlook right now. It's a dismal setback for Bret Bielema and Illinois. But look at it this way: These are both basketball schools first, and the Illinois men's basketball team should be a national championship contender while Purdue is facing a rebuilding year. Let them Boiler Up a little bit.
Winner: Players Whose Names End in Vowel Sounds
All hail Jeremiah. That's Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, but since he's the best player in college football by such a margin, he can probably one-name it now if he wants. Who made Iowa's gritty defense look like a JV team with 11 catches, 206 yards, and two touchdowns? Jeremiah. It was a good week for others whose names bring his to mind. Iowa State running back Aiden Flora: two passing touchdowns, three rushing touchdowns, and 212 yards on the ground to drag the Cyclones past West Virginia. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah: The usual efficiency and command in a romp at Clemson. Nebraska quarterback Anthony Colandrea: 238 yards and three touchdowns passing, plus 108 rushing to bury Maryland. USC quarterback Jayden Maiava: 245 passing yards in a close win over Washington. Oregon State receiver Jesse Legree: Oh, just another 156 yards and three touchdowns receiving to mandate instant staff changes at Colorado State. Purdue freshman kicker Jacobo Echeverria Lozano: Three field goals to lead the big win over Illinois, making him 11-for-12 on the season. See, when you're this good, you can three-name it too.
Originally reported by theathleticuk.