The Week 9 college football slate looked like a lighter one, but there are always surprises to be found. Five AP Top 25 teams dropped in the first two windows of the day, including three to unranked opponents. Of course, No. 3 Georgia continues to flex its muscles, eviscerating rival Florida.
No. 4 Indiana, though, needed some late heroics from its kicker. No. 13 Texas Tech finally looked the part of a Big 12 contender, while No. 25 Wisconsin's season slid to a screeching halt. In the night slate, USC hopes to pull off an upset against No. 2 Ohio State, and North Carolina challenges No. 1 Miami.
Here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 9 heading into the primetime slate. How does he keep getting away with it? No. 4 Indiana was dead to rights after Minnesota drilled a 60-yard field goal in the waning seconds of regulation.
Cignetti appeared to completely mismanage the clock, letting 40 seconds run instead of taking a timeout. Then, Indiana miraculously nailed a 60-yard field goal of their own and produced the game-winning play to open overtime in a 23-16 victory against the Golden Gophers. Indiana is clearly diminished from its national title team, but it doesn't matter.
Cignetti just, somehow, manages to find a way. The vibes were exceedingly positive in Madison after an impressive few performances to get Wisconsin back into the AP Top 25 under coach Luke Fickell. All the goodwill was spent in an instant as the Badgers lost a 30-0 stunner against Iowa.
Wisconsin was completely outclassed on both sides of the ball, mustering only 52 yards rushing. They allowed Iowa quarterback Hank Brown to complete 20-of-24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns, one of the best quarterback performances in years for the Hawkeyes. All the momentum from a breakout 2026 season is gone for the Badgers.
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