If we’re truly going to get the chaotic conclusion to the 2023 college football season that has been teased, Week 9 felt like the calm before the storm.
It was far from the most loaded weekend slate we’ve seen since the season really kicked into gear, and most of the nation’s top teams survived relatively unscathed.
That is unless you’re Oklahoma.
The list of unbeaten teams shrunk from nine to eight as the Sooners were stunned in Lawrence by Kansas, which claimed its first victory over its border state rival since 1997 in what was the final conference matchup between the two programs.
The most high-profile matchup of the day proved to be a relative snooze as Oregon had no problems dispatching Utah, making a clear statement to the rest of the Pac-12 in the process.
October is in the books, and the season is now on its home stretch. The first College Football Playoff rankings will be released on Tuesday night, and Week 10 features some games that are sure to carry massive postseason implications.
In the meantime, here were the winners and losers from Week 9.
Winner: Lance Leipold gets a tenure-defining win at Kansas
To frame Saturday’s win as the moment Kansas football arrived under Lance Leipold feels a bit dishonest. After all, the Jayhawks entered the game sitting at 5-2 and on the verge of back-to-back bowl berths for the first time since 2007-08.
At this program, given its recent history, that is a major accomplishment in and of itself. But knocking off an undefeated, top-10, conference front-runner? That’s something else entirely.
Last year’s 6-7 campaign felt like a dream season, and it featured some nice victories like the one over a nine-win Duke team. But none of those victories even came close to this. In fact, you could argue no win in the program’s history comes close.
The victory over Oklahoma was the first time Kansas knocked off a top-10 team at home since 1984 — a win that also came against the Sooners. Potentially ruining their season once more as a parting gift before it heads off to the SEC only makes it even sweeter.
Lance Leipold is one of the brightest coaches in the sport right now, and with that will come suitors. Kansas fans can rest assured his name will be brought up whenever an upper-tier midwestern job opens up for the foreseeable future.
But for the first time in a very, very long time, Kansas is investing heavily in football. And, at least for now, it has the right person at the helm.
Loser: Oklahoma's offense finally costs it
It may seem a bit counterintuitive to blame the offense for a loss in which a team put up 33 points, but look a little deeper, and it’s clear that Oklahoma’s unit is flawed.
The Sooners had to dig themselves out of an immediate hole on Saturday thanks in large part to the offense, which gave up a pick-six from Dillon Gabriel on the opening drive. After a turnover on downs on the second drive led to a touchdown, Oklahoma had already spotted Kansas 14 points.
The Sooners totaled 440 yards of offense, but efficiency was a problem. They were just 2-of-10 on third downs and turned the ball over three times.
Gabriel entered the game as an ostensible Heisman contender, but the team relied far more heavily on the ground game with Tawee Walker, who had 146 yards, and Gabriel himself, who had 64 yards and three touchdowns.
He attempted just 19 passes, though, and threw for less than 200 yards.
It’s a disappointing development for a team that has taken major strides on the defensive side of the ball this season, and though things are still salvageable from a CFP perspective if this team wins out and captures the Big 12 crown, this may not be the last time offensive inefficiency costs this team.
Winner: Oregon looks as good as anyone in the country
To contextualize just how impressive Oregon’s 35-6 win truly was, it marked Utah’s first loss at home in Salt Lake City since the 2020 season — a year in which, if you’ll recall, fan attendance was limited.
Prior to that, Kyle Whittingham’s team hadn’t been beaten in its own house since 2018. And Utah wasn’t just beaten on Saturday. It was absolutely pummeled.
It was outplayed at its own game by the Ducks, whose stifling defense held Utah under 250 yards of offense and forced two interceptions from Bryson Barnes, who did not play very well after his breakout game in the win over USC.
Oregon is well-rounded in a way that doesn’t fit the typical Pac-12 stereotype. This team certainly has offense, between its no-longer-a-meme quarterback Bo Nix and one of the nation’s top backs in Bucky Irving. But this team also boasts one of the best defenses in the country, which comports with coach Dan Lanning’s SEC defensive playcalling background.
The loss at Washington is what it is. Had this team’s aggressiveness on fourth down situations paid off, even just once, it’s likely still unbeaten. Still, the results on the field matter and for now, the Huskies — who have played with fire against inferior opponents the last two weeks — have the edge.
But with each passing week, it seems like we’re setting up for a rematch between the two in the Pac-12 Championship, and if that ultimately comes to pass, it’s going to be hard to pick against this Oregon team.
Loser: Dabo Swinney's formula at Clemson isn't working anymore
With Clemson’s 24-17 road loss to NC State on Saturday, the Tigers fall to a very surprising 4-4 in a campaign that began with legitimate playoff hopes. This marks the team’s first four-loss season since 2011, and it’s the first time Clemson has been 4-4 since 2010.
We’re truly in untrodden territory here since Dabo Swinney got things rolling at Clemson in the early part of the last decade. After the loss, Swinney called circumstances in recent weeks, which have also featured overtime losses to Florida State and Miami, “bizarre.”
Dabo Swinney: "You're either a person of faith or you're not … Something great is gonna come from this. I don't what … It's been bizarre — that's probably the best word I can say, just bizarre." Says he and Clemson have a "long way to go," meaning more opportunities ahead
— Chapel Fowler (@chapelfowler) October 28, 2023
But the fact of the matter is that it’s not all that bizarre. The truth is, this Clemson team just isn’t very talented. At least, not nearly as talented as prior Swinney teams.
The playmakers at receiver that defined the early part of Swinney’s tenure are nowhere to be found, and it doesn’t seem like a coincidence that after hitting on back-to-back generational talents at quarterback, the successors haven’t fared nearly as well despite boasting similar pedigrees.
Fortunately for Swinney, college football in 2023 provides plenty of means for teams to acquire talent. Unfortunately for Swinney, not only does he not make use of those means, but he seems to be openly hostile toward them.
He doesn’t believe in the transfer portal — the Tigers took one transfer this offseason, a backup quarterback, in a haul that ranked last in the ACC — and his stance on name, image and likeness rights is practically beyond parody.
There’s nothing wrong with being a maverick in a sport filled with store-brand Nick Saban clones. There is, however, something wrong with failing while neglecting options to make your roster better.
It leaves Clemson between a rock and a hard place. Swinney, who has two national titles on his resume and is just 53, should have infinite job security on paper.
But things have started to sour. The decline was detectable in the two years after Trevor Lawrence left, but it has fully taken over now. And unless Swinney fundamentally changes not only who he is as a coach but also the philosophy with which he views college football, things are only going to get worse.
Quick Hitters - Winners
New Mexico State: After taking down Louisiana Tech on the road Tuesday night, the Aggies are bowl-eligible in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1959-60. What a coaching job Jerry Kill has done in Las Cruces.
Liberty: The Flames are 8-0 in their inaugural season in Conference USA, and it doesn’t seem like anyone is going to challenge them in the conference. 6-1 Jacksonville State isn’t eligible to win it, and New Mexico State is the only other one-loss team in league play.
Georgia Southern: Knocking off rival Georgia State in the midst of what has been a very good season for the Panthers has to be good for coach Clay Helton, who seems to be thriving in his new gig.
Georgia: The Bulldogs passed their first test during the absence of Brock Bowers with flying colors. It was maybe Carson Beck’s best game of the season as Georgia destroyed rival Florida in Jacksonville.
Auburn: A loss on Saturday would have made getting an SEC win a little dicey for Hugh Freeze in Year 1, but the Tigers took care of business in a win over Mississippi State. Payton Thorne became the first Auburn quarterback to throw for three touchdowns against a conference matchup since Bo Nix in 2020, a stat that’s simply impossible to believe.
Nebraska: After a 31-14 win over Purdue to get to 5-3, the program’s first bowl berth since 2016 is within reach. That would be a nice marker of progress in Year 1 under Matt Rhule.
Louisiana: The Ragin’ Cajuns could have really bottomed out after Billy Napier left and took a lot of contributors with him. They haven’t, and they’re one win away from reaching a bowl in back-to-back seasons under Michael Desormeaux after knocking off one of the Sun Belt’s better teams in South Alabama.
Arizona: It felt like the Wildcats were poised to ruin someone’s season after close calls against Washington and USC, and they finally got it done against No. 11 Oregon State. Arizona may have found something in backup quarterback Noah Fifita.
Nevada: Ken Wilson took over a brutal job at a basketball-focused school with limited football resources, and it’s shown with his 4-16 record to start at the school where he previously spent 24 years as an assistant. This team has now won two in a row after beating New Mexico, and in Reno, that’s called progress.
Quick Hitters - Losers
Sam Houston: The Bearkats are still in search of their first win at the FBS level after losing another heartbreaker, this time at home in a game against UTEP in which it led by 14 in the second half.
Army: Jeff Monken knows better than me whether the triple option is still effective in college football, but the transition out of it isn’t going very well as evidenced by a loss to UMass.
Maryland: A season that began with quite a bit of promise has once again turned to disappointment after Mike Locksley’s team suffered losses against Illinois and, most recently, an interim coach-led Northwestern team.
South Carolina: Saturday’s game against Texas A&M felt like one the Gamecocks had to win if a bowl was going to be in the cards. Now at 2-6, it’s been a disappointing Year 3 for Shane Beamer.
Tulsa: Sometimes teams just make it here by being bad, and that’s the case with the Golden Hurricane. It lost 69-10 to SMU in a game that saw the Mustangs bench their starters before the game went to the half at 52-3.
Pittsburgh: Speaking of teams making it here by being bad, things are rough in the Steel City after a 58-7 loss to Notre Dame that was made even rougher by Pat Narduzzi’s postgame comments, which resulted in backlash from a number of players. Not ideal.
Duke: After a shutout loss to Louisville, it’s clear that quarterback Riley Leonard just isn’t the same while he’s playing through a high ankle sprain suffered in the loss to Notre Dame.
North Carolina: This looked like a playoff dark horse just a few weeks ago, but after losses to Virginia and Georgia Tech, it’s not clear where this team stands in the ACC. What is clear, especially after the loss to the Yellow Jackets, is that the apparent defensive improvement earlier in the year was a mirage.
Washington State: It really seemed like the Cougars could be poised to make a splash in the Pac-12 this season, but they’ve now lost four in a row, most recently to an Arizona State team that was previously 1-6 and seemed like a longshot to win a conference game.
New Mexico: Losing to Nevada may prove to be the final nail in the coffin for Danny Gonzales, who survived 2022 by the skin of his teeth, in Albuquerque. The former Arizona State defensive coordinator is just 10-29 in four seasons with the Lobos.
Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz: Iowa spared Ferentz the embarrassment of falling far short in the “Race to 325 Points,” announcing Monday he would not return following the 2023 season. It was probably never going to end any other way for a guy whose teams routinely draw historically low over/under totals.
