Week 9 of the college football season is somewhat the calm before the storm. Next week's schedule is loaded with massive games, while Saturday featured only three games featuring ranked teams playing each other (Arizona-Texas Tech, Florida-Georgia and Ohio State-USC).
But that doesn't mean Week 9 was void of stakes, especially with the first College Football Playoff rankings coming out Tuesday.
Writers from across the USA TODAY Network try to make sense of Week 9's biggest storylines. Here's how our writers break down Saturday's big games.
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No. 6 Notre Dame 35, Navy 13
Notre Dame’s brand can’t hide its shaky CFP resume
Strip away the golden domes, the leprechaun and decades of
prestige, and Notre Dame’s resume doesn’t look like that of the nation’s No. 6 team. The Irish entered the weekend with a resume comparable to No. 15 Wake Forest and inferior to teams ranked behind them, evidence that brand bias continues to boost Notre Dame in the polls. A 35-13 win over Navy won’t silence those doubts, especially after the Irish led by just one point at halftime. Now the College Football Playoff committee gets its say. Will it be dazzled by Notre Dame’s brand, or scrutinize a shaky resume? With No. 1 Miami looming, the Irish have a chance to settle the argument themselves.
∎ Click here to read full column from USA TODAY Sports columnist Blake Toppmeyer.
No. 14 Texas Tech 34, No. 21 Arizona 26
Texas Tech finds a way to win when it matters most
Was Texas Tech’s 2025 breakthrough the start of something sustainable or a one-year fantasy fueled by a massive investment? That question grew louder as cracks appeared during an unbeaten start and finally produced a loss at Cincinnati. Against red-hot Arizona, another defeat could have turned those concerns into a full-blown crisis. Instead, the Red Raiders responded with a gritty 34-26 victory. J’Koby Williams rushed for 175 yards, Thomas Castellanos gave the offense another running threat and Texas Tech’s defense delivered in critical moments. The Red Raiders remain flawed, but in a chaotic college football season, surviving those flaws might matter more than hiding them.
∎ Click here to read full analysis from Lubbock Avalanche-Journal Texas Tech beat writer Nathan Giese.
No. 24 Iowa 30, Wisconsin 0
Hank Brown delivers the response Iowa desperately needed
A week after Iowa’s offense hit rock bottom in a 13-10 loss to Minnesota, the Hawkeyes looked like a different team. Iowa overwhelmed Wisconsin 30-0 at Kinnick Stadium, scoring on six of its first seven drives and extending its winning streak against the Badgers to five games. Quarterback Hank Brown delivered the response Iowa desperately needed, completing 20 of 24 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns without a turnover. The passing game finally showed life, the defense pitched a shutout and Iowa turned a week of frustration into domination. One rout won’t answer every question, but after the Minnesota fiasco, the Hawkeyes provided a convincing response.
∎ Click here to read full analysis from Des Moines Register Iowa beat writer Tyler Tachman.
College football games today: Top 25 scores today
All times EST.
- No. 1 Miami at North Carolina, 7:30 p.m. (ABC and Fubo)
- No. 2 Ohio State at No. 25 Southern Cal, 7:30 p.m. (NBC and Fubo)
- No. 3 Georgia vs. No. 20 Florida, 3:30 (ABC and Fubo)
- No. 4 Indiana vs. Minnesota, 3:30 p.m. (CBS and Fubo)
- No. 5 Utah at Cincinnati, 3:45 p.m. (ESPN and Fubo)
- No. 6 Notre Dame 35, Navy 13
- No. 7 UCLA vs. Nevada, 4:15 p.m. (BTN and Fubo)
- No. 9 BYU vs. Arizona State, 3:30 p.m. (Fox and Fubo)
- No. 11 Texas vs. Mississippi State, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN and Fubo)
- No. 12 Ole Miss 45, Auburn 15
- No. 14 Texas Tech 34, No. 21 Arizona 26
- No. 15 Wake Forest vs. Virginia, 3:45 p.m. (ESPN2 and Fubo)
- Syracuse 30, No. 16 SMU 27
- No. 18 Northwestern at Oregon, 3:30 p.m. (Peacock)
- No. 22 Boise State vs. Texas State, 10 p.m. (CW and Fubo)
- No. 23 Missouri at Arkansas, 7:45 p.m. (SECN and Fubo)
- No. 24 Iowa 30, Wisconsin 0
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College football live analysis: Notre Dame's wobbly resume, Texas Tech's renewed hope
