B/R's 2025 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 8

Doubling as the start of the second half to the 2025 regular season, Week 8 brought a flurry of meaningful results.

Louisville kickstarted the action on Friday night, taking down ACC front-runner Miami. Georgia survived a high-scoring affair with Ole Miss on Saturday as upset alerts began popping up all over.

As always, some underdogs fell short—but several finished the job.

Then, in the prime-time window, the trio of Alabama, BYU and Notre Dame all picked up important rivalry wins.

This piece was updated Saturday night.

Winner: Friday Underdogs

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Chris Bell

Bad Friday to be a ranked team, huh?

Louisville went to second-ranked Miami and controlled the 'Canes, never trailing and holding on for a 24-21 win. They forced Carson Beck into four interceptions, the last of which stalled Miami's last-minute drive in field-goal range.

Soon after that, Minnesota put the finishing touches on a 24-6 upset and an impressive defensive effort. Minnesota ceded just 213 yards to No. 25 Nebraska.

The big picture? Questionable. Louisville is certainly alive in the ACC but still has Clemson and SMU left to play, and Minnesota's upside is more about chasing double-digit victories than a Big Ten crown.

For one evening, however, Louisville and Minnesota owned the spotlight.

Loser: LSU's Championship Hopes

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Makhilyn Young

Given how LSU played in the first half of the season, it's not a surprise the Tigers lost at Vanderbilt. They were slight underdogs, after all.

But those dreams of chasing a national title are fading fast.

Simply, it was an all-around mediocre afternoon for LSU. The offense collected 325 yards and settled for too many field goals, and a pair of key fourth-quarter drives stalled with punts. The defense, meanwhile, only managed one stop on Vandy's first six possessions and couldn't come up with a clutch stand, either.

"We're taking receipts, and we'll see you at the national championship," LSU coach Brian Kelly said as the 2024 regular season ended.

Look, he didn't necessarily mean it would happen in 2025. I get that.

But as the Tigers fall to an unimpressive 5-2 this season, it's fair to say LSU fans are keeping their own receipts, too.

Winner: Vanderbilt's Ascent

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Has any program gained more of a cult following than Vanderbilt in 2025?

Led by dynamic, brash quarterback Diego Pavia, the 17th-ranked Commodores took out LSU and improved to 6-2. Pavia accounted for 246 yards and three touchdowns, even striking a Heisman pose in the 31-24 triumph.

No, the 'Dores are likely not a genuine threat in the SEC. They host Missouri next weekend and travel to both Texas and Tennessee in November.

Simultaneously, let's keep it in perspective.

Vanderbilt has never— never—won 10 games in more than 120 yards of existence. The program has attained a top-15 AP ranking once in the last 65 years, but Vandy is very likely to climb a few spots on Sunday.

This, in the best possible way, is not normal. And it should be celebrated.

Winner: Michigan's Resurgent Day

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Bryce Underwood

The murmurs of discontent had begun to surface at Michigan. Though the Wolverines held a 4-2 record, they've struggled in their toughest games—and freshly ranked Washington was coming to town.

For a moment, at least, there's a sense of calm.

True freshman Bryce Underwood pieced together the best performance of his young career, completing 21-of-27 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns. He added 25 rushing yards and didn't commit any turnovers in the 24-7 win.

Michigan also intercepted three passes, silencing Demond Williams Jr. after the Washington QB's explosive performance last week.

The schedule now lightens a bit for Michigan, which is solidly a back-end contender for the College Football Playoff. In all likelihood, the Maize and Blue will be favored in each of the next four contests and could hold a 9-2 record heading into the finale against rival Ohio State.

Michigan's margin for error is minimal, to be sure, but there's no denying the Wolverines' path to contention is straightforward.

Loser: Ole Miss' Late Offense

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Trinidad Chambliss

In the "defense optional" game of the week, Ole Miss and Georgia combined to score on all 10 of their possessions through three quarters. At that point, Ole Miss had built a 35-26 advantage.

Unfortunately for the Rebels, it unraveled from there.

Ole Miss had three possessions in the fourth quarter and mustered just 13 yards. First, a three-and-out of only incompletions. Second, a three-and-out with a single one-yard completion. Third, a game-sealing turnover on downs that included four straight incomplete passes.

Because the cold streak contributed to a 43-35 loss, it was disappointing. Since the offense hadn't been stopped all day, however, it almost felt unacceptable.

Losing to a top-10 opponent on the road doesn't crush any postseason hopes, but that was a winnable game for Ole Miss.

Winner: Arizona State's Survival

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Jaren Hamilton

I hope you like roller coasters, Arizona State fans, because that 26-22 victory over Texas Tech was a doozy.

Arizona State took a 19-7 lead early in the fourth quarter, then stopped Tech on a fourth down in the red zone. Even as the ensuing drive stalled near midfield, it seemed the Sun Devils were in a great position to win.

Seatbelts became necessary in a hurry.

Texas Tech blocked the punt, returning it past midfield to set up a short touchdown drive. After a three-and-out, Coy Eakin slithered past ASU's punt coverage to the 12-yard line—and TTU backup QB Will Hammond immediately hit Reggie Virgil for the go-ahead score. Add a two-point conversion, and it was 22-19.

So, naturally, ASU roared down the field and capped a 10-play drive with Raleek Brown's touchdown run. The defense batted away a Hail Mary in the end zone as time expired to secure a 26-22 victory.

Had the Sun Devils lost, they effectively would've been out of the Big 12 conversation. Instead, the defending champs are firmly in the conference race.

Loser: Memphis' Road to the CFP

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Football can be so cruel.

Entering the weekend, Memphis held a 6-0 record and ranked 22nd in the country. The team traveled to UAB—which just fired head coach Trent Dilfer earlier in the week—as a heavy favorite.

Based on context, you likely know where this is headed. Memphis lost. The real issue, though, is that Memphis lost its quarterback, too.

Early in the third quarter, Brendon Lewis took a sack and exited the field in visible discomfort. He did not return to the game. Memphis turned to freshman AJ Hill, who hadn't yet taken a college snap. It didn't go well, understandably, and the Tigers fell painfully short in a 31-24 final.

Next weekend's clash with South Florida was already a pivotal game in the American race, but Memphis might have to enter it short-handed now.

Winner: Notre Dame's Backfield

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If the rivals meet next season—which, by the way, is a travesty that it needs to be qualified as uncertain—USC would be thrilled if Jeremiyah Love or Jadarian Price aren't in a Notre Dame uniform.

USC just had zero answers for ND's star duo.

Love rushed for 228 yards—the fifth-highest mark in program history—and a touchdown, also catching five passes for 37 yards in the 34-24 triumph for the Irish. Price scampered for 87 yards with one score and returned a kickoff 100 yards to give Notre Dame a second-half lead it would not relinquish.

That level of production does not happen every weekend, of course, but their combined impact was nothing surprising for ND. There isn't a more dynamic pair of running backs in the country.

Notre Dame has rattled off five straight wins, and this backfield is a main reason for believing another five victories are on the horizon.

Winner: BYU's Timely Offense

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Parker Kingston

Looking at the 24-21 final, you might not get the impression of an offense-heavy game. Utah amassed 470 yards, though, and BYU tallied 368.

The problem was that both offenses committed three turnovers on downs. And the game-defining issue for Utah is that a fumble and an interception led to 10 points, including BYU's late touchdown to seal the result.

Great offense is the goal. Enough offense is all that's required.

BYU has played with fire during the Big 12 portion of its schedule, but the 7-0 Cougars keep on finding ways to win.

Loser: Hugh Freeze

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Move over, Billy Napier. Take a hike, Mike Norvell. The hottest seat in the nation belongs to Auburn coach Hugh Freeze.

For the third straight year, Auburn is 0-4 in SEC play. Yikes.

Freeze inherited a disaster when he arrived in 2023, that is true. Both in that campaign and this season, the Tigers faced a gauntlet to open their conference slate, too. That context is reasonable to consider.

Still, you have to start winning sometime, and AU is consistently coming up agonizingly shy. Auburn failed to mount potential game-winning drives against Oklahoma and Texas A&M. The controversial call at Georgia absolutely stung, yet the offense vanished after that setback. And in Week 8 against Missouri, the Tigers gave up a late tying touchdown and lost in overtime.

Freeze is now 1-12 against Top 25 opponents. Don't expect him to get fired on Sunday, but Auburn cannot possibly have much patience remaining.

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