Week 9 • 2026
QUOTE OF THE WEEK “He said, ‘We’re going to go out. We’re going to sack the quarterback. We’re going to strip-sack him. We’re going to recover. We’re going to kick a field goal to win.’ And I’ll be damned if we didn’t.” - South Carolina Head Coach Shane Beamer on what Defensive Line Coach Travian Robertson said before the sequence played out
TEAM TO WATCH
TEAM OF THE WEEK
Utah remained one of three undefeated FBS teams after defeating No. 14 Houston, 21-13, to claim sole possession of first place in the Big 12. The Utes overcame a 10-point deficit and outscored the Cougars, 14-0, in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. At 7-0, Utah is off to its best start since 2010 and owns the longest active winning streak in FBS at 13 games.
UCF sent the Bounce House into a frenzy after it earned a dramatic 39-31 double-overtime victory over No. 2 BYU, marking the program’s first win over an AP top five opponent. The Knights also claimed their first win over a ranked opponent since defeating No. 15 Oklahoma State in 2023.
UTAH
Quarterback Devon Dampier accounted for 354 total yards, completing 18-of-26 passes for 204 yards, while adding 150 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries as a runner. Utah held a one-point advantage with 2:15 remaining, when safety Jackson Bennee had a huge hit to force a fumble, which defensive tackle Jireh Moe recovered at Houston’s 20-yard line. On the next play, Dampier kept it on a speed option and raced into the end zone untouched to seal the victory. The Utes continue their CFP push when they go on the road to face Cincinnati on Saturday, October 31, at 12:45 p.m. PHX on ESPN.
UCF
Quarterback Keyone Jenkins delivered in the clutch, throwing two touchdowns in overtime to knock off the Cougars. Jenkins completed 25-of-41 passes for 293 yards and three touchdowns and added 35 yards and a score on the ground. Wide receiver Tyren Hornes led the Knights in receiving with six catches for 137 yards. After both teams traded touchdowns to begin overtime, the Knights started with the ball in the second overtime and Jenkins found tight end Grayson Brousseau in the flat, who then powered his way in for the score. Jenkins delivered a perfect throw on the run for the two-point conversion to give UCF an eight-point lead. The Knights defense shut the door on BYU, forcing three consecutive incomplete passes to end the game and secure the upset. The Knights take on their first unranked opponent in three weeks when they host Baylor on Friday, October 30, at 4:30 p.m. PHX on ESPN.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
Week 9
GAMES TO WATCH #25 WISCONSIN AT IOWA
10.31 // 9:00 A.M. // FOX
#17 FLORIDA VS. #3 GEORGIA
AP WEEK 9 RANKINGS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Miami Ohio State (+1) Georgia (+2) Indiana (+2) Notre Dame (-1)
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Utah (+4) UCLA (+2) BYU (-6) Kentucky (+3) Alabama (+3)
For a full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.
10.31 // 12:30 P.M. // ABC
#6 UTAH AT CINCINNATI
10.31 // 12:45 P.M. // ESPN
#24 OKLAHOMA STATE AT IOWA STATE 10.31 // 4:00 P.M. // FS1
#2 OHIO STATE AT USC
10.31 // 4:30 P.M. // NBC
For a full schedule of Week 9 games, click here. (All times in PHX)
2026 BOWL PREDICTIONS CFP QUARTERFINAL at Vrbo FIESTA BOWL
GAME OF THE WEEK #22 ARIZONA AT #13 TEXAS TECH
With Big 12 Championship and College Football Playoff hopes on the line, No. 22 Arizona travels to No. 13 Texas Tech in a pivotal matchup. Both teams enter the week tied for second in the Big 12 standings with identical 6-1 overall and 3-1 conference records. The Wildcats are riding a five-game winning streak led by senior quarterback Noah Fifita, who ranks top 15 nationally in passing yards (2,064, 13th), passing touchdowns (18, tied for ninth) and QBR (82.0, 15th). Texas Tech looks to disrupt Fifita with its lockdown pass defense that has recorded 13 interceptions, second-most nationally and most among Power 4 teams. Linebacker John Curry leads the team with three interceptions. Kickoff at Galaxy Stadium in Lubbock is set for Saturday, October 31, at 9:00 a.m. on ESPN.
CACTUS BOWL
ESPN Bonagura – No. 4 Utah vs. No. 5 Georgia
ESPN Schlabach – Michigan vs. Cincinnati
Sports Illustrated – No. 3 Notre Dame vs. No. 11 Texas
Sports Illustrated – Penn State vs. Kansas State
CBS Sports – No. 3 Utah vs. No. 6 Kentucky/No. 11 Notre Dame
CBS Sports – Michigan vs. Cincinnati
USA Today – No. 4 Miami vs. No. 5 UCLA
USA Today – Wisconsin vs. Baylor
College Football News – No. 2 Miami vs. No. 7 Indiana
College Football News – Northwestern vs. Kansas State
Athlon Sports – No. 4 BYU vs. No. 5 Indiana
Athlon Sports – Michigan vs. Cincinnati
Week 9
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
TEE HIGGINS Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins was nearly unguardable in the Bengals’ 35-13 win over Baltimore, surpassing 100 receiving yards for the second time this season. Higgins recorded six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown to help the Bengals erase a 13-0 halftime deficit and improve to 4-2 on the season. After the Bengals reached the end zone on the opening drive of the second half, Higgins found a void in the zone for a wide open 13-yard touchdown to give Cincinnati its first lead of the game. In the fourth quarter, Higgins blew past his defender on a streak and hauled in a 44-yard reception that set up a Bengals touchdown. He now has 571 receiving yards, eighth in the NFL, and his 17.3 yards per catch is fifth-best in the league. Higgins played in the 2019-20 Fiesta Bowl and helped No. 3 Clemson to a 29-23 victory over No. 2 Ohio State, recording four catches for 33 yards. He finished that season with career-highs in receptions (59), receiving yards (1,167) and receiving touchdowns (13). Higgins and the Bengals host Tennessee on Sunday, November 1, at 11:00 a.m. PHX on CBS.
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
MALACHI TONEY MIAMI
SAM LEAVITT LSU
Wide receiver Malachi Toney continued to strengthen his case for the Heisman after another dominant performance in Miami’s 52-23 win over Pittsburgh. Toney caught a program-record 16 passes for 194 yards and three touchdowns, marking his fifth game this season with at least 10 receptions, 100 yards and a score. He currently leads the nation with 66 catches and ranks third with 952 yards and 11 touchdowns. Toney was named AP National Player of the Week for a second time this season, and garnered ACC Receiver of the Week honors after his record-setting day.
Quarterback Sam Leavitt delivered another strong performance in LSU’s 38-17 win over Auburn, completing 32-of-45 passes for 387 yards with three touchdowns and no turnovers, while rushing for 54 yards and a score. Leavitt led LSU to scoring drives on five of its first six possessions, including three consecutive touchdown drives in the third quarter. Leavitt joins Joe Burrow as the only LSU quarterbacks to record back-to-back games with at least 30 completions. His performance earned him SEC Offensive Player of the Week honors and helped the Tigers improve to 6-2 (3-2 SEC) and climb to No. 15 in this week’s AP poll.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
Week 9
BIG NEWS The Cactus Bowl enters an exciting new era with a fresh rebranding rooted in its Arizona heritage. The game will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big Ten vs. Big 12 matchup and is set for 5:30 p.m. MST on Saturday, December 26, in its grand return to Mountain America Stadium. As we eagerly await kickoff in Tempe, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news heading into Week 9:
BIG TEN •
•
•
Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week kicker Luke Drzewiecki drilled a 46-yard game-winning field goal to help Minnesota defeat No. 15 Iowa, 13-10, in Minneapolis. With the win, the Golden Gophers own a trifecta of rivalry trophies - Paul Bunyan’s Axe, Floyd of Rosedale and the Little Brown Jug - for the first time since 1978. Minnesota is tied for fourth in the Big Ten standings and faces current AP Top 25 teams in four out of its final five games Wisconsin jumped to No. 25 in this week’s AP poll after upsetting then-No. 16 USC, 24-7, to earn its second win over a ranked opponent this season. The Badgers limited USC’s offense to a season-low seven points, the fewest for USC under Lincoln Riley and the lowest output since 2018. Wisconsin allowed just 241 total yards and recorded two interceptions in a dominant defensive performance UCLA remained one of three undefeated teams in FBS after a decisive 28-10 victory over Michigan State. The Bruins improved to 7-0, marking their best start since 2005. UCLA does not face a current ranked AP opponent for the remainder of the regular season as it pursues its first-ever CFP berth and first conference championship since 1998
BIG 12 •
•
•
Cincinnati knocked off No. 8 Texas Tech, 37-24, to claim the program’s first win over an AP Top 10 opponent since 2006. After trading field goals in the first quarter, the Bearcats erupted for 21 points in the second quarter and never relinquished the lead. Prior to the game, Texas Tech had won 18 of its previous 20 games, with its only losses coming against Arizona State and Oregon Arizona dominated Iowa State, 39-3, and rose to No. 22 in this week’s AP poll and moved into a tie for second in the Big 12 standings. The Wildcats’ 6-1 start is their best since 2014, when they earned a berth in the Fiesta Bowl. They have also achieved bowl eligibility in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2014-15 Oklahoma State reentered the AP Top 25 at No. 24 after a commanding 57-24 win over Colorado. Trailing by one point at halftime, the Cowboys played a flawless second half, scoring 34 unanswered points to pull away. Quarterback Drew Mestemaker continues to light up the stat sheet, completing 21-of-36 passes for 386 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers
HOT TAKES “Keep an eye on Sam Leavitt, who seems to be putting it all together at LSU. He’s a [Heisman] long shot. Long shots have a way of showing up in November, though.” – Tegan Randolph, A to Z Sports “Currently, there are three ACC teams ranked: Miami, Wake Forest and SMU. But don’t look past Virginia Tech. Ethan Grunkemeyer has been elite and could do some damage against [the SMU and Miami] defenses.” – Trent Knoop, The Big Lead CLICK HERE to submit your hot takes for a chance to be featured in next week’s edition! Week 9
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
NEWS IN THE FOUNDATION CHARITY SPOTLIGHT FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION AND ARIZONA MILK PRODUCERS TEAM UP FOR “MOO & BOO” DAIRY DRIVE BENEFITING UNITED FOOD BANK
VISIT PHOENIX SPORTS & EVENTS COMMISSION AND FIESTA SPORTS FOUNDATION TO LAUNCH INAUGURAL PHOENIX CORPORATE GAMES The Visit Phoenix Sports & Events Commission and Fiesta Sports Foundation are partnering to launch the inaugural Phoenix Corporate Games, a field day style event bringing Greater Phoenix businesses together through teamwork, wellness and community engagement. This new event will take place on Friday, March 19, 2027, at Grand Canyon University, where friendly competitions will put company representatives through a gamut of activities designed to connect Greater Phoenix employees, celebrate workplace culture and give back to the community. To learn more or sign up for the inaugural Phoenix Corporate Games, please visit FiestaSportsFoundation.org/CorporateGames. Teams that register before Friday, December 4, receive 10% off team entry.
Fiesta Sports Foundation and Arizona Milk Producers are teaming up to help put milk on the tables of Arizona families facing food insecurity. The organizations are coming together to collect online donations through the “Moo & Boo” Dairy Drive, a Halloween-themed campaign benefiting United Food Bank that runs from October 1-30. During the monthlong Dairy Drive, community members are encouraged to give online at give.unitedfoodbank.org/dairy. Donations help United Food Bank provide milk and other highly requested dairy products to the 140,000+ individuals it serves every month. The drive concludes with a volunteer event on Friday, October 30, from 8:30-11:00 a.m. at the United Food Bank Volunteer Center (358 E. Javelina Ave., Mesa, AZ 85210). Volunteers will pack emergency food boxes and stock the center’s refrigerators with gallons of milk, which will be distributed along with the boxes and other donated dairy products.
The inaugural Phoenix Corporate Games brings together sports organizations, local businesses, community leaders and companies from across the region in a way that goes beyond the traditional business setting. That experience starts prior to event day as participants compete in pre-Games challenges. Designed to grow into an annual tradition, the Phoenix Corporate Games will create a shared experience that businesses and employees can look forward to each year.
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026
Week 9
CFP QUARTERFINAL AT THE Vrbo FIESTA BOWL DECEMBER 30, 2026
CACTUS BOWL
DECEMBER 26, 2026
F I E S TA S P O R T S F O U N D AT I O N . O R G /FIESTABOWL
Week 9
@FIESTA_BOWL
@CACTUSBOWL
@THECACTUSBOWL
COLLEGE FOOTBALL INSIDER // 2026