Saturday night college football has become a major talking point. Yesterday, just before the games began, On3 journalist Ari Wasserman shared a post on X that seemed to sum up the weekend’s action. “Lessons for college football in 2026: If a team has a big win on Saturday, they’ll probably lose seven days later.”
Watch What’s Trending Now!
BYU is one of the biggest examples of this trend. Last week, BYU upset No. 2 Notre Dame 28–24, pushing the Cougars up to No. 2 in the national rankings. However, after that high-energy, career-defining win, BYU traveled across the country to face unranked UCF and suffered a 39–31 defeat in double overtime. Tennessee and Auburn also experienced similar ups and downs, following impressive wins with heavy defeats the next Saturday.
Yesterday, another result added to the discussion, while Deion Sanders was left to address his team’s struggles. Let’s look at these developments and a few other major moments from the October 24 college football games.
Deion Sanders made troubling admissions after his team’s defeat
Yesterday, Deion Sanders’s Colorado Buffaloes suffered a 57–24 blowout loss to Oklahoma State. The defeat extended their losing streak to five games and dropped their record to 2–5, including a 0–4 mark in the Big 12, which is their worst start to the season ever.
Colorado also struggled to hold on to its 24–23 halftime lead. After the game, Sanders expressed frustration with his players’ lack of hunger and motivation. He pointed out that modern college players receive compensation and said their approach should reflect the expectations of a job. He asked in the post-game conference, “Why not give it everything you’ve got?”
“We’re so disciplined in this and that, and this and that, and every darn thing we do, but it seems like as soon as we go in the field, we’re not disciplined. I really don’t understand it, because we are disciplined in every area of this program, when it comes to academics, when it comes to being somewhere on time, when it comes to wearing the proper uniform, when it comes to just your manners in the building. Everything. But when we get on the field at the most critical moments, we blow it.”
The offense has continued to struggle, with Colorado turning to its fifth different starting quarterback since Shedeur Sanders left for the NFL in 2025.
At 2–5, Colorado now faces an uphill battle. The team needs to win four of its final five games, starting with Kansas State, to become bowl-eligible.
“This stuff hurts, man,” Sanders said to start his postgame news conference. “I’m gonna try to mask it as much as possible, but this stuff hurts.”
Meanwhile, local Denver sports analysts and reporters have grown increasingly critical of Sanders and the state of the program. Some media figures have called for major changes, arguing that the team relies too heavily on branding and short-term transfer portal fixes instead of building a sustainable program culture.
BYU’s controversial game-ending call and fans storming the field as the head coach was escorted off
The chaotic finish to BYU’s 39–31 double-overtime loss to UCF capped off the kind of disappointing week discussed earlier.
The game turned on a controversial officiating decision in the second overtime. UCF’s offense stalled, forcing the team to attempt a 26-yard field goal to take a 34–31 lead.
As kicker Will Stone followed through on the kick, BYU defensive end Kendal Wall collided with him. Replays appeared to show Wall being blocked or pushed into the kicker.
The officials called it roughing the kicker. Instead of allowing the three-point field goal to stand, they wiped the points off the board and awarded UCF a fresh set of downs at first-and-goal. UCF capitalized immediately, scoring a touchdown and converting a two-point attempt to secure the 39–31 upset.
The call sparked furious reactions across college football media and social platforms. Pundits and fans called it one of the season’s worst decisions, arguing that Wall had been pushed into the kicker or that the contact was incidental. The controversy added to criticism of Big 12 officiating, coming just a week after a replay error cut short BYU’s win over Notre Dame.
For UCF, the dramatic finish marked the program’s first-ever win against an AP top-five opponent. As time expired on BYU’s final possession, ecstatic UCF fans stormed the field to celebrate the historic upset.
Unfortunately, that will likely result in a $50,000 fine because, as per rules, fans aren’t supposed to do that.
Amid the crowd and the heightened emotions, UCF head coach Scott Frost and his coaching staff had to be escorted off the field for their safety.
Arch Manning’s injury scare against Ole Miss
The game between Texas and Ole Miss featured a frightening moment for Texas quarterback Arch Manning during a hard-fought 34–27 victory. In the third quarter, Manning took a hard, head-on sack that sent him crashing to the turf and resulted in a fumble.
Following the heavy contact, Manning briefly went to the sideline for a medical evaluation. Backup KJ Lacey Jr. replaced him for one play.
Unlike some of his teammates who suffered serious, game-ending injuries, Manning quickly cleared the medical checks and returned in the next series to lead the Longhorns’ offense.
Head coach Steve Sarkisian praised Manning’s resilience and competitive spirit after the game. He noted that the quarterback responded with the kind of “edgy” swagger needed to steady the team during a difficult stretch in the second half.
Despite finishing the night with three turnovers, a fumble, and two interceptions, Manning bounced back and helped lead the game-winning drives that kept Texas’ playoff hopes alive.
Indiana Hoosiers’ first win at Michigan since 1967 came with several controversial calls
No. 6 Indiana defeated Michigan 13–6 in overtime, earning its first win at Michigan Stadium since 1967. The low-scoring defensive battle featured intense scrutiny of the officiating and several controversial penalty calls.
One of the most widely criticized moments came when Michigan freshman defender Tariq Boney was flagged for roughing the passer after making contact with Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover.
As Hoover released a pass, Boney appeared to make only light contact, barely grazing Hoover’s helmet or forehead with his thumb during the follow-through.
The officials assessed a 15-yard penalty, extending Indiana’s drive and giving the Hoosiers a fresh set of downs inside Michigan territory.
FOX broadcasters Joel Klatt and Gus Johnson appeared baffled by the decision during the live broadcast. Klatt vented: “Oh, come on, guys. What are we doing? I understand protecting the quarterback, but when you graze with a thumb across the forehead… what are we doing?”
Indiana took advantage of the field position to kick a 34-yard field goal by Nico Radicic. The kick added vital points to a game that remained tied 6–6 through regulation.
Both teams combined for fewer than 450 total yards across regulation and overtime. The game featured 12 punts, no touchdowns during regulation, and several drives that stalled because of offensive mistakes and penalties.
Both defenses delivered hard hits throughout the afternoon. Indiana’s defense sacked Michigan quarterback Tommy Carr four times and forced a key fumble deep in Michigan territory early in the first quarter, setting up the game’s opening points.
After receiving the ball first in overtime, Indiana finally ended the touchdown drought when quarterback Josh Hoover scored on a four-yard rushing touchdown to give the Hoosiers a 13–6 lead.
On Michigan’s ensuing possession, Indiana’s defensive front held firm and stopped the Wolverines on fourth down, sealing the historic win at The Big House.
South Carolina player was ejected after a scuffle
South Carolina defensive back Vicari Swain was ejected during the game against Tennessee near the end of the second quarter after being called for targeting.
The penalty followed a heavy helmet-to-helmet hit on Tennessee wide receiver Mike Matthews late in the first half.
After an official video review, the hit was ruled targeting, resulting in a 15-yard penalty and an automatic ejection.
Because the foul occurred in the first half, Swain had to sit out the remainder of the game. Shortly after his ejection, Tennessee capitalized on the drive with a touchdown pass to Matthews to take a 21–17 halftime lead.
Despite losing Swain and trailing at halftime, South Carolina rallied in the second half to secure a thrilling 27–24 upset victory over Tennessee.
That sums up some of the biggest talking points from Saturday night’s college football action, from controversial officiating decisions to dramatic finishes and unexpected results.