Until Saturday Newsletter 🏈 | This is The Athletic’s college football newsletter. Sign up here to receive Until Saturday directly in your inbox.
Sup. Just one full Saturday left. I know, time is really doing its thing out here. First, let’s hand out some awards around the country.
Superlatives
Playoff Elimination Game of the Week: No. 7 Oregon 42, No. 15 USC 27. A good game, albeit not one that ever felt like the Ducks would lose. Oregon got an 85-yard punt return TD from Malik Benson, a series of cartoonish plays by tight end/superhero Kenyon Sadiq and stout run defense all around. Both teams were very injured, giving this win the feeling of a survival.
Best Job Outshining Your Ex by Looking Happy on Instagram: No. 9 Notre Dame eradicated 3-8 Syracuse 70-7, which greatly exceeds No. 13 Miami’s previous 38-10 win over the Orange. Huge hit against the Canes’ chances to move level with Notre Dame in the committee’s eyes (and thus ahead, due to having won head-to-head), even though they won 34-17 at Virginia Tech (3-8). Miami’s still alive as both an at-large and in the complex ACC race.
Three-Dimensional Chess Grandmaster of the Week: Pat Narduzzi. A week ago, the Pitt fan who writes half of this newsletter’s Sunday edition was apoplectic: Pitt’s coach volunteered that he didn’t care if his Panthers lost to Notre Dame (they did) as long as they won ACC games against No. 15 Georgia Tech and No. 14 Miami. Was Pitt conserving energy for Tech all that time? It looked that way when the Panthers jumped to a 28-0 lead in Atlanta. It looked less like that when they did everything possible to blow it. Final score: 8-3 Panthers 42, 9-2 Jackets 28. Both teams remain in that ACC race, though Tech’s once-clear path is cluttered. More importantly, Georgia’s next.
Most Rushing Yards, to a Ludicrous Extent: No. 12 Utah scored 51 points. Normal. Not normal: giving up 47 to Kansas State (5-6), let alone a school-record 472 rushing yards (???), almost double both K-State’s previous season high (266) and the Utah defense’s previous worst (261). How’d the Utes salvage this? Partly by running for 292 of their own. The only game in at least the last seven years with more total rushing yards by both teams: 2022’s Ole Miss win over Arkansas, with 798. The FBS-level record: 1971’s Oklahoma win over Kansas State, with 956. Utes (9-2) looking perilous on the Playoff bubble.
Most Desperate Plea for Kiffin’s Services: With the Ole Miss (for now) coach’s job status having the entire carousel on hold, his two suitors both confirmed they are in dire need of help. Florida fell to 3-8, losing 31-11 at home to No. 20 Tennessee, the Vols’ first win in the Swamp since 2003. LSU tried to out-pathetic that by nearly losing to Conference USA’s (pretty good!) Western Kentucky, squeaking out a 13-10 win.
This Week in Things Vanderbilt Hasn’t Done Since the 1910s: A 45-17 win over 5-6 Kentucky means the No. 14 Dores have nine regular-season wins for the first time since 1915. Diego Pavia threw for a school-record 484 yards on his senior night, though “senior night” implies he’ll ever leave.
Special Teams Program of the Month: No. 8 Oklahoma, which sat on No. 22 Missouri 17-6. On Nov. 1, Sooners kicker Tate Sandell hit four field goals (three from 50-plus yards) to key a win over Tennessee. Last week at Alabama, a long punt return and a blocked field goal facilitated an upset, and this game flipped after another blocked field goal. Brent Venables is a win over LSU away from taking OU to the Playoff before ex-Sooner Riley takes USC there. Not quite Marcus Freeman surpassing Brian Kelly, but similar.
Most Precise Punting: Up late against Florida State in a battle for bowl eligibility, NC State punter Caden Noonkester skillfully ricocheted the ball off the back of a Nole’s helmet, then recovered it himself. Minutes later, he shrewdly pinballed the ball off the front of a different Nole’s helmet. The latter muff set up the TD that sealed it, 21-11 on 11/21.
FSU, which ranked No. 7 two months ago, is now among the teams that need to close with wins in order to reach the postseason. Other powers in that five-win group: Auburn, Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky, Mississippi State, Penn State (after embarrassing noted alumni Matt Rhule’s Nebraska yesterday), Rutgers and UCF.
Relatively less anxious, having clinched bowl eligibility this weekend: Clemson, Duke, the aforementioned NC State, FIU, Louisiana Tech, Miami (Ohio), Northwestern, Utah State and UTSA. The Dabo Swinney Mayo Bowl dream is alive.
Hot Seat Coach of the Week: FSU’s Mike Norvell, again. Shambolic special teams are often the hallmark of a man about to be shown the door. Across two years of ACC play, FSU went a previously unthinkable 3-13. His buyout is nearly $60 million, but has offset language. (Elsewhere in hot seats, Michigan State’s Jonathan Smith is 3-14 in the Big Ten after daring to enter a special-teams duel against … Kirk freaking Ferentz.)
Elsewhere, in the three games since Luke Fickell became safe from firing, Wisconsin has beaten a then-ranked Washington and No. 21 Illinois (coached by former UW coach Bret Bielema, no less) 27-10 yesterday.
Bravest Decision: With a minute left on the road in a tied game, Missouri State (7-4) went for a fake field goal from darn near the midfield logo. On fourth-and-TEN! It did not work. Seconds later, the Kennesaw State Owls (8-3) turned that bravery into a 41-34 win, remaining alive for the Conference USA title in their second FBS year. 🦉
Second Bravest Decision: Duke (6-5) did the same thing against North Carolina (4-7) … albeit while much closer to the end zone and the first down. One beat later, the Blue Devils went ahead 32-25 for good in Chapel Hill. Bill Belichick clinches UNC’s first sub-.500 regular season since 2018, and any hopes of sneaking into a bowl via APR stuff are scant.
Third Bravest Decision: UCLA (3-8) did the same thing against Washington (8-3), and did it on fourth-and-FIFTEEN. The Huskies ran it back for a touchdown. Lower bravery scores here because the Bruins were already losing 13-0. Had to dial up something.
Best Very Brief Roundup of an All-Time Consequential Day in FCS and Divisions II and III: The one you’re about to read, hours ahead of FCS’ bracket announcement (12:30 p.m. ET). North Dakota State will be the No. 1 seed, and water will be wet.
Yesterday, FCS’ de facto conference title games included three century-plus rivalries. No. 25 Yale upset No. 10 Harvard 45-28 to steal a playoff autobid in the Ivy’s first tournament year. In the Brawl of the Wild (the sport’s best-nicknamed game, we’d say), No. 3 Montana State took down blood rival No. 2 Montana 31-28, claiming the Big Sky (and surely the No. 2 seed). And No. 4 Lehigh beat No. 24 Lafayette 42-32 in football’s most-played rivalry, winning the Patriot League. Elsewhere, No. 6 Tennessee Tech survived a 20-17 scare from UT Martin in the OVC-Big South, and South Carolina State won the MEAC’s Celebration Bowl bid, beating DeSean Jackson’s Delaware State 28-17.
The enormous DII playoffs commenced, freshly expanded from 28 teams to 32. By far the game of the day: Benedict College (S.C.) storming back from a 24-0 deficit to beat Wingate (N.C.) on a cross-field lateral for an 86-yard touchdown as the clock went to zeroes.
The even bigger DIII playoffs (40 teams) also got going. An eye-popper: Wheaton (Ill.) 76, Crown (Minn.) 14. A 34-0 first quarter! Almost as rude as Notre Dame’s start against Syracuse.
Most Important Forgotten Team: Washington State (5-6) fell nine total points short in losses to No. 6 Ole Miss, No. 19 Virginia and, on Saturday, 10-1 JMU. That could mean 25 percent of the Playoff field nearly losing to a team currently 0-1 in Pac-12 games. It’s also possible 9-2 San Diego State would’ve made it, if not for losing to the Cougs in Week 2. Pullman is the fulcrum of society.
Manning of the Week: Texas QB Arch, who caught a touchdown as the No. 17 Longhorns stayed somewhat alive for the Playoff by beating woebegone Arkansas 52-37. That’s half as many receiving TDs as Missouri WR Joshua Manning has, so we’re ready to call it a week early: Arch Manning is college football’s 2025 Manning of the Year. Speaking of his team … Longhorns, avert your eyes.
Sneakiest Suspicion: Beating Maryland 45-20 yesterday, No. 18 Michigan believes itself to be peaking just in time to host No. 1 Ohio State. With a four-year Wolverines streak on the line (and a Playoff bid up for thieving), the season’s most anticipated game is now six days away.
Playoff Scenario: Truly terrible tournament for Texas
Had planned on wrapping up today’s newsletter by mathing out various Playoff scenarios, but then realized: What a Longhorns nightmare is looming. Here is the most likely field, based on the midnight ET edition of Austin Mock’s projections:
Ohio State: The team that ruined Texas’ first-ever preseason No. 1 ranking.
Indiana: No Texas-specific beef here, other than how uncomfortable it’d be for the Hoosiers of all people to make it further than the big-money Horns. But that’s everyone’s problem.
Texas A&M: Texas’ biggest in-state rival, the one the Horns believed themselves to have instantly lapped within the SEC.
Texas Tech: One of the many Lone Star teams Texas has long dismissed as a little brother.
Notre Dame: Almost everyone hates the Fighting Irish, though their success still calls to mind that time Texas was back.
Georgia: The field’s second SEC team …
Ole Miss: … and third, neither of which is Texas, despite the Longhorns having been the preseason conference favorite. Also, Georgia did that mean onside kick to the Horns.
Oregon: No Texas beef here either, other than the possibility of adding another team to the Has Won A Title Since 2005 tracker.
Oklahoma: Texas’ biggest out-of-state rival and a team Texas beat, apparently to no avail. Also, a fourth non-Texas SEC team making it in.
BYU/Alabama/Vanderbilt/etc.: Scenarios include a fifth non-Texas SEC team, perhaps even a Vandy team that Texas beat (apparently to no avail), or BYU, which would remind Longhorns fans how much they hated 2014 Taysom Hill. (The Cougars control their own destiny, by the way.)
SMU: The ACC favorite has long been dismissed by Texas as its most uncouth little brother.
North Texas: The G5 favorite is too little to have ever been acknowledged by Texas as a brother of any size.
Two-thirds of the field might be the Horns’ conference and/or state rivals, including the two teams they hate most! In a year when they went from No. 1 to probably not making it! Brutal!
Not all of that is set in stone, of course. Virginia, Pitt or whoever could win the ACC. JMU and Tulane are among the G5 leaders. Hey, maybe Texas upsets A&M next week and swipes that No. 10 seed for itself. But most of it is pretty set, and it’s looking like Longhorns fans will be focusing their full attention on their No. 4 women’s basketball team far more quickly than they’d planned.
Austin’s Playoff projections here. (Geez! His name is even “Mock, Austin”! Brutal!)
Quick Snaps
🦃 Virginia Tech might not have landed James Franklin without a moment weeks before the season even started, when AD Whit Babcock sounded the alarm on the Hokies’ urgent need to invest their way out of post-Frank Beamer malaise. In a time of conference uncertainty, this exciting hire is existential.
📰 News:
Mementos
Andrew Luck losing it in celebration during Stanford’s 31-10 upset of rival Cal was pretty good, as was a Texas player tossing a football to Bevo. But the most striking image might have been Florida finding whole new levels to the Shirtless Dude trend initiated in 2021 by Indiana and revived this season by Oklahoma State. What a wall of shirtlessness:
Florida currently has the largest shirtless guy section I’ve ever seen
— Lucy Rohden (@lucyrohden.bsky.social) November 22, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Happy Thanksgiving week to you and the local lowlifes your team is about to play. Those degenerates are nothing like you, even though they were born four minutes away from you and went to the same high school as you and order the same things as you at your favorite regional fast food chain. Completely different category of human, we assure you. Emails always welcome at untilsaturday@theathletic.com.
Love Until Saturday? Check out The Athletic’s other newsletters, too.