B/R's 2025 College Football Winners and Losers from Week 5

We're in October now and thank goodness for that. With kinder weather comes enormous college football stakes.

It wasn't just Saturday, either. Friday night gave us plenty to digest, and the action on Saturday never relinquished. We saw one Heisman campaign hit an enormous bump in the road, while an unlikely conference broke in its new stadium in emphatic fashion.

There's plenty to unpack, and unpack we shall. As these games unfold, we will continue to update with every detail of the day.

It was supposed to be different at Virginia Tech. That has largely been the case through the first four weeks of the season, albeit against a favorable schedule.

But on Friday night, James Franklin's fresh start endured some familiar pain as the Hokies fell at home to Pittsburgh.

This one had multiple pieces of disappointment worth unpacking. For starters, Virginia Tech was up 14-0 after less than five minutes, and the route looked to be on. Then there's the fact that Pitt starting QB Mason Heintschel, who has been one of the nation's best QBs early on, was knocked out of the game with an injury.

Finally, and most painful of all, Tech's potential game-winning field goal at the end of game, which appeared to sail just left the goal post, might have actually been good upon further viewings. It's a play likely to be discussed for days to follow.

Regardless, Pitt was deemed victorious 35-33 and all Franklin could do is give kicker John Love and move on. Given Franklin's big moment struggles at Penn State, the scene was oddly familiar.

What does $875 million buy you in the year 2026? How about a sparkling new college football stadium?

On Friday night, Northwestern debuted its new Ryan Field, a 35,000-seat, state-of-the-art masterpiece. And the debut game couldn't have gone much better.

With Chip Kelly calling plays, the Wildcats tallied more than 506 yards of offense against Penn State. Perhaps more astonishingly is that 413 of those yards came on the ground. The end result was a 34-13 thrashing of the Nittany Lions.

For Penn State, the questions and concerns are real. For Northwestern, which recently gave head coach David Braun an extension, this moment could serve as a warning to future Big Ten opponents.

The Wildcats, which gave Indiana a game a few weeks ago, still play Oregon, Ohio State and Iowa. And if the offense can run the ball like this, this team should remain a factor in the conference.

What a night. What a debut. That's how you open up a stadium.

To be clear, Kamario Taylor still delivered more than his fair share of dazzling throws in the 56-23 loss to Alabama.

Even on a day when he wasn't at his best—and perhaps not 100 percent healthy coming in—Mississippi State's QB still showcased why the football world is so excited about his future. He also still accounted for three touchdowns.

But three turnovers, including a fumble and a pick-six early on, put his team in a difficult spot from the start. The Bulldogs tried to keep the game close, although things got out of hand in the second half. And when it did, Taylor came out of the game with an apparent injury.

Given his performance through September, Taylor was receiving plenty of Heisman buzz and for good reason. While this loss doesn't remove him from the discussion, it's an enormous setback.

Perhaps more concerning on that front is what is still to come. Mississippi State still has road games at LSU, Texas and Ole Miss on tap. There will be plenty of chances to make a Heisman impression, although it'll be an uphill climb from here on out.

Expert CFB Locks for Week 5's Biggest Games 🔒

It starts with quarterback Keelon Russell. Of course it does.

Making just his fifth start, Russell looked like the best quarterback in college football and a future Heisman finalist. For as sensational as he's been, however, the rest of Alabama's offense deserves an enormous amount of praise as well for the 56-23 win.

Last season, the running game was broken. Against Mississippi State, it looked very much alive and largely provided the change of pace this team lacked in 2025.

As for the wide receivers, they were sensational. Lotzeir Brooks, Rico Scott, Marshall Pritchett and Ryan Coleman-Williams all showed flashes, regularly making contested, meaningful catches that derailed any chance of a Mississippi State comeback.

Alabama finished with 56 points and 485 yards, and it could have been much more. The Crimson Tide essentially ran the clock out for the last 15 minutes of the game.

What a performance. And what timing with Georgia coming to town next week.

Loser: Florida's College Football Playoff Chances

As if we needed another reminder, this sport moves quickly.

One week, you're the darling. The next, you're on the wrong side of a blowout.

The fact that we're talking about Florida's College Football Playoff resume speaking to the sensational work head coach Jon Sumrall has done in Gainesville. This program is clearly better, as it showcased in a dominating win over Ole Miss in Week 4.

But as we saw in Week 5, there still is work to do.

Missouri didn't just beat Florida; the Tigers dominated the Gators 45-17. Quarterback Austin Simmons carved up the Gators, making it look easy at times. And the Florida offense simply couldn't keep up.

One week after falling to Ole Miss, Missouri responded in a major way.

In time, we'll know exactly what it means for Florida. There's plenty of time—and ample spotlight games—to turn things around. Sumrall's team plays Texas and Georgia in a few weeks.

A week ago, in the aftermath of Minnesota's win over Washington, P.J. Fleck wiped the blood of linebacker Maverick Baranowski on his cheek, in a moment that went understandably viral.

Prior to his team's game against Michigan on Saturday, Fleck was seen crowd surfing during the pregame. Then his team pulled off a massive 20-14 upset over Michigan, the team's second outright win as an underdog in a row.

Fleck in true Fleck fashion couldn't help himself.

"I couldn't be prouder," Fleck screamed . "Besides my marriage and my kids being born, this might be the best day of my life."

At the very least, Fleck isn't boring. His style is undoubtedly unique, although he's never been shy about doing it his own way.

And at 4-1, with winnable games on the horizon, this likely isn't the last we've heard from him. Stay tuned.

At some point, declaring Jeremiah Smith the Heisman favorite isn't enough.

Ohio State's star wideout, fresh off a 11-catch, 206-yard, two-touchdown performance against Iowa, demands something greater. The Buckeyes dominated Iowa 31-14, thanks in large part to Smith.

Best college football wide receiver ever? We have to start talking about it.

Through five games, Smith has nine touchdown receptions. He's gone over 150 receiving yards in all but one game. For further context, his 85-yard receiving performance against Kent State was limited largely because his playing time was limited in a blowout.

We've reached the point of absurdity that it's hard to quantify exactly what we're seeing.

Each week, it becomes easier to compare him to Julio Jones, Calvin Johnson and the other all-time collegiate wideouts that made the sport look easy. Smith is there, and he has the opportunity to deliver one of the all-time great seasons the position has ever seen.

Coming into Saturday, Maryland's Mike Locksley and South Carolina's Shane Beamer were two coaches most in need of wins to cool the dreaded hot seat chatter.

Leaving Saturday, Locksley and Beamer need miracles to save their jobs. In fact, we might be past the point of miracles.

Both teams jumped out to early double-digit leads. Both teams coughed up those leads shortly after. Maryland lost to Nebraska 48-23; South Carolina lost to Kentucky 35-24 in overtime, which was gutting given the recent drama surrounding the Gamecocks.

The Terrapins are 2-3 with a game at Ohio State looming. Needless to say, that could be ugly. The Gamecocks are also 2-3, with games at Florida and against Tennessee coming up next. That same thought applies.

At this point, both jobs seem destined to open up. It's simply a matter of when.