CFB Week 5 winners, losers: Alabama, Ohio State stand tall amid upsets

No. 18 Vanderbilt is 5-0 for the first time since 2008. That season, the Commodores peaked at No. 13 in the AP poll after a 14-13 win over then-No. 13 Auburn but went 1-6 over their final seven regular-season games to finish the year unranked. With upcoming games against No. 17 Alabama, No. 4 LSU, No. 20 Missouri and No. 10 Texas, several potential pitfalls remain. However, with the offense firing on all cylinders, Vandy can keep up with anyone it plays.

Loser: USC Trojans

No. 21 USC was starting to receive some buzz after a 4-0 start, but a 34-32 loss to No. 23 Illinois, which was coming off a 63-10 loss to No. 11 Indiana, showed that it still isn't ready to contend in head coach Lincoln Riley's fourth season. The Trojans gave up 502 yards, and the defense failed to hold onto a late lead by allowing Illinois to drive 51 yards for the winning 41-yard field goal as time expired. In other words, it was the same USC we've come to expect.

Winner: Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, Louisville Cardinals erasing road deficits

A wild weekend of ACC action that began on Friday with No. 8 Florida State's upset road loss at Virginia escalated Saturday with a pair of thrilling comebacks from No. 16 Georgia Tech and Louisville. Both teams erased 17-point deficits in their wins, with the Yellow Jackets coming back from a 20-3 deficit to defeat Wake Forest, 30-29, in overtime. Louisville toppled Pittsburgh, 34-27, after falling into a 17-0 hole in the first quarter. With the wins, the two teams kept pace with Miami as the only undefeated teams remaining in the conference.

Loser: West Virginia Mountaineers' reunion with head coach Rich Rodriguez

Perhaps West Virginia should have left Rodriguez in the past. The Mountaineers became the first Big 12 team with two conference losses on Saturday after losing 48-14 to the Utah Utes. Over its first two Big 12 games, West Virginia has been outscored 89-24, an average of 32.5 points per game. The program had substantial success during Rodriguez's first run as head coach from 2001-07, including three consecutive 10-win seasons, but the reboot is off to a shaky start.

Winner: Cincinnati Bearcats

In what was arguably the wildest game of the day, Cincinnati defeated the Kansas Jayhawks, 37-34, in a game that featured 1,200 yards of offense. Cincinnati gained 603 yards, its most on the road as a Big 12 member, and improved to 3-1, already just two wins shy of matching last year's win total. The one-time American Conference power has struggled since moving to the Big 12 in 2023, but Saturday's win was a step in the right direction under third-year head coach Scott Satterfield.

Loser: Arkansas Razorbacks

The Razorbacks hit a new low in the Sam Pittman era with a 56-13 home loss to Notre Dame, the first meeting between the two programs. No. 22 Notre Dame led by 29 at halftime and finished with 641 yards, its most since 2017. Afterward, Pittman empathized with fans demanding his firing, telling reporters, "If I was the fans I'd be mad at me, too."

It feels like only a matter of time before Pittman is shown the door. When it comes, Saturday's loss to Notre Dame will likely be viewed as the point of no return.

Winner: California Golden Bears quarterback Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele

The most exciting quarterback in college football might be the true freshman Keawe-Sagapolutele, who orchestrated a winning drive with under two minutes remaining at Boston College in his first road ACC start.

Keawe-Sagapolutele found tight end Mason Mini for the go-ahead touchdown on a 2nd-and-10, evading pressure while rolling out of the pocket and throwing an accurate pass on the run while approaching the line of scrimmage.

Expect Keawe-Sagapolutele to get all kinds of offers to enter the transfer portal this offseason. But he's doing okay for himself at Cal, which is 4-1 for the first time since 2019.

Loser: UCLA Bruins

Firing DeShaun Foster didn't provide a spark for UCLA, which lost at Northwestern, 17-14, in Week 5. The Bruins are the only winless power conference team and one of just four teams overall, joining Oregon State, Sam Houston and Massachusetts.