LSU's collapse, Texas A&M's resurgence under Mike Elko headline Week 9 college football winners and losers

We're all friends here, so I can be honest with you, right?

Week 9 of the college football season wasn't all that good. In fact, I'd go as far saying it was the weakest slate of games we've seen in 2024, at least since the season really got moving.

LSU's trip to Texas A&M with first place in the SEC on the line was the most anticipated matchup of the weekend, and it certainly lived up to the hype. The Tigers dominated the first half before a quarterback change sparked a comeback for the Aggies, who are now in the driver's seat in the SEC title race as the lone unbeaten team in conference play.

But otherwise, pickings were slim. LSU was the only top-15 team that fell, and four of those squads were idle in Week 9. Nebraska and Vanderbilt nearly gave us some magic against Ohio State and Texas, respectively, but their upset bids fell short.

Still, a slow week isn't going to stop the winners and losers list. Here are the teams that stood out for all the right and wrong reasons in Week 9 as we prepare for what should be a thrilling Week 10.

Winner: Pittsburgh, the ACC contender no one is talking about

All the discussion surrounding the ACC, at least at the national level, has centered around Clemson and Miami. It's understandable — the Tigers have dominated since a Week 1 loss to Georgia while the Hurricanes remain unbeaten despite a couple of close calls. That seems to be the likely ACC Championship matchup, and the loser could have a shot at a College Football Playoff at-large bid, as well.

But there's another ACC team in that mix that hasn't lost a game this season and passes the eye test yet has not garnered the same attention: the Pittsburgh Panthers. Pat Narduzzi's team sits at No. 18 in the AP Top 25 this week, the lowest of any unbeaten Power Four squad.

Perhaps it's time we start talking about Pitt seriously.

Facing off against Syracuse in a Thursday night game that looked like it could be tricky, the Panthers dominated in a 41-13 win. They only managed 217 yards of offense, but that was all they needed as the defense came up with five interceptions against Kyle McCord, three of which were returned for scores.

But when it's needed, the offense still looks pretty good. Eli Holstein, who only threw for 108 yards but was efficient and tossed two touchdowns, remains one of the top transfer signal-callers in college football this season. The Panthers have also run the ball effectively with Western Carolina transfer Desmond Reid.

We'll know a lot more about this team after next week when it faces another under-discussed ACC contender in SMU. The winner of that game will hang around in the conference title picture, and if it's Pitt, that could set up a Week 12 home matchup against Clemson with legit ACC title and CFP implications.

Loser: What's wrong with Missouri?

I'll give Mizzou a bit of a pass here as quarterback Brady Cook, who was a game-time decision against Alabama with an ankle injury and ultimately exited the game after suffering an unrelated hand injury, was not able to go the whole way while leading rusher Nate Noel was also out.

But that excuse is only going to take this team so far.

It's not like the issues we saw on Saturday in an embarrassing 34-0 loss to an Alabama team dealing with a lot of its own problems were anything new for the Tigers. Even with a (relatively) healthy Cook, the offense never got going in a blowout loss to a talented Texas A&M defense.

But it's certainly concerning that Missouri couldn't spark anything at all with Drew Pyne, who threw three interceptions, against an Alabama defense that had looked shaky at best in recent weeks, and it's not like Cook was setting the world on fire when he was in there — he had completed just seven passes for 30 yards when he exited.

Luther Burden III, one of the best receivers in the nation, was essentially MIA in the loss. He totaled just three catches for as many yards.

There was a lot of hype around this team entering the season, and it was justified. The Tigers returned a lot of pieces from a team that won 11 games last year including the Cotton Bowl over Ohio State. But things just aren't the same this fall.

Drinkwitz's team was handed an easy schedule by new SEC standards, and it has glaringly failed both its major tests so far. While Mizzou hasn't been eliminated from the CFP race, at least nominally, there's a reason this team is barely clinging on to a spot in the top 25 despite a 6-2 record in the SEC.

Winner: Mike Elko's magical Year 1 at Texas A&M

In hindsight, the ingredients for a successful Year 1 at Texas A&M were there for Mike Elko. He inherited a roster that, despite portal attrition, was still loaded with blue chips. He also added to that talent pool with an impressive portal class of his own that brought in experienced players all over the defense.

But I'm not sure anyone saw this team gelling together as well as it has, and the Aggies seem to be rounding into form at the right time. Since a loss to Notre Dame in Week 1 — which initially aged very poorly but looks a lot better now — this is maybe the hottest team in America.

The Aggies have always been talented. That was certainly the case under Jimbo Fisher, as well. But Saturday night's win illustrated the difference between this program under Fisher compared to Elko.

Texas A&M looked dead in the water at halftime. It trailed by 10, was getting torched by LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and couldn't muster anything on offense with Conner Weigman. Then, Weigman was swapped for Marcel Reed, who started several games earlier this year when Weigman was hurt, and everything changed.

Reed immediately sparked the offense with his rushing ability, leading scoring drives every time he touched the ball in the second half. The defense responded to the change in energy, putting pressure on Nussmeier he hasn't seen this season. The Tigers' offense stalled, and Nussmeier was forced into three interceptions that were both ugly and extremely costly.

It was a second half of dominant, complementary football for the Aggies after the break. That's what well-coached teams do.

Elko has turned this team into the SEC frontrunner entering November and has a good chance of earning a CFP bid in Year 1. $76 million well spent, I suppose.

Loser: LSU's collapse likely ends postseason hopes

The parallels between the Tigers and Aggies entering Saturday's game were pretty clear. Both lost matchups to ranked power conference opponents in Week 1 and hadn't lost since, seeming to be improving every step of the way.

For the first 30 minutes on Saturday, it looked like LSU would be the one to announce itself in primetime on a national stage as Brian Kelly hoped his third team in Baton Rouge would finally be the one to get over the CFP hump. But after the Tigers' second-half collapse, those hopes are all but dead.

Nussmeier was nearly flawless leading the offense in the first half, but the team totaled just 17 points thanks in part to a pair of missed field goals, one of which was due to a bad snap. Those mistakes came back to bite LSU in the second half when Texas A&M made defensive adjustments and a quarterback change the Tigers inexplicably had no answers for despite there being plenty of film out there on Reed.

It all fell apart when the teams came out of the locker room. Nussmeier, who has operated from a clean pocket nearly all season and was sacked just once entering the game, was brought down twice and pressured quite a few more times. It resulted in inaccuracy and questionable decision-making.

The turnovers didn't help the cause, nor did another failed field goal attempt due to an operational mishap in the second half, but it was ultimately the defense's inability to adjust to a running quarterback that proved fatal in this game.

While the Tigers are still technically alive in the postseason race with a 6-2 record, the margin for error is gone. That means a home game against Alabama and its legitimate rushing threat at the quarterback position with Jalen Milroe is now a must-win when the Tigers return from a bye in two weeks.

Quick Hitters - Winners

• Boise State: The Broncos outlasted UNLV to remain in pole position for the Group of Five's playoff spot. However, there's a good chance it won't be the last time these two teams face off.

• USC: It's already probably a lost season for Lincoln Riley, but things could have really spiraled with a home loss to Rutgers. USC didn't let that happen and took care of business with a win on Friday night.

• Indiana: With College GameDay in town, the Hoosiers had little issue dispatching Washington even with quarterback Kurtis Rourke missing the game. Indiana is 8-0, and no matter what happens against Ohio State in a few weeks, this team has a pretty clear path to make the CFP.

• Alabama: As strange as this is to write, this was a Crimson Tide team that desperately needed to win and do so convincingly. They got what they were looking for against Mizzou as the defense finally showed out.

• Baylor: It may be a bit too little too late for Dave Aranda, but the Bears are getting better and have now notched back-to-back wins over Texas Tech and Oklahoma State. There's a clear path to bowl eligibility, and that could be enough to buy another year for this staff in Waco.

• Penn State: Wisconsin isn't among the scariest Big Ten programs, but it's been playing very well in recent weeks, and winning in Madison is never easy. Props to the Nittany Lions for overcoming an early deficit and an injury that knocked Drew Allar out of the game to win by 15.

• Auburn: Coach Hugh Freeze's team has squandered so many winnable games this season, but it finally got a lead and held it in a road win against Kentucky. The Wildcats are a mess right now, but this was a game Auburn absolutely had to have.

• Colorado: You may not want to hear it, but the Buffaloes remain quietly very competent and are much improved in Year 2 of Prime Time. They took down a solid Cincinnati squad on Saturday to move to 6-2 on the season and clinch bowl eligibility.

Quick Hitters - Losers

• Syracuse QB Kyle McCord: The Ohio State transfer is having a nice season with his new team, but Thursday night's loss is one he'll want to quickly forget as he tossed five (!) interceptions with three returned for touchdowns.

• Navy: The Navy story has been fun, but the Midshipmen ran out of magic against Notre Dame in a 51-14 blowout loss. This team has been great at taking care of the football, but on Saturday, it had six total turnovers including five lost fumbles. Navy is still an AAC contender, but that just isn't winning football.

• Virginia: The Cavaliers are having a nice season in Year 3 under Tony Elliott, but Saturday's blowout loss at home against a struggling North Carolina team with a potentially lame-duck coach was certainly a setback.

• Maryland: The Terps had a nice win at home over USC in Week 8, but that victory has been sandwiched by blowout losses to Northwestern and Minnesota, which isn't exactly ideal.

• Rice coach Mike Bloomgren: The Owls opted to part ways with Bloomgren after seven seasons in which he had a 24-52 overall record. Bloomgren led the team to back-to-back bowl games in the last two years — though it finished 5-8 in 2022 — but Rice will move on after a 2-6 start this fall.

• Oklahoma State: Things have officially come off the rails completely in Stillwater. A Cowboys team that was expected to compete for the Big 12 with returning starters all over the field has regressed massively, sitting in dead last in the conference with a 0-5 record (3-5 overall). A loss to a Baylor staff on the hot seat was the latest embarrassment in a monumentally disappointing season for Oklahoma State.

• Texas Tech: The Red Raiders started 5-1 and seemed to be on track for a much-needed successful Year 4 for coach Joey McGuire. Now, after suffering back-to-back losses to Baylor and TCU, blowing a 31-14 lead against the latter, I'm not so sure.

• Utah: It's officially a lost season at Utah. Coach Kyle Whittingham's team fell on a late field goal to a moribund Houston team, and it's clear this team just was not prepared for a reality where a healthy Cam Rising isn't an option. Utah was a common pick to win the Big 12, but now sitting at 4-4, bowl eligibility is in serious jeopardy with BYU, Colorado and Iowa State up next.

• Kentucky: The Wildcats don't seem like the same team that stunned Ole Miss and took Georgia to the wire. In the last two games, they were torched by a Florida offense led by a true freshman quarterback and fell at home by two scores to an Auburn team that couldn't buy a win. After Mark Stoops tried to bolt for Texas A&M this past offseason, I can't help but wonder about the state of this marriage in Lexington.

• Duke: I can't think of many things more brutal than losing a game that would have kept you in the ACC title race in which you forced six turnovers. That's the reality the Blue Devils are living in after an overtime loss to ranked SMU.

This article originally appeared on For The Win: LSU's collapse, Texas A&M's resurgence under Mike Elko headline Week 9 college football winners and losers