October Turned Hype Into Confetti

Indiana shocks Oregon, Penn State spirals, BYU survives

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College football decided that Indiana punking Oregon in Autzen, a USC walk-on turning into a folk hero, and BYU playing through a lightning delay like it was cardio were totally normal. Which honestly, checks out for a sport where kickers control campus moods and backup QBs trend like meme stocks.

Welcome back, playoff doodlers and fourth-down calculators with trust issues. The stakes are climbing, the odds are lying, and the transfer portal is blinking like a stock ticker.

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📰 2-Minute Drill: Where Logic Goes to Die

Indiana's Road to Eugene Ends at the Promised Land The Hoosiers pulled off their first top-5 win since 1967, stunning No. 3 Oregon 30-20 in Autzen Stadium behind Fernando Mendoza's fourth-quarter heroics. Indiana remains undefeated at 6-0, snapping Oregon's 18-game home winning streak while forcing six sacks on quarterback Dante Moore. Turns out Curt Cignetti's "Google me" confidence wasn't just bulletin board material, it was a prophecy. 📎 Read More

Happy Valley Hits Rock Bottom (And Keeps Digging) Penn State's nightmare season claimed its biggest casualty Saturday: Drew Allar's career. The senior QB suffered a season-ending ankle injury in the Nittany Lions' third straight loss, a 22-21 home defeat to Northwestern. Allar returned to school for a national championship run; instead, he got a stadium crowd chanting "Fire Franklin." The Football Gods have a twisted sense of irony. 📎 Read More

From Walk-On to Walk-Off: King Miller's Coronation USC freshman walk-on King Miller rushed for 158 yards and a touchdown after injuries decimated the Trojans' running back depth chart, leading an emphatic 31-13 upset of No. 15 Michigan. Miller became USC's first walk-on to score a touchdown since 1994, carrying 18 times while Jayden Maiava added 265 passing yards. Nothing says "Big Ten football" quite like a guy whose scholarship offer came from the emergency room. 📎 Read More

BYU Survives Tucson Chaos, Hurricane Remnants, and Their Own Mistakes The Cardiac Cougs lived up to their nickname, rallying from 10 down in the fourth quarter to beat Arizona 33-27 in double overtime after a 74-minute lightning delay. Bear Bachmeier rushed for both overtime touchdowns despite throwing two interceptions, giving BYU its first back-to-back 6-0 starts in program history. At this point, BYU fans should start budgeting for blood pressure medication. 📎 Read More

The Undefeated Club Loses Its Velvet Rope Week 7's chaos reduced the unbeaten ranks from 14 to just 11 teams, with Oregon, Iowa State, and Arizona State joining the one-loss masses. The survivors: Ohio State, Indiana, BYU, Texas Tech, Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Miami, Memphis, Navy, and UNLV now carry the weight of perfection. Given college football's current trajectory, expect that number to be three by Halloween. 📎 Read More

📼 Instant Classic

BYU 33, Arizona 27 (2OT) – Arizona Stadium, Tucson

Some games test your team. This one tested the structural integrity of the local cardiologist's office. The 18th-ranked Cougars survived a 74-minute lightning delay, a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit, and their own quarterback's two interceptions to outlast Arizona in a five-hour marathon that ended past midnight on the East Coast. Freshman Bear Bachmeier completed just 12-of-29 passes but rushed 22 times for 89 yards, while LJ Martin bulldozed for 162 yards on 25 carries in BYU's first double-overtime affair since 2022.

Trailing 24-14 with under four minutes remaining, BYU's win probability plummeted to 4.4%. Then Bachmeier scored from two yards out with 19 seconds left to force overtime, channeling ice-cold composure for someone who can't legally rent a car. In double overtime, his seven-yard rushing touchdown proved decisive when Arizona's Noah Fifita watched his fourth-down pass tip off receiver Javin Whatley's fingertips in the end zone on the game's final play.

The victory marked BYU's seventh time starting 6-0 in program history and first-ever back-to-back 6-0 starts, cementing their "Cardiac Cougs" reputation. At some point, deliberately scheduling chaos stops being luck and becomes brand identity, and BYU's cardiologists should probably start accepting season tickets as payment.

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🎙️ Coach Speak Decoder Ring

What they said: "Is it a fine? Come on, man. That ain’t right. I want to see the kids rush the field. I absolutely love it."Deion Sanders, Colorado, on fans storming the field after upsetting No. 22 Iowa State

What they meant: He is perfectly happy to trade a conference invoice for viral joy and recruiting juice. Colorado needed a cathartic moment after a rocky stretch, and letting the students take a victory lap sells the program’s vibe better than any NIL graphic. The Big 12 might grumble about policy, but Deion knows celebrations play better than citations. If it costs fifty grand to look fun again, he just expensed it to Marketing.

🧢 The Backup Plan: Quarterback Controversy of the Week

Location: Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (4–2)

Involved Parties: Eli Holstein vs. Mason Heintschel

Pat Narduzzi said benching Eli Holstein was “something you don’t want to ever have to do,” then doubled down by riding true freshman Mason Heintschel to a road upset of Florida State, 34–31. “Eli’s in a good place,” Narduzzi added, translation, the kid just took your seat.

What’s really happening, the staff chose ball security and downfield competence over seniority, and the locker room just watched an 18-year-old throw for 321 yards in back-to-back starts. With Syracuse, NC State, and Notre Dame looming, the program’s trajectory, and some recruiting momentum, now run through Heintschel’s poise.
Prediction, Holstein becomes the experienced relief option, but barring a faceplant, this is the Heintschel era now.

🚨 DEFCON 1: Hitting the Panic Button

Penn State (3–3, 0–3 Big Ten)

Preseason No. 2 has turned into three straight losses and a 22–21 Homecoming faceplant to Northwestern, a team 247Sports called a 22-point underdog, capped by Drew Allar’s season-ending injury. The now fired James Franklin’s postgame spin was equal parts resignation and damage control, “I need to watch the tape… it’s totally on me,” and later, “It’s 100% on me.” Translation, the locker room and boosters need a public mea culpa while the staff scrambles for answers. Next up is a night trip to Kinnick, then a date at Ohio State, a schedule sequence that can turn a skid into a crater. The siren isn’t just blaring, it’s welded to the roof of a bus that just missed its exit.

🏆 Heisman Watch: The “Up and Down” Section

The Headliners

📈 Carson Beck (Miami) [+340, FanDuel] – Steady command and mistake-free football while Miami keeps winning, plus a post-Week 7 bump to co-favorite status. Blue-chip certainty, trading near all-time highs with heavy volume.

📈 Ty Simpson (Alabama) [+340, FanDuel] – Clutch throws on the road and Alabama’s streak keep shortening his number. Momentum is king, and this chart looks like a breakout to new resistance levels.

📈 Fernando Mendoza (Indiana) [+550, DraftKings] – Signature 30–20 upset at Oregon vaulted him from feel-good story to real threat. Undefeated narrative attached, buyers swarming like it’s an IPO that actually prints.

The Lurkers

📈 Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) – Red-zone menace on the nation’s No. 1 team, stacking weekly highlights while the Buckeyes roll. Needs a monster TV moment to pierce the QB bias. Quiet accumulation play.

The “Can They Sustain It?” Crew

📈 Julian Sayin (Ohio State) – Efficient in ranked road win, but teammates siphon the spotlight. Numbers hum, viral clips lag. Strong earnings, limited multiple expansion until he owns a marquee finish.

The “We Need to Talk About…” Section

📉 Dante Moore (Oregon) [+500 last week, DraftKings] – Indiana exposed protection and decision-making, with sacks and late picks cooling the hype. From frontrunner to fragile, this candle’s testing support after a nasty gap down.

📉 John Mateer (Oklahoma) [~+1000 pregame, DraftKings] – Three interceptions in Red River turned sentiment south fast. Injury return narrative met turnover reality. Risk repriced, and the book moved him from growth to value trap.

Penny Stock to Watch

💰 Joey Aguilar (Tennessee) – Productive, but books faded him after Arkansas as skepticism on ceiling grows. Fun ticker with cult volume, still a meme coin until a ranked scalp spikes the chart.

Next week will spin Ohio State’s title math, BYU will flirt with another cardiology bill, and we will all pretend Indiana at 6-0 makes sense because the chart says buy. Set your TVs like tripwires, budget for weather delays, and remember, “we’re focused on us” translates to panic mode. Never trust October Heisman odds.

Always remember, kickers write the last sentence. Deion picked the fine over the frown, Penn State found the trapdoor, and the portal never sleeps. Clear eyes, full DVRs, embrace the volatility.

— The Convert on Fourth Down Team

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