Two Coaches Fired Before September Ends

Ever wonder what happens when two coaches get canned before September ends, UCLA loses to New Mexico, and Notre Dame somehow stays ranked at 0–2?

Welcome back, fourth-down calculators and backup QB whisperers.

Georgia and Tennessee gave us an SEC epic that felt like a blood-pressure test, Florida’s five-pick meltdown lit up the Swamp, and UCLA’s season already looks like a sinking ship. Even the Heisman race is moving like Wall Street meme stocks. College football doesn’t spiral, it performs like the wildest show on earth, with a scoreboard and a marching band.

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📰 2-Minute Drill: Where Logic Goes to Die

Bruins Cut Ties with Foster After 0–3 Start
UCLA fired head coach DeShaun Foster after an 0–3 start in his second season, following losses to Utah, UNLV, and New Mexico. The Bruins were outscored 108–43 in those games, forcing a quick reset before Big Ten play begins. Special assistant Tim Skipper has been named interim head coach.
📎 Read More AP News

Virginia Tech Boots Pry After 0–3 Start
The Hokies parted ways with Brent Pry after a 45–26 home loss to Old Dominion, marking their first 0–3 start since 1987. Offensive Coordinator Philip Montgomery takes over as interim head coach. When your September résumé includes zero wins and a loss to ODU, the rebrand writes itself.
📎 Read More Washington Post

Georgia Outlasts Tennessee in Overtime Thriller
No. 6 Georgia survived a wild 44–41 road win over No. 15 Tennessee thanks to Josh McCray’s one-yard touchdown plunge in overtime. The Bulldogs extended their winning streak in the series to nine, surviving a Neyland crowd ready to explode.
📎 Read More ESPN

LSU’s Defense Steals the Show in Swamp Win
No. 3 LSU beat Florida 20–10, picking off DJ Lagway five times, including a pick-six. QB Garrett Nussmeier had his struggles, but Brian Kelly’s defense owned the night in Gainesville. Florida’s offense may need more than swamp magic to survive the SEC gauntlet.
📎 Read More ESPN

AP Top 25: Notre Dame Stays Ranked at 0–2
Ohio State, Penn State, and LSU lead the latest AP poll, with Miami climbing to No. 4 and Georgia rounding out the top five. Notre Dame made history as the first 0–2 team to stay ranked since 1988. Apparently, brand equity counts as a quality win now.
📎 Read More AP News

📼 Instant Classic

Georgia 44, Tennessee 41 (OT) – Neyland Stadium, Knoxville, TN

Some games feel like cardiac stress tests wrapped in pageantry, and this one might require Vol fans to submit insurance claims. No. 6 Georgia and No. 15 Tennessee traded haymakers before Josh McCray finally ended it with a one-yard touchdown plunge in overtime. The Bulldogs survived multiple deficits, a hostile crowd of 100,000, and the type of SEC East drama that turns September into November in a heartbeat.

The crescendo came late. Chris Brazzell II torched Georgia’s secondary twice for long touchdowns, giving Tennessee life each time it seemed dead. Then Max Gilbert lined up a 43-yard field goal to win it in regulation… and pushed it wide. Overtime belonged to McCray, who barreled in for the walk-off after Georgia’s defense forced the Vols to settle for three.

For Georgia, it preserved an unbeaten season and the SEC East lead. For Tennessee, it was another “so close” chapter in a rivalry that hasn’t gone orange since 2016. Add in the missed kick, the deafening crowd, and momentum swings worthy of a soap opera, and this wasn’t just a game… it was an Instant Classic burned into SEC lore.

🎙️ Coach Speak Decoder Ring

What they said: "LSU won the football game. Won the game. I don’t know what you want from me… You want us to win 70–0 against Florida to keep you happy?" — Brian Kelly, LSU, on criticism after a 20–10 road win over Florida

What they meant: Kelly was really saying, “Please stop nitpicking a double-digit SEC road win before I spontaneously combust at this podium.” He knows LSU’s offense looked shaky, but with a top-three ranking on the line, he’s playing defense for his players — and himself — in the narrative battle. The man just wanted a quiet flight home, not a public referendum on style points.

🧢 The Backup Plan: Quarterback Controversy of the Week

Location: Gainesville, FL (1–2)

Involved Parties: DJ Lagway vs. Tramell Jones Jr.

Five interceptions in Death Valley will light up the message boards faster than a Fourth of July sparkler. After Florida’s 20–10 loss to LSU, Billy Napier doubled down, saying, “DJ’s our quarterback. He’s one of the best quarterbacks in the country,” while Lagway himself admitted, “I played horrible football, and I got to do better.”

Here’s the problem: fans aren’t buying it. With Florida sitting at 1–2 and brutal matchups against Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M looming, patience is thin and bowl eligibility already feels like a coin flip. Tramell Jones Jr., a blue-chip freshman, represents hope — or at least fewer turnovers. If Lagway stumbles again, Napier won’t just face a quarterback controversy; he’ll hear 90,000 fans making the decision for him in The Swamp.

🚨 DEFCON 1: Hitting the Panic Button

UCLA Bruins (0–3)

Three games into the DeShaun Foster era, UCLA has been outscored 108-43, capped by a humiliating 35-10 home loss to New Mexico that forced the program into crisis mode. Athletic Director Martin Jarmond didn’t mince words after firing Foster, stating, “This serves as a message to our fans that the results we've seen so far are simply not acceptable,” and emphasizing that decisive action was necessary to salvage the season.

The Bruins entered the year hoping to be competitive in their first Big Ten campaign, but instead look unprepared and overmatched. The defense has been shredded, while the offense sputters despite transfer quarterback Nico Iamaleava. With looming matchups against Penn State, Ohio State, and Indiana, the schedule only grows more punishing, and recruiting and donor confidence are already fraying.

If UCLA’s football ship doesn’t right itself fast, this isn’t just a rough patch — it’s a slow-motion collision with a Big Ten-sized iceberg.

🏆 Heisman Watch: The “Up and Down” Section

The Headliners

📈 John Mateer (Oklahoma) [+800] – Mateer was nearly flawless in Week 3, torching Temple with 282 passing yards, 1 TD, plus 63 rushing yards and another score in a 42–3 win. Undefeated Oklahoma is climbing the polls, and Mateer’s Heisman stock is now trading like a blue-chip tech stock during a bull run.

📈 Carson Beck (Miami) [+900] – Beck shredded No. 18 USF with 340 yards, 3 passing TDs, and a rushing score in Miami’s most dominant ranked win since 2001. With Florida up next, he’s looking like a fast-rising growth asset with serious upside.

📈 Gunner Stockton (Georgia) [+1400] – Stockton’s 304 yards and 3 total TDs, including a clutch 28-yard strike on 4th down, fueled Georgia’s 44–41 OT thriller over Tennessee. He’s gone from a steady investment to a surging blue-chip after his “grown-up” moment on the SEC stage.

The Lurkers

📈 Marcel Reed (Texas A&M) – Reed delivered the first “Heisman moment” of September: a game-winning TD pass with 13 seconds left to stun Notre Dame 41–40. SEC play will determine if this momentum translates into a legitimate market breakout.

📈 Julian Sayin (Ohio State) – Sayin tossed 3 TDs in a 37–9 win, keeping the Buckeyes undefeated. With a massive clash at Washington looming, he’s a strong mid-cap prospect just waiting for his IPO moment.

The “Can They Sustain It?” Crew

📈 Behren Morton (Texas Tech) – Morton lit up Oregon State for 442 yards and 4 TDs despite a 2.5-hour delay. Huge numbers grab attention, but a ranked showdown with Utah will reveal if this is a hot streak or fool’s gold.

The “We Need to Talk About…” Section

📉 Arch Manning (Texas) [Top-10 odds → trending down] – Texas won 27–10 over UTEP, but boos rained down as the offense sputtered. Manning’s Heisman buzz is fading fast; without a statement game in SEC play, his stock could get delisted entirely.

Penny Stock to Watch

💰 Byrum Brown (USF) – Brown’s electric dual-threat play and early-season upsets built a cult following. Even after a rough loss to Miami, he remains a fun, volatile long-shot — the kind of penny stock that goes viral on highlight reels.

That’s all for this round of coaching carousels, five-pick disasters, and SEC overtime drama. Until next time, never trust a kicker in Knoxville, always read between the lines of coach-speak, and remember that preseason polls are just elaborate fan fiction.

— The Convert on Fourth Down Team

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