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Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Week 9
There were no major upsets in Week 9 of the college football season, only shaky performances.
Ohio State and Texas both survived sloppy quarterback play to win games against Nebraska and Texas, respectively. Kansas State narrowly defeated Kansas and SMU eked out a victory over Duke.
The performances from the weekend closed the curtain on October. The next four weeks will have a tremendous impact on how the College Football Playoff could pan out.
For now, here’s the winners and losers of the week that was.
Winners
Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed (10) reacts after scoring a touchdown against LSU during the third quarter, Saturday, Oct. 26, 2024, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Texas A&M: How about those Aggies? After the ferocious comeback against LSU on Saturday night, thanks to a strong defense and quarterback Marcel Reed, Texas A&M now sits atop the SEC standings. The only undefeated SEC team, they are on a path toward the College Football Playoff. This was a monster win for head coach Mike Elko, who is in his first year at the helm at College Station. If they can keep this up, that matchup against Texas after Thanksgiving is going to be insane.
Colorado: Deion Sanders told us he was going to turn the Colorado program around, and he’s done that in his second season as head coach. The Buffaloes are 6-2, bowl eligible, and are still in the hunt for the Big 12 championship. Travis Hunter continues to put together Heisman Trophy-worthy performances while Shedeur Sanders continues to impress in the passing game. The Buffs could win out, which is something I don’t know that we were thinking after that loss to Nebraska last month.
Boise State: The Broncos continue to run their offense through running back Ashton Jeanty, and it’s paying off. A big win over UNLV on Friday night keeps them in the conversation for the at-large bid in the college football playoffs, and it doesn’t look like they are slowing down anytime soon. Boise State is going to be a problem if they can make the playoffs, and they’re inching closer to that opportunity.
Oregon: The Ducks put an exclamation point on a huge win in the Big Ten Conference to remain undefeated. Dillon Gabriel moved to second in FBS passing touchdowns after he threw three in the 38-9 win over Illinois. He had 291 passing yards as well. Oregon is separating itself from some of the top teams in the conference.
Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders fires a pass during the second half against Cincinnati at Folsom Field, Oct. 26, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. (Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images)
Miami: It’s safe to say the Hurricanes run Florida. Miami trounced Florida State, 36-14, in another statement game by one of the top teams in the nation. Cam Ward improved his Heisman stock with 208 passing yards. The Hurricanes already have wins over Florida, Florida A&M and South Florida this season, and they do not have another ranked opponent on the schedule.
Iowa’s Brendan Sullivan: It was next man up for the Hawkeyes, and they may have discovered their new offensive formula. After Sullivan replaced Cade McNamara, Iowa went on a 37-0 run over the next two quarters.
Losers
Nebraska defensive lineman Jimari Butler, left, tackles Ohio State quarterback Will Howard during the second half, Oct. 26, 2024, in Columbus, Ohio. (AP Photo/Jay LaPrete)
Ohio State: Yes, the Buckeyes came away with a victory, but it wasn’t the prettiest as Nebraska was just short in the 21-17 finish. This came after the Buckeyes fell to Oregon, and they have another high-ranked team in the Penn State Nittany Lions next week on the road. The roster is no doubt as talented as can be, but Ryan Day’s group need to be more polished after not looking like the usual well-oiled machine they are.
Kentucky: The Wildcats are windless at home this season in the SEC, dropping their third straight game this season at the hands of Auburn this time. I have no idea what’s going on in Lexington right now, but this team seems checked-out under head coach Mark Stoops, who might want to look for a way out after this season, again. Kentucky is now 2-11 in its last 13 SEC home games, and the problems keep adding up.
LSU: The Tigers were ranked No. 8 going into their game against Texas A&M but suffered a huge loss at the hands of Marcel Reed and the Aggies. Their second loss of the season dropped them to No. 16 in the nation. The loss against USC continues to not look great on their resume.
LSU head coach Brian Kelly speaks with the officials during the second quarter against Texas A&M at Kyle Field, Oct. 26, 2024, at College Station, Texas. (Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images.)
The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.
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The Las Vegas Raiders and the Baltimore Ravens made a blockbuster trade ahead of the start of NFL free agency.
Las Vegas is trading five-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Maxx Crosby to the Baltimore Ravens, per multiple reports.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium on Aug. 23, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)
The Raiders will receive two first-round picks from the Ravens, including the No. 14 overall pick in next month’s NFL draft, one report said.
The 28-year-old Crosby had 10 sacks last season and has reached double digits four times in his seven seasons.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive tackle Jonah Laulu (96) and defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) celebrate during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans in Houston, Texas, on Dec. 21, 2025. (Ashley Landis/AP Photo)
The Raiders last appeared in the playoffs back in 2021 but have gone 7-27 over the past two seasons. They have the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, which is expected to land them Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.
The Ravens, meanwhile, are entering a new era, after firing longtime head coach John Harbaugh and replacing him with former Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter.
Maxx Crosby of the Las Vegas Raiders sniffs smelling salts during an NFL game between the Las Vegas Raiders and Denver Broncos at Empower Field At Mile High on November 20, 2022 in Denver, Colorado. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
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The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Two top City Section baseball teams, El Camino Real and San Fernando, faced off Friday in a pitcher’s duel that went eight innings.
Senior Ray Pelayo of San Fernando kept throwing strikes, keeping El Camino Real off balance for 7⅔ scoreless innings with eight strikeouts and one walk. But then came a balk that scored the winning run in El Camino Real’s 1-0 victory.
Hudson December threw six scoreless innings for El Camino Real and Andrew Katzman struck out three in two scoreless innings.
South Torrance 4, El Segundo 3: In a battle of unbeaten Pioneer League teams, South Torrance (6-0) received a walk-off single from Owen Rhodes in the bottom of the seventh. El Segundo tied it 3-3 in the top of the seventh on a two-out, three-run home run by Chase Mattoon. Issac Orozco struck out nine in five innings and also homered for the Spartans.
Crespi 3, Saugus 2: Justin Kim had two RBIs for the Celts.
Sylmar 7, Legacy 1: Rickee Luevano threw a two-hitter with nine strikeouts.
Sierra Canyon 12, West Ranch 1: Isaias Tirado hit a three-run home run and four pitchers combined to give up five hits.
Mater Dei 15, Rockwall-Heath (Texas) 1: Ezekiel Lara had three hits and five RBIs in Texas. Earlier, the Monarchs gave up seven runs in the third inning of an 8-1 loss to Rockwall-Heath.
St. John Bosco 1, Gahr 0: Star closer Jack Champlin got a strikeout to end the game, finishing two shutout innings of relief. Champlin drove in the game’s only run with an RBI double in the sixth inning. Julian Garcia struck out six with no walks in five innings for St. John Bosco.
San Juan Hills 11, Cypress 0: Garrett Gandolfo threw five scoreless innings with seven strikeouts and Clay Riggs contributed three RBIs for San Juan Hills.
Santa Margarita 1, Damien 0: Warren Gravely IV had the only RBI in the Eagles’ win. Tyler Unter struck out six in five shutout innings.
Garfield 9, Cleveland 7: Omar Martinez had three hits and Victor Alvarez drove in three runs for Garfield. Joshua Pearlstein finished with three hits for Cleveland.
Palos Verdes 8, West Torrance 0: Kai Van Scoyoc struck out nine in five innings and Asher Friedman had a home run and a double for Palos Verdes.
Valencia 12, Chatsworth 0: An eight-run second inning helped lead the Vikings to a five-inning win.
Bishop Amat 13, Gardena Serra 2: Joaquin Ortiz finished with three hits and four RBIs.
Corona Centennial 19, Eastvale Roosevelt 3: Devin Bishop and Emiliano Castaneda each hit home runs for Centennial.
Servite 6, Anaheim Canyon 1: Mickey Cabral went three for four and Cole Grothues struck out three in 2⅓ innings of scoreless relief.
Corona Santiago 5, Crean Lutheran 4: Jonathan Thorton delivered three hits and two RBIs for the Sharks.
Fullerton 1, Chaparral 0: Garrett Wrightman threw four innings of scoreless relief and Caleb Brown had an RBI double in the third inning for Fullerton.
Edison 11, Tesoro 7: Ben Wilson hit a grand slam and finished with five RBIs for Edison.
El Dorado 10, Granada Hills 4: Lorenzo Favela hit a three-run home run to lead El Dorado.
Ayala 7, San Dimas 1: Caleb Trugman struck out nine with zero walks in a complete game.
Loyola 14, Venice 1: Wyatt Clougherty had three hits and Luca Marucci contributed three RBIs for Loyola.
Softball
Norco 5, Torrance 0: Coral Williams struck out 10 in six innings. Leighton Gray and Rae Logue hit home runs.
Garden Grove Pacifica 4, Anaheim Canyon 2: Natalia Amezquita had a two-run single for Pacifica.
Orange Lutheran 7, Perry 1: Mia Scott had four RBIs for the Lancers.
Sherman Oaks Notre Dame 15, Culver City 0: Ellayne Tellez-Perez had three hits and five RBIs.
Sports
Chargers’ Justin Herbert gushes over Madison Beer in heartfelt birthday tribute: ‘Changed my life forever’
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert gushed over 27-year-old singer Madison Beer in a heartfelt birthday tribute on social media, offering fans a rare glimpse into the couple’s relationship.
The two-time Pro Bowl quarterback, who normally shies away from the public eye, posted a series of photos to his Instagram Stories on Thursday.
Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up prior to a game against the Philadelphia Eagles at SoFi Stadium on Dec. 8, 2025 in Inglewood, California. (Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
“Happy birthday to my favorite person of all time,” Herbert wrote in a post that showed the couple on the sidelines of one of his NFL games. “I love you so much. You’ve changed my life forever.”
In another photo appearing to show the couple out to dinner, Herbert wrote, “I am the luckiest guy alive…”
Herbert, who turns 28 later this month, shared another photo of the “Make You Mine” artist petting goats and captioned the photo, “My goats.”
The couple was first linked together in August when they were spotted together on the set of one of Beer’s music videos in Los Angeles. Herbert and Beer were photographed in October on the sidelines of a Chargers game at SoFi Stadium, seemingly confirming the dating rumors.
Quarterback Justin Herbert of the Los Angeles Chargers and singer Madison Beer attend an NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
The same month, Herbert went viral after blocking a rogue basketball from hitting Beer when the two sat courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game.
Herbert signed a five-year, $262.5 million extension with the Chargers in July 2023. Despite proving himself to be one of the elite young quarterbacks in the NFL, Los Angeles’ offensive struggles have seen the team fall short in back-to-back playoff appearances.
Quarterback Justin Herbert (10) of the Los Angeles Chargers blocks a basketball from hitting Madison Beer as they attend a basketball game between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, California, on Oct. 24, 2025. (Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)
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The team’s offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, was fired in January and replaced with former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel, who is regarded as one of the top offensive minds in football.
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