Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.

YESTERDAY’S RESULTS:

TODAY’S SCHEDULE:

Betting Information as of time of writing

Virginia Tech Game-Winning Hail Mary Overturned, #7 Miami Survives

#7 Miami won 38-34 after a last second Hail Mary was overturned after video review.

The final play was from Miami’s 30 with 3 seconds left, QB Kyron Drones dropped back and threw it up to the end zone. Originally, it was ruled that WR Da’Quan Felton had come down with it. However, upon review, the referee announced the call was overturned.

The ACC released a statement after the game saying that the pass was ultimately ruled incomplete because the ball was touched by a Miami player while he was out of bounds. People who disagree with the call have pointed out that the Virginia Tech player caught the ball, maintained control while he went to the ground, and did not have it ripped out until after he could already be ruled down with possession. Further, those who disagree with the call also point out that the call on the field was a touchdown, and it’s arguably unclear when Felton lost control of the ball. But ultimately, it’s an incomplete pass and Miami is 4-0.

For as controversial of a call as that was, it’s not controversial to say that was an exciting game. Seriously, all non-Virginia Tech fans should watch the highlights from the game and try let a questionable call at the end take away from what was otherwise college football at it’s best.

Miami’s Cam Ward finished 24-for-38 with 343 yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 57 rushing yards, and a rushing touchdown. RB Damien Martinez had another fairly quiet game, finishing with 60 yards on 14 carries.

10 Miami players caught a pass, with 7 catching multiple passes.

For Virginia Tech, QB Kyron Drones finished with 189 yards on 19-for-33 passing with two passing touchdowns and an interception. He also added 52 yards on 9 rushing attempts. RB Bhayshul Tuten had a strong game, rushing for 141 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries.

#7 Miami (5-0) heads out to Cal next week at 10:30 PM and Virginia Tech (2-3) heads out to Stanford next week at 3:30 PM.

Rutgers Improves to 4-0 Despite Washington Outgaining the Scarlet Knights By 222 Yards

Rutgers is 4-0 for the first time since 2012 after beating Washington 21-18 at home on Friday night.

Washington finished with 521 total yards, good for almost 7.9 yards per play, while Rutgers only finished with 299 total yards for 5.2 yards per play.

But Rutgers was ultimately able to convert enough opportunities, including drives of 15, 10, and 10 plays to score the three touchdowns needed to win. Washington, on the other hand, had drives of 9, 6, 6, 8, and 6 plays all in no points as Rutgers’ defense bent but did not break.

Despite putting up 521 yards, the Huskies were 2-for-12 on 3rd down and 4-for-16 on conversion downs. Kicker Grady Gross also missed three kicks, including a long kick as time expired to try to send the game to overtime.

Washington QB Will Rogers finished 26-for-36 with 306 yards and two touchdowns, while RB Jonah Coleman led all rushers with 148 rushing yards on 16 carries. WR Denzel Boston led all pass catchers with 125 yards and 2 touchdowns on 6 catches.

Rutgers Athan Kaliakmanis did just enough at quarterback, as he finished 14-for-24 with 115 yards and a touchdown. Running back Kyle Monangai finished with 132 rushing yards and a touchdown on 25 carries.

The 4-0 Scarlet Knights next head to Nebraska next weekend, while the 3-2 Washington Huskies host #12 Michigan next week in a National Championship rematch.

Liberty vs. Appalachian State Canceled Due to Hurricane Helene

Hurricane Helene has wreaked havoc throughout the southeast of the U.S., and both Appalachian State and Liberty have decided to cancel the game that was scheduled for today due to the impacts of the weather event.

The game was originally scheduled for 3:30 PM ET today, but per social media announcement and official press release, the game is canceled and will not be rescheduled.

Payton Thorne Named Auburn’s Starter Against Oklahoma

Auburn QB Payton Thorne was named the starter for its home game against #21 Oklahoma this afternoon.

Coach Hugh Freeze benched Thorne earlier in the season after not taking care of the ball well enough, instead turning to Hank Brown. However, Brown also struggled the last two weeks, and now with #21 Oklahoma coming to town, Coach Freeze is going back to the fifth-year quarterback.

On the season, Thorne is 40-for-70 (57.1%) for 700 yards, 7 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 102 rushing yards, and 2 rushing touchdowns on 24 carries.

Brown is 27-for-43 (62.8%) for 403 yards, 6 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions, and 10 rushing yards on 3 carries.

Georgia Star DL Mykel Williams A Gametime Decision Against #4 Alabama

ESPN’s Pete Thamel is reporting that DL Mykel Williams is a gametime decision for #2 Georgia’s matchup against #4 Alabama tonight.

Williams suffered a Grade 2 ankle sprain early in the season and has yet to play, but has steadily been making progress to get back on the field ever since.

Earlier in the week, Coach Kirby Smart shared that Williams was going to be a toss-up the entire way on if he would be healthy enough to go against the Crimson Tide and that solid offensive line they have.

Louisville WR Caullin Lacy A Gametime Decision Against #16 Notre Dame

According to Pat Forde, Louisville WR Caullin Lacy will be a gametime decision for Louisville’s game against #16 Notre Dame today.

Lacy transferred in from South Alabama as one of the top rated transfer portal talents after putting up almost 100 catches for 1,316 receiving yards in 2023, but he broke his collarbone in fall camp.

Louisville Coach Jeff Brohm said earlier in the week that they were trying to get Lacy on the field for this week. If Lacy is good to play, it is unclear how big of a role he will play in the offense in his first game back.

Alabama Coach Kalen DeBoer Shares Thoughts from Film Prep For #2 Georgia

Alabama Coach Kalen DeBoer faces his first big test as the Alabama head coach as the Crimson Tide hosts #2 Georgia at 7:30.

Going on the Pat McAfee Show yesterday, Coach DeBoer shared some of his thoughts on the Bulldogs as he and his staff did film prep this week, as well as what he learned from watching the game against Kentucky.

Georgia looked pretty beatable against Kentucky, but Coach DeBoer pointed out that, “it’s early in the season and so there is – every team is still trying to work out the kinks and you hope you have a really good sense of what your identity is, but sometimes it’s a little different than even what you thought. … The Kentucky game against Georgia, just extremely familiar and you certainly do look at that and you try to take from it but you also know, especially with the bye week here that Georgia is going to continue to evolve, continue to understand what they do well, and find ways that they feel that they can attack us the best.”

Report: UNLV Turned Down Offer from Vegas Casino Execs to Cover $100k Offer QB Matthew Sluka Was Allegedly Promised

The Las Vegas Review-Journal is reporting that this past week, Circa CEO Derek Stevens and VP of Operations Mike Palm decided that the $100,000 price tag for QB Matthew Sluka to stay in Las Vegas was worth it, and reached out to UNLV to let them know of their willingness to make that payment.

UNLV officials confirmed that the call took place, but the relationship between Sluka and UNLV had already soured to the point that they were uninterested in the offer.

Now the Rebels turn to Hajj-Malik Williams to play quarterback when they host Fresno State today.

Auburn AD: Auburn in a Better Place Than He Expected 2 Years Ago

John Cohen took over as Auburn athletic director when the football program was in a state of flux after the firing of Bryan Harsin and the eventual hire of Hugh Freeze.

Cohen recently took some time to share with Paul Finebaum that despite some frustrations from fans, Cohen believes that the Tigers’ football program is in a better spot than he thought they would be after two years:

“One of the things that frustrates me, Paul, is I will hear people talk about all these issues and come up with all these reasons. We’re not where we want to be yet. But we’re big boys and girls, and we recognize we have this huge responsibility. It never comes as fast as we want it to. But I believe in the way we’re recruiting. I believe in what’s going on in our locker room right now. And I think we’re in a better position now, honestly, than I thought we were gonna be in two years ago.”

Washington LB Bryun Parham Opts of 2024 Season, Will Enter Portal

Washington LB Bryun Parham has decided to opt out of the rest of the 2024 season and enter the transfer portal.

Parham has tallied over 100 snaps this season and played in Washington’s first 4 games, including starting the Huskies’ most recent game against Northwestern.

Parham transferred in to Washington after playing for 3 seasons at San Jose State, including earning an All-Mountain West honorable mention after leading the Spartans with 106 tackles.

He was quick to also state that the decision had nothing to do with NIL, and he’s not worried about the money one way or the, “I’m just trying to get developed and showcase my skills so that I can get to the next level. NIL has zero impact on my decision to redshirt this year. This is a football and life decision.”

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (85) CB Kaiden Kimble-Turner commits to Wyoming

2026 3-Star (84) WR Hamisi Juma commits to Arizona

3-Star (83) IOL Arion Williams commits to Washington State