Old Dominion running back Trequan Jones (20) runs by Virginia Tech safety Tyson Flowers (11) for a touchdown during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)

By the time the leaves change colors and begin falling from the trees, teams in Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference are generally afterthoughts in the College Football Playoff conversation.

Their combined record against teams in the

Power 4

Conferences is a primary reason why.

Through games played last weekend, teams in those three conferences are a combined 2-48 against Power 4 competition this year.

The two wins were posted by Ohio and Old Dominion over West Virginia and Virginia Tech, respectively.

Those signature wins were offset by losses to other Power 4 opponents. Ohio was beaten by Rutgers and Ohio State, and Old Dominion lost to Indiana.

For the teams in Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference and Sun Belt Conference, there are other avenues to the CFP, but those routes are all uphill.

Among Group of Five conferences, the path of least resistance to the CFP has been paved for the traditionally more powerful Mountain West and American conferences.

Memphis (5-0), South Florida (3-1) and Tulane (4-1) of the American Conference have jockeyed into position as CFP favorites.

Memphis defeated Arkansas in its lone contest against a Power 4 opponent.

South Florida upset Florida but lost by 37 points to Miami.

Memphis and South Florida will meet on Oct. 25.

Tulane’s early-season resume includes wins over Northwestern and Duke, but on the downside, the Green Wave only beat South Alabama by 2 and lost by five touchdowns at Ole Miss.

UNLV, with a triumph over winless UCLA, is the only undefeated team in the Mountain West Conference at 4-0.

Losing by 27 points to South Florida in the season opener has created an obstacle for Group of Five standard bearer Boise State.

However, in the college football world of second chances, there is no better shot at redemption than to play Notre Dame.

Boise State’s CFP fate could be decided when it takes the field Saturday against the Irish in South Bend and on Oct. 18 at UNLV.

With conference play now in full swing, expect CFP contenders in all conferences to start dropping at the rate of dry leaves.

Rising Tide

It appears that comments dooming No. 10 Alabama’s CFP prospects after a Week 1 loss to Florida State were premature.

The Tide’s 24-21 win at Georgia snapped the Bulldogs’ school-record 33-game home winning streak, which had been the longest active streak in FBS.

Georgia’s last home loss was to South Carolina in double overtime in 2019.

The second-longest active home winning streak (22 games) also ended when Ohio State defeated Washington last Saturday.

With the win over Georgia, Alabama head coach Kalen DeBoer now sports a 16-3 record against Associated Press Top-25 opponents and a 6-1 mark against teams ranked in the Top-10.

Az-take that!

San Diego State’s 6-3 victory over Northern Illinois on a 25-yard field goal as time expired was the Aztecs’ first walk-off in regulation in 31 years. The game-winning kick was the only second-half score.

San Diego State (3-1) matched its 2024 win total by limiting Northern Illinois to 57 yards passing on 16 attempts (3.6 yards per attempt) and forcing seven punts.

Clamping down

After falling behind Colorado 14-0 while allowing 138 yards in the first quarter, BYU (4-0) limited the Buffaloes to one touchdown and 153 yards over the next three quarters in a 24-21 victory.

BYU’s defense held Colorado to 50 yards in the second quarter and 19 in the fourth quarter and secured the win with an interception on the Buffs’ final possession.

Still a contender

Like a savvy boxer who knows how to avoid an opponent’s best punch while landing the knockout blow, Indiana pulled out a 20-15 win at Iowa with a 49-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 to play, took over on downs, and then ran out the final seconds with an intentional safety.

In a game that was tied 10-10 at the half and 13-13 at the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers (5-0) blocked a punt, picked off two passes and held Iowa to one touchdown.

“A lot of good, bad, and ugly,” said Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti. “More bad and ugly, except defense kept them out of the endzone, got a couple of turnovers when we needed to.”

Notable

– Vanderbilt (5-0) has scored 30-plus points in each of its first five games for the first time since 1915.

– For the first time in program history, Iowa State has started 5-0 in back-to-back seasons.

– Spanning two seasons, Pitt has lost six straight ACC games and eight of 10 overall.

– A 23-yard pick-six in the first quarter and 41-yard fumble return in the fourth greatly aided Tennessee’s cause in a 41-34 overtime victory at Mississippi State.

– Virginia’s 46-38 upset of Florida State in double overtime was the program’s first win over a Top-10 opponent at home in 20 years.

– Illinois’ Hank Beatty has passed for a touchdown, caught a touchdown pass, rushed for a TD and scored on a punt return this season. The senior is listed on the roster as a wide receiver.

Quotable

“We’re rallying back in the second half of every game. The message in the room is to ‘start fast’ and we’re not doing that at a high level right now.”

–UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava after the 0-4 Bruins fell behind 17-0 in the second quarter of a 17-14 loss at Northwestern

Jim Caltagirone, a former member of Penn State’s sports information department, comments on the national scene for Gameday. He can be reached at jimclion4ever@gmail.com