LSU v Vanderbilt
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LSU's Brian Kelly is one of college football's 10 highest-paid coaches, but his performance is once again failing to meet the standards of his paycheck. After Saturday's 31-24 loss at No. 17 Vanderbilt, LSU's season has officially taken the same, frustrating shape as Kelly's first three on the job.

With games against No. 4 Texas A&M and at No. 6 Alabama up next, the No. 10 Tigers (5-2, 2-2 SEC) are likely just one loss away from seeing their College Football Playoff hopes extinguished yet again. After regular seasons of 9-3, 9-3 and 8-4 to begin his tenure, Kelly is careening toward that same territory in Year 4.

A 3-0 record in bowl games disguises Kelly's mediocrity a bit, but there's no sugar-coating it now: Kelly was better at Notre Dame than he's been at LSU. In his last four regular seasons with the Fighting Irish, Kelly went 11-1, 10-0, 10-2 and 12-0.

Life in the SEC was never supposed to be easy for Kelly. But moving to a school where his three most recent predecessors had all won national championships presented Kelly with a slam-dunk opportunity to do the same. If Les Miles and Ed Orgeron could win it all with LSU, then surely Kelly -- a proven winner at multiple stops who repeatedly took Notre Dame to the doorstep of glory -- could win a title with the Tigers.

Not only has Kelly failed to win a title, he's failed to get particularly close, even with rosters stocked full of talent. A loss at Vanderbilt isn't as embarrassing as it used to be. In fact, the Tigers were underdogs. But it's the latest piece of evidence to suggest that the Kelly-LSU pairing has failed to accomplish what it was designed to accomplish

Loser: LSU's defense struggles 

LSU's offense took a ton of heat -- and understandably so -- during the season's first half. Against Vanderbilt, the defense was a bigger issue. The Commodores did not punt for the game's first 51 minutes and scored touchdowns on four of their first six possessions. The Tigers also surrendered a field goal just before halftime after playing some shoddy defense in the final minute of the second quarter. The Commodores dominated time of possession by 13 minutes and converted on 8 of 15 third or fourth down attempts as quarterback Diego Pavia wreaked havoc with his arm and legs.

LSU's defense has certainly improved under second-year coordinator Blake Baker, but it's not the dominant force it appeared to be early this season. As it turns out, holding preseason top-15 teams Clemson and Florida to 10 points apiece wasn't quite the accomplishment that it initially appeared to be. Prior to Saturday, the Tigers had only faced one genuinely good offense. It was Ole Miss on Sept. 27, and the the Rebels amassed 480 yards and 28 first downs while handing LSU its first loss.

Loser: Texas regresses offensively

No. 21 Texas survived for a 16-13 overtime victory at Kentucky, but there should be plenty of concern for the Longhorns entering Week 9. After a solid — albeit unspectacular — outing in last week's rivalry win over Oklahoma, Arch Manning dealt with some unpleasant regression. The redshirt sophomore completed just 12 of 27 passes for 132 yards. At one point, he misfired on 8 of 9 passes as the Longhorns sputtered and allowed the Wildcats to hang around. Texas finished with just 179 total yards.

Winner: Jeremiyah Love has a breakout

No. 13 Notre Dame's long march back to the College Football Playoff picture continued with a fifth straight victory, as the Fighting Irish stiffened late for a 34-24 win over No. 20 USC. The hero was Jeremiyah Love, who rushed for a career-high 228 yards on 24 carries. The Fighting Irish's junior star started things off with a 63-yard gain on his first carry and had five more runs of 15+ yards.

Winner: Zabien Brown's play of the year candidate

Zabien Brown produced one of the single-most influential defensive plays you'll ever see in a game when he singlehandedly caused a potential 14-point swing on the final play of the first half in No. 6 Alabama's 37-20 win over No. 11 Tennessee. The Volunteers trailed 16-7 and were on Alabama's 1-yard line with just nine seconds remaining in the second quarter. Without a timeout, Tennessee opted to throw the football. Brown sniffed it out, intercepted Joey Aguilar and ran it back 99 yards for a touchdown. It extended Bama's lead to 23-7, and the Vols never recovered.

Winner: Gunner Stockton has a moment

Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton will be surging in the CBS Sports quarterback power rankings next week after the best performance of his career in the No. 9 Bulldogs' 43-35 win over No. 5 Ole Miss. Stockton totaled 348 yards and five touchdowns -- four as a passer and one as a runner -- while guiding the Bulldogs on eight straight scoring drives. The only possession on which Georgia didn't score? When Stockton was taking a knee to ice the victory.

Loser: Shane Beamer gets testy

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer got a bit snippy in response to a question about whether he'll make a change with his offense after the Gamecocks fell 26-7 to No. 14 Oklahoma. It marked the third time that South Carolina (3-4, 1-4 SEC) has been held to 10 points or fewer this season. 

"I made a change last week, Jack," Beamer said in response to the inquiring reporter.

The change Beamer was likely alluding to was the firing of offensive line coach Lonnie Teasley. But based on the "fire Mike Shula" chant that was circulating through Williams-Brice Stadium on Saturday, Gamecocks fans are more interested in seeing Beamer axe the program's offensive coordinator. Shula was promoted from a support staff role to replace Dowell Loggains, who left to become the head coach at Appalachian State. So far, the results have been sorely lacking. The Gamecocks surrendered six sacks against OU and converted just 3 of 15 third downs while finishing with 224 total yards.

Winner: Arizona State avoids collapse

Raleek Brown's 1-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left lifted Arizona State to a 26-22 victory over No. 7 Texas Tech and kept the Sun Devils alive in the Big 12 title race. ASU led 19-7 midway through the fourth quarter as the Red Raiders struggled through a Big 12 showdown without the services of injured starting quarterback Behren Morton. But with its back against the wall and its unbeaten record on the line, Tech made a stunning late rally to take a 22-19 lead.

It appeared once again that the Sun Devils may end up on the wrong side of a crazy finish, much like in Week 2 at Mississippi State. It also seemed that Texas Tech might remain among the dwindling ranks of unbeaten teams. But that's when star ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt led a 75-yard touchdown drive -- capped by Brown -- that may have changed the entire tenor of the Sun Devils' season.

Winner: Michigan isn't dead yet

Michigan's surprisingly inept showing in a 31-13 loss at USC last week put the Wolverines in an uncomfortable spot heading into this week's clash with a quality Washington squad. Had Michigan suffered a second straight loss, Google searches for "Sherrone Moore buyout" would have gone through the roof. 

But after a dominant 24-7 win, the Wolverines (5-2, 3-1 Big Ten) are back in decent shape. The Wolverines' defense picked off Washington quarterback Demond Williams three times, and the offense dominated time of possession and was effective both in the passing and running games. Star freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood completed 21 of 27 passes, and running back Jordan Marshall surpassed 100 yards on the ground for the first time this season. Michigan is far from a finished product, but the Wolverines are likely to be favored in their next four games -- all against unranked opponents -- before the all-important season-ending rivalry showdown with No. 1 Ohio State. 

Loser: Duke crumbles under its own weight

Duke reached Georgia Tech territory seven times but produced just 18 points in a 27-18 loss to the No. 12 Yellow Jackets. Both teams entered the game unbeaten in conference play, and the Blue Devils had every opportunity to establish themselves in pole position to reach the ACC Championship Game. But they couldn't get out of their own way. The miscues were too numerous to list here, but this one was the most costly. While on the verge of taking a 7-0 lead, Duke quarterback Darian Mensah fumbled. Georgia Tech's Omar Daniels scooped it up and ran it back 95 yards for a 14-point swing.

Winner: Boise State issues a reminder

UNLV was the Mountain West's best story during the season's first half, but the league still runs through Boise State. That was the message the Broncos sent in a 56-31 victory over the Rebels. San Diego State could still have something to say in the league race and will get a crack at the league's reigning champs on Nov. 15. But the Broncos must be regarded as the favorite for now after putting up 558 yards on the Rebels. Losses at South Florida and at Notre Dame dropped coach Spencer Danielson's club out of national relevance. But if the Broncos run the table and win the MWC, which looks quite plausible, they'll have a shot at returning to the College Football Playoff for a second consecutive season.

Winner: Willie Fritz is getting results

More schools should start looking in the 60-plus age bracket for their new head coaches, because Indiana's Curt Cignetti isn't the only elder in the profession who is thriving in a rebuild. Second-year Houston coach Willie Fritz has the Cougars sitting at 6-1 (3-1 Big 12) after a dramatic 31-28 win over Arizona. Ethan Sanchez drilled a 41-yard field goal as time expired to cap 13-play game-closing drive for Houston. Texas A&M transfer Conner Weigman had himself a day, throwing for three touchdowns and running for another as the Cougars reached bowl eligibility following back-to-back 4-8 seasons.

Loser: Mississippi State chokes its chance

Mississippi State was trailing just 23-21 and had reached Florida's 29-yard line with under a minute remaining when disaster struck. Instead of running the ball to position kicker Kyle Ferrie for a game-winning field goal try, the Bulldogs put the football in the air. Defensive lineman Michai Boireau dropped into coverage on a first down play and picked off Blake Shapen to deprive the Bulldogs of their first SEC victory in nearly two years. The Bulldogs were already in Ferrie's range -- he made a 55-yard attempt earlier this season -- and the decision to keep airing it out backfired in a painful way.

Loser: UMass misery continues

Up until Saturday, UMass hadn't been remotely competitive in a game against an FBS opponent. As one of only two winless teams remaining, the Minutemen had a stranglehold on spot No. 136 in the CBS Sports 136. But for a time in the second half against Buffalo, it seemed like it might be their day. UMass took a 21-20 lead on the visiting Bulls into the fourth quarter, only to have its aspirations of a victory dashed in the final minute. Buffalo surged ahead with 19 seconds left on a 19-yard touchdown pass to leave UMass winless for another week.

Winner: UCF wins retread bowl

Entering Saturday's showdown between West Virginia's Rich Rodriguez and UCF's Scott Frost, the Big 12's pair of retread hires were a combined 0-6 in league play. Something had to give. It wound up being the West Virginia offense in a 45-13 UCF romp. The Mountaineers (2-5, 0-4 Big 12) started their fourth quarterback of the season and averaged a paltry 2.7 yards per play. While Scotty Fox Jr. got the first crack at playing QB, fellow freshman Khalil Wilkins also got plenty of run. The two combined to complete 11 of 27 passes for 79 yards. For UCF (4-3, 1-3), it felt like the glory days, as the offense produced 578 yards in Frost's first Big 12 victory.

Loser: Wisconsin's futility hits new low

Wisconsin's futility hit a stunning new low on Saturday, as it was shut out in consecutive games for the first time since 1977. The Badgers were pitifully non-competitive in a 34-0 loss to No. 1 Ohio State just one week after falling 37-0 to Iowa. Now 2-5 (0-4 Big Ten), Wisconsin still must play top-10 opponents Oregon and Indiana on the road. The "easier" games left on the slate are against 5-2 Washington, 5-2 Illinois and 5-2 Minnesota. A 2-10 season looks quite possible for the Badgers.

Loser: Memphis chokes against UAB

No. 22 Memphis and No. 19 South Florida entered Week 8 as the only Group of Six teams in the AP Top 25, and they only needed to get through lower-tier American Conference opponents to set up a huge showdown with each other next week.

Memphis failed to hold up its end of the bargain, as the Tigers suffered a stunning 31-24 loss against a UAB team that just fired its coach. Playing under interim leader Alex Mortensen and with backup quarterback Ryder Burton getting the start in place of the injured Jalen Kitna, UAB knocked off a ranked opponent for the first time since beating No. 13 BYU in the 2021 Independence Bowl. The Tigers were also forced to play backup QB AJ Hill after Brendon Lewis went down with an injury in the third quarter. Hill led Memphis to the goal-line with 1:03 remaining before a pair of false starts sabotaged the Tigers' hopes of tying the game.