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Many of his coaching rivals were not so fortunate.

UCLA fired DeShaun Foster Sunday and Brent Fry got the short haircut at Virginia Tech. Both of those once-proud programs started 0-3 this season.

Elsewhere the consequences of failure were bad, but not so dire. Consider the case of former Mizzou offensive coordinator Josh Heupel, who had a huge victory over Georgia within reach.

The Vols had the ball on the Geogia 20-yard line with seven seconds left in regulation time. The game was tied 38-38. Heupel opted to run one more play, to move the ball to the middle of the field.

But Tennessee suffered a false start penalty. Doh! That blunder moved the ball back to the 25 and, of course, Max Gilbert pushed the potential winning kick wide from 43 yards.

Gilbert kicked a field goal in overtime, but the exhausted Vols defense put up little resistance as No. 6 Georgia marched to the winning touchdown.

That was the ninth straight Bulldogs victory over the Vols. No. 15 Tennessee missed a golden opportunity to snap that losing streak and add a huge credential for College Football Playoff consideration.

No. 11 South Carolina was geared up for a breakthrough season, but the Gamecocks got rolled 31-7 by upstart Vanderbilt at home Saturday. A high hit knocked quarterback LaNorris Sellers was knocked out of the game, although he could be OK for South Carolina’s looming game at Missouri.

Replacement quarterback Luke Doty threw an interception and lost a fumble during the disastrous Gamecocks loss to the Commodores.

“They came in here and obviously played really, really well,� South Carolina coach Shane Beamer said. “We did not. It starts with me. Not good enough. You lose the turnover battle like we did tonight, when you turn the ball over four times in this league, you're going to get your butts kicked, and that's what happened tonight.�

No. 8 Notre Dame faded back into the pack of the CFP race with its come-from-ahead 41-40 loss to No. 16 Texas A&M in an absolutely insane game in South Bend.

This was a massive victory for the Aggies, who earned their first road victory over a Top 10 team since 2014. This was another huge ‘W’ for the Southeastern Conference, which seemed destined to place several teams in the CFP bracket.

This is a terrible loss for the Fighting Irish, who are 0-2 with zero games against ranked teams left on their soft schedule.

“The future is uncertain,� Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman said. “I don't know what's the playoff number. It doesn't matter. We need to focus on getting better and getting ready for next week.�

No. 12 Clemson also suffered its second loss, 24-21 at Geogia Tech. Remember when the Tigers were considered a threat to win the national title this season?

That was just a few weeks ago. Now Clemson faces an uphill battle just to reach the bracket.

Aidan Birr did in the Tigers with a 55-yard field goal as time expired, triggering a wild Georgia Tech celebration on the field.

“I know the world we live in, I know the world we created at Clemson with high expectations and excellence. I don't have my head in the sand there, I know there will be a ton of negativity,� Clemson coach Dabo Swinney said. “But we can't do anything about that.�

Actually you can do something about it: win the games you’re supposed to win.

With South Carolina, Notre Dame and Clemson all suffering painful defeats Saturday, the CFP path for Illinois and Missouri became clearer -– If the Illini and Tigers can keep winning.

MYSTERIES OF THE UNIVERSE

Questions to ponder while wondering what Missouri must do to get the “Game Day� crew to come to Boone County:

• Has Arch Manning become special, but not in a good way?
• Can UCLA get a full refund on its Nico Iamaleava purchase?
• Will the raucous Diego Pavia party last all season for Vanderbilt?

THE GRIDIRON CHRONICLES

Here is what folks have been writing about college football:

Patrick Stevens, Washington Post: “Neither of this season’s losses — 27-24 to open at Miami or Saturday night’s 41-40 defeat against No. 16 Texas A&M — is crushing on its own. But there are only so many quality victories for the Irish (0-2) to claim the rest of the way. Maybe Arkansas turns out to be a top-25 team? Ditto North Carolina State and Southern California. Boise State and Navy might offer some value. It’s also entirely possible Notre Dame has already let its best chances to impress the playoff committee slip away. A 10-2 Notre Dame team could slip into the postseason bracket if it gets enough help elsewhere. But it’s hard to envision how the Irish could pull it off at 9-3. Yet again, Notre Dame has 10 weeks of a playoff before it can actually get to the playoff.�

Paul Myerberg, USA Today: “This is rock bottom for No. 11 Clemson. Only for now, though. Saturday’s 24-21 loss to Georgia Tech drops the Tigers down another level. On the heels of the 17-10 loss to No. 4 LSU and last weekend’s sloppy 27-16 win against Troy, losing to the Yellow Jackets doesn’t paint the Tigers as just another disappointing team. This is the most disappointing college football team in the Bowl Subdivision, ahead of other contenders for the distinction in Kansas State, UCLA and more . . . As a team, Clemson is pedestrian.  Two losses in three weeks might not end the Tigers’ playoff hopes, but the odds this team gets back on track and runs the table from here seems extremely unlikely. What evidence is there from LSU, Troy and Tech to give you confidence that there’s a turnaround in the cards?�

David Hale, : “Georgia ran for 198 yards and three touchdowns, punishing Tennessee's defensive front throughout. Gunner Stockton threw for 304 yards and two touchdowns, including a score-tying dagger with 2:32 remaining to London Humphreys, the latest UGA player to be named after a member of an uppity fraternity hell-bent on getting the guys from Kegger House kicked off campus in an '80s comedy. The performance had the feel of a coming-of-age moment for Stockton. After waiting his turn behind Carson Beck, Stockton was given the reins of the offense in last year's playoff loss to Notre Dame, and he had done little to convince fans he was the right man for the job in Georgia's first two games of 2025. Saturday was different. Following a sluggish first quarter, Stockton made one big throw after another with a nearly flawless second half before celebrating the win by, we assume, driving his F-150 out to his high school sweetheart's house, holding a stereo over his head, and blaring Bon Jovi's ‘Slippery When Wet’ album.”

MEGAPHONE

“We can run the ball. Did you see the last play of the game? That's all you need. You just need one. These are ridiculous questions and I'm getting tired of it. That football team just worked their tail off to get an SEC win. And you want to know what's wrong? You're spoiled . . . This is ridiculous for a group of seasoned reporters. That kind of question is so out of line.�

Grumpy LSU coach Brian Kelly snapping at reporters after his team outlasted Florida 20-10 in a messy game Saturday night.