There are winners and there are losers. That’s life, and that’s college football. Week 5 provided lots of winners. It also provided plenty of, let’s say, not winners.
From the SEC to the Big Ten and beyond, we break down the best of the best and the worst of the worst from the weekend that was.
Here’s a look at our standout winners and losers from Week 5.
Winner: Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith broke or tied 3 Ohio State records during Saturday’s win over Iowa at Kinnick Stadium.
Smith is now the Buckeyes’ all-time receiving touchdowns leader with 36, passing Chris Olave. He also passed Emeka Egbuka for the career receptions title with his 207th catch against the Hawkeyes. For the evening, Smith totaled 11 receptions for 206 yards and a pair of touchdowns. For the season, the Ohio State wide receiver is up to 33 receptions for 617 yards (leads the country) and 7 touchdowns (leads the country).
Is that good? It seems good. The Ohio State star has lived up to the hype and then some to start the 2026 season.
Prediction Markets Who are the favorites to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy? Learn more about Prediction Markets Kalshi Jeremiah Smith 46% Darian Mensah 11% Keelon Russell 10% Trinidad Chambliss 9% CJ Carr 9% Gunner Stockton 4% Kamario Taylor 2% PredictLoser: Shane Beamer
The end of the Shane Beamer era feels near. Beamer’s South Carolina Gamecocks suffered perhaps the most frustrating loss of the weekend, blowing a 17-point lead to No. 24 Kentucky just a few weeks after choking away a 16-0 lead vs. Mississippi State.
According to CBS Sports’ Brad Crawford, Beamer’s Gamecocks have now lost 7 games after leading by 10+ points, and 3 of those losses came across the past 4 SEC matchups. Beamer is 29-33 against FBS programs and 16-27 against the rest of the SEC, including the 0-3 start to this season. Finally, Beamer’s Gamecocks are 1-11 against the SEC since the start of 2025.
South Carolina never looked like a team that could compete for the CFP this season, and now the Gamecocks are officially out of the race in the first week of October.
Winner: Keelon Russell
Apart from Jeremiah Smith, Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell posted the performance of the weekend in college football during the Crimson Tide’s 56-23 clobbering of No. 16 Mississippi State. Russell accounted for over 300 yards of total offense with 4 touchdowns and 0 turnovers.
Russell’s numbers across the past 3 games are downright goofy: 60-of-79 passing for 970 yards, 10 touchdowns and 0 interceptions alongside 16 carries for 106 yards and 3 touchdowns. Russell is 5-0 in 2026 and has led 5-straight performances of 45+ points or more from the Crimson Tide offense. Russell’s Heisman Odds have skyrocketed as a result, and he sits behind only Jeremiah Smith per most sportsbooks.
The Crimson Tide QB has already proven he’s among the best quarterbacks in the SEC, but he’s yet to face a truly elite defense. That will change next weekend when the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs come to town.
Loser: Mason Heintschel
Pitt is 5-0 on the season after downing Virginia Tech in semi-controversial fashion on Friday night. You won’t see too many Panther fans celebrating, though.
Star Pitt quarterback Mason Heintschel, who was top 5 in the nation in passing touchdowns entering Week 5, tore his ACL against the Hokies while scrambling out of bounds. Unfortunately, the Pitt QB will miss the remainder of the season. Thus, he makes the list as a “loser,” though it’s college football fans who are the real losers because we won’t get to see him on the field again this year.
That’s a rough blow for Pitt, which still has yet to play its 2 toughest opponents this season. The Panthers are slated to travel to Miami in Week 8, then they’ll have to travel to Louisville in Week 12. With Heintschel out for the season, former Auburn QB Holden Geriner is expected to hold down the fort.
Keep in mind, the Panthers are still in the running for the ACC title. While Heintschel was great, he played his best games against the weakest opponents Pitt has faced so far this season. For now, it’s just one game at a time. Can Geriner lead the Panthers to a win over North Carolina next weekend?
Winner: Mizzou
Who expected Mizzou to absolutely curb stomp the No. 8 Florida Gators after their blowout win over Ole Miss last week? It’s one thing to beat a good opponent — it’s another thing entirely to beat them as soundly as Eli Drinkwitz‘s squad did Saturday evening.
Mizzou’s game plan for this one was flawless: Limit Jadan Baugh and force Aaron Philo to beat you through the air with Vernell Brown III banged up. Considering how this one turned out — 45-17 in favor of the Tigers — it seems like “limit Jadan Baugh” wasn’t something Jon Sumrall and OC Buster Faulkner considered to be possible.
Right there with you, guys.
While Drinkwitz and DC Corey Batoon’s game plan was excellent, you also have to tip your hat to quarterback Austin Simmons. The Ole Miss transfer played his best game as a Tiger, fileting the Gators defense for 340 yards and 2 touchdowns on 23-of-30 passing. Simmons is the only starting quarterback in the SEC that has not thrown an interception this season. His line so far? It’s 1,287 pass yards, 13 passing touchdowns and 0 INTs.
Mizzou will be back in action next week against Texas A&M before traveling to Oxford to take on Ole Miss in Week 7.
Loser: UMass
Oh no, UMass. It started so well!
The Minutemen finally came back down to Earth on Saturday following a surprisingly stout start to the 2026 season. After stunning Rutgers in Week 1 and cruising to a 4-0 start, UMass fell to Eastern Michigan at home in a game that was never close, 38-14. What’s worse? The Minutemen did it in front of a sold-out crowd, the program’s first sellout since 2014.
The dream of 0-12 to 12-0 is officially dead.
That said, UMass still has a lot going for itself this season. The Minutemen are just 2 wins away from securing their first bowl berth in program history.
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