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The Labor Day football weekend began on Thursday, but Saturday morning drew all the attention for the final performance by Lee Corso on the ESPN GameDay set.
His last headgear pick was the same as his first in 1996 - Brutus Buckeye - and both occurred in Columbus, Ohio.
The No. 2 team didn't disappoint Corso as the Buckeyes then went out and knocked off No. 1 Texas 14-7.
Corso was also the only one on the panel to pick his former team, Florida State, to upset No. 8 Alabama. The unranked 'Noles answered the call by dominating the Crimson Tide in a 31-17 win Tallahassee.
In fact, every team whom Corso either served as an assistant coach or head coach chalked-up wins for the 90-year-old who became a broadcasting legend after retiring from coaching. Corso was a head coach at Louisville, Indiana and Northern Illinois after serving stints as an assistant at FSU, Maryland and Navy.
FanDuel.com college football odds favorites only lost five of the FBS vs. FBS games on the moneyline.
Upsets began from the get-go with No. 25 Boise State getting annihilated at South Florida 34-7 on Thursday in Tampa, and continued on Friday with Army West Point falling 30-27 at home in double-overtime to FCS Tarleton State. The victory for the Texans was one of two by the FCS over the FBS with Austin Peay traveling just 84 miles to Middle Tennessee State to pull off the 34-14 win.
However, upsets were not a staple of the weekend - just consult the Congrove Computer Rankings at CollegeFootballPoll.com which projected 10 of them and won zero on the moneyline while going 1-9 against the spread.
Who is the new Heimsan favorite? As of Monday night, that would be LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier with Texas QB Arch Manning dropping to 5th. Texas also went from having the best National Championship odds to having the fourth-best, behind a thtree-way tie for Georgia, Ohio State and Penn State.
Ohio State held preseason Heisman favorite quarterback Arch Manning and his offense off the board until there was just 3:28 to go in the game. That score didn't come until after the Buckeyes had increased their lead to 14-0 on a 40-yard TD pass to Carnell Tate from Julian Sayin with 13:08 to go in the game.
Texas twice came up empty in the red zone, including a stop at the 1-yard line with 6:40 to go in the 3rd when the Longhorns trailed 7-0. The next came with 7:56 to go in the game on an incomplete 4th-and pass attempt to Parker Livingstone.
Ohio State lost in total yards, 336-215, and first downs, 16-11, and still won the game.
Manning finished 17-of-30 for 170 yards with a TD and an INT. He added 38 yards on the ground. Arch is the grandson of Archie Manning by way of oldest child, Cooper, making him the nephew of Peyton and Eli.
Sayin' threw for just 126 yards on a 13-of-20 performance for 126 yards and a touchdown and no picks.
Following Ohio State's win, Florida State gave up 7 to 'Bama and then reeled off 24 unanswered to tally the weekend's biggest upset in Tally.
The Tide fought back to within 24-17 with 11 minutes to go in the game, but the 'Noles responded with a 10-play, 75-yard drive behind Boston College transfer QB Thomas Castellanos and scored the final points with 7:17 still to play on a Gavin Sawchuk 14-yard run.
Ty Simpson and Alabama then turned the ball over on downs after 8 plays at its own 42 and Florida State ran out the clock for the win and a storming of the field by virtually everyone in attendance.
It was a huge celebration that was fitting after a 2024 season disaster when the proud program laid a 2-10 dud that came on the heels of being omitted from the 2023 playoffs, despite an unbeaten record. The downturn began with Florida State getting pounded 63-3 by Georgia in the Orange Bowl as more than 30 players either opted-out, entered the portal or nursed injuries. The list included more than a dozen starters.
The offseason saw a overhaul that paid off on Saturday.
Meanwhile, 'Bama fell to 9-5 in the Kalen DeBoer era and the seat is getting awfully hot in Tuscaloosa where the worst nightmare of 'Bama fans is becoming reality in the wake of Nick Saban's retirement. We're not saying DeBoer won't right the ship, and it hasn't gone down yet - but it's severely listing.
On Saturday night, No. 6 Clemson took a 10-3 lead to the locker room at halftime, but was held scoreless in the second half of a 17-10 loss at home to No. 9 LSU.
On Sunday night, No. 10 Miami prevailed at home over No. 5 Notre Dame behind Georgia transfer QB Carson Beck. CJ Carr was the starter for Notre Dame and both played exceptionally well. Beck led the Hurricanes to a 24-10 lead with 9:42 to go in the 4th, but Carr rallied the Irish to a 24-all tie with 3:21 to play. Beck then led Miami on a 46-yard, 9-play drive that ended with Carter Davis kicking a 47-yard field goal with 1:07 on the clock and Notre Dame couldn't respond.
The SEC dominated the two Aflac kick-off games in Atlanta with No. 18 Tennessee whipping unranked Syracuse 45-26 on Saturday, and No. 13 South Carolina pulling away in the 4th quarter for a 24-11 win on Sunday afternoon over Virginia Tech.
"Beamerball" broke out early in the 4th quarter of the Sunday game as Shane Beamer's Gamecocks got an 80-yard punt return from Vicari Swain to make it 17-8 with 13;36 to play. "Beamerball" was coined at Virginia Tech under his Hall of Fame coach father, Frank, who led the Hokies from 1987 to 2015. Simply put, it means using special teams to score, and to block extra points, field goals and punts.
The final game took place on Monday night with TCU at North Carolina for the debut of NFL legend Bill Belichick as head coach of the Tar Heels. It started off fabulously for UNC with a 3-and-out for the TCU, followed by an 83-yard drive in just 7 plays for a 7-0 lead. After that, it was all Horned Frogs as they reeled off 41 unanswered points that included two defensive scores with a 25-yard pick-six to make it 17-7 with 3:57 to go in the first half, and a 37-yard scoop-and-score after a sack/fumble on sophomore QB Gio Lopez to increase the lead to 41-7 with 6:56 still to play in the 3rd. Lopez, a South Alabama transfer, was injured (back) on the play and replaced by senior Max Johnson, a 2024 transfer from Texas A&M. Lopez was 4-of-10 for 69 yards with the INT, the fumble and no TD's. But the play-calling after the opening drive was strangely conservative.
Johnson immediately led the Heels on an 80-yard touchdown drive with 7 passing plays - just three less than were called for Lopez in 2-1/2 quarters. A Johnson 2-yard pass to his brother, Jake, capped the march and made it 41-14 with 29 seconds left in the 3rd. But Max would also get in on the turnover act when he and running back Davion Gause failed to execute a clean handoff at the UNC 24. TCU went 76 yards on the ensuing drive to make it 48-14 with 9:21 to go in the game, which proved to be the final score.
Meanwhile, Josh Hoover was lighting it up for TCU. In his 24th start as a Horned Frog, Hoover was 27-of-36 for 284 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 INT. And the running game was paced by Kevorian Barnes who accumulated 113 yards on just 11 carries, with 75 of those yards coming on the first play of the second half that widened the lead to 27-7.
Over-all, TCU out-gained the Heels by 320 yards, 542 to 222.
The long Labor Day weekend action had 91 games involving FBS squads with Stanford as the only holdout.
The weekend saw the two newest programs in the FBS, Delaware and Missouri State, face vastly different levels of opponents and emerge with predictably opposite results. The Blue Hens were 35-17 winners at home over rival Delaware State of the FCS, while USC rudely welcomed the Bears to college football's 'upper' division with a 73-13 mauling.
In all, 47 of the 91 games had FBS-FCS matchups with the other 45 going chalk on the moneyline.
Aside from Texas, Clemson, Alabama, Boise State and Notre Dame, the 20 other teams in the preseason Coaches' Poll were all victorious.
Kent State ended a 21-game losing streak with a 21-17 win at home over FCS member Merrimack, thanks to a 100-yard kickoff return with 5:28 to play in the game. The return man has one of the greatest names in the game, Da'Realyst Clark, though in that moment he was truly a Golden Flash. The victory also ended a 9-game home losing streak.
One of the notable games this coming week sends Michigan to Oklahoma at 7:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday on ABC for just their second meeting in history after the Soonersdowned Big Blue 14-6 in the January 1, 1976 Orange Bowl to win the National Title from pollsters.
The Cy-Hawk rivalry will be renewed in Ames at Noon eastern time on FOX. The Hawkeyes lead the series, 47-24. The Cyclones have two of the last three, but both of those came at Iowa City. Iowa State hasn't won this game in Ames since 2011 with 6 failed chances. In fact, Iowa State is just 8-22 at home in the history of this rivalry.
Baylor and SMU will meet for the first time since 2016 with this game in Dallas at Noon eastern time on the CW. The Bears are 39-36-7 in the series and winners of 13 straight over SMU.
Kansas and Missouri will kick off at 3:30 on ESPN-2 for the first meeting of those teams since 2011 when the Tigers left for the SEC. Missouri has a 56-55-9 edge in the series and was 26-18-3 at home when it was paused. The Tigers had also won 3 straight overall and six of the last seven.
Elsewhere, Virginia goes to NC State (61st meeting) for a non-conference clash of those ACC teams, while Oklahoma State travels to Oregon (2nd meetings), and Ole Miss goes to Kentucky (47th meeting). Also, South Florida visits Florida after upsetting Boise State as the Bulls will try to defeat the Gators for the first time in their fourth meeting.
OHIO - Had won 7 straight over-all, but lost 34-31 at Rutgers on Thursday in debut of new head coach Brian Smith.
MARSHALL - Had won 7 straight over-all, but lost 45-7 at Georgia on Saturday in debut of new head coach Tony Gibson.
TEXAS - Had won 11 straight true road games (at opposition venue), but lost 14-7 at Ohio State on Saturday.
KENT STATE - Had lost 21 straight over-all, and 9 straight at home, but won 21-17 over FCS member Merrimack on Saturday.
TEMPLE - Had lost 20 straight true road games, but won 42-10 at UMass in debut of new head coach KC Wheeler, formerly of Sam Houston.
AIR FORCE, FLORIDA, ILLINOIS, MEMPHIS, OHIO STATE - Won 5 straight over-all.
This week, the Falcons are idle, the Gators host USF, the Illini visit Duke, the Tigers visit Georgia State, and the Buckeyes host FCS Grambling.
OREGON - Won 19 straight regular season games. Won 7 straight true road games.
Last: 59-13 home win over FCS Montana State on Saturday.
Next: Hosts Oklahoma State this Saturday.
GEORGIA - Won 32 straight home games.
Last: 45-7 home win over Marshall on Saturday.
Next: Hosts FCS member Austin Peay this Saturday
BOISE STATE - Won 12 straight conference games. (Tied with Army)
Last: 34-7 loss at USF on Saturday.
Next: Host FCS Eastern Washington this Friday.
SOUTHERN MISS - Lost 11 straight over-all. Lost 6 straight at home.
Last: 34-17 home loss to Mississippi State on Saturday.
Next: Hosts FCS Jackson State this Saturday.
KENT STATE - Lost 23 straight to FBS teams. Lost 16 straight conference games. Lost 14 straight road games (2nd-longest).
Last: 21-17 home win over FCS Merrimack on Saturday.
Next: at Texas Tech this Saturday.
This year, 126 of the 136 FBS teams play one game against a FCS school. 47 of those matchups took place this week, and 1 last week, with FCS programs going 2-46. Since we began tracking this in 2003, FBS schools are now a cumulative 1,961-160 (.925) vs. FCS teams.
The winners were Tarleton State and Austin Peay as the Texans were 30-27 double-overtime victors at Army, and the Governors were 34-14 winners at Middle Tennessee. State.
In 2024, there were 121 matchups scheduled between FBS and FCS schools with 119 playing one such game, while Hawaii and UMass each played two. FBS schools were 115-6 vs. FCS last season.
2025 FCS wins vs. FBS:
August 29: Tarleton 30, Army West Point 27 (2 OT)
August 30: Austin Peay 34, MTSU 14
Tarleton State, ranked 8th in the FCS, scored a 30-27 upset in double-overtime at Army West Point on Friday night. Austin Peay followed with another FCS win over a FBS program when the Governors went to Middle Tennessee and registered a 34-14 upset on Saturday.
A few of the 47 FBS-FCS games fell in the 'close-but-no-cigar' category.
North Dakota fell 38-35 at Kansas State on Joe Jackson's 6-yard catch from Avery Johnson with just 42 seconds left in the game.
Idaho lost 13-10 at Washington State on a walk-off field goal to give Jimmy Rodgers a debut victory as head coach of the Cougars. Rodgers resigned from South Dakota State to fill the opening at the FBS level.
Holy Cross fell 19-17 at Northern Illinois in a game that included a 97-yard kick-off return for a touchdown by the Crusaders with just over 4 minutes left to be played in the contest.
In games involving highly-ranked FCS programs (Coaches' Poll):
- UC Davis scored 24 unanswered points in a 13:47 stretch of the second half to rally from a 24-7 deficit to a 31-24 win at Utah Tech in St. George. The Aggies had their week zero game called a "no contest" in Montgomery, Alabama after lightning and thunderstorms hit the area midway through the 4th quarter and refused to leave. UC Davis was up 23-17 on Mercer when the game was called with no winner. The Aggies were No. 7 in the preseason coaches' poll.
- No. 11 Mercer was a shocking 15-10 loser at home to Presbyterian as the Blue Hose capped an 80-yard drive with a Zach Switzer 16-yard touchdown run with just 56 ticks left on the clock. The Bears beat Presbyterian 63-10 in their opener a year ago which was also played in Macon.
- No. 1 North Dakota State opened at The Citadel and put a 38-0 muzzle on the Bulldogs
- No. 2 Montana State was rolled 59-13 at Oregon. The Bobcats were 35-31 winners over FBS member New Mexico to open last season, but a game at Oregon is an obviously significant upgrade.
- No. 3 South Dakota State gave Dan Jackson a debut head coaching win with a 20-3 home victory over No. 14 Sacramento State in Brennan Marion's first game as head coach of the Hornets.
- A 31-21 win at home over Eastern Washington gave No. 4 UIW a bounce back victory from its 20-6 loss at Nicholls in week zero.
- No. 5 South Dakota was also debuting a new head coach after Bob Nielsen retired, but Travis Johansen's Coyotes were easlity handled by the homestanding Iowa State Cyclones, 55-7.
Elswhere, No.. 6 Illinois State was thumped 35-3 at Oklahoma while No. 9 Montana was idle, and 10th-ranked Rhode Island was a 31-20 winner at home over Campbell.
Worth noting:
South Dakota State travels to Montana State this week as the two FCS powerhouses collide in Bozeman on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET..
Portland State has been shutout 111-0 in two games as the Vikings fell 42-0 at home to Tarleton State in week zero, followed by Saturday's 69-0 loss at BYU in week 1.
Northwestern State (LA) ended a 20-game overall losing streak, and a 10-game home losing streak, with a 20-10 win over Alcorn State at home in Natchitoches.
JACKSON STATE - Won 11 straight overall. Won 9 straight conference games (tied with Montana State).
Last: Won 28-14 at home over Hampton on Saturday, August 30.
Next at Southern Miss on Saturday, September 6.
MONTANA STATE - Won 9 straight conference games (tied with Jackson State). Had won 6 straight road games before....
Last: 59-13 loss at Oregon on Saturday, August 30.
Next: Hosts South Dakota State on Saturday, September 6.
SOUTH DAKOTA STATE - 30-game home winning streak.
Last: Won 20-3 at home over Sacramento State on Saturday, August 30.
Next: at Montana State on Saturday, September 6.
NORTHWESTERN STATE (LA) - Ended losing streaks of 20 over-all and 10 home games with a 20-10 win at home over Alcorn State on Thursday, August 28.
Last: Won 20-10 at home over Alcorn State on Thursday, August 28.
Next: at FBS member Minnesota on Saturday, September 6.
NORTHERN COLORADO - Ended losing streak of 10 straight home games with a 17-3 win over D2 member Chadron State on Saturday, August 30.
Last: Won 17-3 at home over D2 Chadron State on Saturday, August 30.
Next: at FBS member Colorado State on Saturday, September 6.
DELAWARE STATE - Lost 11 straight over-all (tied with Charleston Southern and NC A&T), Lost 8 straight home games.
Last: Lost 35-17 at FBS member Delaware on Thursday, August 28.
Next: Hosts Albany on Saturday, September 6.
NORTH CAROLINA A&T - Lost 16 straight conference games.
Last: Lost 24-21 at Tennessee State on Saturday, August 30.
Next: at FBS member UCF on Saturday, September 6.
MURRAY STATE - Lost 19 straight road games. Lost 15 straight conference games (second to NC A&T).
Last: Lost 45-17 at ETSU on Saturday, August 30.
Next: Hosts SE Louisiana on Saturday, September 6.
This year, 126 of the 136 FBS teams play one game against a FCS school. 47 of those matchups took place this week, and 1 last week, with FCS programs going 2-46. Since we began tracking this in 2003, FBS schools are now a cumulative 1,961-160 (.925) vs. FCS teams.
The winners were Tarleton State and Austin Peay as the Texans were 30-27 double-overtime victors at Army, and the Governors were 34-14 winners at Middle Tennessee. State.
In 2024, there were 121 matchups scheduled between FBS and FCS schools with 119 playing one such game, while Hawaii and UMass each played two. FBS schools were 115-6 vs. FCS last season.
2025 FCS wins vs. FBS:
August 29: Tarleton 30, Army West Point 27 (2 OT)
August 30: Austin Peay 34, MTSU 14