College Football Risers and Fallers After Week 9 - 2024 College Football

Week 9 of college football has come to a close, and most teams have just four regular-season games remaining before we hit conference championship week. Favorites rolled this week and while many top-level teams were tested, there were no surprising losses across the board.

In the noon slate, Ohio State narrowly dodged Nebraska, Notre Dame throttled Navy, Indiana rolled with its backup quarterback, and Ole Miss survived Oklahoma. In the midday slate, Oregon and BYU comfortably continued their undefeated seasons while Alabama bounced back with a beatdown of Missouri. Iowa and Minnesota both exploded for 40+ points, while TCU edged out Texas Tech and Texas escaped Vanderbilt by just three points.

At night, Miami ran over Florida State, West Virginia survived Arizona’s comeback attempt, Houston shocked Utah, Penn State outlasted Wisconsin with its backup quarterback for the second half, Michigan beat down Michigan State both during and after the game, Texas A&M squandered LSU late, Auburn picked up a much-needed road win, Kansas State outlasted its rival, SMU collected an overtime win, and Colorado rolled to 6-2. Yet another eventful college football slate calls for another risers and fallers article. Let’s dig in.

Stock Up

BYU Cougars

Week after week, BYU’s legitimacy is tested. Despite consistently winning games this season, the Cougars were underdogs against now 3-5 UCF on Saturday. Head coach Kalani Sitake and his team continue to silence the doubters, and it is time to take them seriously as a national title contender. So much so that Barstool has begun to produce "BYJew" merch.

When are we gonna start talking about BYJew for Heisman? All proceeds go to @jretz11 https://t.co/LVoLRt86Yp pic.twitter.com/UxtDasWDX7

— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) October 26, 2024

Quarterback Jake Retzlaff and wide receiver Darius Lassiter have been on fire over the past few weeks and with the four remaining games being against Utah, Kansas, Arizona State, and Houston, the Big 12 title is very in reach.

DeAndre Moore Jr., WR, Texas

Texas sophomore receiver DeAndre Moore Jr. looked like a go-to weapon for quarterback Quinn Ewers in Saturday’s narrow win over Vanderbilt. Moore caught six passes for 97 yards and two touchdowns, converting in clutch moments.

DeAndre Moore Jr. SECOND TUDDY ON THE DAY

HE'S A DAWG AND HE'S BARKIN pic.twitter.com/aFPEQ4bEEZ

— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) October 26, 2024

Ewers has lacked a “go-to” receiver ever since losing Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Ja'Tavion Sanders to the NFL Draft. Alabama transfer Isaiah Bond has not fully emerged and missed Saturday’s game, allowing Moore to step up. Saturday may have been a breakout moment for the young receiver, who will look to carry his momentum into the Florida game in two weeks.

Texas A&M Aggies

Mike Elko’s team was left dead in the water by most after its Week 1 blunder against Notre Dame, but the Aggies responded accordingly and are in the thick of the playoff hunt as we hit the final month of the season. 

After turning to quarterback Marcel Reed on Saturday night when trailing LSU, the Aggies ended up pulling away to secure a 38-23 win. The victory marked their second win of the month over a top-10 team with a tiger as a mascot.

Texas A&M rides into its final four games with only one loss. The remaining schedule features at South Carolina, New Mexico State, at Auburn, and Texas. Coach Elko has captured national attention with Saturday’s big win. Can the Aggies win out and punch a playoff ticket in Year 1?

Jarquez Hunter, RB, Auburn

Despite playing on some bad teams over the past few seasons, Auburn running back Jarquez Hunter has been a consistent thorn in opposing defensive coordinators’ sides. Hunter exploded on Saturday for the best showing of his four-year career. He rushed 23 times for 278 yards and two scores en route to a massive road win for the Tigers.

With the depth and talent of the upcoming running back class, Hunter’s name is not commonly mentioned at the top. His performance on Saturday reminded scouts of his talent. He should hear his name called in the 2025 draft and could be an instant contributor at the NFL level.

Stock Down

Kyle McCord, QB, Syracuse

The former Ohio State quarterback had been bouncing back nicely at his new home in upstate New York, but Kyle McCord faltered in a big way on Thursday night against Pitt. McCord threw five interceptions, three of which were returned for a touchdown. He also infamously sacked himself late in the game.

announcer after Kyle McCord sacks himself

😂 pic.twitter.com/nWuk9D5IaK

— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 25, 2024

While making memes out on the football field, McCord did record a seventh straight 300+ yard passing game. His stock has taken a massive hit following the embarrassing performance.

Luke Altmyer, QB, Illinois

Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer had been enjoying an impressive season before Saturday, having thrown just one interception through his first seven games.

He threw two against Oregon in the dominating loss while struggling to get the offense moving. Altmyer is trending downward following the performance but has bounce-back opportunities coming up with the remaining schedule including Minnesota, Michigan State, Rutgers, and Northwestern.

Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

One of this season’s most significant risers has been LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who has impressed in his first season under center full-time. Nussmeier’s stock took a hit on Saturday night, however, as LSU threw the game away against Texas A&M. 

The junior quarterback threw for 405 yards on 50 pass attempts but tossed three interceptions in the process. All three interceptions came in the second half, deteriorating what was once an LSU lead. Nussmeier still has NFL talent and very well could work his way into the first round, but Saturday’s showing was not ideal for the young signal-caller.

Missouri Tigers

It’s over for Missouri. The Tigers appeared to enter the season massively overrated and have now been blown out by both Texas A&M and Alabama while narrowly defeating Auburn, Boston College, and Vanderbilt.

In the 34-0 shutout, quarterback Brady Cook left the game and Drew Pyne threw for 42 yards and three interceptions in relief. This team was propped up by last season’s performance and is now firmly eliminated from the College Football Playoff discussion.

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