Sunday's college football slate featured three very different kinds of victories: a second-half takeover by Notre Dame, a last-second shootout between Ole Miss and Louisville, and a rivalry win for Washington in the Apple Cup.
No. 4 Notre Dame 41, Wisconsin 13: Wisconsin made Notre Dame work early at Lambeau Field, briefly leading 3-0 and later tying the game 10-10 on Colton Joseph's 28-yard touchdown pass to Malachi Coleman. The Irish led only 13-10 at halftime before completely changing the game after the break. Aneyas Williams scored twice on the ground, and cornerback DJ McKinney returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown, turning a competitive game into a comfortable Notre Dame victory. CJ Carr finished with 239 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Williams rushed for 90 yards and two scores. Notre Dame outscored Wisconsin 28-3 in the second half and looked much more like a top-five team as the game progressed.
No. 9 Ole Miss 41, No. 24 Louisville 38: The game of the day came in Nashville, where the Rebels survived a spectacular Louisville comeback and won on Lucas Carneiro's 48-yard field goal as time expired. The teams combined for 63 second-half points, with Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss throwing for 336 yards and three touchdowns while adding a rushing score. Receiver Deuce Alexander was explosive, catching five passes for 159 yards and two 62-yard touchdowns. Louisville refused to go away. Lincoln Kienholz threw for 307 yards and two touchdowns, then scored on a 7-yard run with 1:33 remaining to tie the game at 38. Chambliss answered by driving Ole Miss into field-goal range, setting up Carneiro's dramatic winner. It was an entertaining but defensively concerning opener for both ranked teams.
No. 17 Washington 24, Washington State 10: The 118th Apple Cup was much closer than the final margin suggests. Washington State trailed only 10-7 midway through the fourth quarter before Washington finally created separation. Quarterback Demond Williams Jr. led the Huskies with 268 passing yards and accounted for touchdowns both through the air and on the ground. Washington State's defense kept the Cougars in the game, including a dramatic fourth-down goal-line stop before halftime, but the offense struggled badly on third down and committed three turnovers. Washington finished with 402 yards to WSU's 242 and scored two fourth-quarter touchdowns to retain state bragging rights.
The biggest takeaway from Sunday: Notre Dame confirmed its championship credentials, Ole Miss showed it can survive chaos, and Washington handled a difficult rivalry game without playing its cleanest football.