The final Saturday of September delivered the first truly chaotic weekend of the 2026 season.

No. 4 Ole Miss, No. 13 Penn State, No. 18 Michigan, No. 19 Missouri, No. 23 Texas A&M and No. 12 USC all went down, while No. 1 Texas barely escaped Neyland Stadium. Florida made perhaps the loudest statement of the day with a 52-28 demolition of Ole Miss, Iowa won at Michigan with a touchdown in the final seconds, and Wisconsin erased a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit to stun Penn State.

Meanwhile, Georgia, Notre Dame, Alabama and LSU all delivered convincing victories.

No. 1 Texas 20, No. 14 Tennessee 17

Texas survived its first major SEC road test, but barely.

The Longhorns led 20-10 with under six minutes remaining after Raleek Brown scored his second rushing touchdown, only for Tennessee to make one final charge. Faizon Brandon connected with Mike Matthews for a 30-yard touchdown with 1:27 left, then the Volunteers recovered the ensuing onside kick.

Tennessee reached Texas territory before the Longhorn defense finally shut the door.

Arch Manning completed 14 of 19 passes for 201 yards, while Brown supplied both Texas touchdowns. The Longhorns won despite two turnovers, 11 penalties for 115 yards and only 262 total yards.

The difference was defense. Tennessee ran 76 plays but produced only 221 yards, averaging just 2.9 yards per snap. Texas improves to 4-0 while Tennessee falls to 3-1.

No. 7 Ohio State 42, Illinois 19

Ohio State's offense looked much more like what Buckeye fans expected entering the season.

Quarterback Julian Sayin threw for 367 yards and four touchdowns, and all four went to Jeremiah Smith, who delivered a spectacular afternoon with 12 receptions for 217 yards.

Smith scored from 7, 72, 9 and 26 yards as Ohio State accumulated 518 total yards.

Illinois moved the ball reasonably well, finishing with 462 yards, but could not keep pace once Ohio State created separation. The Buckeyes led 28-10 at halftime and answered Illinois' second-half push with two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Ohio State improves to 3-1 and opens Big Ten play with an emphatic victory.

No. 3 Notre Dame 49, Purdue 10

Notre Dame turned its in-state rivalry game into a rout before halftime.

The Irish scored 28 points in the second quarter to take a 35-0 lead, highlighted by a defensive touchdown when Bryce Young forced a Ryan Browne fumble and Drayk Bowen recovered it for a score.

CJ Carr threw for 237 yards and three touchdowns, while Aneyas Williams rushed for 80 yards and a score. Notre Dame averaged 7.7 yards per play and finished with 444 total yards.

Purdue managed just 218 yards and did not reach the end zone until nine seconds remained.

Notre Dame moves to 4-0 and continues to look like one of the most complete teams in the country.

No. 21 Florida 52, No. 4 Ole Miss 28

The biggest statement of Saturday came in The Swamp.

Florida overwhelmed fourth-ranked Ole Miss with 498 yards of offense, 302 of them on the ground, while handing the Rebels their first loss.

Jadan Baugh carried the load with 142 yards and three touchdowns on 29 carries, while Duke Clark added 126 yards and a 45-yard touchdown.

Ole Miss twice made things interesting in the second half. Trinidad Chambliss scored twice on the ground as the Rebels cut Florida's lead to 24-21 midway through the third quarter.

The Gators responded with an avalanche.

Florida scored four touchdowns over the remainder of the game, including 21 points in the fourth quarter. Aaron Philo completed 16 of 23 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown and also ran for a score.

Chambliss finished with 298 passing yards and accounted for three touchdowns, but Ole Miss committed two turnovers while Florida played turnover-free football.

The Gators are now 4-0 after their most impressive performance of the season.

No. 17 Iowa 20, No. 18 Michigan 19

The finish of the day came in the Big House.

Michigan appeared to have escaped after Bryce Underwood found JJ Buchanan for a 49-yard touchdown with 12:11 remaining, giving the Wolverines a 19-14 lead.

Iowa got the ball one final time and drove the field in the closing seconds. A 29-yard completion from Hank Brown to Addison Ostrenga put the Hawkeyes at the Michigan 16.

With two seconds remaining, Brown found Reece Vander Zee for a 16-yard touchdown, giving Iowa a stunning 20-19 victory.

Brown threw for 227 yards and two touchdowns, both to Vander Zee. Michigan actually outgained Iowa 429-285, and Underwood threw for 276 yards and two scores.

But Michigan's one turnover and several crucial penalties helped keep Iowa alive.

The Hawkeyes improve to 4-0 with one of their biggest road victories in years.

No. 2 Georgia 41, Oklahoma 13

Georgia did not dominate the stat sheet, but it dominated the scoreboard.

The Bulldogs led 28-0 at halftime, with Oklahoma turnovers repeatedly creating opportunities. The Sooners committed four turnovers, including three lost fumbles.

One became a Georgia touchdown when Chris Cole returned a John Mateer fumble for a score.

Gunner Stockton threw for 171 yards and a touchdown, Chauncey Bowens rushed for two scores, and Dwight Phillips Jr. broke loose for a 54-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.

Oklahoma actually possessed the ball for more than 35 minutes and finished only 10 yards behind Georgia in total offense, 306-296. But the turnovers made the game completely one-sided.

Georgia moves to 4-0.

Wisconsin 24, No. 13 Penn State 20

Wisconsin produced one of Saturday's biggest surprises with a remarkable late comeback at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State led 20-10 with less than four minutes remaining.

Then everything changed.

Wisconsin quarterback Colton Joseph found Eugene Hilton Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown with 3:37 left, cutting the lead to three.

After Wisconsin got the ball back, Joseph struck again. With 1:14 remaining, he found Jacob Harris for a 72-yard touchdown, giving the Badgers a 24-20 lead.

Penn State drove into Wisconsin territory on its final possession but could not score.

Joseph's afternoon was wildly uneven. He threw three interceptions, including a pick-six, but finished with 235 yards, two touchdown passes and a rushing score.

Penn State quarterback Rocco Becht completed only 12 of 29 passes for 114 yards.

Wisconsin improves to 3-1 while handing Penn State its first loss.

No. 8 Alabama 49, South Carolina 18

Alabama's sophomore quarterback continues to look increasingly dangerous.

Keelon Russell completed 21 of 27 passes for 365 yards and four touchdowns, added another score on the ground and did not commit a turnover.

Alabama led 35-10 at halftime after scoring touchdowns on passes of 75, 32, 42 and three yards, along with a defensive score on a South Carolina interception.

Ryan Coleman-Williams caught five passes for 98 yards and two touchdowns, while Lotzeir Brooks turned one of his two receptions into a 75-yard score.

South Carolina generated 419 yards but committed two turnovers and repeatedly gave up explosive plays.

Alabama improves to 4-0 after consecutive 49-plus-point performances.

No. 10 LSU 35, No. 23 Texas A&M 6

LSU responded to last week's loss at Ole Miss with perhaps its most complete performance of the season.

The Tigers held Texas A&M to 197 total yards and only six points while producing 506 yards themselves.

Sam Leavitt threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns, with Jackson Harris catching six passes for 163 yards and two scores.

LSU led 14-3 at halftime before breaking the game open with 21 third-quarter points. Texas A&M quarterback Marcel Reed was held to 106 passing yards and intercepted once.

The Aggies have now lost consecutive games after beginning the season 2-0.

LSU improves to 3-1.

No. 20 Oregon 41, No. 12 USC 27

Oregon handed USC its first loss with an impressive road performance at the Coliseum, but the night will be remembered for what happened to the Ducks' starting quarterback.

Dante Moore was carted off in the second quarter wearing a neck brace and taken from the Coliseum by ambulance, after USC linebacker Desman Stephens hit him late as he slid. Stephens was ejected for targeting. Moore had completed 8 of 10 passes to that point.

Oregon coach Dan Lanning called it "a disgusting play" afterward and offered a limited update: "He's in recovery, so I don't want to speak too soon, but he is moving, and he does have the ability to move."

Backup Dylan Raiola took over and delivered the best performance of his Oregon career.

Raiola threw a 3-yard touchdown to Evan Stewart on his second snap, then directed four touchdown drives after halftime, finishing 19 of 25 for 289 yards and two touchdowns.

The Trojans tied the game 27-27 early in the fourth quarter, but Oregon immediately answered. Raiola found Dakorien Moore for a 29-yard touchdown with 8:35 remaining to restore the lead, and Jordon Davison added a 2-yard scoring run with 2:03 left to finish it.

"Seeing him like that shook the whole team," Raiola said. "But at the same time, we knew we were going to fight for him."

Oregon finished with 504 yards and did not commit a turnover.

USC quarterback Jayden Maiava threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns but was intercepted in the end zone on the Trojans' final possession.

After its early-season loss at Oklahoma State, Oregon has now responded with two emphatic wins.

No. 24 Mississippi State 31, No. 19 Missouri 24

Mississippi State continues to be one of the season's most interesting early stories.

The Bulldogs led 14-0, fell behind 24-17, and then scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to remain unbeaten.

Fluff Bothwell tied the game on a four-yard touchdown run with 7:16 remaining. Then Kamario Taylor hit Sanfrisco Magee for a 24-yard touchdown with 4:04 left to give Mississippi State the lead for good.

Taylor finished with 360 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Bothwell rushed for 122 yards and scored twice, once rushing and once receiving.

Missouri quarterback Austin Simmons threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and Cayden Lee caught 11 passes for 156 yards and two scores.

But Missouri could not answer after Mississippi State's fourth-quarter surge.

The Bulldogs are now 4-0.

A September finale full of upheaval

Saturday dramatically changed the feel of the season.

Florida's rout of Ole Miss announced the Gators as a major SEC factor. Iowa walked into Michigan Stadium and left unbeaten. Wisconsin stunned Penn State in the final minutes. Mississippi State moved to 4-0 by knocking off another ranked opponent, and Oregon ended USC's perfect start.

At the top, Texas, Georgia and Notre Dame all remained unbeaten, although Texas had to survive a frantic final minute in Knoxville.

Alabama and LSU also delivered convincing responses as the SEC picture continues to evolve.

Four weeks into the season, the undefeated list is shrinking, conference races are beginning to take shape, and September ended with exactly the kind of chaos that makes college football unpredictable.