College Football's Best and Worst of September: Teams, players, coaches, moments & more

by: Chris Low 4 hours ago clowfb

The first month of the college football season is behind us, and if it’s any indication, we’re in store for a fantastic finish.

But come on, when’s the last time college football hasn’t delivered?

We at On3 take a look back at the best (and worst) players, plays, coaches, teams, games, moments and a little bit of everything else in September. And, yes, we realize the Week 1 games this year were actually played in August.

Here goes, and obviously, everyone will agree with our choices:

Best team: Ohio State

Granted, it’s a crap shoot at this juncture of the season, but Ohio State has yet to allow anybody to score more than nine points in its first four games and held Texas and Washington to a combined 13 points. The Buckeyes also have the most explosive player in the country in sophomore receiver Jeremiah Smith and a quarterback, Julian Sayin , who’s been extremely accurate and played with the kind of poise you don’t often see from a first-year starter. Sayin is only going to get better, and so is this Ohio State team. Oregon also has a claim. The Ducks are 5-0 and have one of the best wins of the season, the 30-24 double-overtime victory at Penn State last week.

Best player: Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia

Forget about who’s going to win the Heisman Trophy. It’s too early anyway to make that prediction, but no player has meant more to his team, impacted his team more and/or been as consistently productive as Pavia through the first part of the season. Pavia joins Arkansas’ Taylen Green as the only two FBS players with more than 1,200 passing yards (1,211) and 250 rushing yards (294). Pavia has thrown 13 touchdown passes, ran for two scores and led the Commodores to two road victories over Power 4 opponents. He’s averaging 8.6 yards per play, tied for first nationally. Pavia’s value is much more than just stats. His fiery nature, toughness and will to win permeates through the entire Vanderbilt team. Right on Pavia’s heels are Oregon quarterback Dante Moore, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer, Miami edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr. and Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar.

Best coach: Oregon’s Dan Lanning

If any athletic director in America had his or her choice of any coach in college football, Lanning would be at or near the top of the list. He’s been that good at Oregon and is only 39 years old. His Ducks are unbeaten with three wins over Power 4 foes and just went into State College and beat Penn State. Oregon returned just four starters from its Big Ten championship team a year ago, but this team looks as strong as ever and is poised to make another playoff run. Lanning and his staff have done a super job of blending in a lot of new faces and are playing without star receiver Evan Stewart , who suffered a torn patellar tendon in his knee before the start of the season.

Best win: Alabama 24, Georgia 21

The last time Georgia had lost a night game at home came back in 2009. For perspective, Kalen DeBoer was in his last season at Sioux Falls. Nick Saban was in his third season at Alabama. Kirby Smart was Saban’s defensive coordinator, and Ty Simpson was in the second grade. So history was made last Saturday when Alabama ended Georgia’s 33-game winning streak at Sanford Stadium with what was very much a statement victory. The Dawgs simply don’t lose at home. Still, DeBoer, Simpson and the Crimson Tide went into a raucous environment and brought home what was easily DeBoer’s most important win yet at Alabama and quieted his critics following the lackluster 31-17 season-opening loss to Florida State.

Best game: Virginia 46, Florida State 38, 2 OT

Friday night lights were magical for Tony Elliott and his Virginia football team in what was a thrilling double-overtime win over Florida State. The game, played last Friday night in Charlottesville, was back and forth after Virginia surged out to a 14-0 lead. Florida State rallied to go ahead 21-14, and it looked like Virginia was going to win it in regulation before a scrambling Tommy Castellanos delivered an 11-yard touchdown strike to a diving Randy Pittman Jr. on a fourth-down play with 32 seconds remaining to force overtime. The two teams both kicked field goals in the first overtime. Virginia quarterback Chandler Morris scored on a 4-yard touchdown run in the second overtime, and FSU couldn’t answer in its overtime period with Duce Robinson bobbling a third-down pass going out of the back of the end zone and then Castellanos being intercepted on fourth down by Ja’son Prevard . The game was sensational, but you’re never going to see a quicker (or more dangerous) field rush. Fans trampled FSU receiver Squirrel White, but somehow made it to the locker room in what was Virginia’s first home win over a top-10 opponent in 20 years.

Best transfer: Missouri RB Ahmad Hardy

Anybody who saw Hardy’s game tape at ULM as a true freshman in 2024 shouldn’t be surprised. He’s been electric in his first season at Missouri and rushed for 100-plus yards in all five of his games. The 5-10, 210-pound sophomore transfer is a nightmare to tackle. He leads all running backs nationally with 544 yards after contact and 48 forced missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Hardy also has eight rushes of 20 yards or longer, which is tied for first nationally. We might all want to remember his name, too, when we look at running back rankings coming out of high school in the future. Hardy was nowhere to be found among the top running back prospects nationally and was unranked by most recruiting services.

Best play: Kadyn Proctor’s lateral

Yes, it went for just 11 yards, but any time you see a 366-pound tackle split out wide in the red zone and haul in a lateral to set up a touchdown – and dive for the pylon, no less – that’s one of those plays you might see in the back yard, but not in a tightly contested SEC game on the road. There were a lot of highlights in Alabama’s win over Georgia, but none more entertaining than Proctor barreling toward the goal line over Georgia defenders.

Kadyn Proctor at WR just like I said (I didn’t) pic.twitter.com/jFA3eBQzwk

— Josh Pate (@JoshPateCFB) September 28, 2025

Best story: Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss

Lane Kiffin called Chambliss the “short kid from DII,” albeit endearingly so. Chambliss, who made 16 starts in his three years at Division II Ferris State, has stepped in for the injured Austin Simmons at quarterback and started the last three games for Ole Miss, which is unbeaten and ranked No. 5 in the latest AP poll. Chambliss is listed at 6 feet, and that might be a stretch, but it’s not a stretch to say that he’s been invaluable for the Rebels. Good luck in getting him out of the starting lineup now.

Best story nobody is talking about: Iowa State

Hard to believe Matt Campbell is in his 10 th season at Iowa State. Every year, his name comes up in other job searches, but he’s still in Ames and has the Cyclones 5-0 with three wins over Power 4 opponents. Iowa State was 11-3 last season and lost to Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game. The Cyclones have road games the next two weeks against Cincinnati and Colorado, and then a bye week before facing BYU at home. Don’t be surprised if Iowa State is right back knocking on the playoff door again this season.

Best true freshman: Maryland QB Malik Washington

Maryland coach Mike Locksley didn’t wait. He gave Washington the start in the Terps’ opener, and he’s been exactly what Locksley said he was when he signed the Glen Burnie, Maryland native. ‘He’s different,” Locksley said. The stage hasn’t been too big for Washington, who came in amid huge expectations. The Terps are 4-0, and Washington has thrown for 1,038 yards and eight touchdowns, with only one interception, and has also rushed for two touchdowns.

Best Rocky impersonation: Georgia Tech QB Haynes King

What’s the old Rocky Balboa line? “It ain’t about how hard you hit. It’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward, how much you can take and keep moving forward.” That’s King, the Yellow Jackets’ indestructible quarterback. He keeps getting back up, keeps competing, and Georgia Tech is the same way as a football team. Please don’t sleep on Brent Key, either, when it comes to Coach of the Year voting.

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