College football winners and losers: Alabama's dramatic win over Georgia shows the regular season still has potential in the expanded CFP era

The first top-five matchup of the 2024 season showed why college football is an amazing and incredibly chaotic sport.

No. 2 Alabama appeared to be on its way to an easy victory over No. 4 Georgia as the Crimson Tide took an early 28-0 lead. But the Bulldogs somehow clawed their way back into the game in the second half, taking their first lead for the first time on a 67-yard strike from Carson Beck to Dillon Bell with 2:31 left.

Common sense would predict that Beck's bombshell on Bell would be the highlight of the evening. But college football isn't bound by common sense rules. Freshman Ryan Williams caught a 75-yard TD pass from Jalen Milroe on Alabama's first offensive play after Bell's TD, giving the Crimson Tide a lead they knew they wouldn't relinquish after freshman corner Zabien Brown With 43 seconds left, Beck made a save, sealing a 41-34 win.

Alabama's victory came in the Tide's first home game as an underdog in 17 years and ended a 42-game regular-season winning streak for Georgia dating back to November 7, 2020. The only team Georgia beat in this series: Alabama, as the Tide defeated Georgia in both the 2021 and 2023 SEC Championship games.

Both contests served as quasi-quarterfinals of the College Football Playoff during the four-team era. With only one other power conference team with a loss, the Bulldogs could still make the playoffs in 2021 and get revenge on Alabama in the national title game. A season ago, Alabama's victory over Georgia knocked the Bulldogs out of the playoffs entirely and Georgia took out its frustration on an undermanned Florida State team in an Orange Bowl defeat.

This year, the 12-team College Football Playoff is just around the corner. Thanks to the expanded field, Georgia still has an excellent chance of reaching the postseason even if it loses again. Saturday night's game wasn't supposed to be the playoff setback it could have been in years past.

And that's just okay. Nothing from Saturday night's game was discounted because the loser had a good chance of making the playoffs. Bryant-Denny Stadium was still sold out and tickets were selling for four figures on the secondary market. Are you really trying to tell a Georgia or Alabama fan that this game wasn't that important just because the playoff field is bigger?

There was still a lot at stake when it came to the playoffs. The win gives Alabama a big advantage in the race to reach the SEC title game and a chance at a first-round bye. While Georgia likely needs to win at both Texas and Ole Miss to return to the SEC title game, Alabama can now potentially afford a loss at Tennessee or LSU and make it to the championship game.

Yes, the postseason stakes for regular-season games may not be as high as they once were. But that doesn't take away from what we saw on Saturday evening. That Alabama win will be remembered for a long time for reasons that have nothing to do with the playoffs.

Here are the rest of this week's winners and losers.

winner

UNLV: The Rebels made an impressive statement in their first game without starting QB Matthew Sluka. UNLV defeated Fresno State 59-14 as Hajj-Malik Williams scored four total touchdowns in his first start. Williams threw for three scores and rushed 12 times for 119 yards and another TD, days after Sluka said he would no longer play for the Rebels because of an allegedly unfulfilled NIL 100,000 promise.

A sports betting executive offered to make that payment this week, and UNLV wide receiver Ricky White III said after the game that the money could be put to better use. White had 10 catches for 127 yards and two scores.

Indiana: The Hoosiers are expected to be in the AP Top 25 on Sunday after a 42-28 win over Maryland. Indiana is now 5-0 and one win away from bowl eligibility as Kurtis Rourke threw for 359 yards and six different Hoosiers scored a touchdown. Indiana will be the road favorite at Northwestern in Week 6, and a win there will set up an exciting game between an undefeated Indiana and a potential one-loss Nebraska on Oct. 19.

Tulane: After a non-conference schedule that included games against Kansas State and Oklahoma, Tulane opened conference play with a dominant 45-10 home win over South Florida. QB Darian Mensah was 18 of 22 for 326 yards and three touchdowns, while former Oklahoma and USC wide receiver Mario Williams caught two touchdown passes. The Green Wave has a very manageable AAC schedule and should be in the running for the conference title – and a possible College Football Playoff berth – all season long.

Duke: The Blue Devils scored 21 points in the second half in a 21-20 home win over North Carolina. The Tar Heels led 20-0 in the third quarter before Duke scored three goals in the final 21 minutes. A late decision to punt on fourth-and-1 was dangerous for Manny Diaz's team, but Duke tied the Tar Heels inside the 10 with under two minutes left and Tre Freeman intercepted Jacolby Criswell with 30 seconds left. Duke is now 5-0 in Diaz's first season heading into a trip to Georgia Tech in Week 6.

loser

Baylor: The Bears couldn't recover from their crushing loss at Colorado. BYU took a 21-0 lead in the first quarter and held it into the second half for a 34-28 win in Waco. Sawyer Robertson appears to have replaced Dequan Finn as the Bears' starting QB, but defense has been a real problem. BYU scored touchdowns on its first four drives of the game and only one came on a short field after a turnover. Games at Iowa State and Texas Tech in the next three weeks could prove crucial to coach Dave Aranda's future.

Auburn: Who will Hugh Freeze blame this week? After QB Hank Brown started the last two games for the Tigers, Freeze put Payton Thorne back in the starting lineup Saturday against Oklahoma and Kip Lewis' pick-6 with 4:06 left proved to be the clincher in a 27-21 victory for the Sooners. Auburn outscored Oklahoma 482-291, had 26 first downs to Oklahoma's 11 and incurred fewer penalties. Oh, the Sooners were also missing their top five wide receivers. But that didn't matter as true freshman QB Michael Hawkins rushed 14 times for 69 yards and a TD along with a two-point conversion.

Oklahoma State: The No. 20 Cowboys have a hole to dig out of after an 0-2 start to Big 12 play. OSU lost 42-20 at Kansas State on Saturday and is certain to be out of the top 25 on Sunday. Kansas State QB Avery Johnson scored five total touchdowns, with Kansas State averaging 8.8 yards per rush. Ollie Gordon II, a 2023 All-American, had his best game of the season on Saturday against an FBS opponent with 15 carries for 76 yards. But that's clearly not good enough.

UAB: The Blazers fell to 1-3 with a 41-18 home loss to a Navy team that ran all over Memphis in Week 4. The Midshipmen averaged more than five yards per carry, but QB Blake Horvath also spread the UAB defense to 225 yards passing and two TDs on just 11 attempts. Since Trent Dilfer took over in 2023, UAB is just 5-11. One of those losses came to Louisiana-Monroe and coach Bryant Vincent, the Blazers' interim coach in 2022, who was passed over for the job. Vincent's Warhawks are now 3-1 this year after a 13-9 win at Troy on Saturday night.