Freshman Ryan Williams steals the show in the Alabama-Georgia classic

Until Saturday newsletter 🏈 | That is The athlete's college football newsletter. Sign up here to receive See You Saturday straight to your inbox.

While you were sleeping, Boise State handed No. 25 Washington State its first loss of the season. And No. 10 Utah stumbled in a 23-10 home loss to Arizona.

Tuscaloosa Thriller

The Ryan Williams Show

The biggest game of the season was delivered last night.

After No. 4 Alabama built a 30-7 halftime lead over No. 2 Georgia, the Bulldogs created some magic in the fourth quarter to position themselves for the greatest comeback in program history. After a difficult first half, Georgia QB Carson Beck (27 of 50 passes for the night with three interceptions) connected with Dillon Bell for a 67-yard TD with 2:31 left, giving the Dawgs their first lead.

But this lead only lasted 13 seconds. The Crimson Tide, behind an absolutely impressive performance from freshman WR Ryan Williams, responded en route to a 41-34 win.

Now let's talk more about Williams. The 17 years old WHO was reclassified to the class of 2024 and should still be in high school had six receptions for 177 yards and a TD against Georgia. In four games, Williams has totaled 285 yards, averaging 28.5 yards per catch. The catches Williams makes alone are worth highlighting, but the way he controls his body to move the game forward is even more impressive.

Just look at his consciousness here:

And then, of course, Williams scored the game-winning score with a 75-yard connection from Jalen Milroe.

Another statistic you should know: As a starter, Milroe improved to 10-0 against the SEC.

And who said this game “wouldn’t matter” in the expanded College Football Playoff era? The emotional swings in Tuscaloosa gave us one of the best fourth quarters of football I've seen in a long time.

The most surprising unbeatens

UNLV dominates despite drama

Georgia hasn't recorded a loss this early in a season since 2020. Only three times in the last 10 years have the Bulldogs not started 4-0 (2014, 2016 and 2020).

Although it is a bit of a surprise that Georgia is excluded from the list of undefeated teams at this point in the season, some undefeated teams are new to the club.

Even if the starting quarterback voluntarily sits on the bench because of a NIL dispute, UNLV extended its undefeated start to 4-0 by defeating Fresno State 59-14 yesterday. New starter Hajj-Malik Williams, a transfer from FCS Campbell, threw for 182 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 119 yards and a score. The Rebels' Oct. 25 game against Boise State could prove important in the Mountain West title/playoff race.
Army and Navy Both are 4-0 for the first time since 1945. Army came here with the best defense in the AAC, holding each of its opponents to two touchdowns or fewer. Meanwhile, Navy has been picking things up offensively, most notably defeating AAC favorite Memphis 56-44 last week. It's not too early to think about the possibility of an Army-Navy AAC championship with the Group of 5 playoffs on the line (both are 3-0 in the AAC). One interesting thing: The annual Army-Navy game is scheduled for Dec. 14, after CFP Selection Day (Sunday, Dec. 8), meaning it doesn't factor into the committee's rankings.
duke is undefeated despite losing coach Mike Elko (Texas A&M) and quarterback Riley Leonard (Notre Dame) in the offseason. Yesterday, the Dukies recovered from a 20-0 deficit against in-state rival North Carolina to win 21-20. Senior RB star Thomas (great name) had a breakout game with 30 carries for 166 yards and a touchdown with another 45 yards receiving and an additional score. First-year coach Manny Diaz gave the Blue Devils a 5-0 start, their best since their 7-0 start in 1994.
Rutgers is 4-0 for the first time since 2012. The Scarlet Knights got to this point by beating Howard, Akron, Virginia Tech and Washington, the latter two as Rutgers fended off late comeback attempts. Kyle Monangai is one of the top three running backs in the country with 589 total yards this season.
Indiana is 5-0 and the best start for a first-year coach in program history under Curt Cignetti. The Hoosiers rank third in the Big Ten in total offense (513.8 yards per game) and second in the conference in total defense (199.3 yards per game). Yesterday, IU overcame early mistakes – including two interceptions by QB Kurtis Rouke on the first two drives – to beat Maryland 42-28.
Meanwhile, Cignetti's former team, James Madison, didn't make a mistake either. The Dukes put on another offensive show yesterday against Ball State with a 63-7 win, a week after their record-setting 70-50 win over North Carolina.
Undefeated Honorable Mentions: No. 22 BYU (5-0), Pitt (4-0) And Freedom (4-0).

The MAC and Pac-2 are the only FBS conferences that do not have an undefeated team.

More scores you should know

Another surprise from the SEC

Quick snapshots

Stewart Mandel shares his thoughts on this Alabama-Georgia Classic and much more from week 5.

The “College Game Day” The crew got into the UNLV-Matthew Sluka drama yesterday, and Nick Saban You may have taken the wrong approach.

You can purchase tickets to every college football game here.

For streaming information on Fubo, click here.

(Top photo: Todd Kirkland / Getty Images)