
Saturday night window: Kentucky takes the SEC lead and Arizona routs Iowa State
No. 12 Kentucky moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC, and No. 25 Arizona won its first game as a ranked team this season by 36 points. Syracuse won in overtime on a two-point catch.
By Beat Chuck College Football Desk / 2 sources / Published October 25, 2026
No. 12 Kentucky beat Vanderbilt 34-17 on Saturday night and moved into sole possession of first place in the SEC, a half-game ahead of idle No. 5 Georgia, according to the Associated Press. No. 25 Arizona, playing as a ranked team for the first time this season, beat Iowa State 39-3.
Kentucky 34, Vanderbilt 17. Kenny Minchey threw for 203 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score. Kentucky had 14 yards in the first quarter and trailed 10-0 before scoring 21 straight points. Vanderbilt got within 21-17 in the third quarter, and the Wildcats scored the last 13. Freshman Jared Curtis threw for 242 yards and two touchdowns for Vanderbilt, which is 3-5 and still looking for its first SEC win. Kentucky is 7-1 and 5-1 and snapped a two-game losing streak in the series.
Arizona 39, Iowa State 3. Noah Fifita completed 27 of 34 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns, and Isaiah Mizell caught eight passes for 134 yards, including a 71-yard score on the game's second play. Arizona held Iowa State to 52 rushing yards on 31 carries, ending the Cyclones' streak of 23 straight games with at least 100. The Wildcats are 6-1.
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Oklahoma State 57, Colorado 24. Colorado led 24-23 at halftime, then lost the ball on the first play of the third quarter and never scored again. Drew Mestemaker threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns, Caleb Hawkins ran for 120 yards, and Sam Keltner kicked a school-record five field goals. The Cowboys outscored Colorado 34-0 in the second half.
Syracuse 31, North Carolina 30 (OT). North Carolina scored first in overtime on Demon June's 3-yard catch. Calvin Russell III answered with a 4-yard touchdown catch and then caught the two-point conversion. Syracuse had missed an extra point with 1:54 left in regulation that would have put it ahead. Steve Angeli threw for 256 yards and two touchdowns in his first start since Sept. 17.
Colorado State 56, San Diego State 49. Hauss Hejny accounted for five touchdowns, three passing and two rushing, and threw for 333 yards as the Rams ended a four-game losing streak. The teams combined for 1,114 yards.
UTSA 42, Tulane 19. The Roadrunners won their fifth straight to reach 7-1. Will Henderson III ran for 102 yards.
Three more night games have their own stories. No. 19 Texas held off No. 7 Ole Miss 34-27 (recap), Wisconsin upset No. 16 USC 24-7 (recap), and Virginia Tech won at Clemson 20-16 (recap).
No. 10 Utah and No. 14 Houston were still playing late Saturday night.
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