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12 Viral Moments That Took The Internet By Storm In Week 9 Of The College Football Season

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Imagn Images: Melina Myers, Kiyoshi Mio, Dylan Widger, Gary A. Vasquez / USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Viral moments from Week 9 of the 2026 college football season.


Week 9 of the college football season has come and gone, producing incredible storylines both on and off the field. Top teams went down. Others escaped to keep playoff hopes alive. Then, there were the struggling teams on the other end of the spectrum.

One notable college football head coaching vacancy is now open, running the total number of fired Power 4 leaders to four. Quarterback controversies have been sparked. Tough decisions will need to be made by administrators at some of the sport’s most recognizable schools.

Each week, we do our best to identify the most viral moments from the week to pass. These aren’t the typical box scores and stat lines. They consist of plays, debates, and reactions that took the internet by storm.

12 Viral College Football Moments From Week 9.

These moments began trending on social media over the weekend for one reason or another. Some shine a positive light on players and programs. Others paint a negative picture. All went viral on an action-packed Saturday.

Let’s start in Los Angeles where we saw the upset of the weekend.

Lincoln Riley yells at Ohio State AD.

USC took down the Buckeyes in the Coliseum, 30-18. After the game, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork irritated the Trojans’ head coach.

He appeared to say something to Riley and his family before making his way to the locker room. We don’t know what the comment was. We only know Riley’s reaction.

“F— You!” he’s heard saying as Bjork exited the field. Riley’s wife also chimed in, telling Bjork to “watch his mouth.”

It was a frustrating night in Los Angeles for the Buckeyes. Emotions appeared to get the best of Bjork in the aftermath of defeat.

Mark Bowman is Superman.

We’ll stay in LA a little bit longer to highlight this incredible catch and run by USC tight end Mark Bowman. The pass catcher made the play of the weekend in the win over Ohio State.

It came during the second half of a 20-9 game. Bowman nabbed a Jayden Maiava dart from midair and proceeded to run roughshod through the Buckeyes’ defense.

The tight end leapt over one defender and ran over another before being forced out of bounds near the goal line. The 70-yard reception set up a touchdown that allowed the Trojans to take complete control of the contest.

An ugly brawl in North Carolina.

North Carolina A&T beat Elon on Saturday afternoon, 13-10. During the postgame handshakes, a brawl erupted.

Elon players reportedly sought out their counterparts, who were starting their Homecoming victory celebration on the sidelines. Nearly every player on each team appeared to be involved.

Luckily, no injuries were suffered. Things eventually cleared, but it overshadowed NCA&T’s first victory in the rivalry series since 2019.

Bill Belichick suffers two heartbreaks.

The North Carolina football team nearly upset top-ranked Miami in Chapel Hill. The Tar Heels briefly held a fourth quarter lead before watching the Canes score back-to-back touchdowns.

Still, UNC refused to quit. They got the score to 38-35 in the final moments of regulation. They then had not one, but two onside kick recoveries called back by offsides. Ultimately, they’d lose by a field goal.

It was a bitter ending to a weekend in which head coach Bill Belichick’s breakup with Jordon Hudson was also publicized.

Oklahoma State’s costly penalty.

Oklahoma State faced Big 12 rival Iowa State in Ames on Saturday night. The Cowboys took a one-point lead late in the contest on a Wyatt Young touchdown catch.

After the score, Young approached the opposing crowd. He was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct, giving the Cyclones a free 15 yards on their ensuing drive.

Iowa State would take full advantage, marching down the field to win the game with a field goal on the final play. The brutal loss likely knocked the Cowboys out of College Football Playoff contention.

Referee injures East Carolina player.

An accidental slip by an out-of-control referee led to the injury of an East Carolina football player during a game vs. Temple. The official was attempting to give direction to the player he subsequently injured. He wound up unintentionally slide tackling ECU’s defender.

David Coleman, Jr. had to be helped off of the field after the takedown. He could not put any weight on his right foot. He reportedly fractured his fibula.

He is set to have surgery this week, which likely ends Coleman’s freshman year. Prayers for a quick recovery.

Fresno State quiets trash talk.

Oregon State linebacker Dylan Layne was not impressed by the crowd turnout ahead of a matchup vs. Fresno State. He mocked the Bulldogs in an empty stadium before kickoff.

His pregame trash talk would age poorly. He was humbled by Fresno State on the field as the Bulldogs racked up 38 points in a 16-point win.

Layne antagonized his opponent for its quiet atmosphere before kickoff. He was the one with nothing to say after the final whistle.

Indiana QB controversy?

Indiana quarterback Josh Hoover was benched in an overtime win against Minnesota. He’d struggled across the first half of play.

Hoover led one scoring drive and threw an interception on his final possession of the second quarter. Grant Wilson entered after halftime to lead a comeback effort.

The Hoosiers scored 16 points with Wilson leading the charge. His overtime touchdown strike to Charlie Becker would prove to be the difference in a 23-16 victory.

Hoover transferred to Indiana in the offseason at a high price. He’s now been demoted to spark a QB controversy for the defending national champions.

The resurrection of Thomas Castellanos.

Castellanos was left for dead after a middling 2025 season at Florida State. The Seminoles won five games. Castellanos transferred in the offseason.

The passer joined Texas Tech, his fourth program in five years, as a backup plan following a Brendan Sorsby gambling scandal. He got his first start on Saturday vs. Arizona.

Castellanos shined, throwing for two scores and running for 117 yards. The Red Raiders won the game, 34-26 to keep pace in the Big 12 title race. It appears that Castellanos has unseated Will Hammond as the starter with four games left to play.

Nebraska blew another lead.

The Cornhuskers have held late leads against Washington, Oregon, and Indiana over their last three games. They have lost each, being outscored a combined 39-10 in the fourth quarter.

Nebraska fans have grown frustrated watching a 5-0 start turn into 5-3. The team could very easily be 8-0.

On Saturday vs. the Huskies, Nebraska led 7-3 with less than two minutes left in the game. Washington was facing 4th-and-18. A stop likely ends the game. The Huskies converted to set up a go-ahead touchdown. A few plays later, Nebraska threw a pick six.

Fans started throwing trash on the field after Washington crossed the goal line. Matt Rhule is losing the fanbase due to an inability to finish games.

Bad Halloween crowds across the nation.

Poor fan turnouts were experienced across the country. I’m not sure if Halloween falling on a Saturday played a significant role, or if the attendance issues were more closely linked to opponents and ticket prices.

UCLA had less than 25k fans show for a shutout win over Nevada despite being undefeated and ranked in the Top 10. Oklahoma’s stadium was littered with empty seats during a loss to South Carolina. Penn State and TCU experienced poor showings, and not even the offer of free tuition could convince Maryland students to show up to a football game.

Some have tried to find reasoning for the bad turnouts. Records, conference alignment, schedules, and ticket prices have all been cited. I’d think Halloween played a part, too, with families prioritizing family time over football. Still, the embarrassing showings produced bad optics for a number of schools across the country.

Mike Norvell is gone.

The was completely abandoned by Florida State fans in a loss to Clemson. The stadium emptied in Tallahassee after a 79-yard Tate Reynolds touchdown run effectively ended the game.

The loss ran Norvell’s record to 10-22 over the last three seasons. The Seminoles will pay Norvell $50 million to stop coaching. The search for a replacement begins now.

He is the fourth Power 4 head coach to be fired in October, joining Mike Locksley (Maryland), Dave Aranda (Baylor), and Dave Doeren (NC State).

Jacob Elsey BroBible avatar
BroBible writer. Jacob is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and is based in Charleston, SC.
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