2023 College Football season: Top performers from Week 9

bet365 News Team Updated: Oct 31 2023 17:29 Published: Oct 31 2023 16:27

Week 9 of the 2023 College Football season is in the books and it featured big performances from some of the game's brightest stars.

The action started on Tuesday and Wednesday night to whet our appetite, followed by a Saturday slate that delivered a ton of excitement.

Over the course of the day we had some bad beats, unlikely upsets and terrific wins for programs that made a statement.

With Week 9 behind us, it’s time to look at the top performers from the last few days across the college football landscape.

Carson Beck, QB - Georgia

When Brock Bowers went down with what is likely a season-ending injury, many wondered about the Georgia Bulldogs and if they would be the same on offense going forward.

As it just so happens, first-year quarterback Carson Beck had no trouble without Bowers in Saturday’s dominant victory over Florida, turning in one of the best games of his career in the process.

In a massive rivalry tilt, Beck threw for 315 yards and two touchdowns while completing 68 percent of his passes in the win.

After falling behind 7-0 on the opening drive, Georgia rattled off 43 of the next 56 points and Beck was at the center of it all, finding Ladd McConkey, Dominic Lovett and others en route to a masterful offensive performance.

The Bulldogs are one of the best teams in the nation and will have to play a number of difficult SEC contests before the College Football Playoff beckons.

If this team wants to be the first squad since pre-World War II to win three consecutive national titles, they’ll need Beck operating at this level for the remainder of the campaign.

Bo Nix, QB - Oregon

Rice-Eccles Stadium is often a house of horrors for opponents.

There’s a reason why heading into last Saturday, the Utah Utes hadn’t lost a home game where fans were in attendance since 2018. However, that changed in Week 9, as Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks thrashed the Utes in decisive fashion, prevailing by a score of 35-6 in what was a statement victory.

Nix has been extremely successful and efficient all season long, posting 21 touchdowns to just one interception on the year.

However, Saturday was a new high for the senior quarterback, posting 248 yards and two touchdowns while completing nearly 78 percent of his passes.

It was part of a dominant performance that stamped Oregon as a College Football Playoff contender. Look for Nix to be in the Heisman race for the remainder of the season as the Ducks push for a Pac-12 title, with the QB currently listed at +600.

Noah Fifita, QB - Arizona

Speaking of Pac-12 quarterbacks, something special is happening in Tucson, Arizona this season.

Noah Fifita was the backup quarterback to Jayden DeLaura heading into the campaign, but he took over the starting job prior to the game against Washington on September 30 and the team hasn't looked back.

The Wildcats are undefeated against the spread since Fifita took over, including a double overtime loss against USC on October 7.

The last two weeks have been the apex of this Wildcats offense under Fifita, as Arizona routed Washington State 44-6 and followed that up with an impressive 27-24 victory over Oregon State to improve to 5-3 on the season and pull into a four-way tie for third place in the Pac-12.

This is a team to watch for the remainder of the season and Fifita is the primary reason for it.