College Football 2020: Thoughts around the nation from Week 10

For the first time in the regular season since November 2017, the top ranked college football team in the country lost.

What a week we just witnessed. The No. 1 team lost, the playoff got a shake-up and Florida finally beat Georgia, ending a three-year drought.

Onto some thoughts around the nation from Week 10.

• Down goes Clemson. One of the best games of the season, Clemson lost in double-overtime to Notre Dame by a score of 47-40. A lot to talk about here.

First of all, I’ll admit: I was 100 percent wrong. Not only have I been saying nobody would beat Clemson, I also didn’t think Notre Dame had a chance. I honestly didn’t think this game would be within two scores. No excuses to be made, although you’ll hear a lot from the Clemson side, some justified and some not. Yes, the game likely looks different with Trevor Lawrence at quarterback, but he wouldn’t help the Clemson defense in one of their worst performances in years.

Clemson has only given up 28 points four times since the start of 2017. So to give up 47, even in double-overtime, is pretty bad.

For a period, this game looked like your typical big game in the Brian Kelly era. Notre Dame came out strong, and for a period absolutely dominated. Then in the second half, they collapsed. Clemson not only got back in the game, they dominated, going on a 20-3 run where Notre Dame absolutely could not get anything going on offense. It took a last-minute touchdown drive for Notre Dame to tie.

If you’re a Notre Dame fan, it’s hard to watch that games and think back to Florida State in 2014, Clemson and Stanford in 2015 and Georgia in 2018. All games had much of the same storylines, great start and incredible collapse. Notre Dame seemingly finds new ways to lose all of their big games and this appeared to be no different. This heartbreaker was going to be in overtime. But it never happened.

You have to wonder where both teams go from here, but it’s easy to assume where they go is a rematch in the ACC title game. Even if Clemson wins, there’s a chance both of these teams can make the College Football Playoff.

• Elsewhere, BYU absolutely obliterated Boise State on the blue, something we rarely see. BYU has to be looked at as a College Football Playoff contender at this point. They might not make it, but they’ve earned the right to be in the conversation.

Zach Wilson boosted his stats with another very impressive outing. On the year, Wilson is now completing over 75 percent of his passes for 2,512 yards with 22 touchdowns and just two interceptions. Everything else in college football has been strange in 2020, why not add in a BYU playoff berth and Heisman winner?

• Are you ready for an undefeated top 10 showdown between Ohio State and… Indiana? The undefeated and 10th(!) ranked Hoosiers only have Michigan State in front of them before a trip to The Horseshoe to meet the Buckeyes.

Indiana has been a solid team with good wins, but when you realize that their opponents’ combined record is 2-7, maybe we’re a little too high on the Hoosiers. Then again, wins over Penn State and Michigan are always something to be proud of.

As noted, up next is Michigan State and it’s tough to read who they are. It sure looks like an easy win for Indiana, especially if the Spartans team that showed up against Rutgers and Iowa is who they really are. If Indiana comes away with a win, a College GameDay appearance looks likely.

• Time to put Florida back in the College Football Playoff debate. After roughly five of the worst minutes of football I’ve ever seen in which Florida went down 14-0 thanks to a 75-yard Georgia run, a three-and-out and a six-play, 61-yard drive, the Gators turned on the jets and never looked back.

The Gators scored on six of their next seven drives, winning 44-28. Even without Kyle Pitts, who was injured on one of the most brutal hits you’ll see all season the Gators controlled all aspects of the game and handed the Bulldogs their second loss of the season.

Florida is now in the driver’s seat of the SEC East. They’re now ranked No. 6, and with their toughest remaining game being probably LSU, the Gators could run the table and face Alabama for the SEC title win and you’re in style game.

If you’re looking for a trap game, look no further than this week against Arkansas. Florida should hammer the Razorbacks. But don’t sleep on the return of Feleipe Franks, who will no doubt have a fire lit inside him. Arkansas has played a lot tougher than anyone expected. This could be a program-defining win for a dangerous Arkansas team with nothing to lose.

• Last week, I said Michigan is better off without Jim Harbaugh, which most everyone is finally starting to agree. This week, it’s someone else’s turn.

At what point does UCLA have buyer’s remorse on Chip Kelly? The whole era is a disaster and it’s time to move on before even more damage is done.

Let’s be honest: Clay Helton isn’t the guy at USC, and it’s only a matter of time before he’s given the pink slip. Why does that matter? Because UCLA needs to move on and get the “big fish” before the cross town rival does. Strike while USC is down, before they make the inevitable move and get the biggest name coach on the market.

It was only 2015 when UCLA was a top 10 team. That’s not that long ago. Someone can still salvage the program before it’s completely run into the ground. The key, as I said, is they have to turn it around and get the coach before USC does.

Who is “the” coach? That remains to be seen. It could be Graham Harrell, who’s currently running USC’s offense. If you’re looking for experience, Luke Fickell is a candidate, but he’s been exclusive to the Midwest if you believe in “fits” for a coach. He might be better off waiting for a Big Ten opening.

A name to watch that UCLA would be smart to reach out to is Andy Avalos. Between his time at Boise State and Oregon, Avalos has become a top-tier defensive coordinator. In addition to those two stops, Avalos coached at Colorado and Sacramento State, so he’s definitely familiar with the West coast.

It’s only a matter of time before Avalos is looked at as the premier head coaching candidate. Given the state of the UCLA program, and the defense in particular, this would be an excellent move for the Bruins.