When you looked at this weekend's College Football schedule, everyone knew it was going to be an incredible slate of games. Saturday was arguably the most exciting day of the season with several Top 25 clashes and some stunning upsets that changed the entire outlook of the season for several programs.
The story of the weekend was in Eugene, Oregon, where the 3rd ranked Oregon Ducks faced the 7th ranked Indiana Hoosiers. This game felt like Indiana finally showing everyone they are a serious contender, and no one can stick up their nose at this team anymore.
Predicting the AP Top 25: Indiana crashes the party
The Utah Utes picked up a big win in Big 12 play, knocking off Arizona State, and while the Sun Devils were without Sam Leavitt, it doesn't take away what the Utes' offense did. The Utes ran the ball 42 times for 276 yards and 6 touchdowns, led by their star quarterback Devon Dampier, who ran for 120 yards and 3 scores. The Utes needed this win for their hopes of making it to the Big 12 Championship, and now they're in a great place to do so.
The USF Bulls picked up a crucial win in their race for the American as they knocked off a red-hot North Texas team. The offense played a sloppy game, turning the ball over 3 times, but it did not matter as they exploded for 63 points. The defense stopped a red-hot offense, forcing Drew Mestemaker to throw three interceptions. Alex Golesh's team is rolling, and they're in the driver's seat to earn the Group of 5 bid into the College Football Playoff.
It felt like Lincoln Riley heard everything that everyone had said about his team being soft and flipped the narrative on Saturday Night. The USC Trojans took the punishment to Michigan, running the ball 36 times for 224 yards, sending a statement to the rest of the Country. This team is just starting to get healthy again, and they could be a force in the Big Ten the rest of the season.
On Saturday, we finally saw the team that came into the season ranked as the Nation's best as the Texas Longhorns finally arrived. The defense was incredible, making John Mateer look like a terrible quarterback, sacking him 5 times while forcing 3 interceptions. Arch Manning finally got help from the rushing attack, and while the offense only scored one touchdown, they showed great signs of improvement against one of the Nation's best defenses.
The Memphis Tigers spent the weekend on the bye as they prepare for an important stretch in their push for the College Football Playoff. This team has been beyond impressive this season but, they'll end up being defined by how they fair against USF and Tulane.
Last week, Cincinnati was the first team out in the AP Poll, but they'll certainly be in the field this week. The Bearcats picked up another key win in Big 12 play with a 20-11 win over the UCF Knights in a game where the defense stepped up. Next week, this team gets to face a terrible Oklahoma State team, which should only allow them to pick up more momentum.
The Nebraska Cornhuskers have proven this season that they can finally win the games that hang in the balance late. Despite throwing three interceptions in this game, when Nebraska needed it most, Dylan Raiola came up big with the game-winning touchdown. This team has an easy schedule the rest of the season but, they need to start playing cleaner football.
Eli Drinkwitz would be the first to tell everyone that his team didn't play well on Saturday, yet they had a chance to win the game on the final drive. This team has the talent on both sides of the ball to be a factor in the race for the SEC and the College Football Playoff, but they learned this week that you can't afford to play sloppily against some of the most talented teams in the Country.
Vanderbilt spent the weekend on the bye after suffering their first loss of the season to Alabama. The good news for the Commodores is that the loss won't age poorly as Alabama looks to be one of the best teams in the Country, and this team was with them for most of the game on a bad day for the offense. This team will need to keep proving itself in SEC play, but it's hard to count Diego Pavia and company out.
The Virginia Cavaliers spent the weekend on the bye after their massive win over the Louisville Cardinals. While the Cavaliers' win over Florida State got less impressive, the ACC continues to shake out in a great way for this team to make a run to the ACC Championship.
While it took two overtimes to do so, the BYU Cougars moved to 6-0 on Saturday Night in a comeback against Arizona. Down the stretch, Bear Bachmeier was in complete control, picking up chunk plays and eventually the game-winning touchdown with his legs. The more reps Bachmeier gets, the better this team is going to be, and they have a great chance at competing for the Big 12 Championship and a playoff bid.
The chaos around the Country continues to help Notre Dame as they're right back in the race for the College Football Playoff despite having two losses. The Fighting Irish will continue to be the biggest cheerleader for Texas A&M and Miami, while USC winning this weekend was big, as it should give the Irish the chance to pick up a ranked win. Marcus Freeman's team just needs to keep on picking up wins, and they could find themselves in the Playoff.
After how impressive the Oklahoma Sooners looked against Michigan and Auburn, the way they performed in the Red River Rivalry was disappointing. In John Mateer's return from injury, the offense looked out of sync as he threw 3 interceptions while getting sacked 5 times. This game has to raise concerns as it seems like the offense doesn't have the playmakers it may need to reach the College Football Playoff.
Georgia Tech has been given a great opportunity with their schedule and how everyone else has played in the ACC. This weekend, they finally looked the part with a dominant showing against Virginia Tech. The offense got whatever they wanted with a well-balanced attack while taking care of the football, while the defense got stops when they needed to. This team still has a ton of growing to do, but they'll have every chance to do so with a weaker ACC schedule.
The Tennessee Volunteers only beating the struggling Arkansas Razorbacks by 3 wasn't overly impressive, but considering how much the Arkansas staff changed, it's tough to prepare for. This weekend, Tennessee won, leaning on its rushing attack, picking up 264 yards behind DeSean Bishop's career-best 146 yards. The defense is only going to get better when they get their star cornerbacks back, but next weekend's game against Alabama would be perfect timing.
It wasn't pretty for the LSU Tigers, but they held on to beat South Carolina in a tough SEC game. The defense continues to be the best story for this team as they forced two turnovers while shutting South Carolina's offense down. The rushing attack looked much improved, but Garrett Nussmeier's struggles are starting to get alarming as he threw two terrible interceptions in this game and missed some wide-open throws.
The Georgia Bulldogs went on the road to face a very talented Auburn Tigers team, and while it wasn't pretty, they escaped with a victory. The Bulldogs were plagued by another slow start, but the defense made a massive play at the goal line that changed the game. Once Kirby Smart and his staff can figure out how to get this team started, how they finish games, this team is going to be a force.
Every week, the Texas Tech Red Raiders continue to prove that they're above the rest of the pack in the Big 12. This week saw Texas Tech dismantle the Kansas Jayhawks in a 42-17 win that was even more impressive than the final score. Behren Morton left with an injury, and it was no problem as Cameron Dickey rushed for 263 yards and 2 scores in a historic performance. The defense that they spent a ton on this offseason racked up 9 sacks, showcasing how tough it's going to be to beat this group.
The Alabama Crimson Tide picked up another Top 25 win on Saturday as they went on the road and survived a challenge by the Missouri Tigers. The biggest concern for this Alabama team right now is the injuries as the Crimson Tide seemingly loses several big pieces each weekend, yet they win in the end. There's no time off for this team to get healthier as they're right back in a big situation next weekend when they face Tennessee in another pivotal game.
This weekend marked the first loss for the Oregon Ducks in their time, setting this team back a bit, but it's also clear they're still one of the best teams in the Country. The offense faced the best defense they've seen, and the 6 sacks they allowed and Dante Moore's two interceptions were the product. Dan Lanning's team almost needed a setback, and now they'll get to fix their mistakes against a few inferior teams before their next test.
The Ole Miss Rebels came off the bye to a classic trap game as they faced a Washington State team that's easy to overlook. When the Cougars took a lead in the 3rd quarter, they got Ole Miss' attention, leading to the Rebels scoring 14 straight points to escape with a win. Last season, we saw Lane Kiffin's team lose this kind of game, so to escape with a victory says a ton about this group.
The Texas A&M Aggies continue to improve week over week as they're rounding into one of the toughest teams in the Country. After allowing 14 first quarter points, the defense dominated the rest of the game allowing just 3 points the rest of the game. Marcel Reed didn't have his best game passing, but the Aggies scored three touchdowns on the ground to power this team to another win.
The Indiana Hoosiers went to Eugene and sent a statement to the rest of the Country that they're no longer a feel-good story; they're a legit contender. The defense showed up massively, allowing just 13 points while sacking Dante Moore 6 times and forcing 2 interceptions. Fernando Mendoza didn't have his most impressive performance, but, with stars like Roman Hemby and Elijah Sarratt, he didn't need to be Superman. This team just has to win the games they should and they'll find themselves back in the College Football Playoff.
The Miami Hurricanes spent the weekend on the bye once again after their win over Florida State last week. The Hurricanes look like one of the most talented teams in the Country, and they shouldn't be tested again in the regular season, as the rest of their schedule is pretty light.
As teams around them continue to suffer losses, the Ohio State Buckeyes keep on rolling as they picked up a Top 25 win over Illinois. The offense didn't play the cleanest game as they struggled running the ball. The defense continues to be arguably the best unit in the Country as they forced another 3 turnovers directly leading to 21 points and another statement win.