Coming into this weekend of College Football, it wasn't nearly as exciting as the slate we saw last weekend. When the slate looks to be lacking in action, that's always where the surprises come from and on Saturday, we got one of the most exciting days of the season. Top 25 matchups between Miami and Florida State along with Alabama Vs Vanderbilt lived up to the hype giving us two great matchups.
The story of the weekend wasn't the big games but, it was instead the massive season altering upsets we saw this weekend. Penn State lost in stunning fashion to a winless UCLA putting them to the point where they need to win out the rest of the way. The Texas Longhorns struggled once again dropping their first SEC game of the year to Florida altering the entire outlook of their season.
When we least expected it, the entire College Football Playoff race was altered changing the dynamics the rest of the year.
Predicting the AP Top 25: Stunning upsets reshape the Top 25
The USF Bulls played a sloppy game on Friday Night yet, it was still good enough to pick up a 56-24 win over Charlotte. The Bulls were the first team outside the AP Top 25 last week and with a week of chaos they should certainly rejoin the Top 25. The Bulls win over Florida aged betted with the Gators beating Texas but, they need to keep rolling in the American.
Kenny Dillingham's team spent the weekend on the bye after their thrilling win over TCU last weekend. The Sun Devils are still very much in the mix for the Big 12 Championship and if they hadn't lost late to Mississippi State, we may view them on the same level as Texas Tech. The next two games are pivotal with a road trip to Utah before going to Texas Tech as the three teams could likely decide the race for the Big 12 Championship game in this span.
The Virginia Cavaliers love keeping their fans on the edge of their seat as they once again went to overtime outlasting the Louisville Cardinals. While the win over Florida State took a hit, this team continues to impress and in a wide open ACC, the Cavaliers could very well go on a run to the title game. This team will kick itself over the loss to NC State but, it wasn't in league play which is key for their hopes.
The Illinois Fighting Illini added another win to their resume this weekend as they handled the Purdue Boilermakers. A 27 point second quarter was all the Illini needed winning this game 43-27 but, Bret Bielema would love if his team turned some of their field goals into touchdowns. After failing their first test miserably, the Illini face Ohio State next weekend in a game that could decide their Playoff fate.
Diego Pavia and the Commodores couldn't back up all of their trash talk but, their loss to Alabama was much closer than the 30-14 final score indicates as Alabama scored a late touchdown running out the clock. This team is clearly no longer the doormat of the SEC but, they still are a step behind talentwise which will hurt them against the blue bloods especially when Diego Pavia doesn't have his best game.
Late on Friday Night, the BYU Cougars picked up another key win in Big 12 play beating a reeling West Virginia team. Everyone counted this team out when they lost Jake Retzlaff but, Bear Bachmeier has been more impressive as he threw for the second most yards for a Freshman in BYU history. This team still has massive games against Utah, Iowa State, and Texas Tech looming but, as the freshman QB improves this team will only get tougher to beat.
This weekend was great for Notre Dame and their hopes of making the College Football Playoff. The Fighting Irish handled business beating Boise State in a game where the defense finally looked like the unit everyone expected. The Fighting Irish still have to walk a tight rope but, teams like Texas and Penn State getting stunned help them as they try to fight their way back into the Playoff race.
The Iowa State Cyclones have dropped their first game of the season as they went on the road to Cincinnati and suffered a massive setback. The defense had no answers in the first half allowing 31 points and while they only allowed 7 points in the second half the hole was too big to come back from. This team still has the talent to go on a run to the Big 12 Championship but, they now likely need to win both games against Arizona State and BYU.
The Texas Longhorns facing three far inferior opponents only slowed their fall in the AP Poll as they've gone from the top team in the Country to potentially being on their way to unranked. Arch Manning continues to struggle and on Saturday he threw a pair of interceptions while taking two costly sacks on the final drive of the game. To make the College Football Playoff, this team may need to run the table, and nothing has shown us that they can do so at this point.
This entire season hasn't been great for Penn State as the Nittany Lions struggled against their three Non-Power 5 opponents and are now 0-2 in Big Ten play. The team clearly took a 0-4 UCLA team lightly allowing the Bruins to jump out to a 24-7 lead before the team even woke up. The defense allowing 42 points to this UCLA team is a massive concern but, Drew Allar can't create big plays even with the new receiving core.
The best recipe for a team in the Big Ten right now is facing the Wisconsin Badgers who are now on their third quarterback. The Wolverines defense allowed an early touchdown but, then shutdown the Badgers allowing just a late field goal. Bryce Underwood showed more signs of progression with a solid game passing while Justice Haynes continues to provide big plays on the ground.
While Missouri spent the weekend on the bye, all the teams that suffered shocking losses only helped them get closer to the College Football Playoff picture. Next weekend the Tigers have their biggest test of the year as they face an Alabama team that has found a rhythm since their season opening loss. The biggest advantage for Missouri is their rushing attack as Alabama has been vulnerable to the big play on the ground.
The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets spent the weekend on the bye and while they couldn't help themselves, they got a ton of favorable results. Between 4 teams ranked ahead of Georgia Tech falling and Florida State taking a second ACC loss, everything is starting to shape up perfectly for this team. The schedule until the Georgia game is beyond favorable but, they'll need to handle business in order to make the Playoff.
After an overtime thriller against Mississippi State, Josh Heupel's team got to spend the weekend on the bye. The defense has been the biggest concern to this point but, the Volunteers should get their top two cornerbacks back in the fold in the next few weeks which will be a massive addition. Next weekend, Tennessee should be able to add another SEC win as they face Arkansas in the first game post Sam Pittman.
The bye week couldn't have come at a better time for the LSU Tigers as it's clear Garrett Nussmeier and a few other Tigers needed some time off to get healthy. Next week, LSU has another massive test against South Carolina and if Nussmeier and Caden Durham can return to form LSU could be right back on track. The good news for LSU is that their wins over Florida and Clemson got more impressive this weekend as both teams picked up wins.
The Kentucky Wildcats walked into a buzzsaw on Saturday as they had to face the Georgia Bulldogs coming off of a loss. The Bulldogs handled business jumping out to a big lead and coasting to victory allowing the backups to get playing time. The best news for Georgia continues to be the fact that freshman Chauncey Bowens looks like a star running back in the SEC which changes the outlook of this offense.
The path to the Big 12 Championship still runs through Lubbock as the Texas Tech Red Raiders handed Houston their first loss. Behren Morton returned from injury and took care of the football passing for 345 yards and a score while the duo of J'Koby Williams and Cameron Dickey combined for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. The defense has star power like some of the teams in the SEC and the addition of David Bailey continues to be one of the biggest additions in the Country as he racked up a pair of sacks.
The Alabama Crimson Tide finally got to get their revenge against Diego Pavia and the Vanderbilt Commodores and they didn't waste their opportunity winning 30-14. The return of Jam Miller has been the biggest key as he's transformed the rushing attack while Ty Simpson is growing into a star as a passer. Kane Wommack's defense shut the Commodores out in the second half finally stopping the quarterback run.
The Indiana Hoosiers spent the weekend on the bye preparing for their massive showdown with the Oregon Ducks in Eugene. The path to the Big Ten Championship got much easier this weekend with Penn State taking another loss in league play. Next weekend's game has massive stakes as it'll determine the race for the Big Ten Championship, the College Football Playoff, and potentially the Heisman Trophy.
It wasn't pretty early on for the Texas A&M Aggies but, the offense came alive in the second half while the defense was oustanding. After weeks of lighting up the scoreboard on offense winning shootouts, the defense stepping up in the second half of games is a great sign for Mike Elko's team. If the Aggies can continue to play their style of football, the next two weeks bring games against Florida and Arkansas which could lift them to 7-0.
Michael Hawkins was tasked with taking over the Oklahoma offense this weekend as John Mateer recovers from surgery and he made sure that the Sooners' fans didn't need to stress. Hawkins passed for 3 scores and rushed for another while the defense added a scoop and score touchdown. The big test for this team comes next weekend as they face a struggling Texas team but, if Mateer isn't healthy it could spell trouble
The Ole Miss Rebels were able to the 4th ranking in the AP Poll with their massive win over the LSU Tigers and now while they spent the weekend on the bye they're among the group of teams that benefitted from the chaos elsewhere. One of the biggest questions with this group was quarterback after losing Jaxson Dart to the NFL but, Trinidad Chambliss has become a star in Oxford. This team still has massive games against Georgia and Oklahoma lingering but, if they can avoid the bizarre losses they suffered last weekend, they'll be more than fine.
The Oregon Ducks spent the weekend on the bye after going into Happy Valley and beating the Nittany Lions in an overtime thriller. That resume building win took a massive hit this weekend as Penn State got stunned by UCLA but, there's no doubt that they Ducks are one of the best teams in the Country. Next weekend, College GameDay comes to Eugene for a Top 10 clash between Oregon and Indiana in a game that will have a massive impact on the Playoff race.
The Miami Hurricanes had the Florida State Seminoles finished before allowing them to make the game look much closer than it was in the final moments. Carson Beck had a 4 touchdown performance but, he should thank Malachi Toney and CJ Daniels for massive plays after the catch. If the Hurricanes get a lead it's almost impossible to get back in the game as the pass rush is one of the best in the Country.
While there was chaos and upsets around the Country, the defending National Champions keep on rolling as the Buckeyes dominated Minnesota. Julian Sayin looked the best we've seen to date finding Carnell Tate deep several times to burn the Golden Gophers. The defense continues to look like one of the best units in the Country as they completely shutdown everything the Gophers tried on offense.