Five Things Feeding My Soul: Week 10 Takeaways
The College Football Playoff committee had barely unveiled its first rankings of the season before the much anticipated Week 10 slate delivered a series of results that will have its members reaching for the delete button.
Six of the committee's top fifteen teams suffered defeats, the most notable of which was No. 1 Miami, whose unbeaten record was ended by a relentless Notre Dame defense in South Bend.
Georgia outclassed No. 10 Ole Miss to stake its claim for the top spot, Oregon produced an extraordinary comeback against Ohio State, and Utah strengthened both its hold on the Big 12 conference and national championship credentials with victory in the Holy War over bitter in-state rivals BYU.
Elsewhere, Tennessee demolished No.6 Kentucky, while UCLA continued its remarkable unbeaten run and unlikely bid for the Big Ten championship, despite entering the weekend only eighth in the committee's rankings.
With just two unbeaten FBS teams remaining, the battle for the 12 playoff places is becoming increasingly fascinating.
Here's what fed my soul in Week 10.
1. Notre Dame takes down No. 1 Miami
No. 11 Notre Dame 31, No. 1 Miami 24
There are few more historic settings in college football than Notre Dame Stadium. Add the nation's top-ranked team, and a rivalry enormous playoff implications, and you have the makings of a memorable Saturday night.
The Fighting Irish delivered.
Notre Dame's suffocating defense disrupted Miami's offensive rhythm, with quarterback CJ Carr producing an outstanding performance, completing 29 of 40 passes for 319 yards and three touchdowns. Micah Gilbert caught nine passes for 98 yards and two scores, helping the Irish establish a commanding 21-point lead.
Miami, playing without injured star receiver Malachi Toney, eventually found its footing.
The Hurricanes fought back to within a touchdown, but Notre Dame safety Luke Talich delivered two defining defensive plays: a crucial fourth-quarter interception and a pass breakup that denied a potential game-tying touchdown.
The victory was Notre Dame's tenth against a No. 1-ranked opponent, and arguably one of the most important of Marcus Freeman's tenure. It also reopened the national championship race.
The Irish entered the weekend ranked No. 11 by the CFP committee, occupying the final at-large position in the projected playoff bracket. Despite a strong 7-1 record, they lacked a signature victory over a ranked opponent.
Beating the No. 1 ranked team changes that perception considerably.
Miami, meanwhile, must regroup after its first defeat of the season. The Hurricanes remain serious contenders, but for the fourth time this season, the team occupying the No. 1 ranking has been knocked off its perch.
2. Oregon's 38-point unanswered run stuns Ohio State
No. 23 Oregon 41, No. 12 Ohio State 28
For one quarter, Ohio State looked to be completely in charge of this high profile Big Ten showdown.
The Buckeyes led 14-0 at the Horseshoe, with more than 103,000 fans anticipating another significant victory in their pursuit of a playoff place.
Then Oregon took over.
The Ducks scored an extraordinary 38 unanswered points, transforming a two-touchdown deficit into a 24-point advantage and leaving Ohio State's season hanging by a thread.
Dylan Raiola threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, while Dierre Hill Jr. rushed for 75 yards and two scores, including a spectacular 48-yard touchdown run.
The impressive Dakorien Moore hauled in an 11-yard touchdown pass from Raiola. His athleticism and body control provided one of the weekend's most memorable scoring plays.
Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, visibly frustrated with his team's performance, still recorded seven receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, but the Buckeyes simply couldn't halt Oregon's momentum.
For the Ducks, the victory represents a remarkable turnaround after an inconsistent October. Entering the weekend at 5-3 and ranked No. 23 by the CFP committee, their playoff ambitions appeared to be slipping away. It was the signature result that can transform their season.
Ohio State's situation is rather different.
The Buckeyes entered the first CFP rankings at No. 12, already outside the projected playoff field because of the automatic qualification places. A third defeat, particularly at home, leaves Ryan Day's team facing a treacherous path to the postseason.
3. Georgia delivers a championship statement in Oxford
No. 2 Georgia 42, No. 10 Ole Miss 7
If Miami's defeat created an opening at the top of the rankings, Georgia took full advantage.
Kirby Smart's Bulldogs delivered a devastating performance on the road in Oxford, leading 28-0 at halftime and 35-0 after three quarters against an Ole Miss team that had been averaging more than 37 points per game.
Georgia amassed 481 yards of offence, including 295 on the ground, while restricting the Rebels to just 252 total yards. Quarterback Gunner Stockton accounted for five touchdowns, four passing and one rushing, but receiver Talyn Taylor stole the headlines.
Taylor caught four passes for an astonishing 140 yards and three touchdowns, including scoring receptions of 58 and 65 yards. Running back Nate Frazier added 107 rushing yards as the Bulldogs overwhelmed Ole Miss on both sides of the ball.
The Rebels' Trinidad Chambliss, arguably the Heisman front runner at the start of the season, was limited to 170 passing yards and failed to throw a touchdown for the first time in 22 games.
Georgia's response to its surprise October defeat against Auburn has been emphatic. Back-to-back road victories over Florida and Ole Miss have re-established the Bulldogs as the team to beat, in the SEC, and possibly on the national stage.
The Bulldogs entered Week 10 second in the CFP rankings, with their victory over Alabama already providing an important advantage over several other contenders.
There is still plenty of football to be played, but with its running game thriving, its defense imposing and Stockton looking increasingly assured, Georgia appears to be finding championship-winning form at exactly the right moment.
This was a performance worthy of national championship favourites.
4. Utah survives the Holy War to remain unbeaten
No. 3 Utah 28, No. 9 BYU 20
College football rivalries don't come much fiercer than the Holy War, and the first meeting between No.3 Utah and No.9 BYU as top-ten teams delivered another absorbing contest.
The Utes led 14-3 early, before BYU responded with 17 unanswered points to take a 20-14 advantage into halftime.
But the Cougars wouldn't score again.
Utah quarterback Devon Dampier produced a magnificent all-round performance, throwing for 177 yards and two touchdowns, rushing for another 89 yards and two scores, and even catching a 29-yard pass on a fourth-down trick play. This was a demonstration of why Dampier is one of the country's most exciting quarterbacks.
Utah's defence was equally influential.
BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier threw for 272 yards but was intercepted four times, doubling his interception total for the season in a single afternoon.
The late turnovers proved decisive, extinguishing BYU's comeback hopes and preserving Utah's perfect record. The Utes are now 9-0, have won 15 consecutive games stretching back to last season, and remain firmly in control of the Big 12 title race.
They entered the weekend at No. 3 in the CFP rankings, the highest position in program history. With Miami's defeat, Utah has an opportunity to climb even higher, while its victory over ninth-ranked BYU adds another significant result to an increasingly impressive playoff résumé.
Under first-year head coach Morgan Scalley, the Utes have emerged as genuine national championship contenders. After this performance, nobody should be questioning whether they belong among the country's elite.
5. UCLA moves to 9-0 for the first time since 1998
No. 8 UCLA 34, Minnesota 20
Nine games. Nine wins. For the first time since 1998, UCLA has opened a season 9-0, and the Bruins' remarkable transformation under first-year coach Bob Chesney continues to gather momentum.
Their victory at Minnesota was anything but straightforward. With the scores tied at 17-17 early in the fourth quarter, UCLA turned to a quarterback who began the season as a backup. In the absence of starter Nico Iamaleava, Ty Dieffenbach delivered.
On the Bruins' next offensive play, he connected with Aidan Mizell for a spectacular 75-yard touchdown.
When Minnesota subsequently reduced the deficit to four points, the pair combined again for another 75-yard score. Two receptions. Two touchdowns. 150 yards.
Dieffenbach finished with a career-high 303 passing yards and three touchdowns, despite attempting just 16 passes. Since stepping in for the injured Iamaleava, the young quarterback has become one of college football's most compelling individual stories.
UCLA's resurgence is equally remarkable. Despite entering the weekend as one of only three unbeaten FBS teams, the Bruins were ranked just eighth in the committee's opening CFP rankings.
The committee's concerns about their strength of schedule are understandable, but the Bruins are now the Big Ten's only unbeaten team, and with Miami losing, one of just two undefeated programmes remaining in the FBS.
In a season featuring some extraordinary individual performances, upsets and heavyweight showdowns, UCLA's unexpected rise might just be the most enjoyable storyline of all.
Honourable mentions: The SEC race intensifies
No. 13 Tennessee 34, No. 6 Kentucky 6: The Volunteers dismantled previously unbeaten Kentucky, keeping the Wildcats out of the end zone and forcing three turnovers. Having entered the weekend just outside the projected playoff field, Tennessee's emphatic victory over the committee's sixth-ranked team could transform its postseason prospects.
No. 5 Alabama 31, No. 14 LSU 13: The Crimson Tide scored the game's final 21 points in Baton Rouge, with Keelon Russell throwing for 206 yards and three touchdowns. With two defeats already on their record, the Tide cannot afford many mistakes, but their victory strengthened their position behind Georgia in a crowded SEC title race. LSU can ill afford another loss.
No. 7 Texas 34, No. 18 Missouri 20: Arch Manning and the Longhorns claimed another important ranked victory on the road, strengthening their playoff credentials and maintaining the pressure on Georgia and Alabama in a fiercely competitive SEC race.
The final word
Just two unbeaten teams remain, and neither is a traditional national championship powerhouse.
Utah and UCLA have become two of the season's most fascinating stories, while Georgia has made a compelling case to inherit the top ranking, Notre Dame has delivered a statement victory, and Miami must respond to its first defeat.
Oregon has breathed new life into its season, Ohio State faces an increasingly difficult road back, and the SEC's leading contenders continue to jostle for position.
Today's CFP rankings will make fascinating reading. Six of the committee's top fifteen teams were beaten this weekend.
November is only just getting started, college football is getting better by the week.
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