It was an ugly weekend of college football. The evil spirits of Halloween must have been at work against the top programs, as upsets and undeserved wins filled last Saturday while some of the best teams were on a bye week. Lots of teams were eliminated from any playoff hunt as we get set for the final slate of games of October this week. Here is a recap of last Saturday.
1. Texas, Oklahoma, Oregon, Washington all nearly fall
The Longhorns needed a bad spot to hold off the Houston Cougars by a touchdown, and Quinn Ewers got hurt, so it may be Arch Manning time there. Meanwhile, the Sooners only beat the UCF Knights 31-29, and the Huskies only beat the Arizona State Sun Devils 15-7. While the Ducks beat the Washington State Cougars 38-24, it was a one-score game at home at halftime.
2. Michigan the only contender not to struggle
Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines blew out the Michigan State Spartans 49-0. Harbaugh’s suspension and this new NCAA allegation aren’t changing anything have lit a fire in them. They are clearly on a mission to embarrass everybody they face. However, they still haven’t played anybody, so they still only deserve to be top 10 by default.
3. North Carolina suffers college football upset of the year
Ever since Mack Brown took over, the Tar Heels have been good for one bad upset a year. This may have been the worst, though. In the shocker of this college football season, UNC lost to a bad Virginia Cavaliers team 31-27. Drake Maye is single-handedly carrying this team, but it’s hard to see how they recover from this one. They should be done.
4. USC is done: Lincoln Riley in trouble?
Lincoln Riley’s Trojans lost their second straight game and their third to the Utah Utes since he and Caleb Williams headed out west. Now, with two losses, they are all but done in the College Football Playoff race, and honestly, could Lincoln Riley be in trouble? His lack of commitment to defense is an issue. Give Utah credit, though, for winning. They still have just one loss and are in every race.
5. Alabama, FSU deserve break for struggle narrative
Joining Utah, the Crimson Tide and Florida State Seminoles also beat ranked teams. Yes, Alabama trailed 20-7 at halftime, but at the end of the day, they covered the spread in their 34-20 against the Tennessee Vols. It’s the same with the Florida State Seminoles. They trailed the Duke Blue Devils 10-7 after the first quarter but won 38-20, also covering.
6. Ohio State keeps winning ugly
One more team who deserves a break from the struggle narrative, the Buckeyes covered against the undefeated Penn State Nittany Lions last weekend, winning 20-12. Sure, they have had two ugly wins to this point, but they’ve beaten an undefeated and two two-loss teams, all better wins than Michigan, so they have nothing to be ashamed of.
8. Clemson’s elite college football run ends
It’s over. Dabo Swinney cashed in on a lot of internal issues with other programs to build the Tigers into a college football powerhouse during the 2010s, but that has come crashing down. Clemson lost its second overtime game of the year, but this one was to a Miami Hurricanes team that is reeling. The program will never return to what it was.
9. Arkansas pulls the first firing trigger…of an assistant
Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks had at least been putting up fights against far superior teams, but last Saturday, they lost 7-3 to the Mississippi State Bulldogs. That led to Pittman and the Hogs pulling the trigger on offensive coordinator Dan Enos, who was fired before finishing even a year there. Could this be a start of a string of firings about to take place?
9. Heisman race
1. Michael Penix
2. Jayden Daniels
3. Dillon Gabriel
4. Bo Nix
5. Jordan Travis
10. Top 10
1. Ohio State
2. Florida State
3. Oklahoma
4. Washington
5. Oregon
6. Texas
7. Alabama
8. Ole Miss
9. Georgia
10. Michigan
