There are 11 Power Five teams left with one loss or fewer in college football, and as many as 10 of them could finish with one loss or fewer. The same five undefeated teams from last week remain. So what does this look like after the first weekend of November? Here is our Week 10 recap in the sport, which had some wild showings.
1. Alabama looks like the best team in college football
Remember, the LSU Tigers were the hottest team in the sport, and the Crimson Tide won by two touchdowns. Nick Saban has figured out how to use Jalen Milroe, and he looks like a Heisman contender now with four rushing touchdowns and 374 total yards Saturday. If this team played the Texas Longhorns again, they would win in a blowout. Speaking of Texas…
2. Texas survives
Yes, it took a poor decision from the Kansas State Wildcats, but the Longhorns still got a crucial win over a ranked team. Right now, nobody in the Big 12 is undefeated, so they could be the one league left out of the College Football Playoff, but Texas has more of an inside track than anybody else now as the only one-loss team left in that league. That’s because of what else happened there…
3. Oklahoma, Clemson, UCLA suffer upset losses
The Sooners fell for a second straight week, this time on the road against a red-hot Oklahoma State Cowboys team. Meanwhile, the Clemson Tigers upset the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and the Arizona Wildcats upset the UCLA Bruins. That gave OU two losses and ND and UCLA three each, making them no longer factors.
4. Washington picks up impressive road win at USC
Caleb Williams outplayed Michael Penix Jr., but Penix got the win and is still in a better Heisman position. This was a big win for the Huskies too, as they did it on the road against the Trojans. Sure, Washington is better, but Pac-12 football heavily favors home teams, more so than other conferences, so winning by 10 at USC is a big deal.
5. Oregon State could stop Oregon-Washington rematch
In addition to Washington, the Oregon Ducks won their game in a blowout, against the Cal Golden Bears. They scored 63 points. Oregon’s one loss is to Washington, and they’re on a collision course for a rematch in the Pac-12 title game. However, the Oregon State Beavers held off Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes on the road Saturday. They have just two losses and play both teams in November.
6. Georgia finally picks up a quality win
Before last week, the Bulldogs had no right being in anybody’s top five. They hadn’t earned one quality win. However, despite looking ugly, not covering and playing at home, they beat a ranked Missouri Tigers team that has been putting up fights all year. Still, 30-21 suggests they’re vulnerable, so while it helped where their ranking should be, it opened up concerns.
7. Big Ten Big Three stay alive in College Football Playoff
Speaking of not playing anybody, the Michigan Wolverines blew out the Purdue Boilermakers. They still don’t deserve to be top five. However, they’ll face the one-loss Penn State Nittany Lions, who blew out the Maryland Terrapins, this week, and the Ohio State Buckeyes blew out the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. All three could win the league, and if PSU wins Saturday, things could get crazy.
8. Ole Miss, Louisville won’t go away
Jeff Brohm’s Louisville Cardinals should be undefeated, but even at one loss, they’re impressive. The Florida State Seminoles remain the heavy ACC favorites after beating the Pittsburgh Panthers Saturday, but Louisville is still there. Meanwhile, the Ole Miss Rebels and Lane Kiffin scored a huge win over Jimbo Fisher’s Texas A&M Aggies. Ole Miss won’t win the west, but a playoff berth is possible.
9. College Football Heisman race
1. Michael Penix Jr., QB – Washington
2. Bo Nix, QB – Oregon
3. Jordan Travis, QB – Florida State
4. Ollie Gordon II, RB – Oklahoma State
5. Jalen Milroe, QB – Alabama
10. Top 10: What College Football Playoff should look like
1. Ohio State
2. Washington
3. Florida State
4. Georgia
5. Oregon
6. Texas
7. Alabama
8. Ole Miss
9. Penn State
10. Michigan
