Welcome to Survival Saturday.
Every season, from brunch to dinner, there’s at least one day when the hearts of the entire college football world can’t stop beating.
Four teams in the top 25 won in overtime. Three other ranked teams won within three points. It started with Alabama’s (shaky) rebound from the loss to Vanderbilt — even though the two-point win over South Carolina wasn’t pretty. In the end, the game ended with Kansas State building a big lead, but Colorado State also clinched the victory.
During that time, LSU, Penn State, Illinois and Tennessee all won in overtime. Our new No. 1 Oregon defeated Ohio State by one point. Pitt remained undefeated with a two-point win over Cal.
Of course there was an explosion. Texas has Oklahoma State set up for a big showdown with Georgia next week in Austin. Clemson pounded Wake Forest. And Notre Dame cornered Stanford.
Eleven teams remain undefeated midway through the season. That list includes Iowa State, Army, Navy and Indiana.
A lot of the fan base didn’t survive Saturday. Rutgers started 4-0 but lost two games in a row. The University of North Carolina and Mack Brown lost four straight. Billy Napier and Florida managed to cough up their agitation on the streets of Knoxville.
Did your team survive?
Let’s aim for top 10!
1. Oregon Ducks
This week: 32-31 win over Ohio State.
Next week: Purdue (Friday)
QB Dillon Gabriel re-emerged into the college football world in his sixth season and third school, when everyone may have forgotten about him. He tore through Ohio State’s secondary, throwing for 341 yards, two touchdowns, and running for 27 yards that changed the score. The win puts the Ducks in the Big Ten title race and is the team’s best win of the season so far, behind Georgia over Alabama and Georgia over Clemson.
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
This week: 33-30 overtime win over University of Southern California.
Next week: Goodbye
Who said you couldn’t take an hour bus ride, fly five hours across the country, and win in overtime? That’s what the Nittany Lions did — 20 to half at halftime. They fought back from a six-game deficit to give third-year coach Lincoln Riley a gut punch (the Trojans are 3-3 in the mix). The buzz you hear comes from the hype surrounding the Nov. 2 game against Ohio State in Happy Valley (the Buckeyes seem particularly susceptible defensively).
3. Texas Longhorn
This week: 34-3 win over Oklahoma.
Next week: vs. Georgia
QB Quinn Ewers’ return got off to a deserted start, but ended in style. But it was the Longhorns’ defense that really won the game. The Sooners had one drive of 19 yards or more for the entire game and punted a whopping six times. Steve Sarkisian got the Horns ready for next week’s big-ticket home game against Georgia.
4. Miami Hurricanes
This week: Goodbye
Next week: in Louisville
After a relaxing week off, Cam Ward and the Hurricanes will be back on the road next Saturday with a game at Louisville. A look at UM’s second-half schedule shows zero teams (so far) in the top 25. Collision course with Clemson in the ACC Championship Game? perhaps.
5. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: 41-31 win over Mississippi State.
Next week: In Texas
Kirby Smart’s team played some surprisingly close games. The other came Saturday against the worst team in the SEC. Remember that one-point win over Kentucky and loss to Alabama? The Bulldogs haven’t necessarily dominated themselves. They have to go next Saturday.
6. Ohio State Buckeyes
This week: Lost to Oregon 32-31.
Next week: Goodbye
The Buckeyes dropped two spots but remained firmly in the top 10. After all, they took a hit on the road against the Ducks. However, defense requires effort. Oregon relied on Ohio State’s secondary, especially cornerback Denzel Burke, for most of the night. They have a week to figure things out before hosting Nebraska. Penn State, Michigan State and undefeated Indiana remain. Could Ohio State actually miss the College Football Playoff?
7. Clemson Tigers
This week: 49-14 win over Wake Forest.
Next week: vs. Virginia
Ah, another Clemson blowout. Since losing to Georgia in the season opener, the Tigers have outscored their opponents 243-96 and won their next five games. It’s an angry group. Clemson’s offense is in good shape. Against Wake, they had a 100-yard rusher, a 100-yard receiver and a 300-yard passer. QB Cade Klubnik hasn’t thrown a pick in 10 quarters and has thrown seven touchdowns in that span.
8. Iowa State Cyclones
This week: 28-16 win over West Virginia.
Next week: vs UCF
The Cyclones are 6-0 for the second time in history, boasting one of the worst defenses in the nation and will only feature one ranked team (Kansas State) on the remainder of their regular season schedule. Should we talk about Matt Campbell’s team in the playoffs? QB Roco Becht is playing as well as anyone, and ISU’s defense hasn’t allowed more than 21 points this season.
9. BYU Cougars
This week: 41-19 win over Arizona.
Next week: vs. Oklahoma State
In their second year in the Big 12, the Cougars are leading the league and are 6-0 on the season with some pretty solid wins against SMU and Kansas State. They are avoiding the only undefeated team in the Big 12 this season (Iowa State). Are we headed for the BYU vs. Iowa State Big 12 title game? perhaps!
10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
This week: 49-7 win over Stanford.
Next week: At Georgia Tech.
Things are going according to plan for the Irish (apart from the mysterious loss of home to Northern Illinois). Not even God himself (with delayed lighting in the second half) could stop the Irish from rolling the Cardinal. Look at Notre Dame’s schedule and tell us where the Irish will lose their next game. They are on their way to a large berth.
