With Week 10’s end, we look back at key takeaways from exciting victories and surprising losses this past week.
Louisville pulled off a historic win over then-No. 11 Clemson on Saturday, as it was the first time in the Dabo Swinney era that an unranked opponent beat the Tigers at home by double digits. Following Saturday’s loss, are Clemson’s playoff hopes out of reach?
When the first College Football Playoff committee rankings come out Tuesday, what can you expect following Week 10 outcomes?
Our college football experts break down key storylines and takeaways.
Good — not great — will be a more common trait in the 12-team College Football Playoff field
Saturday night’s upsets knocked Clemson and Texas A&M out of the playoff race — unless they miraculously win their respective conferences. It also opened the door — albeit the back one — for a two-loss team like Alabama to sneak back into the mix. Fans will argue — and make valid points — about weaknesses in contenders like Alabama, Notre Dame, Penn State and Indiana. So will the selection committee. But this is what you get when it’s a 12-team field.
There have never been 12 great teams. There probably never will be. But fans must realize that what used to be a “playoff team” and what constitutes one now is a new definition. In a field that’s 12 deep, good teams will now be among the best. — Heather Dinich
Nebraska continues to be a Big Ten bust
Think back to 2011, when Nebraska joined the Big Ten. If five realistic scenarios for the Huskers were outlined, rated from most to least likely, the worst case would be better than Big Red’s reality in the Big Ten. The period from 2017 has been particularly painful, and it feels like there’s no end in sight. Do you know how hard it is for a program with Nebraska’s history and resources to go this long without a single bowl appearance?
Nebraska’s bowl drought might inexplicably continue after the latest cover-your-eyes loss at Memorial Stadium, to a UCLA team that built a 27-7 lead in the third quarter before things tightened up. A week after pushing Ohio State in Columbus, two weeks after being embarrassed at Indiana, Nebraska once again fell flat. The Huskers now must beat USC, Wisconsin or Iowa to simply become bowl eligible. Since 2017, they are 33-56 overall, 21-47 in Big Ten play.
Every year brings breathless predictions, seemingly laced with nostalgia, about a Nebraska breakthrough. Other Big Ten programs that have accomplished far more in recent years don’t receive the same treatment. Folks must get carried away with coach Matt Rhule’s locker room speeches or game highlights. My advice: Don’t buy into any of it yet. The Huskers have shown who they are in this league, so start believing them. — Adam Rittenberg
Schools making moves to different conferences are making major pushes
Who says moving is such a bad thing? For that matter, maybe moving can be a good thing in this new world of college football. Take a look at the four Power conferences and which teams are in prime position to either win a league title and/or make the College Football Playoff as we approach the second week of November.
Oregon, in its first season in the Big Ten, is ranked No. 1 nationally and one of two unbeaten teams in the league. Consider this about the Ducks, who will almost certainly be No. 1 in the playoff committee’s first rankings on Tuesday night: They’ve beaten Ohio State and defending national champion Michigan in their first season in the Big Ten, which is as many wins as Penn State has against Ohio State and Michigan since 2018. And in keeping with the changing addresses theme, it’s a newcomer who’s leading the way at Oregon. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel, a transfer from Oklahoma, is the fifth-rated passer among power conference quarterbacks and has thrown for 2,665 yards, 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions.
BYU, in its second season in the Big 12, couldn’t have had a better Saturday, especially considering the Cougars were off. They’re the Big 12’s last unbeaten team and ranked in the top 10 nationally. Chief contenders Iowa State and Kansas State were both upset this past weekend, and BYU heads into Saturday with a huge road date against bitter rival Utah. It will be their first conference clash in a decade.
And what about Rhett Lashlee’s SMU squad in its first season in the ACC? The Mustangs beat up on previously unbeaten Pittsburgh 48-25 on Saturday and are tied with Miami as the only undefeated teams in league play. With Clemson losing to Louisville, SMU has an excellent path to the ACC championship game. The Mustangs have a bye Saturday and then face Boston College at home, Virginia on the road and Cal at home, and will likely be favored in all three games.
This is also Texas’ first season in the SEC, and the Longhorns are part of a five-team logjam at the top of the standings with one league loss. Texas still has two road games remaining against old Southwest Conference rivals — Arkansas on Nov. 16 and Texas A&M on Nov. 30.
Granted, the college football landscape has shifted considerably, but imagine four schools winning conference championships or even playing in their conference title games in only their first or second seasons in their new leagues. The only constant with college football these days is change. — Chris Low
Louisville lands a historic victory in Death Valley
Saturday was a night of firsts inside Clemson’s Memorial Stadium. For the first time in the Dabo Swinney era, the Tigers lost at home by double digits to an opponent ranked outside the AP Top 25. And for the first time since joining the ACC in 2014, Louisville toppled Clemson, striking a blow to the Tigers’ playoff hopes in a historic 33-21 upset.
The Cardinals’ winless streak across eight all-time meetings against Clemson entering the Week 10 matchup had been hanging over Louisville for the past decade. In that sense, the 12-point win was significant for its historical context alone. But it wasn’t just that the Cardinals finally slayed Clemson, but the way they did it en route to clinching bowl-eligibility for a second consecutive season.
Louisville’s middle-of-the-pack ACC defense hit another level in Death Valley. The Cardinals’ secondary created nine pass breakups, limiting Cade Klubnik to his lowest yardage total since the Tigers’ Aug. 31 loss to Georgia. Meanwhile, linebacker Stanquan Clark logged a career-high 13 tackles, leading a Louisville defense that stopped 12 of 23 third-down attempts. And on the road, without pass catchers Caullin Lacy, Jadon Thompson and Jamari Johnson, the Cardinals turned to freshman running back Isaac Brown, who barreled through Clemson for a career-high 151 yards on 20 attempts, capping the performance with a 45-yard, fourth-quarter touchdown run that closed the door on a Tigers’ late comeback bid.
After suffering early-season ranked losses to Notre Dame, SMU and Miami, Louisville got a signature win in Year 2 under Jeff Brohm. And perhaps more importantly, the Cardinals finally got off the schneid against Clemson with a statement win. — Eli Lederman
The portal builders are going bowling
Louisville achieved something Saturday night that we haven’t seen in more than a decade. The Cardinals became the first team to go into Death Valley and hand Clemson a double-digit defeat since Florida State in 2013. Clemson was a whopping 71-3 at home ever since.
The fact that the Cardinals did it with Tyler Shough, Ja’Corey Brooks and 25 more transfers means it’s time for yet another referendum on Dabo Swinney’s refusal to embrace the portal, right? Let’s save that for another day. If Swinney’s squad can’t beat Pitt or South Carolina, teams powered by impact transfers, or if Miami and SMU are playing for an ACC title, you’re going to hear that tired argument all over again – even if it won’t make a difference.
For now, let’s just appreciate how many teams joined Louisville in clinching bowl-eligibility Saturday by benefitting from the portal.
Diego Pavia has been a program-changing presence for 6-3 Vanderbilt. Arizona State has shocked everyone in the Big 12 with its 6-2 start powered by Cam Skattebo, a little-known portal pickup from Sacramento State, and a team full of transfers. Fran Brown has won right away with his newcomers at Syracuse. Texas Tech had 10 former transfers in the starting lineup for its road upset of No. 11 Iowa State.
If you’re trying to achieve a turnaround like their coaches did, you must know how to evaluate and recruit in the portal. These programs keep proving that loading up on transfers and constructing a winning culture are not mutually exclusive concepts.
It’s easy to point to Florida State’s awful 1-8 season as proof that embracing the portal can have disastrous consequences. But so many more programs are better off today because they figured out how to effectively build a stronger roster in this new era. — Max Olson
Big 12’s two-bid hopes take a hit
The first College Football Playoff rankings have yet to be unveiled, but the Big 12’s hopes for an at-large bid took a major hit when Iowa State took its first loss of the season. Had the Cyclones and BYU both reached the conference title game undefeated, there would have been a compelling case for the winner and loser of the Big 12 title game to reach the playoff. Now, that feels unlikely.
For the Big 12 to get an at-large bid, it would probably take BYU winning out but then losing in the conference title game. In that scenario, the Cougars would be 12-1 and be owed serious consideration — especially if SMU reaches the ACC title game. However, a two-loss Big 12 team will unlikely have much of a chance. It’s also worth paying attention to the possibility that Colorado could be a playoff team. The Buffaloes are tied with Iowa State at 4-1 in the conference and have a more forgiving schedule to navigate to reach the title game, where a win would clinch not only a berth but a direct spot in the quarterfinals. — Kyle Bonagura
Buckeyes overcome OL injuries
Ohio State’s offensive line — and in turn, the running game — had struggled since left tackle Josh Simmons suffered a season-ending knee injury Oct. 12 in Oregon.
But in Saturday’s 20-13 victory at Penn State, the line and running game got back on track, as Ohio State controlled the trenches against a talented Nittany Lions’ defensive front.
With backup left tackle Zen Michalski out, as well, the Buckeyes bumped star guard Donovan Jackson to left tackle and inserted Carson Hinzman at left guard. Both settled in at their new spots and solidified the run blocking. With open running lanes, TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins combined to rush for 149 yards while averaging 6.2 yards per carry.
Losing a player the caliber of Simmons hurts. But the Buckeyes showed in State College they can still run the ball on just about anyone. — Jake Trotter
