It’s important to remember that it’s no longer September but now November, when the hijinks of non-conference play are replaced by serious business.
In its past eight quarters of football, No. 2 Georgia has not trailed for a single second in outscoring its two ranked opponents away from home 79-15 and running for more yards (512) than it has allowed overall (497).
Those opponents were then-No. 17 Florida and No. 11 Mississippi. In the two games since a weird loss to Auburn, Georgia has turned back into the most complete team in the country.
That becomes even easier to believe when Gunner Stockton is back on track. He had maybe the worst start of his career against the Gators in completing 13 of 23 throws for a season-low 101 passing yards, though
he didn’t turn the ball over.
Against the Rebels, Stockton completed 9 of 15 passes for 186 yards, an average of 12.4 yards per attempt, with four touchdowns and no interceptions in a dominant 42-7 victory that will put Georgia atop the US LBM Coaches Poll for the second time this season.
As good as the Bulldogs are even when Stockton is not at his best, they are intimidating when he’s as surgical and explosive as he was on Saturday.
The team’s response since Auburn is especially impressive given the number of teams that have cratered in the SEC and Big Ten after a strong start, including Ohio State and LSU.
Unlike the Buckeyes, Tigers and others, Georgia used its loss to Auburn as a midseason reset. The result over the past two games is a team that’s becoming its best self at the right time.
The Bulldogs, Utah and Ohio State lead Saturday’s biggest winners and losers:
Winners
Notre Dame
A defensive stand in the red zone with under four minutes left helped No. 6 Notre Dame beat No. 1 Miami 31-24 and avoid what would’ve been a fatal loss for its College Football Playoff hopes. Thanks to a touchdown to end the first half and another early in the second, the Fighting Irish took a 24-3 lead and seemed on the verge of delivering a national statement. The Hurricanes clawed back behind three second-half touchdowns from Darian Mensah, who turned to Elijah Lofton (113 yards) and Cooper Barkate (92 yards) with star receiver Malachi Toney out with an injury. Mensah did not play as well as CJ Carr, who hit on 29 of 40 throws for 319 yards and three touchdowns. While a loss would’ve basically ended any real shot at the playoff, this win guarantees Notre Dame a spot with wins against Boston College, SMU and Syracuse to end the year.
Alabama
Maybe the playoff selection committee was onto something. No. 9 Alabama closed out a 31-13 win against LSU with dominant 17-minute run, turning what had been a field goal deficit into a convincing victory and maybe even locking down at least an at-large playoff berth. Starting after the Tigers went up 13-10 with 2:44 to go in the third quarter, the Crimson Tide came up with big plays in the passing game, on defense and on special teams, including a long punt return by Ryan Coleman-Williams with 10 minutes left that set up the second of quarterback Keelon Russell’s three touchdown passes. Already in the top five of the playoff rankings, the Tide close things out with Vanderbilt, Chattanooga and Auburn, making them one of the safest bets to make the bracket.
Utah
No. 4 Utah surged out of the gate with two quick scores and seemed on the verge of a Holy War blowout against No. 8 Brigham Young. The Cougars responded to take a 20-14 halftime lead but were undone by four Bear Bachmeier interceptions, including the deciding turnover in the end zone with under five minutes to play, and the Utes held on for a 28-20 win that puts them on track for the conference championship game. (That can basically be sealed with a win next Saturday against No. 22 Arizona.) From an at-large perspective, recent wins against Cincinnati, Houston and the Cougars have given a huge boost to Utah’s résumé.
Arch Manning
After having one of the most productive games of his career a week aga against Mississippi State, Manning stepped up again to lead No. 11 Texas to a crucial 34-20 win against No. 19 Missouri. He completed 28 of 38 attempts for 297 yards and three touchdowns without a turnover, tossing the go-ahead score just over five minutes remaining. There’s now a case to be made that Texas is in prime playoff position and could even lose once in the next three games and still earn an at-large berth. More important than that, though, is the way Texas has responded to Manning’s recent level of play to resemble a team that’s capable of delivering the program’s first national championship in over two decades. One thing the past two years have taught us is that Texas will only go as far as Manning goes; he’s improving, and so are the Longhorns.
Oregon
Quietly, Oregon has inched back into the playoff conversation after being left in the wake of last month’s loss to Illinois. Beating Northwestern was a nice start. But beating Ohio State 41-28 in Columbus will be an eyeopener beyond just the playoff selection committee, which already held the Ducks in high enough regard to have them No. 23 in the debut rankings. After falling behind 14-0, Oregon wrestled away momentum with a fake punt in the second quarter and never looked back, becoming the first team since Wisconsin in 1999 to score 38 points in a row on the Buckeyes. Former backup Dylan Raiola did his part, completing 25 of 40 passes for 257 yards and two scores while former OSU backup Luke Fahey did a good chunk of his damage in garbage time.
Air Force
The Falcons are back in possession of the Commander-in-Chief’s Trophy after beating Army 24-21. Just over a month ago, Air Force completed the first leg of the three-way rivalry with a 14-9 win against Navy. Army trailed 17-7 at halftime but scored twice in the third quarter to take a 21-17 lead. The Falcons answered that second score with a 24-yard touchdown pass on the second play of the fourth quarter and then put the game away with a 10-play drive in the final 5:27. Air Force hadn’t won the CIC Trophy since 2022 but have the most overall series wins with 22.
Florida State
Florida State did something incredible: win a game on the road. The Seminoles’ 31-24 win against Boston College was the program’s first away from home since Nov. 25, 2023, and the first without former coach Mike Norvell, who was fired earlier this week. Interim coach Rick Stockstill was one of three midseason Power Four replacements to win on Saturday, joining Maryland’s Aazaar Abdul-Rahim (34-29 against Purdue) and Baylor’s Joe Klanderman (42-31 against Iowa State).
Losers
Ohio State
The Buckeyes didn’t just lose to Oregon; they were embarrassed. The loss might even be the low point of coach Ryan Day’s tenure, if you’re able to squint and look past the many losses to rival Michigan. (That may be hard.) One reason why: This one basically ends Ohio State’s season. While not officially eliminated, OSU is not a realistic at-large contender with three losses after being No. 12 in the first playoff rankings and has a convoluted path to the Big Ten championship game. Already, this is the first OSU team to lose more than two games since 2011.
Michigan
Michigan fans went from pointing and laughing at the Buckeyes to the type of torture that only a 15-6 loss to Michigan State can provide. Yes, this is the new low in a pretty miserable season under coach Kyle Whittingham. His decision to hand the offense to Tommy Carr paid off last week against Rutgers, another Big Ten doormat, but the freshman threw for just 138 yards with two interceptions against the Spartans. Overall, the Wolverines have scored more than just 21 points twice all season, against Texas-El Paso and the Scarlet Knights.
Kentucky
Losing 34-6 to No. 16 Tennessee won’t be good for No. 7 Kentucky’s credibility, especially as a reputation-making win against LSU loses some luster. That win against South Carolina looks even better, though, and the Wildcats had enough wiggle room heading into the month to lose once and still make the playoff. The question now becomes whether the Volunteers’ bullying win sets the tone for a brutal finish against a very tough November slate, or if Kentucky was due for a stinker and will rebound next Saturday against Florida. The three turnovers against Tennessee can be fixed, but giving up 240 rushing yards on 37 carries is definitely a concern.
Lane Kiffin
Kiffin was the toast of college football in early September. If not the toast of the sport, he was definitely college football’s biggest celebrity, for whatever that’s worth. Two months later, the reality of his first year at LSU is simply that his team hasn’t beaten anyone and isn’t getting better. The wins: Clemson, Louisiana Tech, Texas A&M, McNeese State, Mississippi State and Auburn. And after playing Ole Miss competitively and losing in overtime to Kentucky, the Tigers were buried in the fourth quarter by Alabama. Up next are No. 11 Texas and Tennessee.
Texas A&M
We’ll know by this point next season whether last year’s playoff berth was the aberration or if this season’s plummet toward the bottom of the SEC is the norm. That’s not an excuse for what has happened to Texas A&M, which was No. 8 in the preseason Coaches Poll but might miss out on the postseason after losing 17-9 to surging South Carolina. The offense actually showed up for this one, gaining 457 yards and controlling time of possession, but the Aggies couldn’t convert in the red zone, missed a big field goal early in the third quarter and turned the ball over on downs with 1:27 left, setting up LaNorris Sellers’s 41-yard game-clinching touchdown run. The Aggies will need to take two of three against Tennessee, Oklahoma and Texas to reach a bowl game.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia dominates, Ohio State flops to lead college football winners, losers of Week 10
