Week ten had a little bit of everything: thrillers, last second wins, upsets and even a little mayhem. Here are my winners and losers:
Winners:
- Oklahoma Sooners: Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for a school record 598 yards and five touchdowns. Wide receiver Marquise Brown had 265 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Running back Rodney Anderson rushed for 111 yards and a touchdown. Key stops on defense helped the Sooners hold off rival Oklahoma State Cowboys 62-52. Their Bedlam clash didn’t disappoint. Mayfield may be the leader in the Heisman race.
- Miami Hurricanes: Quarterback Malik Rosier overcame three interceptions, throwing two touchdowns. He also rushed for a touchdown. The defense forced four turnovers as the Canes defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies 28-10, taking control of the ACC Coastal division. For all of you who said that the Canes were frauds, they look legit to me.
- Michigan State Spartans: After waiting out a 3 ½ hour weather delay, kicker Matt Coghlin’s 34-yard field goal as time expired helped the Spartans upset the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-24. The Spartans, at least for now, control their destiny in the Big Ten East.
- Clemson Tigers: Late defensive stops helped the Tigers stave off the North Carolina State Wolfpack 38-31. The Tigers are in the driver’s seat in the ACC Atlantic division.
- USC Trojans: Quarterback Sam Darnold threw for 311 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Ronald Jones II rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Aca’Cedric Ware rushed for 122 yards a touchdown. The defense caught two interceptions sealing their win against the Arizona Wildcats 49-35. The playoffs are out of the question for the Trojans, but they still have a chance to go to a big bowl game.
- Washington Huskies: Wide receiver Dante Pettis set an NCAA record for most punt returns for touchdowns. He also had a touchdown catch as the Huskies easily defeated the Oregon Ducks 38-0. The Huskies are very much alive in the college football playoff chase.
- UAB Blazers: Running back Spencer Brown rushed for 140 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback A.J. Erdely threw for three touchdowns. The defense caught three interceptions including cornerback Brontae Harris’ pick six that helped the Blazers dominate the Rice Owls 52-21. At 6-3, the Blazers are bowl eligible in their first season after taking a two-year hiatus from football.
Losers:
- Oklahoma State Cowboys: Despite great performances from quarterback Mason Rudolph and running back Justice Hill, their defense couldn’t slow down Oklahoma.
- LSU Tigers: Though they had the advantage in total yards and time of possession, they couldn’t put together enough scoring drives in their loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide 24-10.
- Stanford Cardinal: Drops cost the Cardinal in a loss to the Washington State Cougars 24-21.
- Virginia Tech Hokies: Being only 3 for 14 on third downs and turnovers stalled drives for the Hokies in their loss to Miami.
- Florida Gators: The Gators were pummeled by the Missouri Tigers 45-16, they’ve now lost four in a row.
- Penn State Nittany Lions: Quarterback Trace McSorley’s three interceptions and running back Saquon Barkley being held to just 63 rushing yards were the Lions’ undoing in their loss to Michigan State. There will be no playoffs for the Lions.
- Ohio State Buckeyes: Quarterback J.T. Barrett’s four interceptions, including a pick six and the defense giving up 487 total yards threw everything for a loop as they were shocked by the Iowa Hawkeyes 55-24, delivering a blow to the Buckeyes’ playoff hopes. With the Lions and Buckeyes losing, yes, I said Sparty controls their destiny, but the Big Ten East is now wide open.
Storylines Going Into Week 11:
More MACtion as Toledo plays Ohio. Washington meets Stanford. Ohio State will try to rebound as they host Michigan State. Oklahoma State and Iowa State play to keep their Big 12 title game hopes alive. NC State battles Boston College.
Virginia Tech plays Georgia Tech. Clemson hosts Florida State.
Georgia battles Auburn. Mississippi State hosts Alabama. TCU plays Oklahoma. Notre Dame meets Miami.