Call this one “Paradox Week,” as we had a slate of closely matched teams but few games delivering real drama with blowouts or at least dominating victories abounding. There were five games involving two ranked opponents Saturday (tying a record), but most of them were not close.
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With only one loss in the top schools, there will not be much seen in the way of movement in the polls. There were some moving moments and curiosities.
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Indiana continues to impress with not only an 8-0 record after handling Washington, but more than that, the Hoosiers have not trailed a single time in any game this season.
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The Miami Hurricanes defeated archrival FSU as expected – but how they did it was not expected. For the first time this season Cam Ward threw for less than 300 yards as Mario Cristobal went with a running game plan that saw the Canes ground out 230 yards and four touchdown drives of 11 plays or more. Ward also had no touchdown throws, but he did catch one, so he was not blanked.
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Speaking of FSU, the loss drops them to 1-7. The last time an undefeated team followed the next year with that result was 70 years ago.
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Navy had gone this far undefeated, partly due to ball security, losing just two turnovers, but the Midshipmen were throttled by Notre Dame while giving away the ball half a dozen times.
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On the flip side of that, here is Duke being Duke. SMU managed to turn the ball over six times, including three of those in the last quarter, yet the Blue Devils had a short field goal in the last seconds blocked, and went on to lose in overtime.
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The Michigan-Michigan State rivalry is still ongoing. Watch as a field swarm breaks out between the teams on the final kneel-down play.
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Texas A&M 38 – LSU 23
Possibly the most entertaining game between the top-ranked schools. LSU commanded things in the first half as its defense was smothering the Aggies (dressed in all-black), so in the 3rd quarter Mike Elko swapped QBs, inserting Marcel Reed, and the running game sliced up the Tigers. Reed went on to make just two passes but scored three touchdowns and joined the running backs in gaining 242 on the ground. Then the Aggies defense locked things down, intercepting Garret Nussmeier three times in the second half.
Texas 27 – Vanderbilt 24
The days of Vanderbilt being a rollover are done, for now, as they challenged the Longhorns to the end. Quinn Ewers had a solid if not great game (3 TDs, 2 INTs) and Diego Pavia continues to carry the Commodores on his back. Despite no running game – where Pavia doubled the yardage of Vandy’s top rusher – he drove to a late touchdown with under a minute, and the Longhorns had to collect the onside kick to cement the win.
Penn State 28 – Wisconsin 13
Lions QB Drew Allars went down with a knee injury at halftime with the Badgers in the lead, but his backup Beau Pribula handled the offense. Following a pick-6 to give them the lead Pribula settled in and drove the team for consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter to keep Penn State undefeated.
Ohio State 21 – Nebraska 17
The Buckeyes had a surprisingly tough time against the struggling Cornhuskers at home. Nebraska sent an early chill through Columbus when they took a lead in the 4th quarter, but Will Howard drove Ohio State to go ahead with just under seven minutes to play, and then a key interception locked down the win. Next week is the anticipated Top-5 game between fellow unbeaten Penn State.
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Kansas State – Kansas
In one of the thrillers of the day the Sunflower Showdown was tight. The Kansas Jayhawks took a four-point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter but Kansas State controlled things enough in the closing, a 51-yard field goal with under 2:00 to play and defensive stop on 4th down making the difference.
Boise State 29 – UNLV 24
It is a testament to the season he is having that Ashton Jeanty running for 128 yards and a touchdown is considered a letdown performance, but his strike was the winning score.
Here is the newest AP Top-25
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Oregon
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Georgia
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Penn State
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Ohio State
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Miami
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Texas
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Tennessee
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Notre Dame
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BYU
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Texas A&M
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Clemson
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Iowa State
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Indiana
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Alabama
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Boise State
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LSU
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Kansas State
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Pitt
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Ole Miss
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SMU
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Army
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Washington State
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Colorado
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Illinois
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Missouri