College football week 10 is in the books. After every week fans can take away things from what happened on the field. Here are 5 things learned from college football week 10.
1. No One Wants to Play Purdue
Michigan State entered the week ranked third in the CFP Committee’s initial rankings of the season. They will now drop in the polls after suffering their first loss of the season. Although the offense moved the ball well, the defense allowed Aidan O’Connell to throw for 536 yards. David Bell also had a big game for Purdue with 11 catches for 217 yards and a touchdown. The Spartans could not stop the Purdue passing attack and left West Lafayette with a loss because of that.
The win puts Purdue at six wins for bowl eligibility. This is the second top-five team the Boilermakers have defeated this season. They seemingly get up for big games and Bell is nearly unstoppable when the lights are the brightest. Purdue plays Ohio State this weekend for another chance to knock off a highly-ranked team.
2. Top Teams Struggled
On top of the Michigan State loss, plenty of other good teams struggled to gain any style points. The team in the most desperate need of style points, the Cincinnati Bearcats, only defeated Tulsa by eight points and needed a goalline stand to win in the end. Ohio State had a road game against Nebraska and failed to pull away. They did end up winning by nine points, but things could’ve easily gone the other way.
In primetime, Alabama was projected to beat LSU by a few scores. Things did not go as planned and Alabama won by six points. Another prime-time game featured Oregon against Washington. The offenses couldn’t pass the ball and the Ducks won by just 10 points. With the CFP Committe looking at style points, they won’t be impressed with any team, but Georgia in that regard this week.
3. TCU Stayed Focused
In a week where their head coach agreed to part ways with the university, TCU found a way to win. They defeated one of their rivals in Baylor, who was ranked 12th before the game. The Horned Frogs passed the ball well with backup quarterback Chandler Morris passing 461 yards and two touchdowns. Morris also rushed for 70 yards and a score.
The win puts TCU at four for the season, which gets them a shot at bowl eligibility if they can get a few more wins. Baylor, on the other hand, now sits behind both Oklahoma and Oklahoma State in the Big 12 standings. If they lose to Oklahoma in week 11, their chances of making the Big 12 chances will be slim to none.
4. The SEC West is Still a Mess
The SEC West has provided some really good football this season. That’s not new. What is new is that the division is more wide open in previous years. Yes, Alabama still sits atop the division with just one loss. But they failed to blow out an LSU team with a lame-duck coach. Behind them sits three teams with two losses in the conference.
On Saturday, Texas A&M only allowed three points and dominated Auburn. They have a win over Alabama, which could come in handy by the end of the season. Also sitting with just two losses in the conference is Auburn, who still has Alabama left on the schedule. Ole Miss is the third team with just two conference losses and could throw a wrench into things as well. With three weeks of regular-season football left, a lot can happen.
5. Wake Forest had a Good Run
In one of the more exciting games of the weekend North Carolina defeated Wake Forest 58-55. It was an absolute shootout between Sam Howell and Sam Hartman. Hartman finished the game with 398 passing yards, five passing touchdowns and two interceptions. He also ran for 78 yards and two touchdowns. Howell passed for just 216 yards, but added 104 rushing yards and scored three total touchdowns.
After starting the season 8-0 and being ranked in the CFP top 10, Wake will now likely drop out. It was a good run for a school that doesn’t have the richest of football traditions. There is still a lot left still on the table for the Demon Deacons. An ACC Championship and a possible New Year’s Six Bowl Game could still be up for grabs if they finish strong.
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