Is TCU a Real Contender for the College Football Playoffs?
USA TODAY Sports’ Paul Myerberg and Dan Wolken break down TCU’s chances of an unbeaten finish.
US TODAY
It’s getting easier to argue that No. 3 Tennessee is more than just one of the top success stories in the bowl subdivision or just a college football playoff contender, the Volunteers might just be the best team in the country.
Earning that label means taking it away from #1 in Georgia, which could be a stretch. The defending champion went undefeated, stormed into a 28-3 lead against Florida at halftime and held on to the 42-20 win.
But each week that has passed has painted a better picture of the volunteers’ chances of climbing back to the top of FBS after a long absence from the national stage.
Two weeks after defeating Alabama in a memorable shootout, Tennessee played its most complete game of the season with a 44-6 win over No. 17 Kentucky. On either side of the ball, the Volunteers are rolling into next Saturday’s Game of the Year matchup against the Bulldogs.
Hendon Hooker continued to build on his Heisman Trophy case with 245 passing yards and three scores, which gave him 21 in the season against just one interception. His favorite target, wide receiver Jalin Hyatt, rushed for 138 yards and two more touchdowns.
Even more impressive was the defense of the volunteers. Tennessee rushed for 177 yards at 4.4 yards per carry; Kentucky’s total offense gained 205 yards at 3.3 yards per game. Defense also forced Will Levis into three turnovers, including a big interception in the red zone late in the second quarter when Kentucky was 20-6 behind. Tennessee would score late in the first half to build an insurmountable 27-6 advantage.
Those accomplishments are starting to speak for themselves: Tennessee may be hard to beat for anyone, including Georgia. After another eye-popping win, the Volunteers top the list of the weekend’s biggest winners and losers:
winner
FBS undefeated
Besides Tennessee, every other undefeated team in action remained perfect with victories on Saturday, setting up a wild and crazy November full of impactful plays at every Power Five conference. Georgia messed around with Florida, who tied within eight points in the third quarter before the Bulldogs edged out the Gators. Under pressure from Penn State, No. 2 Ohio State trailed 21-16 in the fourth quarter before a late-hit explosion sparked a 44-31 win. No. 4 Michigan wore down rival Michigan State behind 177 rushing yards and a Blake Corum score to win 29-7. No. 7 TCU was pushed by angry West Virginia before a late Max Duggan touchdown helped the Horned Frogs cling to a 41-31 win.
INTENSIFICATION OF: Defense leads Ohio State defeats Penn State
WEEK 9 OVERVIEW: Results, summaries of each top 25 game
State of Kansas
After carving out an 18-point lead in last week’s loss to the Horned Frogs, the No. 22 Wildcats went 35-0 at halftime and pulled off a hugely impressive 48-0 win over No. 9 from the bottom State of Oklahoma. While quarterback Adrian Martinez was out, backup Will Howard threw 21 of 37 throws for 296 yards with four touchdowns while outplaying Oklahoma State’s Spencer Sanders, who had 147 yards and an interception. The offense was triggered by Deuce Vaughn’s running back for 176 yards total offense and two points, one as a receiver. The win puts Kansas State back in position to reach the Big 12 championship game and the New Year’s Six, and severely hurt those same hopes for the Cowboys.
WILDCATS ROAR: Kansas State leaves no doubt about Oklahoma State
Notre-Dame
Drawing on the game in progress, the Fighting Irish dominated the clock in a 41-24 win over No. 16 Syracuse that marked the culmination of Marcus Freeman’s young tenure. Led by Audric Estimes for 123 yards, Notre Dame rushed for 246 yards to surpass the 200-yard mark for the fourth time in five games and notched a season-high with four touchdowns. Losses to Marshall and Stanford are hard to forget and will likely define Freeman’s debut as the Irish lose games to No. 5 Clemson and No. 11 Southern California in November. But Notre Dame has played much better football over the past month despite losing to the Cardinal and could end up with eight or nine wins.
Louisville
Louisville hit two defensive touchdowns as part of a 35-point third quarter and forced eight total turnovers to embarrass No. 10 Wake Forest 48-21 for one of the most important wins of the Scott-Satterfield era. Since the 34-33 loss to Boston College to open in October, the Cardinals have clinched three straight wins to reach the threshold of bowl eligibility and take some pressure off Satterfield in a potential make-or-break season. For the Demon Deacons, the loss diminishes the chance of reaching a New Year’s Six Bowl
Iowa
The Hawkeyes scored a touchdown. Indeed, they scored once in the first quarter, again in the second, once in the third, and added another in the fourth as the nation’s sleepiest and least productive offense sprung to life to beat Northwestern 33-13. Iowa ended the season with a season-high 393 yards — its best single-game performance since winning 428 yards against Maryland last October — while quarterback Spencer Petras rushed for the second time this season for 200 yards.
State of Boise
Written off after losing to Texas-El Paso 27-10 on Sept. 23 — the kind of loss our defense is hard to forget — the Broncos have gotten back into the mix for top spot in the group the five recorded four wins in a row, most recently a 49-10 win over the overwhelmed state of Colorado. The offense has begun to rally around quarterback Taylen Green, the former backup who rose to the starting role after Hank Bachmeier opted for a transfer in late September. After throwing 66.7% of his throws for 227 yards in last week’s win against the Air Force, Green had a career-high 305 yards and two touchdowns against the Rams.
loser
Pennsylvania
At least the Nittany Lions performed better than in the matchup with No. 4 Michigan when the Wolverines put up 416 rushing yards in a 24-point win. The loss still serves to essentially eliminate Penn State from contention for the Big Ten championship and is Ohio State’s sixth straight loss. While leading the table against a very good list of November games should land the Nittany Lions in the New Year’s Six, they likely won’t finish higher than third in the Big Ten East for the fifth time in six years.
State of Michigan
What a difference a year makes. Michigan State was one of the nation’s best teams last season, earning a spot in the Peach Bowl, ninth place in the latest USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll, and coach Mel Tucker one of the biggest contracts in FBS history. After being crushed by Michigan, the Spartans sit 3-5 overall and 1-4 in Big Ten play, tied with Indiana and Rutgers at the bottom of the Big Ten East. Even entering the postseason requires three wins against Illinois, Rutgers, Indiana and Penn State.
cincinnati
A year after becoming the first team in the Group of Five to make the playoffs, No. 19 Cincinnati could be knocked out of American Athletic Championship play after a 21-21 loss to Central Florida. The loss was another stunning showing by the Bearcats offense, which gained just 333 yards and averaged a measly 1.5 yards per carry. How long has it been since Cincinnati last lost in a conference game? Try for nearly three years: Memphis won the Bearcats 29-24 in the 2019 conference championship game.
Texas A&M
Another Saturday, another loss for college football’s biggest disappointment. Despite some nice moments from freshman quarterback Conner Weigman, who threw four touchdowns and was supposed to be the starter moving forward, the agg struggled in third and spent 390 rushing yards in a 31-28 loss to No. 12 Mississippi up. That fourth straight loss leaves the Aggies 3-5 after going into September as one of the top contenders in the SEC. What does Jimbo Fisher mean? This seemingly unstoppable slide could lead to a number of personnel changes as A&M attempts an aggressive restart.
Maroon
There is good news and bad news. The bad news: Auburn lost again, this time 41-27 to Arkansas, and still occupies the basement of the SEC West. A season that seemed lost well before September has gone as expected. The good news, a silver lining of sorts, is that each Saturday and each subsequent loss the Tigers are getting closer to the apparent coaching change with Bryan Harsin, taking the program in a new direction.
Anyone who’s seen Virginia and Miami
The only good news is that this game was only available online so it was easy to miss. But even following the scoreboard was painful: Virginia and Miami combined for 14 punts, 4.6 yards per game, eight field goals, zero touchdowns and a single two-point conversion as the Hurricanes won 14-12 in four overtime . Things have been ugly for both teams all season, with Virginia struggling against every opponent with a pulse — Illinois, Syracuse, Duke and Louisville — and Miami under coach Mario Cristobal hit a big stumbling block coming out of goal. The win is the Hurricanes’ second in six games and increases their chances of gaining bowl eligibility when games against Florida State, Clemson, Georgia Tech and Pittsburgh come up.
Boston College
Forget returning to bowl play or improving on coach Jeff Hafley’s six wins in his first two seasons — Boston College isn’t even the best bowl subdivision team in New England after losing 3-13 to Connecticut. The Huskies forced five turnovers for the first win in program history against the Eagles, went 0-12-2 in a 1908 Border States series and are making some noise under new coach Jim Mora.