10 Takeaways: Week Ten

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1. Ryan Day wins the mid-off vs. James Franklin

Ohio State-Penn State was as unsurprisingly dumb as it always is, and ended in familiar fashion. The Buckeyes pulled out their ninth win in ten tries over James Franklin - this one a 20-13 battle they dominated the vast majority of. Two crash-dummy turnovers from Buckeyes QB Will Howard kept it closer than it actually was, but Howard deserves credit for fighting through and doing enough to get them the win.

I'll be honest: I picked Penn State to win. I thought that if there was any year Franklin would finally catch Ohio State it'd be now. I've been pretty clear how I feel about the Ryan Day era, and even though beating Franklin again doesn't change my opinion on him that much, I gotta give credit where its due. The Buckeyes climbed out of an early 10-0 hole, and ran the ball well (176 yards) behind a depleted and shuffled offensive line. The defense held twice inside their own five, including this incredible play from corner Davison Igbinosun:

Most importantly, they closed out the game in a way we haven't really seen before under Day - 10-straight runs, right through the heart of the Nittany Lions defense:

I rest my Ryan Day slander for at least a week, because one thing I'm never gonna complain about is causing anguish and heartbreak to Penn State fans.

As for the Nittany Lions? Another day of 'woulda, coulda, shoulda,' for James Franklin against Ohio State. Penn State led 10-0, scored zero total points the two times they were inside the Buckeyes' five, and couldn't get off the field in crucial situations all game. They'll still probably win out and get a home playoff game, but I'd love to hear anyone make a solid argument on this team deserving a shot at the national championship:

Franklin's already politicking, if you were wondering:

Anyway, things are going great between him and his fanbase:

2. Upsets and near upsets everywhere

There's nothing I love more than when we get a crazy week out of nowhere. Week ten was exactly that. Here's a few quick thoughts about some of the craziness:

South Carolina wrecks Texas A&M

My week ten upset pick didn't let me down, as the Gamecocks dropped 24 unanswered second-half points for a 44-20 win over the No. 10 Aggies. I thought what would decide this game was the South Carolina pass rush, but where they really shone was how they were able to run the ball, plus a breakout performance from QB LaNorris Sellers. Sellers accounted for 350 total yards (244 passing, 106 rushing) and three total touchdowns. The Gamecocks are far from a perfect team, but there isn't anyone they can't at least match up with when they're at their best. This loss eliminated any margin for error A&M had playoff-wise. They've gotta run the table from here on out.

Louisville puts a dagger in Clemson

Did you know that Louisville had never beaten Clemson prior to Saturday? It makes sense when you realize the series history is still new, but that blew my mind. Louisville won 33-21 in Death Valley, mostly controlling the game from the mid-second quarter onward. With Miami and SMU still undefeated in ACC play, the Tigers are now on the outside looking in, and don't have much of a playoff resume, given that their best win is either Virginia or NC State.

Florida pushes Georgia to the brink

I'm still holding the line on my belief that when push comes to shove, no one's beating Georgia in the playoff. I won't deny that I'm starting to feel shaky about it, though. Carson Beck tossed another stinker (three interceptions), but the Dawgs held on for a 34-20 win over Florida. The big story here is the injury to Gators QB DJ Lagway. Lagway went out of the game with an apparent hamstring injury, and it's not crazy to think that it cost Florida the game. They were up 10-3 with 5 minutes left in the second quarter at that point, and Lagway's absence killed any big play potential from their offense. It also meant that they were down to third-stringer Aidan Warner - a Yale transfer who arrived in Gainsville as a walk-on in the spring. He wasn't awful given the circumstances, but it's gotta be brutal for Florida fans knowing this game was theirs for the taking if they weren't so depleted. Forgive my French, but my takeaway here is that Georgia needs to get their shit together, ASAP.

A stunner in Ames

The best part of November football are the upsets you don't see coming. There was no reason to think Texas Tech would walk out of Ames with a win, but that's exactly what they did in one of the best finishes of the season:

Thank you, Willie Fritz

There was even less reason to think that Houston could beat Kansas State! The Cougs used the bad weather in H-Town to their advantage, playing a near mistake-free game for a 24-19 shocker. QB Zeon Chriss went a perfect 11-11 passing, and led Houston from down 19-10 in the fourth quarter to ultimately take the lead with under three minutes to go:

Kansas State QB Avery Johnson's subsequent interception ended the game, and possibly the Wildcats' hopes for both a run at the Big 12 Title and the playoff. I'll have more on the Big 12 chaos here in a bit!

3. What's going on in with these power programs?

While everyone's focused on what the first playoff rankings will look like, I'm more interested at trying to figure out how things have gone so wrong for a group of big-time programs. Let's discuss:

USC (4-5)

USC has held fourth-quarter leads in all nine games and lost five of them. They fought back from a 20-7 halftime deficit at Washington to lead 21-20 heading into the fourth quarter, but fell 26-21 in a loss emblematic of their season. Washington's final score came off a short field from QB Miller Moss' third interception of the day, but the Trojans' offense responded with an 11-play drive that took them inside the Huskies five-yard line with just under seven minutes to play down by a point. With four cracks at it, they got nothing:

They had another shot to win after a subsequent Washington punt, and Moss drove them to the Huskies' 20 with 30 seconds left. Once again, they couldn't convert, leaving Lincoln Riley to (once again) talk about how they're just a play away:

USC's five losses are by a total of 19 points. I don't watch them and think, "This is an awful football team." But, I'm also a child of Bill Parcells. At some point you are what your record says you are. Whether it's the turnovers, defensive breakdowns, or Riley oddly deciding to throw 50 times when the run game is cooking, USC's failures are a product of how he runs his program - not bad luck. Having an 0-4 road record in Big Ten play with a 12-12 overall record in your last 24 games isn't because a random coin flip just keep going against you. It's because you have a bad football team, and that's exactly what USC is right now under Riley's leadership.

If you want a deeper dive on the Trojans' loss and what it means for Riley, check out friend of the site Kyron Samuels' latest article on SI:

Florida State (1-8)

It's almost unfathomable how bad Florida State is. I won't blame you if you stopped paying attention to them after the first couple weeks, but I can promise you that there's been little-to-no improvement since then. The Noles got stomped by North Carolina at home at home, putting a bow on what will probably go down as the worst season in modern FSU history:

Mike Norvell's buyout is too large for him to get fired, and I still believe he's closer to the coach that led them to last season's magical 13-1 record than he is to this. That said, there's not a single redeeming thing about them outside of the fact that they're still at least physically showing up to practice and also their games. How Norvell attacks this offseason is one of the more intriguing storylines in the country.

Michigan (5-4)

Michigan doesn't have a quarterback, the fanbase hates their defensive coordinator, and they're already considering a full-blown heel turn on Sherrone Moore. It's amazing how you think winning a title will ease all your problems, but in reality it just makes you as bloodthirsty for winning as all the other fanbases you hated for so many years, isn't it?

I never felt like the Wolverines' loss to Oregon was particularly close, even when they had moments that made it seem like it was. Not having a functional QB is killing their offense, their best defensive player is out, and the defensive coordinator admittedly looks lost. Their are still legit dudes sprinkled throughout the roster, but this is a team who just has to find a way to finish strong with roadtrips to Indiana and Ohio State still on the schedule and build towards 2025.

Nebraska

How many times have you heard that Nebraska's close losses over the last decade are just a product of randomness, and not something deeply embedded into the soul of the program? Well another bit of randomness hit them in the form of a 27-20 home loss to UCLA. Three weeks ago, the Cornhuskers were 5-1 and easily on track to make their first bowl since 2016. Today, they're 5-4, and the prospect of finishing on a six-game losing streak isn't out of the question:

QB Dylan Raiola has thrown one touchdown to six interceptions over the last month, and had another ugly day against the Bruins:

I hate Nebraska so much that it's impossible for me to be objective, so I'll ask you, dear reader: Do you think Matt Rhule's the guy to truly take Nebraska to the next level, or is this just who they are at their core?

Oklahoma (5-4)

A win's a win, even if it is over Maine. Now all OU has to do is not think about how much they should hate whoever's responsible for making the SEC schedule:

Auburn (3-6)

Auburn's on-field issue is obvious - they need a quarterback. I don't know if they'd be a playoff contender with one, but they damn sure wouldn't be the group who hasn't scored more than 25 points on anyone not named Alabama A&M or New Mexico. Finding someone who's at least above replacement level is their number one goal this offseason. Well, outside of deciding whether Hugh Freeze should still be the coach:

Oklahoma State (3-6)

Oklahoma State doesn't have the cache as the other teams –outside of Nebraska– I mentioned here, but they're the most disappointing team in the country behind Florida State. They've lost six-straight, and are on the brink of missing a bowl for the first time since Mike Gundy's debut in 2005. I know two months is a long time ago, but you've gotta remember that they were ranked 13th on September 21!

They were picked third in the Big 12 preseason poll, getting 14 of 61 total first-place votes. Running back Ollie Gordon was a legitimate Heisman candidate, and the pieces were there for them to at least be in the mix come November. Instead, Gordon is 58th in rushing nationally and their defense hasn't allowed fewer than 38 points in their last five games. Gundy's teams are notorious for dropping in a stinker season every few years –they started 12th in 2022 before finishing 7-6– but something about this one feels different. They're obviously not firing him off one bad year, but I think it'd be wise for Oklahoma State's decision-makers to start coming up with what the next era of football in Stillwater looks like, if they haven't already.