B/R
Oregon continues to lead the way in the Associated Press Top 25 poll following a Week 9 that was light on major upsets.
The rest of the top five also remains nearly the same with Georgia, Penn State, Ohio State and Miami following behind the Ducks. It’s a much different story at the bottom of the poll after four teams that were ranked 20th or lower lost Saturday.
Oregon gave Illinois a major reality check at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks ran out to a 35-3 lead at halftime and cruised for the rest of the game.
Dillon Gabriel threw for 291 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while Jordan James and Noah Whittington combined to run for 139 yards and one score. On the other side, Illinois had just 89 total yards through the first half as its offense simply couldn’t move the ball.
The Illini have already qualified for a bowl, so they’ll have plenty to celebrate this year. But Saturday’s one-sided defeat removed them from the contender class in the Big Ten.
Week 9 may have produced a sobering result for LSU as well.
The Tigers led Texas A&M 17-7 going into the locker room at halftime, only to watch as the Aggies outscored them 31-6 in the second half. It was a comprehensive collapse in every sense of the word.
Preston Guy @PGuy77
Three second-half INTs.
Dropped balls.
The defense couldn’t adapt to a new QB.
Ran the ball 22 times for 33 yards.
Three FG attempts with zero points.
That’s all you need to know. That’s the ball game. That’s why Texas A&M is in first place in the SEC and #LSU is not.
Midway though the third quarter, everyone present at Kyle Field and those watching the game from home knew what was coming from the A&M offense. Still, LSU’s defense had no answer for the Aggies ground game.
Amari Daniels, Le’Veon Moss and Marcel Reed carried the ball 35 times for 236 yards and five touchdowns. Reed, who replaced Conner Weigman at quarterback, attempted only two passes.
Awful Announcing @awfulannouncing
“It’s the million-dollar question. I would say that we need to spend more time, each and every week it’s gotta be part of it. Because right now, I would run the quarterback against us.”
Brian Kelly after Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed ran for 52 yards with 3 TDs against LSU. pic.twitter.com/8DTw26LQ5s
The Tigers’ inability to corral Reed doesn’t bode well for their next game. They host Alabama and mobile quarterback Jalen Milroe on Nov. 9.
That clash is effectively a College Football Playoff eliminator with both teams sitting at 6-2. As much respect as the SEC garners, it’s difficult to picture a three-loss team from the conference getting the benefit of the doubt from the selection committee.
Speaking of playoff hopefuls, the dream of Navy and Army competing for a CFP spot in December is firmly over. Notre Dame saw to that by dominating the Midshipmen in a 51-14 win.
The Fighting Irish beat Navy at its own game with 265 total rushing yards and 6.6 yards per carry, and their performance will have a lot of fans looking at them a bit differently.
As bleak as things looked in the immediate aftermath of the Northern Illinois upset, four winnable games are standing between Notre Dame and a first-round playoff berth. That stretch starts Nov. 9 against Florida State.
When it comes to the Week 10 slate, Penn State and Ohio State cross paths for the most titanic battle on the schedule.
With the Buckeyes, it still feels like they’re trying to kick things into gear and play up to the level they can reach with the talent on their roster. They trailed Nebraska midway though the fourth quarter this past Saturday and only mustered 285 yards on offense.
This isn’t a must-win situation for Penn State head coach James Franklin, but it’s pretty close to that in terms of him shedding his longstanding reputation. So much of the goodwill and enthusiasm generated by the Nittany Lions’ 7-0 start will disappear if they can’t beat a very beatable Ohio State squad in Happy Valley.
