Week 10 was an eventful week filled with upsets and marquee matchups. Lots of playoff implications and shifts in the rankings resulted from this week.
1. James Franklin’s Big Game Struggles Continue
James Franklin has had many good teams during his tenure at Penn State. However, he has struggled to win the big game against the likes of Ohio State and Michigan. Entering Week 10 at 7-0, Penn State controlled its destiny to make the Big Ten Championship. After this loss to an uber-talented Ohio State team, the Nittany Lions no longer hold control of their destiny. They will need things to fall in their favor to reach the conference championship and earn a top-four seed. Ohio State now comes back into the conversation for the conference championship.
2. Louisville Earns First Win Over Clemson in Program History
Louisville entered Saturday 0-8 all-time against Clemson. Entering Death Valley as 11.5-point underdogs, the odds were not in the Cards’ favor to notch their first win over the Tigers. Freshman Isaac Brown had a massive game for the Cards, taking 20 carries for 151 yards and a touchdown. Phil Mafah had 30 carries for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns, but that was nearly the only bright spot for the Tigers. Jeff Brohm has been known to pull off some upsets, and this one will go right at the top of his upset resume.
3. Texas Tech Stuns Iowa State
Iowa State hosted unranked Texas Tech with the opportunity to go to 8-0. The Cyclones have been excellent this season, although they nearly lost to UCF two weeks ago. Up to this point, they had found ways to win, and on Saturday, they found ways to lose. Giving up a rushing touchdown to the Red Raiders with 20 seconds left in regulation, they had no chance to win this one. The Cyclones now fall into second place in the Big 12, and if they can win out, they will reach the Big 12 title game.
4. SMU Throttles Undefeated Pittsburgh
Kevin Jennings played a nearly perfect game this week, throwing for over 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. Running back Brashard Smith had a monster game, rushing for over 160 yards on 23 carries and also scoring 2 touchdowns. Having three different defenders tally a sack was key for the Mustangs in their 48-25 thrashing of Pitt. The Mustangs remain undefeated in ACC play and are now in sole possession of second place in the ACC. If the Mustangs can win out in the regular season, they will have a chance to play for a berth in the College Football Playoff.
5. Kansas State Stumbles Against Houston
The 17th-ranked Kansas State Wildcats entered Saturday with a great chance to reach the Big 12 Championship. Now, after suffering their second conference loss, their chances of reaching the title game will be slim. Losing to a subpar Houston team is going to derail their season and make it nearly impossible to reach the playoff.
